Taro Tsujimoto HOF Article

[jacobcarson877 2,536]

Taro Tsujimoto - Class of S83

 

Position: Center

Birthplace: Japan

Height: 6'2"

Weight: 209 lbs

Drafted: 9th Overall (HC Davos Dynamo)

User: @Gustav

 

Career Awards

S78 - World Cup Silver

S80 - Scotty Campell Trophy

S80 - World Cup Bronze

 

S82 - World Cup Silver

 

S82 - Scotty Campell Trophy

 

It takes a lot of strength, will and dedication to lead a successful team. But it takes so much more to lead a dismal one. It may have taken until Tsujimoto’s 5^th VHL season before securing a spot in the playoffs, but that was not for a lack of trying by Tsujimoto. When looking back at the Dynamo of the 70s, one could quickly take a glance at their position in the standings and move on without really taking a look. And maybe that’s for the best. But that would also mean you missed out on a truly dominant player, a true diamond in the rough. There is not much I can say about Gustav’s character that we don’t all already know. A strong, positive member in our community. A guardian of purity within the endless whirlwind of discourse. And despite his efforts to convince us of the contrary, a damn good player creator as well. So allow yourself to review the illustrious legacy of Taro Tsujimoto, one season at a time.

 

S73 – Ottawa Lynx (VHLM)

 

Regular Season

GP: 19    G: 1    A: 2    P: 3    +/-: -6    SHT: 5    PIM: 0    HIT: 13    SB: 0

Playoffs

GP: 5    G: 0    A: 0    P: 0    +/-: 0    SHT: 0    PIM: 0    HIT: 0    SB: 0

 

It is always fun to look back at the humble beginnings of the greats. Joining the Lynx via waivers after a very solid career with Jerry Garcia retiring with Davos, Taro reminded us that not every great career starts out all that momentously. But despite the lack of immediate offensive production, Gustav knew that the hard work put in at the beginning of this career was “Preparing Taro to be a David”, as mentioned in the first Job Pay claim of this career. A truly pointless experience in Taro’s first playoff run, but valuable time to prepare for the next VHLM season.

 

S74 – Mississauga Hounds (VHLM)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 50    A: 69    P: 119    +/-: 53    SHT: 452    PIM: 64    HIT: 142    SB: 24

Playoffs

GP: 15    G: 4    A: 10    P: 14    +/-: 2    SHT: 91    PIM: 18    HIT: 30    SB: 9

 

After a bit of a slow start with Ottawa, Tsujimoto came out flying in S74. 50 goals is a pretty hefty feat, even in the VHLM. Adding 69 very nice assists, Tsujimoto ended up 4^th highest overall in points, 5^th in goals scored, and 3^rd in assists in S74. Tsujimoto led their team to a 4^th place regular season standing position, and then pushed them to the final, before succumbing in 4 games to a late-surging Miami Marauders team. Regardless of the disappointing finish, this playoff run set up Tsujimoto to be a top-10 pick in the upcoming VHL draft.

 

S75 – HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 19    A: 24    P: 43    +/-: -5    SHT: 246    PIM: 65    HIT: 97    SB: 19

 

A very respectable season for a rookie on a disappointing team. Gustav did not take a selfish approach, giving himself bottom line minutes. Considering that, almost 20 goals and over 40 points is impressive. A great taster of what we would see in the future.

 

S76 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 33    A: 32    P: 65    +/-: -14    SHT: 353    PIM: 79    HIT: 161    SB: 36

There is a common phenomenon that I’m sure we’re all aware of called the “Sophomore Slump”. When this season happened, I’m sure no one would have suggested this was the case for Tsujimoto’s sophomore season. Scoring 30 goals is a worthy feat, especially on a last place team. Tsujimoto led the Dynamo in points and goals this season, and one could imagine the type of points Taro could have put up on a contender. This season may not stand out statistically amongst the seasons to come, but it is important to add it into the context of this illustrious career.

 

S77 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 44    A: 48    P: 92    +/-: -31    SHT: 462    PIM: 97    HIT: 234    SB: 59

 

This is what would consider to be a great breakout season for Tsujimoto. We knew Taro could score, but at what level? This season we knew it would be at a top-10 level. Despite the fact that Davos missed the playoffs again, good things seemed to be on the way. At least as far as Tsujimoto could drag them. I think Taro’s reputation was lowered a lot due to the lack of success from Davos, but the fact that he built a HOF career despite the lack of team success, for what we will see was the majority of his career, makes the season performances even more impressive. This may have been a statistical peak for Taro for the near future, but remember how shallow this Dynamo team was for the early to mid 70s.

 

S78 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 39    A: 47    P: 86    +/-: -19    SHT: 458    PIM: 141    HIT: 284    SB: 38

 

Although the stats were slightly less impressive, though still very impressive indeed, Taro once again led the Dynamo in points and goals, while now leading in assists as well. The team added a lot of depth, but Tsujimoto remained the star of the show once again. The team had an abysmal season, but with the pieces in place to contend soon, Tsujimoto looked prime to lead the team to a deep playoff run. I can imagine Taro must be getting restless at this point, desperately hoping to see the post-season. Luckily, he won’t have to wait much longer. With reinforcements coming, it is only a matter of time for Tsujimoto and the playoffs.

 

S79 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 28    A: 29    P: 87    +/-: 13    SHT: 410    PIM: 129    HIT: 279    SB: 24

Playoffs

GP: 10    G: 11    A: 10    P: 21    +/-: 8    SHT: 74    PIM: 13    HIT: 23   SB: 6

 

With some more offensive options on the team now, Tsujimoto took the opportunity to become more of a playmaker than a goal scorer. Still, putting up nearly 30 goals, and leading the team in points is an impressive season. But more importantly, Davos made it to the playoffs, and Taro made it his duty to drag them as far as he could. Putting up over 2 points per game, and coming 3^rd in goals, and tied for 10^th in points despite losing in the 2^nd round to the inevitable winners, Malmo. This performance only leads into the incredible S80, so without further ado, lets see how it went.

 

S80 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72    G: 46    A: 68    P: 114    +/-: 27    SHT: 497    PIM: 100    HIT: 160    SB: 27

Playoffs

GP: 5    G: 5    A: 3    P: 8    +/-: -4    SHT: 35    PIM: 10    HIT: 25    SB: 1

 

Last season might have seemed like the best opportunity for Tsujimoto. We thought we saw the peak for Taro, in fact some might’ve thought he might be regressing. But coming into S80, with a disappointing playoff behind him, he put together a true MVP season. Career highs in goals, assists, and points, and maintaining a team lead. Not only did Tsujimoto win the Scotty Campbell for the first time this season, but he dragged the Dynamo back to the playoffs. Unfortunately, after last seasons win against Prague, they got their revenge on Tsujimoto, knocking Davos out in the opening round. He still averaged a goal a game in the playoffs, and tacked on a few assists as well.

 

S81 - HC Davos Dynamo (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72   G: 50   A: 48   P: 98   +/-: 5   SHT: 505   PIM: 126   HIT: 327   SB: 32

 

Playoffs

GP: 4    G: 3    A: 1    P: 4    +/-: -3    SHT: 39    PIM: 12    HIT: 23    SB: 3

 

Despite the lower point totals, this was Taro’s first 50-goal season. Although we didn’t know it at the time, this was the last we would se of Tsujimoto in Davos, both as a player and Gustav as a GM. Tsujimoto was quite literally the face of the franchise for nearly a decade. After a few really dark seasons, Tsujimoto was a bright spot. Gustav built a team with many incredible cornerstone pieces, and left the team with the most momentum they had had in a long time, and in position to go back to some winning, as we are soon to see. Another first-round exit for Davos this season, in a very strong EU conference. The perfect season to put together an MVP followup.  In fact that is exactly what happened.

 

S82 – Seattle Bears (VHL)

 

Regular Season

GP: 72   G: 53   A: 86   P: 139   +/-: 60   SHT: 558   PIM: 54   HIT: 92   SB: 34

 

Playoffs

GP: 10    G: 7    A: 8    P: 15    +/-: 2    SHT: 78    PIM: 0    HIT: 10    SB: 4

 

Traded to Seattle before S82, Tsujimoto chose to go out with a bang. Once again, a career high in goals, assists and points. One last shot at a cup, falling short to the Meta-Wolves. Even in the final season before retirement, Taro put together a clean Scotty Campbell winning season, and although he couldn’t put together a deep playoff run, Davos and Seattle went as far as Tsujimoto took them. Obviously Seattle did something right by acquiring him, as they managed to win the championship the following season.

 

We all know how hard it was to watch Davos during the 70s, but we can all agree that Gustav, both as GM and as a player took a perennial bottom feeder to a playoff team, and gave them the assets to become a contender under new management. Taro Tsujimoto gave us all a reason to check in on the screams coming from the pit of Davos, and didn’t get nearly as much admiration as he should have. Gustav might suggest his players are cursed, and honestly that’s probably Davos’s fault more than his own. I hope that despite the playoff curse, he can appreciate the Campbell Trophies and his addition to the Hall of Fame. It has been an honour to report on this incredible player, and I wish we could have seen Taro on a better team for longer. A dominant leader, and a clutch playoff performer, in a depressingly low sample size.

 

Taro Tsujimoto reminds us all that one does not have to win championships to be a legend. Showing up for your team every season, regardless of how hard it can be, and how dreary it can seem, is how you establish yourself as a Hall of Famer in this league. Rain or shine (although mostly rain), Taro Tsujimoto came ready to play, and inspired users around the league to earn more, be better people, and appreciate the small things. Not everyone can win, and it has so much more to do with circumstance than effort. If winning was about effort, Davos most certainly would have contended. Not sure if effort could beat the meta, but I like to imagine in a perfect world it would. Gustav and Taro have been an inspiration for me personally and I assume others across the league for quite some time. I am sure Gustav will continue to make my player look awful for many years to come, and honestly, considering the user behind the player, I don’t mind all that much.

 

 

Career Stats

 

Regular Season

GP: 576    G: 312    A: 412    P: 724    +/-: 36    SHT: 3489    PIM: 791    HIT: 1634    SB: 269    PPG: 1.26

 

Playoffs

GP: 29    G: 26    A: 22    P: 48    +/-: 3    SHT: 226    PIM: 13    HIT: 81    SB: 14    PPG: 1.66

 

 

Congratulations on a great career Gustav!

P.S Art Vandelay

 

2015 words!

Edited June 28, 2022 by jacobcarson877

[Gustav 6,418]

17 minutes ago, jacobcarson877 said:

Art Vandelay

Art Vandelay

[Gustav 6,418]

Great article—thanks so much for the kind words! I always wondered how others saw Taro, because it was always weird to see other players doing amazing things and getting good press for it knowing that I was probably seen the same way for a while and just didn’t really catch the feeling with it being my player and all. 
 

I’m also happy that my time as GM will end up on the portal in some way. Obviously the results of the GMing never would, but I’ll certainly take Taro as a compromise.