GM players

[Victor 11,021]

As specifically requested by @Gustav

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A1W-EAYEAnnRXAhT-dD5A6nFv4n7VXF3ebRtR7mJ6qc/edit?usp=sharing

 

A bit of background: GM players were automatically added to VHL franchises from S1 without the team having to spend a draft pick on them. These players could not leave via FA or be traded, except in their last season (after announcing their retirement). There were sometimes complicated rules on acquiring GMs' players if they were hired externally, which partially drove the fact that internal GM repalcements were prioritised (GM applications weren't really a thing for the first 60 seasons). A team could also not have more than 1 GM players at once i.e. if a GM recreated as a GM player, then resigned, his replacement had to trade the previous GM player before his own could join the team.

 

When Project Player Two came along in the 50s, a GM had a normal player in addition to a GM player. Even when PP2 was abolished, the GMs retained two players for another 10 seasons or so. I believe the last ones were Pavlov/Washington/Nygren/Havlova - the S65-S68 expansion teams' GM players. There was then a brief period when a GM could automatically select their player in the draft as long as they had a 1st round pick (so even if you were the 1st rated prospect, you could draft yourself 16th overall), but this got abolished at some point in the 70s. The list above doesn't include those players, it's solely those who avoided the draft entirely under the old rules.

 

Unsurprisingly given GMs are generally active, over 20% of GM players ended up in the HOF. Also 20% were goalies which was often a smart move to secure the position.

 

Anyway Gus' article this week was likely the only time anyone needs to find a player on here but given it was on my Drive since 2021 there's no harm having it publically available.