From the Ashes of the WJC Rises A New VHL AGM

[Tetricide 629]

 

Leonard S. Kinnard, born and raised in the great southern state of Alabama, started his rise to local fame as a forward on the Huntsville Havoc in the ECHL. In the 8 seasons he played, he averaged 70 goals, 45 assists, and helped bring home 5 President's Cups. At the end of his last year, he looked to be on staff for his own team and was signed on as the interim coach. "Look, I don't think there's anyone out there in this league that loves scorin' as much as I do, but scorin' on other teams tends to hurt feelins' and in-turn they wanna to hurt you. I know it's part of the sport, and I love it, but I don't think my brain can handle much rattlin' around anymore."  After serving 2 years as the interim coach for the Havoc and having nearly clutching the President's Cup each time, he was promoted to head coach and an old friend of his, George Straight (not to be confused with the country singer), was signed on as his assistant.  In his 10 year reign, Kinnard brought home all 10 President's Cups. Heralded as the "Alabama Albatross", Kinnard left a legacy that everyone in Huntsville, Alabama still celebrates to this day. Several teams in the Southern Professional Hockey League extended very generous offers as his contract expired, but Kinnard declined them all. It was the Indiana University of Pennsylvania that won him over with an offer to be an assistant general manager for the Crimson Hawks. "Coachin' is fun 'n all, and I had a very successful tenure with the Havoc. They don't call me the 'Alabama Albatross' for nothin'! At the end of the day, you gotta think about you and your family's future. Where you see yourself in 5 or 10 years, or at least where you should be. I've seen incredibly talented prospects come and go and I wanna be a part of the process that sees that talent before they know they're coming into my locker room. I had several meetins' with the GM and a couple other staff members, and our values and ideologies just meshed really well together. We've already started discussin' our road to winnin' the next several tournaments in our division. This is a major steppin' stone for my management career."  Kinnard didn't have nearly as successful of a run as an AGM as he did as a coach, but the Crimson Hawks did bring home 3 tournament wins in his 5 years as AGM. In his last year, the Crimson Hawks secured the Collegiate Cup in what is now known as the most successful playoff run in college history where they went undefeated.

 

In the off-season, Kinnard was approached with an incredibly unique opportunity on the world stage to represent Team USA in the World Junior Championship as their general manager. "Oh, man, you have absolutely no friggin' idea how on fire I feel right now! HOO DOGGY! TEAM USA, BABY! Can you believe it? I still feel like I'm in a damn dream right now. I don't think the world is ready for the heat I'm bringin' to the arena because I've got my eye on the prize like always." Kinnard created the most successful USA team in the round robin series and first overall with 10 wins, 3 losses, and 1 loss in overtime. Team USA made it all the way to the final game against Team Europe where all the marbles were on the table for the coveted gold medal. Unfortunately, Team USA fell short 2 goals at the end and instead took home silver. "Second place is still pretty rock 'n roll to me! I absolutely could not have put together a more bad ass team together, and I'm honored to have been chosen and served as the GM for Team USA. Absolute beasts on the ice and I wish them all future success in their careers!" Following his success in the WJC, he was approached by Kris Rice @Ricer13 of the Calgary Wranglers, a VHL organization that has existed since the start. "I never thought in my short management career that I'd be a part of the VHL, but here I stand in front of you representin' the Calgary Wranglers as an assistant GM! Kris is a great guy, has a lot of insight and advice to offer, and we hit it off pretty well in the interview. We've got the draft comin' up and we're both pretty excited about makin' our picks. We have amazin' talent and comradery in the locker room, and I honestly just can't wait for this season to start." 

 

777 words, claiming for week ending November 13.

[Ricer13 2,672]

Welcome to Calgary @Tetricide. I am excited to get the chance to work alongside you and show you the ins and outs of being a VHL GM. 

[KRZY 416]

7 hours ago, Ricer13 said:

Welcome to Calgary @Tetricide. I am excited to get the chance to work alongside you and show you the ins and outs of being a VHL GM. 

Well deserved @Tetricideis a stand up individual !