Toronto Ends S89 With Win/Happy 16 VHL

[animal74 1,821]

 

Toronto Ends S89 on a High Note

 

The Toronto Legion ended their last game in S89 with a 5-3 victory over the Vancouver Wolves. It was a small moral victory as hockey victories were far and few between for most of the season for the Legion. Except for a morale-boosting 10-3-0 stretch in the second half of the season, Toronto went 16-34-9 the rest of the way including winning only three of their final 11 games. Defense wasn’t usually the problem as they were led by a strong defense and Joel Castle @animal74 in net and the Legion ended up tied for 5^th in goals against. They had the worst offense in the league though as proven by their 2.11 goals scored per game including being shutout 11 times.

 

But despite the losing record, Toronto brass believe they are in a position to improve significantly next season due to a peaking core of Mac Atlas @v.2 , Dens Oden @Snussu, Tater Tottingham @Trunkxolotl and Castle, productive veterans Phoebe Bridges @PhoebeIsQueen, Jimmy MacElroy @Xflexz and DJ Fire Dragon @Firekiss, the development of rising stars Jimi Jaks @kelvi and Bobby Bob @Baby Boomer, and numerous prospects in the pipeline not including another high pick in the S90 draft. They also have holes to fill from retirements and GM @Moon hopes he can add talent through free agency and trades. Now is the time for the Legion to take the next step and make the playoffs. The culture and leadership is in place, but the play on the ice must improve.

 

Happy 16 VHL!

 

I also just wanted to add some thoughts regard the VHL turning 16. I've toured memory lane a couple of times when the VHL turned 14 and also 15 but I wanted do it again.

 

The VHL continues to be (I hope for everyone) a vibrant, progressive, inclusive and friendly community where everyone has the chance to put on their imaginary skates and be a player (or manager) and have some fun. Like most things in most cases, the more effort you put in, the more enjoyment you receive. I’ve had a blast creating my players, interacting on the forums and Discord with all of you, and documenting the VHL’s rich history. And I look forward to doing it for years to come.

 

I am currently in the middle of my fourth player’s career (Toronto goalie Joel Castle) and I’ve also managed D Gunnar-Rune Rorvik (Seattle), LW Ondrej Ohradka (Calgary, Prague) and RW Druss Deathwalker (Malmo). Over the course of my VHL career, while I don’t have any HOFers, I’ve won two Continental Cups, three Founder’s Cups, one World gold, three World Juniors gold, and one Junior Showcase Tournament gold. I’ve also briefly held one VHL record and had one jersey retired. I've played for a total of five VHL franchises and have enjoyed my time with all of them. These experiences have all been special to me and I’ve had fun striving for these goals.

 

But none of this happens without the BOG and the rest of the hard-working VHL community. So, once again I want to thank all of you for contributing to such a fantastic league. Happy 16 Birthday, VHL! Here’s to 16 more!

Edited July 24, 2023 by animal74