Wingate Takes a Bow [Reviewed]

[CowboyinAmerica 2,842]

Hans Wingate Takes a Bow

The veteran goaltender discusses the personal TPE goals he's passed

 

This is likely to be the last official six-point media for Hans Wingate. Why? Well, why not? Currently at 1,153 TPE, Wingate has earned at least the cap of nine points every single week since the trade deadline of Season 41. That’s nothing to take lightly. And that trend’s going to continue for at least a while, too – Wingate has four banked free weeks before he needs to start taking welfare.

 

All of that TPE has gone a long way, as Wingate has had 99’s in all of the important attributes since very shortly into his fifth season. And, thanks to 75 banked points, he’s only 45 TPE from already being able to keep that record into his final season as well (following expected Old But Not Forgotten and Jaromir Jagr store purchases).

 

At times, Wingate’s play hasn’t lived up to his TPE level; just look at Season 47, or even this year’s World Cup. However, Wingate’s career was always about more than play on the ice for me. It was a personal challenge to see what I could accomplish if I dedicated myself to working as hard as I could. And in the process, I blew by three TPE goals I set for myself before the start of Wingate’s career.

 

843 TPE

 

This was my previous high in the VHL, with my last player Karsten Olsen. (Strangely, the Hall of Fame list has him at 829, but his player page says differently.) Olsen had a thoroughly underwhelming career, never even making the finals in 7.5 seasons with Seattle and a half season in Cologne. Part of that was due to a self-imposed sabbatical I took from sim leagues while I studied for the LSAT and GRE, and for the limited time my girlfriend still had in Chicago before going to a master’s program out of state.

 

But even with Olsen not reaching his potential, I still was happy with the way his career turned out. A few top fives in scoring is not too bad overall, and he still was the centerpiece to some teams that made conference finals. Plus, I’m still with said girlfriend and used those GRE scores to get into business school, so I can’t be too angry about my decision, either.

 

963 TPE

 

My first ever player sim league was the MSFL, which I joined back in April 2006. That lasted about two months before Iceman self-imploded and deleted the boards. Then, when the MSFL was reborn with the not-so-clever name MSFL_Reborn, I was able to get in on the ground floor. Originally as a tight end for the Guatemala Geckos and fighting with our own Knight and Irishbucsfan for Tight End of the Year, I established my love for sim leagues. Ultimately, I would be a Head Grader, Commissioner, and other roles for the league before it would die roughly two years later.

 

At the time, I thought my personal record of 963 TPE would not be broken. I was in high school during that league after all, and I would never have that same amount of free time again. Plus, leagues die so quickly that even if I had the time, the league would not last long enough for me to do so. Honestly, I think the drive to beat this record, knowing that the VHL was stable, is what drove me to be fully active here in the first place. I’ve made no secret that I’m not as huge of a hockey fan as others, but the challenge, the community, and the history here are what make it fun for me.

 

1000 TPE

 

“I'd say 85% or so that you end up being a great player and none of this ever matters (in fact, if forced to put money down on you either beating or falling short of Olsen's total, I'd bet on you beating it). However, that's still 15% more than people who have been here through entire cycles. It's risk reward, you're 85% going to produce a guy with 800+, and probably a 50-50 bet to be 1000. 15% of the time, you might go for a much smaller amount. Unlikely, but we at least know the possibility is there. Do you go with that, or do you go with a guy who might only end up being 700 or so, but is 97% to be there?”

 

 - Diamond_Ace, S43 Draft Discussion Thread

 

In retrospect, this is hilarious, seeing how those sure things such as Jamie and Muffins fell off. Delicious has gotten nowhere close to 700 TPE, and Faux, although close at 671, has been largely inactive in recent times. Other than myself, the only S43 draftees with a solid shot at 700 are two newcomers, Ruutu (already passed) and Christmas (at 608).

 

Still though, I’m not particularly good at being told that I can’t do anything. Even with hedging his bets and saying I was a 50/50 shot, I absolutely took D_A’s words here as a slight, just as I took New York’s passing on me and Riga’s creating a GM goalie as a slight as well. I think that I’m best under pressure and with something to prove, and even if not the most overt fuel, I certainly took it as a challenge. To me, there’s always been too much an emphasis on what somebody has done previously, even as I know I likely fall into that category moving forward. Give me the person that seems dedicated and has something to prove every day.

 

The Future

 

Wingate’s not retiring any time soon; it’s my full intention to play in Season 50 World Cup, then wait to recreate until the Season 51 trade deadline for the S53 Draft. With that in mind, I have two full regular seasons and next offseason to maximize his TPE. At my going rate of about 150 TPE per full season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Wingate hit 1300 TPE; I honestly expect him to be third all-time in TPE behind Karnage and Tukio when all is said and done (and wouldn’t be surprised if Phil pushes me down from there). Wherever I land on the final list, though, it wasn’t the ultimate goal.

 

The TPE goals and making the Hall of Fame was all I wanted from Wingate, and I did everything in my power to get both. For the latter, after two Shaws, two Continental Cups, two Playoff MVPs, and two World Cup gold medals after six seasons, I’m feeling pretty good about my chances. Wingate’s had a fun career, and I can say with complete confidence that I’m satisfied with all I’ve accomplished with him.

 

Edited May 17, 2016 by CowboyinAmerica

[eaglesfan036 4,593]

All hail His Grace, WinGod of Houses Win and God, First of His Name, King of the Andals and the First Men, Lord of the Ten Teams, and Protector of the Realm."

[Baozi 1,658]

Yay Wingod!

[Molholt 2,185]

How about two more Cups for your efforts? Yeah? Ok.