S51 Hall of Fame Induction

[Victor 10,992]

Slightly delayed, but I'm pleased to induct 2 players and after a bit of a break, a Builder into the VHL Hall of Fame!

 

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G - Hans Wingate, S43-S50  

520 GP, 324 W, 163 L, 32 OTL, 2.10 GAA, .922%, 70 SO

 

S44 Aidan Shaw Trophy

S45 Daisuke Kanou Trophy (co-winner)

S46 Aidan Shaw Trophy

S48 Daisuke Kanou Trophy

S50 Scotty Campbell Trophy

S50 Brett Slobodzian Trophy

S50 Aidan Shaw Trophy

Four Continental Cups (S44, S48, S49, S50)

 

To the surprise of absolutely no one, one of the greatest goaltenders in VHL history is inducted on the back of a clean sweep of votes. Hans Wingate was dubbed "WinGod" in his early rebuilding Calgary days and lived up to the billing when he led them to an underdog championship in just his sophomore season. For the following 6 seasons, Wingate remained atop the league's goaltending charts and delivered several mind-blowing playoff performances. Of course, his crowning achievements came as part of the history-making Toronto Legion 3-peat, which started after he joined in free agency and ended with his retirement.

 

Even by the time he arrived in Toronto, it was not a question of if Wingate would become a Hall of Famer but where exactly to rank him in the pantheon of great goaltenders - at the moment, top 5 seems to be the consensus but it may be even higher.

 

@CowboyinAmerica

 

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C - Edwin Reencarnacion, S44-S50  

503 GP, 341 G, 345 A, 686 P, +265, 686 PIM, 1,639 HIT, 204 SB, 71 GW

 

S44 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy

S47 Daisuke Kanou Trophy

S47 Kevin Brooks Trophy

S48 Scotty Campbell Trophy

S48 Brett Slobodzian Trophy

S48 Mike Szatkowski Trophy

S48 Kevin Brooks Trophy

S48 Scott Boulet Trophy

Two Continental Cups (S47, S50)

 

One of Wingate long-time rivals, Edwin Reencarnacion eventually joined forces with his old foe in the duo's final seasons, but made his name as a franchise player in New York. The Americans' history for over 20 seasons now has been littered with championships and some of the greatest players in the VHL, which meant Reencarnacion had a lot to live up to when drafted to the team in S44. He met and exceeded his expectations, becoming both a prolific goal-scorer and one of the better two-way forwards we've seen. In S47, he cemented his legacy by leading New York to another Continental Cup, before peaking with a season worthy of the league's biggest legends in S48.

 

Team and GM circumstances led to Reencarnacion's slightly earlier retirement after 7 seasons, but it is a testament to his success that his first-ballot induction was never in doubt despite this.

 

@YEAH!stlemania

 

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Board of Governors Vote:

Hans Wingate - 16/16

Edwin Reencarnacion - 14/16

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Wesley Kellinger, Mike Szatkowski Jr. - 1/16

Felix Peters - 0/16

 

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As for the Builder, this may be a name which is relatively unknown to newer league members, but not too long ago Jason Glasser aka @diamond_ace was one of the more recognisable members in the league. A prolific TPE earner in his prime, he was a bit unlucky to not be inducted into the Hall of Famers with any of his previous players, especially Clark Marcellin and Martin Brookside, but this just means that he is now a Builder in the purest form - through his achievements "off the ice".

 

Jason made his name as one of the main proponents of the VHLM both as GM (his Ottawa Ice Dogs reign in the mid-20s remains one of the most successful in history, bringing through many still prominent members of the league) and then as long-time VHLM Commissioner. During years of relative neglect, his activity was a much-needed boost for the much-maligned minor league. Even when he moved on to be solely a VHL GM, Jason's VHLM-related articles remained a staple of the VHL magazine, of which he was a member for a very long time.

 

As for VHL GMing, diamond_ace remains the longest-tenured GM of a single franchise, managing the Calgary Wranglers for almost two VHL decades. His achievements of note include building up a highly exciting team and locker room from scratch which won the cup in S30, and maintaining that competing team for as long as possible, winning a then-record 3 David Knight Trophies as the league's top GM.

 

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Congratulations to all 3 new members of the VHL!

[Molholt 2,185]

Two Legion members, congrats!

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

RIP Felix Peters @gregreg

 

congrats to those inducted  

[boubabi 4,725]

I think Peters deserves a good high five and we should let him go 

[Banackock 8,105]

Congrats to everyone. Not wanting to single out, but @CowboyinAmerica hell of a career!

[Evans 305]

Gonna need @diamond_ace's A/S/L before he is officially inducted. 

[diamond_ace 3,112]

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

[Cuffy 346]

Grats D_A

[NotAVHLM-GM 1,858]

Three very deserving inductees. Congratulations

[Jericho 917]

7 hours ago, diamond_ace said:

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

I'm happy for you, but getting voted in before Viet Trieu is a fucking crime against nature.

 

All jokes aside, congrats bud! 

Edited December 1, 2016 by Jericho

[BOOM 8,807]

Nice group. Congratulations to all 3....see you at the HOF reunion!

[Da Trifecta 1,902]

Dubbed WinGOD originally by me first not anyone in Calgary

[CowboyinAmerica 2,910]

*Tap tap* Is this thing still on? Where did everyone go? Oh, the VHL Finals are tonight, I remember those...

 

I know it's a bit late, but I did want to thank the HoF Voting Committee on putting Wingate in the Hall of Fame. At the start of his career, I thought that Wingate might be my last hurrah at a great sim league player - something I've been doing off and on for a full decade. With that in mind, I had two goals: As much TPE as humanly possible, and make the Hall of Fame. I'm proud that I accomplished both of those goals, with some titles and other accolades along the way. It was the most fun I've had with a single player in a long time, and if you had told me even three years ago that I'd be fully invested in a league again, constantly refreshing on the night of a big game, I would have told you that you were nuts. But I became invested again at just the perfect time in life, and with Wingate's career and winning early, the stars aligned.

 

I'd like to thank Eagles, Toast and Molholt for excellent teams that made me want to continuing playing, the league administrators for all that they do behind the scenes, and everyone in the league that makes this such a fun place to be. The VHL is truly something special - the idea of making a great player in a league that's been around 50 seasons and counting was a huge draw for me, and the history is unparalleled. To be considered one of the top goaltenders of perhaps all-time is an honor, and one that I'm proud to have accomplished.

 

I'd like to think that I'll be back at some point. I have fun here, and I like the community. Life has just caught up with me in recent days - job promotion, working on an MBA, moving to a new city, girlfriend and dog and friends and traveling - it's a bit much to juggle. And I know my personality - I want to be active when I'm here (even if not doing PTs), and if something feels like a stressor, I'll check out. So one day. But for now, y'all can find me around, I've got Facebook and Twitter and even Dog's Instagram. (I used to be a bit more sketchy with the personal details, but it hit me writing this that I've spent more real world time in VHL than any other sim league, and I have MSFL people added so why not? Even met a MSFLer for a beer in the fall, wasn't as weird as I thought.)

 

Here's to hoping this thing will still be around even if checking in another 50 seasons. WinGOD, out. 

[Kendrick 4,741]

1 hour ago, CowboyinAmerica said:

*Tap tap* Is this thing still on? Where did everyone go? Oh, the VHL Finals are tonight, I remember those...

 

I know it's a bit late, but I did want to thank the HoF Voting Committee on putting Wingate in the Hall of Fame. At the start of his career, I thought that Wingate might be my last hurrah at a great sim league player - something I've been doing off and on for a full decade. With that in mind, I had two goals: As much TPE as humanly possible, and make the Hall of Fame. I'm proud that I accomplished both of those goals, with some titles and other accolades along the way. It was the most fun I've had with a single player in a long time, and if you had told me even three years ago that I'd be fully invested in a league again, constantly refreshing on the night of a big game, I would have told you that you were nuts. But I became invested again at just the perfect time in life, and with Wingate's career and winning early, the stars aligned.

 

I'd like to thank Eagles, Toast and Molholt for excellent teams that made me want to continuing playing, the league administrators for all that they do behind the scenes, and everyone in the league that makes this such a fun place to be. The VHL is truly something special - the idea of making a great player in a league that's been around 50 seasons and counting was a huge draw for me, and the history is unparalleled. To be considered one of the top goaltenders of perhaps all-time is an honor, and one that I'm proud to have accomplished.

 

I'd like to think that I'll be back at some point. I have fun here, and I like the community. Life has just caught up with me in recent days - job promotion, working on an MBA, moving to a new city, girlfriend and dog and friends and traveling - it's a bit much to juggle. And I know my personality - I want to be active when I'm here (even if not doing PTs), and if something feels like a stressor, I'll check out. So one day. But for now, y'all can find me around, I've got Facebook and Twitter and even Dog's Instagram. (I used to be a bit more sketchy with the personal details, but it hit me writing this that I've spent more real world time in VHL than any other sim league, and I have MSFL people added so why not? Even met a MSFLer for a beer in the fall, wasn't as weird as I thought.)

 

Here's to hoping this thing will still be around even if checking in another 50 seasons. WinGOD, out. 

We want you back, you are a great member!