Fifteen Years of Class Acts

[Thunder 1,205]

The VHL has quite the history, starting fifteen years ago and continuing to entertain gamers, hockey enthusiasts, friends, and any number of people interested in on line gaming.  Starting with eight teams and a whole list of bots filling rosters, the league has expanded to a worldwide community of on line entertainment.  During my short time in the VHL, I’ve learned so much more about the league, computers, graphics, etc, than I would have if I were a computer science major.  Like the Atanasoff-Berry, McIntosh, Commodore 64, and PC, the VHL has melded into a sophisticated brand of on line sports, only for human enthusiasts.  Now with the new hybrid TPE, the VHL provides more challenges and quests for the user.

 

One of the amazing things about the VHL is the history, especially the history of accomplishments by individuals and teams, and a lot of this can be found in the Hall of Fame.  As an example, the Tretiak Trophy, which is now the Aidan Shaw Trophy, recognizes the top goalie of the season.  When the trophy was first awarded, it usually went to the goalie who was on the best team, but there was some early conflict when a rookie won the trophy.  There was some discussion amongst the general managers and a mutual agreement to factor in all statistics to determine the best goalie nomination.

 

Another example of recognition was the Ken Holland Trophy, which is now the Jack Reilly Trophy.  This trophy recognizes the best GM in the VHLM.  The trophy was first awarded in season 15, while the name change occurred in season 42 and was done so to pay some respect to Jack Reilly’s accomplishments as a GM in the VHLM.

 

The Punch Imlach Memorial Trophy is another award that has a name change.  This trophy goes to the North American Conference Playoff Champion team, the counterpart to the Vladimir Kostka Trophy, which is awarded to the European Conference playoff Champion.  The Vladimir Kostka Trophy was changed to the Terence Fong Trophy in season 28, while the Punch Trophy is now the Devon Marlow-Marta Trophy.  When the Punch Imlach Trophy was named, there was discussion of it being called the Punch Imlach Bowl rather than the trophy, but the award resembled the NHL Clarence Campbell bowl, so in order to contrast the VHL from the NHL, the powers to be chose the award to be a trophy.

 

Two trophies are often matched as they are in close comparison to each other.  The Brett Slobodzian Trophy is awarded to the most outstanding player, while the Scotty Campbell Trophy is awarded to the most valuable player.  The Brett Slobodzian winner is determined by a vote from the league’s players, while the Scotty Campbell winner is determined by a vote from the general managers.  In addition, the Scotty Campbell winner is picked from a list of three, while the Brett Slobodzian winner is usually from a group of six who receive votes.  Over the course of the awards, there have been several streaks of goalies being selected for the Scotty Campbell Trophy; however, these streaks do not occur as often with the Brett Slobodzian Trophy.  The longest streak for a goalie getting the Scotty Campbell Trophy is three, while it is two for the Brett Slobodzian Trophy.

 

Another trophy that is nominated by the players is a trophy that deserves a lot of praise, which is the Frederik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy.  This trophy is awarded to the member who makes a difference for other members.  The stipulation is that the winner does not hold a high ranking position in the league.  Personally, I think this award has the most value because the winner has demonstrated what this league is all about.  It’s not just playing hockey.  It’s a community of people with a variety of life experience and knowledge.  There is a lot to learn about this league and it cannot be accomplished without help.  Its people like the winners of the Frederik Elmebeck Memorial Trophy, who make a difference and keep this league going.  Without their involvement and interaction with other members, the league would not be able to continue to grow or even maintain its status.

 

There you have it, fifteen years of VHL success and with the class of people leading this on line activity, is guaranteed to provide another fifteen years of virtual hockey.  Thank you!