animal74 1,855 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 (edited) The captain sat alone. Only hours before, he had played in his final VHL game. He scored his final point, an assist on the game’s first goal in a 3-1 loss to the Calgary Wranglers. At the game’s final buzzer, he was mobbed by his teammates but he quickly pushed through them toward the Calgary player leading a line of Wranglers to shake his hand. He and former Nighthawk teammate Brendan Telker embraced at center ice and then stood together to shake the hands of players from both teams. Drafted by Malmo only six spots apart in the acclaimed S77 Entry Draft, the two friends played in 432 regular season and 55 playoff games together, and helped Malmo win the Continental Cup in S79. As this was Deathwalker’s final game (Telker would continue to play in the playoffs with Calgary), everyone then vacated the middle of the ice and the Scottish giant then took a lap around the rink and waved to the standing and cheering crowd. Now, the locker room was empty except for the hulking hunched figure sitting by his stall. The dim moonlight hazing through an above window faintly illuminated the green jersey that had been his life for the past eight seasons. The sweat on his face dripped to meet the tears from his eyes and continue down his beard to the large “C” over his heart. This was it. The end of the line. But he couldn’t bear to take off the Nighthawk crest and leave the locker room. Not after all the hard work, the time, the blood, sweat, and tears. All the tears of joy and celebration after winning the Cup, all the tears of realization and resignation that trickled down his face right now. And so the captain continued to sit alone with his thoughts. Even though he hadn’t been the most productive offensively as some in his draft class, that was never his role or his goal. He was a physical specimen and a warrior. Someone who led by example, with heart, determination and no fear. He paved the way on the ice for his teammates through physicality, grit, and intimidation. He wanted the rink to be a hostile environment for the opposition. And in the blink of an eye, his career was over, but his influence will be felt in Malmo and the VHL for generations to come. He truly is a Legend. Select accomplishments of Druss Deathwalker: League VHL’s All-Time Leader in Hits (2882) S79 Continental Cup winner Only player in history with eight VHL seasons of 300+ hits (plus one in the VHLM) One of two players to finish careers Top-15 in Hits and Penalty Minutes (Edwin Encarnacion) One of four players with two 400-hits seasons (Simon Valmount, Phil Marleau, Theo Axelsson) Top-7 in Hits every season Led the VHL in Hits three times Led the VHL in PIM, GWG once each, Tied for lead in SHG and Hat Tricks once each One of six players to be named team captain 7+ consecutive seasons Team Longest serving captain in Malmo history Tied with Condor Adrienne for the most games played with Malmo 1st in Malmo franchise history in playoffs penalty minutes and hits 2nd in Malmo franchise history in regular season goals, penalty minutes, shots, and game-winning goals 3rd in Malmo franchise history in regular season assists and points and playoff goals Six consecutive playoff appearances (S77-S82) In a schedule post-game press conference, Deathwalker read from a prepared statement to the gathered media: “As you can imagine, this has been an emotional night. It has been an honor to play in the VHL and for the Malmo Nighthawks for the entirety of my career. The game has given me so much and I look forward to giving back in the near future. I would like to acknowledge how proud I am of my team and individual accomplishments especially our Cup win in S79 and more recently, becoming the VHL’s all-time leader in career hits – both goals I worked extremely hard for and ones that I will remember for the rest of my life. I would like to thank and acknowledge my fellow S77 draftees for the inspiration and competition they provided for me over the years. It was a historic class of world-class players and I am proud to be part of this group. Special kudos to those drafted ahead of me and were on my infamous Hit List: Paul Atreides @Mr_Hatter, Reylynn Reinhart @Ricer13, Duncan Idaho @OrbitingDeath , Zeedayno Chara @Jubis, Brendan Telker @Telkster, Asher Reinhart @rjfryman, Roll Fizzlebeef Jr @TacticalHammer, Jan Hlozek @Bojovnik, Aurelien Moreau @Frank, and That Dude @Cornholio I would also like to thank the management of the Malmo Nighthawks for taking a chance on me and allowing me to grow and lead and a HUGE thank you to all of my teammates throughout my career. It was an absolute and unforgettable honor to be your captain for the last seven seasons. First of all, that special S79 team that won both the Victory Cup and Continental Cup, a truly fantastic group that worked hard, fought for each other, made history and reached the ultimate heights together: Artem Tretiak @Molholt Arthur Dayne @Infernal Brendan Telker @Telkster Gunnar Odinsson @BOOM Jacob Carson @jacobcarson877 Jakob Sosa @TMGSosa JaredN Jr @jared Kevin Wu @kevinscix Kirishima Wakaro @Snussu Muffbeav @.sniffuM Scotty Kaberle @fromtheinside Taylor Mourning @scoop Tui Sova @v.2 Tyler Steel @tylerwest Viktor Alexei Kamenov @BigTittySmitty Zeljko Ranogajec @ColeMrtz All my other teammates that made playing in Malmo such a pleasure: Nathaniel Minion @Minion Miroslav Tsarov @PadStack Carson Walkers @Cwalker Dabnad Shaw @Dabnad Igor Molotov @Dom Kevin Sterk @M1nT Obi Adesanya @atw2592 Randy Marsh @oilmandan Steve Eso @Eso Woody McPine @HearnNation67 Addison McLaren @tcookie Barry Taffe @Barry Boris Tsezar @comrade cat Bradley Buzzer @WereBuzzing Chris Hylands @hylands Eddie Dams @Eddie Dams Eeli Rantanen @Jolline Gino DiGiannantonio @pennypenny Harkat Mulds @hylands Kaladin Kvothe @DangerGolding Kristof Welch @Juice Marshall James Frostbeard @FrostBeard Mason Jones @Masu Chan Matt thunder @Matt thunder Morgan Karlsson @Erik Nikolas DAndrea @Nikdandrea34 Poopy Peepants @JardyB10 Rhys Trenton @DeeGoat Sven Reikkinen @Devise Thomas Price @Thunderidge And the managers who believed in me: @hylands @STZ @Dom @Lemorse7 Thanks to the VHL for providing opportunities for people like me to play the game I love. And perhaps my biggest thank you and all my gratitude to the fans of Malmo who cheered myself and the Nighthawks on night after night. You are the best fans in the VHL. To the relief of VHL players everywhere, the Legend, Druss Deathwalker finally hits retirement." #NighthawksRising Edited April 10 by animal74 Daniel Janser, Bojovnik, Cornholio and 20 others 10 2 4 7 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojovnik 487 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Happy retirement Deathwalker! animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942066 Share on other sites More sharing options...
animal74 1,855 Posted August 8, 2022 Author Share Posted August 8, 2022 3 minutes ago, Bojovnik said: Happy retirement Deathwalker! You too, Hlozek! Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942069 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bojovnik 487 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Just now, animal74 said: You too, Hlozek! Hlozek's still got a cup to win - can't let Deathwalker get that on him. animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942070 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator Ricer13 2,824 Posted August 8, 2022 Moderator Share Posted August 8, 2022 Hell of a career with Deathwalker! Excited to see what kind of success your next player brings you. animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942122 Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM 8,818 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 It was a pleasure to be involved in that team. Congratulations on a fantastic career. animal74 and fromtheinside 1 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942129 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jacobcarson877 2,563 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 What a great team and what a great player! Excited to see how the next player goes for you! animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942130 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scurvy 1,549 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Great career Deathwalker. I look forward to your next build!!! animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942140 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dabnad 178 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 Cheers mate, have a fun retirement. #NightHawksRising animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942144 Share on other sites More sharing options...
jared 66 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942151 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fromtheinside 1,290 Posted August 8, 2022 Share Posted August 8, 2022 s79 was peak VHL for me, best group of peeps! BOOM and animal74 2 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942155 Share on other sites More sharing options...
STZ 5,389 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 How can you not like this guy. Great job with Druss, hope you enjoy your next player! animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942257 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snussu 135 Posted August 9, 2022 Share Posted August 9, 2022 #goat animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942361 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seabass 593 Posted August 10, 2022 Share Posted August 10, 2022 Congratulations on a great career. Deathwalker wrecked the VHL for years. animal74 1 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942652 Share on other sites More sharing options...
animal74 1,855 Posted August 12, 2022 Author Share Posted August 12, 2022 Claim #2 Link to comment https://vhlforum.com/topic/125171-the-legend-of-deathwalker/#findComment-942826 Share on other sites More sharing options...
.png.ed69a7260a477fcf4feead7a0e4b7506.png)
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now