Claimed: The Curse Breaker

[Phil 5,129]

The Curse Breaker

 

 

With Phil Shankly and the Americans winning the Continental Cup for their first back-to-back Championship in franchise history, The Phil Knight Player Agency earned its eighth. In S18, when Phil Knight brought Phil Gerrard into the league, there was definitely a “Knight Curse”. Knight’s brother, a legend of a builder in the Hall of Fame (and is one of the biggest reasons this league is still around, with a collaborated effort from him and @sterling), always had trouble getting Cups. But since Phil came into the league, he tried hard to fight the curse, and it could be that Phil Knight is actually the league’s best curse-breaker. 

 

 

After being traded from his drafted team, Seattle, to Toronto, Gerrard played alongside David Walcott. Knight was at the helm, with one of the most dominant Legion sides ever, only rivaled by the recent 3-peaters. Despite all their dominance, they only managed to capture one Cup, an area that still is shadowed in controversy. But the fact remained that Knight finally got a Cup. When the team dissembled, Gerrard and Bencharski went to  Vasteras , whose curse of only ever winning in the inaugural season of the league still held 25 seasons later. Between those two stars, they carried Vasteras to their first, and last, Cup since S1 in S26. The Phil Knight Agency has not been back since and now they’re relocated, still in search of a Cup.

 

After Gerrard, Rafter entered the league as a superstar. They played on an empty Dynamo Roster and destroyed the league… but the problem was the Knight curse. Smalling’s agent was Knight, and the GM was the always unreliable @Bushitroll, with his goalie Satan. The three of them formed the core of the team and when Bushito faded into the winds Knight took over and despite building another dominant side, they only managed to win one Cup. Was it the Knight Curse, or was the Knight Curse blunted by The Phil Knight Agency? Would we not have won one if it wasn’t for Phil?

 

 

In comes Villeneuve. As soon as he got drafted, Phil Knight went inactive. He remained that way until half way through his career – his 4^th season, when he returned and kicked Villeneuve into gear. He was on Riga and had won nothing, and the first thing Phil had said in the lockerroom, after reading about the seasons’ disappointments, was “We will win next season.” And that’s exactly what happened, which stopped a 7-year Cup drought in S40. Riga haven't won since.

 

In his finally 2 seasons, he went to Seattle. Seattle was under the management of Bushito again and, just like his Dynamo days, he left the club high and dry. But somehow, with a weak team led by Villeneuve, they pulled off the impossible and somehow won. That was in S43.  It broke a 15-season drought. Seattle haven't won since. What is this magic?

 

 

Finally there was Hamilton and Shankly. Hamilton was drafted by @Will‘s Helsinki, and the premise was that it would be a couple of years of rebuilding to get to competition. However, with the pieces added in the off-season and the 3 best draftees (Hamilton, Koponen, G. Clegane), they managed to win a Cup. Then the next season, a veteran, Klose joined the team. His Agency’s success had struggled with a run of pretty poor luck, but trust Phil to get his luck back on track. They won again. 

 

But Phil wasn’t done bringing @der meister his luck. After two very disappointing seasons to enter his VHL career, Essian Ravenwing talked about retirement. However, with S52 brought the first ever 2^nd player 1^st overall draft pick – Phil Shankly. @Devise's New York Americans lit up like a bolt of lightning against a black backdrop. S52 and S53 brought successive Cups, and so the past 3 seasons that Phil has played with dermeister, they are a perfect 3 for 3 in Cups.

 

Coincidence? I think not.

 

[der meister 3,246]

#chemistry