S91 Hall of Fame Induction

[Victor 10,949]

'tis a wonderful time, the week between Christmas and New Year's, and I am pleased today to announce the induction of two wonderful S83 draftees into the VHL Hall of Fame.

 

LW - Ronan Lavelle, S83-S90 

RS: 576 GP, 322 G, 417 A, 739 P, +175, 686 PIM, 1,473 HIT, 303 SB, 47 GW

PO: 70 GP, 44 G, 51 A, 95 P, -3, 93 PIM, 212 HIT, 37 SB, 8 GW

 

S84 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved)

S85 Daisuke Kanou Trophy (Playoff MVP)

S88 Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most Outstanding)

S88 Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points)

S89 Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most Points)

S89 Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most Goals)

2x All-VHL First Team (S88, S89)

3x All-VHL Second Team (S84, S85, S90)

One Continental Cup (S85)

 

We've seen some big blasts from the past return to the VHL recently. v2's comeback with Tui Sova was a huge success, making the Hall of Fame some 80 seasons, over a literal decade, after Josh Vestiquan's induction. Sova's last act, captaining D.C.'s maiden championship was in part made possible by playoff MVP Ronan Lavelle, a return to glory for one Zach @Arce who himself was last inducted around the same time as Vestiquan. For Lavelle, that playoff run in S85 was just the start of a dominant run, one of the finest forward careers we have seen in the 16-team era. He led the league in points twice and notched 7 consecutive seasons of 90 points or more, an unprecedented feat in the modern day. A guaranteed scorer wherever he went, Lavelle is a fine addition to the Hall and a great return to form for a VHL legend.

 

 

 

D - Brian Payne, S83-S90 

RS: 576 GP, 147 G, 476 A, 623 P, +184, 1,684 PIM, 2,064 HIT, 1,326 SB, 26 GW

PO: 72 GP, 17 G, 46 A, 63 P, -2, 227 PIM, 260 HIT, 184 SB, 4 GW

 

S85 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman)

S85 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenceman)

S86 Jake Wylde Trophy (Top Defensive Defenceman)

1x All-VHL First Team (S85)

4x All-VHL Second Team (S86, S88, S89, S90)

One Continental Cup (S84)

 

Lavelle looked like a star from the start, but Brian Payne simmered under the surface. Warsaw located an uncut gem at 26th overall, because he worked his way to the top through grit and stayed there through sheer consistency. Payne started to become noticed when he would without fail end up in the conversation for at least one defenceman award each season. He was no slouch offensively with 6 straight 80-point seasons, but it's the all-around game where he stood out. There's only 1 previous Hall of Famer, Patrice Reynaud back from the VHL's first decade, with more than 1,300 blocked shots, because very few can combine that with over a point-per-game pace. When you add 2,000+ hits, Payne stands in a league of his own. No wonder @Scurvy stood out even on a star-studded Warsaw team, one of the most recognisable of the decade.

 

 

Voting results

Brian Payne - 14/16

Ronan Lavelle - 13/16

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Kristof Welch - 1/16

Papa Emeritus - 1/16

Nico Pearce - 1/16

Hammar Voss - 1/16

Oskar Lingbergh, Zach Kisslinger II, Bo Johansson - 0/16

 

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And that's not all, this season we are back with a Builder induction. S91 has seen a whole generation of players retire who have played since the player build changes of S83, as well as one season removed from the 10-season anniversary of the VHLE. So what better time to recognise the man who played an integral role in the testing and refining of the new attibutes and is one of the current VHLE commissioners? @Enorama has been actively involved in two of the biggest novelties of the 80s and it's no surprise he's carved out such an impressive legacy. To me, it was obvious he would have a big role to play in the league from Ryan Kastelic's impressive pre-draft performance when in S61 he became the 1st first-gen drafted 1st overall in 30 seasons, but a trend-setter for several of the subsequent drafts. Kastelic didn't make the HOF and I hope Eno's hard work is rewarded at some point with a player induction, but he was the first (and only, before 9-season careers) player to earn 2,000 TPE. Plus, a Builder induction without HOF players only says more about the extracurricular work Eno's done. Founder of the aforementioned D.C. Dragons, guiding them through a few seasons of bad luck to finally get the Continental Cup nearly 20 seasons later (feat. the aforementioned Sova and Lavelle), Enorama has also been a productive long-term member of the BOG and this doesn't feel like the end of the story yet.

 

 

Congratulations all!

[v.2 1,406]

Congratulations to the three of you! Super well deserved.  Made BoG discussions easy this time around.

[Spartan 4,408]

Well deserved for all, congrats!

[Garsh 1,192]

grats all!

[Scurvy 1,495]

WOW!!!  What a huge honor, especially with so many deserving people. Thank you so much!  I am so happy I clicked the "create a player" link after surfing the forum for so long back in the day.  What a great community and I am honored to be a part of it.  

[dlamb 1,326]

Well deserved congratulations to both of you, but especially to the man himself @Scurvy. Loved having you around in Warsaw, always full of positivity and loved by all his teammates. Easily my biggest draft steal in my entire VHL GM tenure. Not to mention an absolute menace on the ice, glad to see you recognized, brings a tear to my eye . 

 

#ChodźmyWarszawa

 

Editing again to save @Enorama's feelings for being hurt:

Absolutely well deserved, if not for the TPE records shattered, the on-ice statistics, but the members you have singlehanded brought into the VHL. I'm sure your recruitment tree stretches further than anyone realizes, obviously I have you to thank for me being here at all. A great person, a fairly decent GM, commissioner, member, and friend. Maybe one day one of your players will join Dakota in the HOF.  

Edited December 28, 2023 by dlamb

[Smarch 3,157]

Three great members in any interactions I’ve had with them, well deserved and congratulations to all three. 

[Ricer13 2,796]

Congrats everyone!!!

[Banackock 8,062]

Grats all

[Gaikoku-hito 2,089]

Congrats to the three of you!!

 

@Scurvy Payne was a pleasure to play beside in Vancouver and pushed PEB to new heights. Class act on and off the ice!! Sadly we couldn`t get you one more cup before you retired.

[Frank 5,212]

@Scurvy 

 

Also congrats to @Arce and @Enorama well deserved!

[Knight 1,289]

Congrats to all, nice to see some old names still making great players 

[Tetricide 682]

LET'S GOOOOO @Scurvy! (I guess you too @Arce and @Enorama)

 

I'm so proud of your players and contributions to the league!

[animal74 1,822]

Congrats to all of you! So well deserved. All three of you have made your mark in the league. @Arce, it was a pleasure to play with you during your last season in Toronto.

[Daniel Janser 2,185]

Well deserved inductions for all three members/players. 

[Girts 1,055]

Congrats everyone, especially my longtime teammate @Scurvy !!! Brian Payne was truly a beast out there, it was an honor to play with him all those years! Well deserved buddy! 

[youloser1337 1,111]

Congrats everyone!! A huge shout out to @Arce . One of the players from when i when GM of Mexico City Kings! It's an honor to have been there at the start of your HOF career!

[Brandon 426]

So lucky to have spent 4 seasons alongside @Arce  on the same line. A true pleasure, great leader, and even better person. Unbelievably deserved induction brother!