Around the League

[Scurvy 1,547]

Were officially at the 20-game mark so there is lots to chat about. So for this weeks Around the League in 500 words I wanted to talk about Chicago’s surging, the loss of a legend, THE Helsinki Titans, and maybe some other random stuff. 

 

CHICAGO SURGING

 

Chicago started the season on fire and part of me thought that it would taper off a bit when other top clubs started changing strategies.  This Chicago club did a little re-tooling after the loss of their goalie (COLE PEARCE).  They added some up-front talent in DB III @wcatsand Ryan Vidot @Enorama who have paired nicely with Chicago vets Scotty Sundin @fromtheinside and The Board Game Clue on Skates @MubbleFubbles.  

 

On D they have legend, BoJO (MORE ON HIM LATER) and some decent help with Wattson Power.   In net they have a great replacement for Pearce in Alexander Minion @UnknownMinionwho already has 4 shutouts this year and a 1.76 GAA.  INSANE

 

This team has all the tools to make a deep run so I am interested to see how teams in the NA adjust when playing them.  There are great teams in the NA such as Calgary, Seattle, LA who are all within reaching distance of Chicago.  I don’t count out struggling clubs like Vancouver and NY as well.  Either way the NA conference Is exciting to watch. 

 

LOSS OF A VHL LEGEND (HOPE IM WRONG)

Part of the way early last season VHL legend @Shindigs dropped away from the league without anyone really knowing why.  His last update was Jan 29, 2023 with his normal Max TPE points and then….nothing. Efforts to reach him have been futile and we can only hope everything is ok with BoJo.  

 

Now, for those of you who are not familiar with Shindigs I am sorry you were never blessed with knowing him.  He was a huge motivator and student of the VHL.  He cared about not only making his player great but with mentoring all those new players trying to navigate the somewhat confusing path to VHL stardom.   I had the privilege of playing in the VHLE with Shindigs for Bratislava.  I credit him with a lot of the success I have had with Payne as he helped me truly craft my player.  

 

There are countless stories of people who were helped by Shindigs and the league is a little less special without him here. He was a constant in the forum with great articles and thought-out responses that showed his love for this league.  I know I speak for everyone when I say we hope all is well with him and we hope to see him back someday. 

 

HELSINKI ON FIRE

As of the time of this writing the Titans on a 2-game win streak, have scored at league leading 76 goals, and are holding on to a 1 point lead over Prague for Division leader. The EU conference is known for having some evenly matched tough teams to claw through and we usually see the league leading team change numerous times throughout the season.  That being said, the Titans have come out swinging!  

 

Up front, they are stacked with talent.  With the likes of Nils Godlander @Moon, Daryl Dixon @Ricer13, Matty Fire @MattyFired, Rick Grimes @tinafrombobsburgersthey are tough to keep off the scoresheets.  Godlander is currently in #3 spot overall is 31 points.  

 

On Defense they have my favorite defenseman to watch, Mo Probert.  The undrafted warrior @Yahtzee gives you exactly the type of game you'd expect from his namesake.  However, in addition to hits, blocked shots, and grit you also are getting some decent scoring, including 7 power play goals this year.  

 

Very exciting team to watch.   CYA next week