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Bitter Sweet Victory

Molholt

By Molholt
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Molholt

Molholt 2,185

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I can officially say that I've done something as a GM in this league that has never, ever been done before. I GM'd the Toronto Legion to the only three-peat in the league's 50 season existence. I can't even begin to describe that feeling. I owe so much to the players that made it happen.

 

Hans Wingate (@CowboyinAmerica) came in and instantly breathed fresh air into a team that had been struggling through a rebuild. He brought a familiar face to a locker room that was already top class in my opinion. I specifically built Toronto with a purpose - create a team that I WANT to be around every day. Personalities that everyone likes. People everyone wants to be on a team with. No drama, lots of fun and the competition will come. Cowboy epitomizes the type of member I wanted to build my team with. The same can be said for most everyone I've had on my roster to be honest. 

 

Zach Parechkin (@DollarAndADream) was my first big draft pick. I had the choice between him and Jeff Hamilton at the time, and while I considered both, DaaD was always the clear choice for me. He's a fantastic member to have on your team. He displayed his loyalty with his first player, Travis Boychuk. Boychuk also proved that Parechkin would make a great captain for the Legion, which I immediately transferred to him in his rookie season. Hamilton was a great prospect, but I knew I could put more faith and trust in Boychuk to be there for my team when the rookie contract ended and to be there in the locker room, day in and day out, to make Toronto a desirable location. That pick has paid dividends ever since.

 

World B. Free (@stevo) was brought in during that same draft and again, was a phenomenal add for the Legion LR and roster. After seeing Ron World Peace, I knew exactly what I was getting from Free and I knew he'd be a perfect piece for a championship roster. A defenseman that is consistent and cap-friendly, as well as being a great LR presence I knew from my time in the SBA and another member who is typically fiercely loyal. Free was a no-brainer, despite even myself picking a couple of guys ahead of him. He was probably the steal of that draft and he's deserved all of the team success we've had. 

 

LSP (@atw2592) was another player that paid off big for us, being a great winger that doesn't break the bank. I admit, I wish he was around a bit more now and we had some free agency scares along the way, but when he was tuned in - he was tuned in. He was big for us most of the time, being a great offensive threat and helping round out our roster, which we tried to keep full most of the time. 

 

Black Velvet (@Higgins) was the obvious choice for the top selection in his draft year. A player from Toronto, a player at a position of need (defenseman) for us at the time. We were loaded with forward talent, otherwise I might have went with Unassisted, due to myself being more familiar with STZ, but Higgins proved to be incredibly valuable. He was a top defenseman for us, and despite him leaving Toronto after his rookie deal, I'm still glad I brought him in with the top selection that season. 

 

Benjamin Zeptenbergs (@hedgehog337) was a joy to have on the team during the early years. He was one of the few people left on the dismantled roster I received when I took over the team and after he left, he came back and was key for us in our early wins. He was always solid in the locker room, consistent with his development and had some really clutch moments for us in the playoffs, even as he was on his way out of the league. We couldn't have started the three-peat without him.

 

Francis York Morgan (@Christmas) was a big add for us, because defense kept being the thing that we struggled to secure for long periods of time. We had Free and then Velvet, but we needed the big name defender to anchor our defense - FYM was that man. He was a great blue-liner for us, and although we had to move him to become more cap compliant down the stretch, he finished his career in a big way and showed everyone how valuable he really way, helping Davos nearly topple us in the Continental Cup this season. I hope he's around more nowadays, as he faded just slightly down the stretch, but was a big boost to the Legion during this period.

 

Chuck Goody (@Nike) might get overlooked on the list of key contributors for us, but he was another solid depth defenseman that helped round out the roster. I found Goody when I needed cheap options on the blue line and I was able to get him to be active for us intermittently, giving us a boost to our full roster approach. He was also good about popping into the locker room and promoting some activity.

 

Marcel Faux (@Tylar) was a big addition for us. We needed wing help and we had some offers lined up that just weren't working out. Faux slipped under the radar and then became a key target for me, a proven winner with Helsinki and just the lucky charm we needed. I believe Victor outlined it in a VHL.com article at one point, but Faux reminded me so much of my first VHL player, Jarkko Olsen, that I knew he would be key for us. Like Olsen, Faux just found ways to win Cups and he seemed to be the lucky charm for Helsinki and Toronto. Adding that forward depth and help was crucial for us as trade targets began thinning up and he helped push us to that three-peat.

 

Edwin Reencarnacion and Kerkko Hyvarinen (@YEAH!stlemania & @diamond_ace) are again, two great members. I only wish we could have added them sooner and they been a bigger part of the three-peat, but Edwin was a big spark of much-needed offense and Kerkko was a big part of our defense, which I like to keep at 3-4 men. Both of them were necessary to bring in the third Cup.

 

I'm sure I missed someone, but that comes with the territory. The three cups and all of the people along the way add up to the sweet victory portion of the title. However, I did include bitter sweet in the title as well. That part, is my drive as a GM. At this point, I've accomplished something as a GM that no one ever has before and will have a hard time doing again. I cemented the VHL's 50th season with a historic, landmark moment. I've proven that I can GM in this league I think, and I've proven that my method can be successful. It took some luck and good timing along the way, but you can build a team of people you like and want to be around, without sacrificing the team culture just for talent, and you can win with that strategy. If everyone is bought in, good things happen to you and if they don't - at least you're around people you want to be around. I believe that any other method is destined to fail, either at winning or at being happy and having fun. A lot of teams strive for winning the cup. I strive for fun. Winning the cup is a lot of fun, but only one team can do that each season. It is really tough to remain positive when losing (see: myself in the early Davos games), but when you've got a great group around you, that becomes much easier (see: DaaD's LR positivity and belief in our team when I was worried).

 

I happened to pick a horrible week (offseason) to be mostly out of touch with the league (friend in town) and losing a goalie really hurt us. Clegane was on the table, but he was out of town until Sunday and a lot of big names signed before then, which hurt our odds too. At the end of the day, I feel like I've accomplished all that I need to as a GM in this league and it is tough for me to envision me being nearly as passionate about it. I probably wouldn't ever be able to top this run anyway. That is why there is a GM job posting in the job interview section. I've been pestering Draper about stepping down since before the finals ended even, as I just don't know that I'll have the fire for it anymore. The bitter sweet part of all of this? I think this run has used up most of my flame for GMing in this league and perhaps even as a player in this league, because I don't imagine having as much fun with any player as I've had with Max on Toronto. It's weird, I've sort of set a bar for myself that I probably can't ever pass and that makes it tough to be excited about moving forward. I'm sure a lot of people feel like that with their players, when they have multiple HoF players or all-time greats or as a GM, when they have a long streak of success. I think I'm at that point now. A little tired. A little burnt out, and perhaps ready to step away from it all a bit. If there is an adequate replacement for me in Toronto, I'll likely step down. I feel like I've done what I came here to do - a complete turnaround, from the bottom feeder of the league in the worst situation, to perhaps the greatest dynasty the VHL has ever seen. Now, I might be out of things to prove.

 

 

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Molholt

Molholt 2,185

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3 minutes ago, TheLastOlympian07 said:

you raise a very good point @JardyB10 why couldnt you do this for Sandro Clegane 

 

Jardy's love for me outweighs his desire for Cups. That's the only reason he rigged for Davos to begin with. If you notice, they didn't win until they got me AND until I came back from inactivity. 

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