Hard Markinson HOF Article

[Spartan 4,150]

I'm sorry for the extra long delay, I've been sitting on this for a while, just never sat down and really pushed through to completion. It was a true honor and blessing to have STZ play for me and Moscow for his entire career. He's a great person and friend, and I'm very glad he puts up with my shit. I hope you enjoy your HOF article  

 

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Position: D

Birthplace: United States of America

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 210 lbs

Jersey Number: 5

Drafted: S78, Pick 2 (Moscow)

Username: @STZ

 

In an era that found the VHL shaping into one of the highest scoring time periods of its history, one player stood out as a someone just doing his own thing, his own way. The period from S79-S83 was marked by the emergence of the "meta" that led to vast league changes - which saw players all trying to fit into a very narrow style of play of simply offense. Enter Hard Markinson, the hard hitting, shot blocking yet extremely capable offensive defenseman who could simply do it all. After a tremendous 8 season career in the VHL which saw him winning five individual awards and netting 696 points - good for 7th all time in career defenseman scoring (higher if you remove forwards-turned-defensemen), Hard Markinson entered the Hall of Fame as one of the best all-around defensemen of all time. Even more impressive is the fact that his entire career was spent on just one VHL team, displaying his unwavering loyalty and commitment to the organization and his teammates. While his greatest regret may be never securing the elusive Continental Cup, it's impossible to deny the fact that Hard Markinson will be remembered as one of the best to ever play in the VHL. 

 

 

Career Stats

Regular Season
576 GP / 191 G / 505 A / 696 P / +218 / 2268 SHT / 1230 PIM / 1816 HIT / 1201 SB / 21 GWG / 86 PPG / 3 SHG

Postseason
98 GP / 37 G / 89 A / 126 P / +38 / 451 SHT / 237 PIM / 347 HIT / 246 SB / 9 GWG / 13 PPG / 0 SHG

 

Career Awards

(S76) Founder's Cup (MEX)

(S78) Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy (Top Rookie) (MOS)

(S81) Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenseman) (MOS)

(S82) Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenseman) (MOS)

(S83) Victory Cup (MOS)

(S84) Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenseman) (MOS)

(S84) Victory Cup (MOS)

(S84) Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenseman) (MOS)

 

 

S76 Mexico City

Regular Season
13 GP / 0 G / 4 A / 4 P / +9 / 2 SHT / 10 PIM / 23 HIT / 6 SB / 0 GWG / 0 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
15 GP / 1 G / 1 A / 2 P / +3 / 8 SHT / 32 PIM / 41 HIT / 8 SB / 0 GWG / 0 PPG / 0 SHG

 

In Hard Markinson's waiver season, it was quite evident that he had a singular purpose - hit everything that moved. The young defenseman chose to join a promising Mexico City Kings organization that would go on to win the Founder's Cup that season, and flashed potential throughout the journey. Despite playing limited minutes, his physical play was already putting the league on notice along with his solid defense. While the offensive playmaking was yet to be developed, he contributed more than enough to help the Kings win the VHLM Championship.

 

 

S77 Mexico City

Regular Season
72 GP / 23 G / 40 A / 63 P / +45 / 194 SHT / 120 PIM / 198 HIT / 42 SB / 3 GWG / 20 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
15 GP / 3 G / 12 A / 15 P / -4 / 41 SHT / 24 PIM / 57 HIT / 17 SB / 1 GWG / 1 PPG / 1 SHG

 

Markinson's play seemed to appeal to Mexico City management enough to draft him back in S77 with the 4th overall selection. In his first full season, Markinson posted a near PPG season with 63 points in 72 games. Most impressive might have been the 23 goals he scored as a defenseman, including 20 powerplay goals - showcasing a talent that would stick with him even at the VHL level. Markinson would soon be known for exception special teams performance, and this season with the Kings was just the beginning. With 42 blocked shots as well, Markinson wasn't just an offensive defenseman but also more than capable defensively, as shown by a very impressive +45 rating. While the Kings would fail to repeat as champions, Markinson had clearly established himself as a top VHL draft prospect where teams such as Calgary, Moscow and Davos all waited eagerly for top talent to revitalize their organizations.

 

 

S78 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 10 G / 46 A / 56 P / -15 / 159 SHT / 227 PIM / 250 HIT / 180 SB / 0 GWG / 4 PPG / 1 SHG

 

After flashing plenty of potential in the VHLM and establishing championship pedigree, Moscow came knocking for Hard Markinson with the 2nd pick of the S78 VHL Draft. The organization had just completed a near 180 turn, selling nearly their entire roster after winning the Victory Cup just a season earlier in S76. Despite landing future superstars and HOF members/nominees in Duncan Idaho and Paul Atreides, Moscow still landed picks 2 and 3 in the S78 draft and chose Hard Markinson to anchor their defense, and The Seabasstard to secure center depth for the future. While S78 continued to be a struggle for the Russian organization, Markinson continued to develop his game, racking up a respectable 56 points in 72 games and being awarded with the Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy as the VHL's Top Rookie. 

 

S79 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 27 G / 37 A / 64 P / 16 / 192 SHT / 126 PIM / 178 HIT / 136 SB / 1 GWG / 18 PPG / 0 SHG

 

Once again, Moscow found themselves with a top 5 pick for the S79 Draft, which then ended up being traded for 1st overall to select goaltender Papa Emeritus. At this point, the hope was that Moscow's time to shine was near - the team had drafted 5 players in the top 3 over the past 3 seasons. However S79 showed to be just a development season despite a midseason trade for defenseman Aurelian Moreau from Toronto. Questions lingered whether both Hard Markinson and Moreau could co-exist as budding stars, but amidst the pressure, Markinson continued to quietly improve from 56 points to 64 points - this time re-establishing his goal scoring prowess on the power play with 18 tallies and a total of 27 goals. While Moscow would still fail to make the playoffs, there was an aura of hope for the team's future.

 

S80 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 28 G / 47 A / 75 P / +47 / 230 SHT / 124 PIM / 173 HIT / 153 SB / 4 GWG / 11 PPG / 1 SHG

Playoffs
15 GP / 3 G / 7 A / 10 P / +9 / 38 SHT / 46 PIM / 25 HIT / 43 SB / 0 GWG / 1 PPG / 0 SHG

 

Despite having no picks in the S80 VHL Draft, Markinson and Moscow seemed poised to take the next step to joining the VHL's cup contenders. With a solid core of young talent and a defense corps spearheaded by Hard Markinson who seemed yet to truly break out. With another tremendous goal scoring performance by Markinson and his first point per game season, Moscow secured the top spot in the EU. Although forwards such as Duncan Idaho, Phillip Stein and defensemen such as Moreau and veteran Tyler Walker outpaced Markinson in terms of production, Markinson's defensive prowess was most on display this season with 153 blocked shots and a +47 rating. So far through his first three seasons, Markinson showed continuous improvement. In the playoffs, Moscow shocked the VHL with back to back sweeps of Prague and Malmo, flying directly to the finals with an 8-0 record where they'd face Victory Cup winner Vancouver - who would soon become a very familiar opponent to Markinson and Moscow. In a crushing 4-3 series, Moscow narrowly missed out on their first Continental Cup since S71.

 

 

S81 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 28 G / 82 A / 110 P / +56 / 350 SHT / 114 PIM / 222 HIT / 172 SB / 2 GWG / 10 PPG / 1 SHG

Playoffs
17 GP / 10 G / 27 A / 37 P / +8 / 103 SHT / 34 PIM / 78 HIT / 45 SB / 3 GWG / 4 PPG / 0 SHG

 

S81 marked a significant turning point for Markinson, exploding onto the scene of top defensemen with a 110 point season while continuing to improve upon his defensive and physical metrics. For a fourth year player to make such a significant jump was rare, and Markinson catapulted himself right amongst the best. En route to another finals appearance through which Moscow would once again take down both Prague and Malmo, Markinson also had one of his best playoff runs. Although Vancouver won back to back finals in a 4-2 series win, Markinson was meriting serious Kanou discussions with his 37 points in 17 games. For his efforts and tremendous performance, Markinson was awarded with the Sterling Labatte Trophy, annually given to the VHL's top overall defenseman. 

 

 

S82 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 25 G / 87 A / 112 P / +24 / 333 SHT / 158 PIM / 257 HIT / 182 SB / 4 GWG / 11 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
23 GP / 10 G / 20 A / 30 P / +11 / 106 SHT / 62 PIM / 77 HIT / 58 SB / 2 GWG / 2 PPG / 0 SHG

 

After a career defining season and two back to back finals losses, what was left to do other than to do it all again? Hard Markinson somehow managed to top his insane 110 point season with a 112 point season, still improving his physical and defensive stats and leading Moscow to the playoffs yet again, albeit as a wild card team. While this playoff run would be much more difficult, Markinson remained consistently exceptional, going over a point per game yet again. After a 3-2 wild card win over Malmo and two 4-3 series wins over London and Riga, Moscow and Markinson met their old foe Vancouver yet again - this time much more one-sided in a 4-0 stomp. However yet again, Markinson would be awarded his second Labatte Trophy as the VHL's premier overall defenseman.

 

 

S83 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 17 G / 75 A / 92 P / +39 / 316 SHT / 136 PIM / 237 HIT / 107 SB / 3 GWG / 6 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
18 GP / 6 G / 12 A / 18 P / +3 / 66 SHT / 24 PIM / 54 HIT / 54 SB / 0 GWG / 4 PPG / 0 SHG

 

S83 would mark a significant turning point for Markinson and the Moscow squad of the last three seasons. With every drafted player from S77-S80 off their ELCs and well into stardom, cap issues marked the departure of stars Paul Atreides and Aurelien Moreau to Toronto. For the first time, Markinson was no longer sharing the defensive stage - instead now solely responsible for the performance and leadership within the defense group. Despite the loss of talent, Markinson continued to perform at a high level, this time with 92 points in 72 games despite a league crackdown to reduce rampant offense. Moscow would make the playoffs for the fourth season in a row - and the finals yet again. Fate simply was not on their side, with Moscow losing the finals to Seattle 4-3.

 

 

S84 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 33 G / 73 A / 106 P / +41 / 348 SHT / 165 PIM / 253 HIT / 116 SB / 6 GWG / 14 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
11 GP / 3 G / 13 A / 16 P / +6 / 62 SHT / 28 PIM / 56 HIT / 25 SB / 1 GWG / 1 PPG / 0 SHG

 

Despite the continued failures of the organization, Hard Markinson remained a beacon of shining hope. Regardless of prior season performance, the league could count on Markinson bouncing back with a fantastic performance. And yet again, he delivered in S84 with a 106 point performance with a whopping 33 goals, helping to lead Moscow to their second Victory Cup in three seasons. This time with less reliance on special teams, the BoG awarded Markinson with not only his third Labatte Trophy, but his first Alexander Valiq Trophy as the VHL's top offensive defenseman as well. Fortunately, Markinson did not lose in the finals for the fourth time in as many seasons - except Moscow never made it to the finals after sweeping Davos in round one and subsequently falling to Warsaw 4-3 in the Conference Finals. With just 1 season left for Hard Markinson before his retirement, everyone's eyes were on how the final season would transpire.

 

 

S85 Moscow

Regular Season
72 GP / 23 G / 58 A / 81 P / +10 / 340 SHT / 180 PIM / 246 HIT / 155 SB / 1 GWG / 12 PPG / 0 SHG

Playoffs
14 GP / 5 G / 10 A / 15 P / +1 / 76 SHT / 43 PIM / 57 HIT / 21 SB /3 GWG / 1 PPG / 0 SHG

 

Now in the twilight of his career and most of the S77-S79 core retired or playing for other teams, Hard Markinson, The Seabasstard and Papa Emeritus were all that remained from the 4-time finals crew. Now supported by a new generation of players who were still growing into their top roles, Markinson's performance slipped from his lofty standards and Moscow also barely eked into the playoffs as a wild card team. However it seemed like a dark horse run was set to be - Moscow slammed London in the first round 4-1 and got their revenge on Warsaw for the prior season with a 4-0 sweep. However once again, the finals simply seemed to be their kryptonite - with a 4-1 series loss to D.C. Despite the crushing losses in the finals not once, not twice, but five times in six seasons, Hard Markinson showed his ability to do it all. Whether it was offense, physical play, or defensive play, there was no area that he struggled in. While he lacked the championship hardware, he made up for it with VHL recognition for being one of the best defensemen to ever play in the league. For that, he is undoubtedly a well-deserving entrant to the Hall of Fame.

 

@Victor for addition to the portal HOF page

 

[Scurvy 1,240]

Great tribute ! 

[Gaikoku-hito 1,825]

Instantly stood as a great defense man and the corner stone of Moscow.

Always hated playing Moscow knowing Hard Markinson was lining up on the other side.

Great career and great tribute!!

Edited June 23, 2023 by Gaikoku-hito

[STZ 5,319]

Thanks @Spartan ! One of my favorite players that I’ve had, and a big reason was my experience in Moscow. Crazy to look back at his production and how clutch he was in playoffs. Thanks for spending the time writing this up. It was great to look back on those 8+ seasons. Bittersweet as we never got a cup, but really enjoyed my time not only playing for Moscow but getting to AGM alongside you for a good portion of Markinson’s career.