The End

[dstevensonjr 509]

It's been 703 days since Harry Callahan officially became a member of the VHL family. 154 VHLM games, 79 VHLE games, and 571 VHL games later, plus multiple off-season and international tournament games, the end is rapidly approaching for Callahan. With a playoff series against Calgary looming, there is a minimum of 4 games and a maximum of 21 games left for the player who has only known 3 homes in the league. It's bittersweet to have the ending coming, with a career that has wildly exceeded my expectations, both in terms of success on the ice and joy and fun off of the ice. This league is such a great place, filled with so many amazing people who make it an awesome place to hang out. Getting to know some folks that I've been teammates with, as well as those that I've interacted with in other team Discords and the league chats has been such a blast.

 

The ending of a career is a great time to reflect back on the last two years, both in the league and in real life. I couldn't possibly imagine Harry Callahan ending up where he has. I can remember looking at the players that were in the league when I first created, trying to build a player based on the forwards who were leading the VHL in scoring at the time that I joined. Seeing the TPE totals that players like John Jameson, Nico Pearce, and Ronan Lavelle had at the time when they were near the top of the league in points, it felt incredibly daunting to ever be in a position to end up in their TPE neighbourhood. Being able to end up just behind them on the all-time TPE list isn't something that I thought was even possible, and it has only happened because lots of folks here have made it fun to continue staying active in the league. I've also been fortunate to end up on a team that has been competitive for close to a decade's worth of seasons, which also made it easier to stay active and focus on improving because it never felt like I was just clicking and doing tasks for nothing. The team that Moon built in Toronto from a competitive standpoint, as well as a members standpoint is something that really deserves much more credit than he has received in the league. Him not winning a GM of the Year trophy is borderline criminal, and he should be acknowledged for the feat that it was. Being able to be part of that group has made it feel like none of this has been work at all.

 

With all of that said, just because the end is coming doesn't mean that it's here yet. There is plenty of time for further reflection after the end comes, and hopefully it comes with the poetic ending of being able to bookend a career with Continental Cups with the Legion. While I don't want to fully think about how weird it will be to not have Callahan to update every week, it's impossible to not feel the feelings that come with the fact that this is going to be one of the final weeks to do tasks and submit updates for the only player that I've known in the league. It's been fun, and you only get one 1st Gen player in this league. I appreciate that it's been as special as it has.

[der meister 3,338]

This shit don't end until Harry lifts the Cup one last time.