Josh da Silva's Builder HoF Article

[leandrofg 1,181]

Josh da Silva, Class of 82

@Josh

 

Joined: June 15th, 2018. Season 61

Positions Held: Administrator, Commissioner, Simmer, VHLM General Manager, Fantasy Zone Manager, Player Store CEO, VHL Portal & VHL App Developer

First-Gen Player: Jake Davis, 1335 TPE

Hall of Fame Players (at the time of writing, Season 85): Roque Davis, 1628 TPE, Class of 84

 

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You're reading a builder's Hall of Fame article, but that's not why Josh is being inducted. Confused? Let's talk about that!

 

At the time of his builder induction, Josh didn't have a single player inducted into the Hall of Fame. Not for lack of quality, though. As we look around the inducted builders, we quickly notice that Josh is the new guy on the block. 

 

The only user who was in a similar position to Josh was Beaviss. Both were part of the VHL for 20 seasons until their induction to the builders' Hall of Fame. And if that's the comparison, it's hard to argue against his worthiness.

 

So let's take a tour of Josh's accomplishments in the VHL. As a player, GM or, simply put, a blue.

 

Josh's career as a player is two and a half men long. Jake, Roque, and David are the three wise men. 

 

Let's start from the beginning... better yet, let's skip the beginning. Jake Davis' career wasn't one to reminisce on. And Josh took that personally, quickly recreating with Roque and turning the defenseman into one of the highest earners ever. That personal success, however, didn't turn into team accolades, and Roque's induction to the Hall of Fame came seasons after Josh's.

 

Nowadays, Josh is completing his trifecta. After playing with a winger and defenseman, it's now David Davis' time to protect Davos' net from trouble. Individually, David is on track to be one of the highest earners in the Goaltending position. But the ever-elusive Continental Cup and Aidan Shaw Trophy can't come soon enough. Could we see another of Josh's player careers go by without an entry into the Hall of Fame?

 

So Josh's induction isn't related to his players. Could it be about his General Manager experience?

 

Nope. 

 

Josh's GM career has had two stops, one in the VHLM and another in the VHL. From season 64 to season 69 (Noice!), Josh led the now-defunct Yukon Rush in the VHLM. And from season 73 to season 80, he had the chance to lead the new VHL expansion team, the Los Angeles Stars.

 

Let's look at the 6 seasons with the Rush. In that period, the Rush made the playoffs for 4 seasons and made the Founders' Cup Finals in season 68. They always seemed competitive, had multiple players with individual honors throughout the seasons, but never managed to win it all. They always missed out for some reason, and although we can't speak highly of Josh's tenure in Yukon, we also can't belittle it.

 

A couple of seasons go by, and we have new expansion teams entering the VHL. Chicago, London, Los Angeles, and Warsaw needed new people at their helm. And Josh was selected to begin Los Angeles' path in the VHL.

 

The inception of a franchise is never easy, and Josh can attest to that. His seasons in Los Angeles passed a bit too fast, and he couldn't find a place at the top with his team. Apart from a couple of seasons where he extracted the very best from two of his players. Sigard Gunnar in season 73 and Alex Letang in season 79.

 

Ultimately, Los Angeles was a bottom-to-the-middle-of-the-pack team during Josh's tenure, and 3rd place was their better finish in the regular season. They did turn a bit more competitive in the end. But even with 3 playoff appearances, they never made it past the Conference Finals.

 

What was missing on Josh's GM tenures? His players were still great, but his teams seemed to lack that championship star. Could it be that every other position Josh held had something to do with it? Perhaps.

 

It's no secret that Josh's induction to the Hall of Fame is mainly due to his work as a blue. But that doesn't make him less worthy of it. Au contraire.

 

While managing his players and teams, Josh's work spanned across the VHL like an octopus. It's difficult to absorb the amount of work and sheer tenacity needed, but let's try. From the top!

 

Of course, Josh didn't enter the VHL the usual way. So it was no wonder he got his first job only two weeks after joining the league. He was now the Fantasy guy. 

 

Less than 6 months in, Josh got the Yukon Rush GM job. A couple of months go by, and Josh is now the commissioner and Fantasy guy of the World Cup.

 

So it's been a year for Josh in the VHL. He has created a great player, manages a VHLM team, works as the Fantasy guy, and has been commissioner of an off-season tournament. All this while working with Will on the Portal we now know today.

 

What now? What's the next step? It was time to take over the VHL Portal project. Josh was now the leader of the VHL Portal and Player Store, and his work started to shift to shades of blue. He left the Fantasy Zone but started working as a Simmer for the league.

 

It's a year and a half after joining the league, and the blue Josh is on fire. His work as VHL Commissioner starts, the VHL Portal has more features than ever, the VHL App is in its Beta test, and Josh is about to create his second player, Roque Davis. Life is good, but we haven't reached 2020 yet - which, in hindsight, is not all that bad.

 

The beginning of 2020 is bleak. COVID is starting to hit, and Josh is ending his tenure in Yukon without the accolades. He continues his work as Administrator and issues a change regarding the Press Conferences and their pay. Josh continues his tenure as WC Commissioner but adds the WJC too. He's now the league's full-time off-season Commissioner/Simmer... until he decides to hire new people in mid-2020.

 

At this time, his tenure in Los Angeles is about to start. Again a GM, Josh adds that to his responsibilities. GM, Simmer, Administrator, and the Portal and App updates keep rolling.

 

At this point, Josh is stretched thin, and his activity is blue. Who can blame him? The player's career is now background noise, and his tenure in Los Angeles is ending. Trivia has now been moved to the Portal, so it's more accessible than ever. Administrator, Simmer, Commissioner, and VHL Portal/App overseer. Whatever those positions require him to do, that's how Josh impacts the VHL.

 

In his induction, it was said that "history suggests that often active members are past their peak at the time of a Builder induction." It was also stated that Josh could be one of the exceptions.

 

Well, I have another reason in mind. You can't peak if you stay at the top.

 

Josh, for an incredible career in the VHL so far, congratulations! As a new guy in the community, thank you! For all your hard work and the changes, you have brought to the VHL. It is truly incredible and a pleasure to enjoy what you (and others) have built throughout the years.

 

Edited September 22, 2022 by leandrofg
Incongruences;

[Dil 1,763]

3 hours ago, leandrofg said:

VHL App Developer

[leandrofg 1,181]

8 minutes ago, Dil said:

 

I know you're the coder. But did the App not start with Beaviss/Josh?

[Garsh 1,195]

1 hour ago, Dil said:

 

Dil learning that supervisors get credit for their underlings work

[Victor 11,022]

I don't think he ever ran trivia (don't think anyone did after I quit) but otherwise looks good, thanks.

[Josh 1,672]

2 hours ago, Victor said:

I don't think he ever ran trivia (don't think anyone did after I quit) but otherwise looks good, thanks.

Nah just posted the results for you occasionally, there is a trivia manager now but it's just for managing the portal entries.

 

I did however do Fantasy Zone manager when I first started here.

[Victor 11,022]

8 hours ago, Josh said:

Nah just posted the results for you occasionally, there is a trivia manager now but it's just for managing the portal entries.

 

I did however do Fantasy Zone manager when I first started here.

Oh yeah when people asked you for results but there was nothing you could do about it until I sent you them lmao good times

[leandrofg 1,181]

12 hours ago, Victor said:

I don't think he ever ran trivia (don't think anyone did after I quit) but otherwise looks good, thanks.

 

Trivia bits corrected!

Edited September 22, 2022 by leandrofg