Claimed:VHL Team Association; part one

[scoop 3,432]

VHL Team Association; part one

 

This season, the VHL is having another team point task in which the teams will create a historical roster of the franchise's best players. This is nothing new, in my opinion, as it has already been done a couple times in the league. However, I am one for celebrating the history of the league, so I believe it is always important to go back and remember the players of the past.

 

For this article, that is what I am doing, except I'm taking a bit of a different spin. Rather than looking at each franchise's best player, or even most well-known, I am going to write about the first player that comes to mind when I think of each team. This will be a list unique to myself, however a lot of the names will be players that others might come up with as well. I've been around since Season 11, but I have also researched league history in the past, so I do have some knowledge of what came before me. A newer member who might not have looked at the league's history so much might not come up with a lot of the players that I have. For older members, it's more likely that they would match the names that I come up with. Without further ado, I shall begin with part

 

 

Calgary Wranglers: Brett Slobodzian

When I think Wranglers, I think Brett Slobodzian. I was not around for his career, but he has definitely left a mark on the VHL. The namesake of the Most Outstanding Player Trophy (formerly MVP as Voted by the Players), Slobodzian was the first member of the Wranglers franchise, one of the few teams that has neither relocated nor changed its moniker throughout 40 seasons. He only played for five seasons, all with Calgary, a short career by today's standards. A part of two Continental Cup teams, Slobodzian was the playoff MVP in Season 2 and twice the Most Valuable Player, in Season 1 and Season 3. He was elected into the Hall of Fame a season after retirement.

 

New York Americans: Benjamin Glover

It's hard for me to not think of Benjamin Glover, as he was my own player at a time when I was at my highest activity. My most memorable player, Glover was a fantastic goalie for the Americans from Season 24 to Season 31, winning no Continental Cups, but garnering multiple top goalie trophies and being named MVP once. A first-ballot Hall of Famer, Glover often underachieved come playoff time. He did manage to help New York reach the finals in four straight seasons, but they came up empty every time. He was part of the era that turned the franchise around, however, into the perennial playoff contender that they have now become.

 

 

Seattle Bears: Sandro Desaulniers

Sandro Desaulniers is definitely not the best player in Bears history. I can't say for sure if a lot of people would call him the most memorable, either; but when I think Seattle, Desaulniers beats Felix Peters or Markus Strauss to my head because I can also directly associate the name with Sandro, the VHL member. Desaulniers played with Seattle for six seasons during my first few years in the league, and I won a cup alongside him in Season 17. He wasn't a bad player by any means, but unlike Slobodzian and Glover, Desaulniers was not a Hall of Famer. He did not come away with a ton of accolades, a modest career total of 520 points.

 

 

That wraps up part one of the series, which will likely be done in three installments. Next time, I will be looking at the rest of the North American Conference, as well as Europe's Cologne and Davos.

[Da Trifecta 1,899]

Content: 3/3 It's nice to see who you consider each franchise's best player. I haven't even heard of any of these guys first hand. I can't wait to read more of these in the future.

Grammar: 2/2 Nothing noteworthy

Appearance: 1/1

 

FINAL: 6/6

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