Claimed:VHL 8.0 | Part 1: Remembering what was[Final 6/6]

[scotty 59]

VHL 8.0 | Part 1: Remembering what was

 

For those who know the VHL to be what it is today, know that the league can attribute its success largely to the harsh lessons learned from its sim-league ancestors.

 

Yes, it’s true, before 44 seasons and eight calendar years’ worth of VHL hockey, sim leagues were marred by largely unsuccessful, if not uninspiring tenures. With the promise of each new league came to the expected disappointment when it faltered.

 

Unbeknownst to most, if not all, at the time, this disappointment would lead to something great. Something we now know today as the greatest sim league of all-time, the VHL.

 

This story does not begin in 2015, however. This story dates back to the summer 2006 when I unknowingly found my way to a forum based on a radical idea, the notion of fantasy hockey where you aren’t managing a fantasy roster of NHL players but instead stepping into the shoes of being one of those players yourself.

 

This radical idea in my experience was pioneered by one known by the username ‘Champion’. His league was known as the Extreme Simulation Hockey League, or ESHL for short.

 

 

Terrible name aside, this is where my sim league experience came to fruition.

 

After spending a brief amount of time getting my bearings in the league and figuring out precisely what the hell was going on, things escalated quickly. The league had a solid foundation in place with a group of core members, the initial framework of the same point tasks you know in the VHL today, and a tiered system with a professional, minor, and eventually short-lived junior league.

 

The ESHL originated with four teams, including the ever-popular Carribean Pirates moniker, and would ultimately expand to six by its fifth season with additions in Halifax and Salt Lake City.

 

All of the pieces were in place for the ESHL to be successful, and in many ways, it was.

 

When Champion left his league in the most volatile of states, the same David Knight you all know and love today was one of the successors to get the league back on stable ground. Shortly after that’s where I came in, primarily as a ‘simmer’.

 

Of course ‘simmers’ was a hell of a lot different than what the same phrase means today. Before the time of STHS or even Eastside Hockey Manager, there was NHL 06, the lifeblood of sim leagues. What did it mean? Monotonous updating, manually entering statistics into an Excel spreadsheet after a game, and sometimes painfully watching games play out between two computer aliases on your PlayStation 2.

 

      

 

While watching some of the high-profile ESHL games play out in real-time was relatively entertaining at times, I must say that watching the ESHM(inors) games could invoke a desire to turn the game off at times as a result of the futility of 50 overall players attempting to play a game.

 

Anecdote aside, the ESHL was essentially the historical standard of what a successful sim league could look like.

 

After serving as the league’s ‘simmer’ for some time, I found that my role within the league was quickly evolving. So quick, in fact, that I found myself on the Commissioner team alongside Knight and former sim-league stalwart Dylan McLaren; (there’s a blast from the past).

 

As a Commissioner, conflict resolution becomes a paramount skill you need to possess. Luckily, the ESHL was still fairly small by VHL standards, but make no mistake, there was still no shortage of drama to be hand around the league. As it stood, the league members always found a way to rise above it, but we were certainly entering new territory as our ESHL made it through two, three, and four seasons of play.

 

        

 

The ESHL saw no fewer than two expansion drafts, the introduction of a well-intentioned ‘Junior’ league to supplement its ‘Minor’ league, and even an inaugural Hall of Fame crop.

 

In my opinion, this league is and always will be where the point-task sim league came to age.

 

Which brings me to competition. I quickly discovered that the ESHL wasn’t the only alternate version of fantasy hockey out there. While the leagues remained few, the Simulation Hockey League (SHL) chiefly would be the league’s biggest competitor in the same way it still presently exists with the VHL today.

 

Unlike today, however, the ESHL/SHL rivalry was at a much different level. While the two leagues were amicable, to see a member with players in both leagues were almost unheard of. This was sim hockey’s version of European empire history. Two leagues with considerably different philosophies vying to position themselves as the best.

 

This old SHL is not like the one you may know today, though. While today’s SHL has adopted the notion of TPE and limited point tasks, the initial editions were considerably more arbitrary in how players could rise to success.

 

Differences aside, both leagues would ultimately heed to their Achilles Heel’s. Simulating.

 

STHS may be time-consuming today, but it’s all but a fraction of what we used to see with NHL 06. Updating, statistics, game times and the lot was a challenge that would ultimately see the downfall of both leagues. While we tried to combat it in the ESHL with the addition of multiple simmers, it was only a matter of time before the league’s fundamental model would prove unsustainable.

 

Shortly into Season Five, we reached that point. Myself, Knight, and Brett Noiles made the decision that the league would have to come to an end. Our simming resources were stretched beyond capacity and rather than watch the league crumble slowly, we made the difficult decision that we would bring things out while the league was still on a high note.

 

After starting in the summer of 2006, the ESHL would see its end in May 2007.

 

Had STHS existed in 2006, we would likely see a much different history of the ESHL. Hell, this article today would probably be written on a different league forum as the VHL may never have come to be. Revisionist mindset aside, the lessons learned from the ESHL would lead to a period of flux which would leave the sim-league community in a state of uncertainty.

 

But before we address that uncertainty, let us first remember the first great sim hockey league that was.

 

The ESHL, in all its dated glory: http://z7.invisionfree.com/ASHL/ar/

Edited July 26, 2015 by scotty

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

I'm actually in a sim league right now where you watch teams play out on NHL 04. I find it great though GMing a team.

[scotty 59]

I'm actually in a sim league right now where you watch teams play out on NHL 04. I find it great though GMing a team.

 

Nice! Yeah, they were cool for sure as player builds panned out a little more (Size to Attributes, etc.)

[Victor 10,934]

The ultimate conclusion to this story is when the VHL and SHL mould into one, removing all differences between them.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

The ultimate conclusion to this story is when the VHL and SHL mould into one, removing all differences between them.

Please keep this website if it happens.

[eaglesfan036 4,598]

Awesome historical stuff, weird to think that I was 9 when the first sim leagues were being made

 

Also, someone should just for fun create some VHL teams on NHL 15 and sim some games for us to watch :3

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Awesome historical stuff, weird to think that I was 9 when the first sim leagues were being made

 

Also, someone should just for fun create some VHL teams on NHL 15 and sim some games for us to watch :3

Like what ballerstorm is doing on SHL. Although over there he didn't create SHL teams, he created a bunch of SHLers and selected GM's to make a fantasy draft and had a tournament.

[Beketov 9,021]

Definitely remember the ESHL, posted the link to it here a little while ago actually. I only came in late in its lifespan but still fondly remember it as my first hockey sim league. At least the first that lasted more than a season.

I feel as a resident "old fart" of the VHL I'm going to enjoy this look back. If you want / need any quotes for future instalments just ask and I'll provide.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

I appreciate the league's ending announcement thread.

 

i'm glad you came here though, a lot of you MSFL'ers proved that that not everyone in that league is assholes

 

To be fair... actually yeah, there were a lot of assholes.

 

Would have liked to know this b4 spending so much time during the minors updating and becoming the #1 overall pick just to get 6 games in and the league to end. Also I just made a MS this week damn u guys. Someone owes me a graphic or MS for the MSFL to give the effort I would have put on that instead of doing this one.

 

#JusticeForMike

[scotty 59]

The ultimate conclusion to this story is when the VHL and SHL mould into one, removing all differences between them.

 

Interesting notion, and probably a good one. The 'old' SHL was essentially the anti-VHL in terms of PT's etc. It seems from a glimpse that the league is gravitating closer and closer to the VHL model, and with that in mind, it would be interesting to see if there's an opportunity to amalgamate the two. Selfishly, I would say the VHL should stay as the branding, though ;-)

 

I appreciate the league's ending announcement thread.

 

 

 

 

To be fair... actually yeah, there were a lot of assholes.

 

 

 

 

#JusticeForMike

 

Ah yes, poor Mike. He got screwed pretty good there, haha.

 

If anyone EVER thinks this league has drama, it's nowhere near what the MSFL had at times. What a place.

[Mike 708]

I was in the junior league earning tons of TPE get drafted by winnipeg ice. Just started simming for the minors and then the league just gave up. Sucked but safe to say I moved on.

[JardyB10 4,865]

Did you though? Did...you?

 

For all we know, you're actually just sticking around and becoming more and more useful so that, one day, you gain Administrative control of the VHL, become the go-to stud member, only so you can one day pull the plug and be like, "HAHAHAHA, SEE HOW IT FEELS YOU FUCKERS!?!?" You then walk off into the sunset and never use a computer again, your life goal complete.

[Mike 708]

Did you though? Did...you?

For all we know, you're actually just sticking around and becoming more and more useful so that, one day, you gain Administrative control of the VHL, become the go-to stud member, only so you can one day pull the plug and be like, "HAHAHAHA, SEE HOW IT FEELS YOU FUCKERS!?!?" You then walk off into the sunset and never use a computer again, your life goal complete.

Fuck time to find a new angle.

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

If anyone EVER thinks this league has drama, it's nowhere near what the MSFL had at times. What a place.

 

That's the reason I'm amused at all the Thunderdome hurt feelings/amateur trolling here. After two years as Head Grader/Commissioner in the MSFL, there's very little a sim league can do that phases me anymore. 

 

(Looking forward to the next installment by the way, I like sim league history stuff, especially ones that I know little about.)

[scotty 59]

That's the reason I'm amused at all the Thunderdome hurt feelings/amateur trolling here. After two years as Head Grader/Commissioner in the MSFL, there's very little a sim league can do that phases me anymore. 

 

(Looking forward to the next installment by the way, I like sim league history stuff, especially ones that I know little about.)

 

Yeah, the Thunderdome here doesn't hold a candle to the MSFL.

 

Appreciate it, though!

[Toast 887]

Content 3/3 - I only stumbled upon sim leagues approx. four years ago, so the history of these leagues going back all the way to 06/07 is fascinating to say the least. I can't even imagine the pain of having to watch the games sim, then put it all into a spreadsheet, and repeat on a constant basis. It's a shame the league moved on so early on, but it definitely helped shaped sim leagues today.

 

Grammar 2/2 - Fantastic writing, I have nothing to put here so I'm sure I was just invested in the history of everything.

 

Appearance 1/1 - Those pictures really help the text actually. It's nice seeing stuff from back then.

 

Final 6/6 

[Knight 1,289]

Droppin those names takes me back a hella long way.

 

How do you even remember this stuff haha?

[CowboyinAmerica 2,887]

Claimed