Reflecting on Rin

[Rin 188]

A mere 49 seconds into overtime of game 5, one Rin Kagamine found the puck on her stick after a shot from her teammate was blocked. Taking advantage of the confusion and quickly evolving situation on-ice, she fired a shot right back on net before the goalie had time to adjust to its course. The puck hit the back of the net, and the game was called; the Seattle Bears became S97 champions as the lamp turned red, and players poured from the benches to celebrate.

 

It's funny to look back on this player's career, seeing as how I abandoned earning some time after hitting the then-active VHLE. Rin sat somewhere between 500 and 600 TPE for the majority of her VHL career, and managed to turn that into two cup wins and an overtime goal that cemented her spot in VHL history.

 

Pepper was a (debatable) Shaw winner, (controversial) playoff MVP, and a one-time cup winner with Helsinki, on top of being their all-time wins leader for a goaltender. Winter was a one-time league leader in points, one-time champion with the Chicago Phoenix, and also scored the GWG during his one cup win, though it wasn't in such a dramatic overtime fashion.

 

While Rin retires with no individual VHL awards to her name, she becomes my first player to lift the cup twice. I put so much more effort into her predecessors, and yet she goes on to not only continue my streak of winning one cup per player, but doubles down and becomes the first to do it twice. I suppose that's the advantage of being a depth player-- it's easier to move around and slot in to teams that just need that little extra push on the back end.

 

Though I once worried about whether or not my players were truly making an impact despite the effort I consistently put into the VHL, it's a little humbling to look back and see how each of them has left a distinct mark on VHL history in their own ways. From playoff MVP, to two different cup winning goals, every one of my three players has been important in their own way. I can only hope that Yor Bjorven continues the tradition as he steps up to the VHL draft, though I know the chances are slim. It feels so much harder to win a cup as a goalie, because you know you don't have much of an option to leave the team you're drafted to. Either you're going to be good, or you're backstopping a squad that just doesn't have it.

 

Above all else, I want Bjorven to win an uncontested, unshared Shaw. I've always loved being the goalie, and the last thing I really, REALLY want in the VHL is a distinguished goalie award. Another franchise leader/definer wouldn't be half bad, either.

 

Here's hoping.

[Banackock 8,318]

It was awesome having you. I’ve enjoyed the chats and seeing the excitement. It’s neat how the season went for us and Rin. 
 

GREAT season.