Ivan Retoslav - Veteran Presence

[eagle_3450 278]

 

Ivan Retoslav

It's safe to say that Ivan Retoslav has had quite the hockey career so far, from blowing up the VHLM, to blowing up the toilet in the VHLE, to becoming a point per game player in the VHL. Ivan joined the VHLM and played with both San Diego and Houston, adding up to a full season in total. During that season he racked up 80 points and made it to the finals before an unfortunate loss to the Sasky Bois (I know what you guys are thinking but idc). Following that season he joined Vasteras in the VHLE and put in a decent 60 points, shortly after he followed that up with an abysmal 33 points in 72 games in his VHL rookie season. All of that leads to now, after his second season in the VHL where he scored 67 points in 72 games and we get to see just how much the atmosphere has changed since he first arrived in London, are you ready?

 

When Ivan first arrived in London, the pressure on him to perform well from the fans was almost bone-crushing. Everyone expected at least 40 points from the young Russian in his rookie season, and mentors like Zaza Colours @McWolf were determined to help him, sadly he underperformed and the fans lost interest in him. Luckily another veteran would soon be added to the lineup for the next season in Jerome Reinhart @MexicanCow123, Reinhart was essential in getting Retoslav to a point per game and making the fans regain hope for the young Russian. Retoslav soon became a mentor to another player, Molly the Cat @JCarson, and showed him the ropes, getting overtaken in points in the process. Molly won ROTY and Retoslav supported him all the way, he never took ice time from the rookie and came to his defense if anyone tried to start something. This ferocity was shown when Ivan beat Vinny Detroit into a pulp at the start of the season. All of this coupled with the fact that Retoslav had finally learned how to score made it extremely easy to mentor Molly, eventually, he knows Molly will become a better player than him and when that day comes Ivan wont care.

 

Throughout the last few seasons, Ivan has found himself hanging around the older guys a lot more than he used to. One of his good friends on the team is Jerome Reinhart because of the fact he was essential in Ivan regaining his confidence in his game. Ivan will often find himself at bars or pubs in London with Reinhart and Matt Avens because they are two of the oldest players on the team and have a lot of great tips that he can use. Where he used to be seen as sort of the child of the team (See the Babysitting Incident and the Motorcycle Incident), he is now seen as an equal and a full on adult. He still is seen as a bit of a clown in the locker room but that's just his personality, in reality he has calmed down a lot and even was given the title of Assistant Captain by London GM @Dil. Seeing as Ivan is now legal drinking age in every country that has a VHL team he ends up on outings with the older guys all the time. He has found enjoyment in being seen as one of the veterans on the team now, and although he enjoys hanging out with the younger players, it's nice to go to a bar and just talk life with the others while sipping on a light beer or some whiskey. He has largely settled down in life, no longer is he being found playing poker with a homeless man while drunk in an alley like what happened in Houston. Ivan bought a decently sized apartment in London and currently drives a Nissan 350z kitted out with a widebody kit. Overall his time hanging out with the older guys has changed how he sees life, his car choice is still that of a crazy kid who loves JDM, but him settling down was seen as a sign of maturity by his teammates and GM. Who knows, maybe Dil will finally let Ivan get that Motorcycle he's been dreaming of for the past 5 months. We can't really estimate what is going to happen next with the team, but Ivan being a veteran will definitely help as he now knows how to mentor the new guys. So far though, the first player he mentored has turned out to be a shining star.