Lord Karnage Hall of Fame Article

[solas 1,946]

D/LW - Lord Karnage
Birthplace: Somalia
Height: 6’3”
Weight: 220 lbs. 
Jersey Number: 66
Drafted: S42 STO (via GM Rule)
Username: @boubabi

 

The two-way forward has an interesting place in the VHL.  Players like Scott Boulet, J.D. Stormwall, Leeroy Jenkins, David Smalling, and Zach Parechkin have etched their names in history through their dominating performances on both offense and defense.  However, not many were quite as intimidating as Lord Karnage.  The Somalian had an undeniable presence on the ice - he was a force of nature, one of the best in just about every possible aspect of the game.  Truly, his name was fitting if nothing else.  While he may not be quite on the level of dominant production as players like O’Malley or Campbell, it’s undeniable that Lord Karnage was one of the most talented players to ever play in the VHL.

 

Awards:
S41 Founder’s Cup - VHLM Championship (BRT)
S43 Victory Cup - Best Regular Season Record (STO)
S47 Terence Fong Trophy - EU Conference Champion (STO)

 

S43 Bronze Medal (WOR)

 

S42 Christian Stolzschweiger Trophy - Top Rookie
S44 Scott Boulet Trophy - Top Two-Way Forward
S45 Scott Boulet Trophy - Top Two-Way Forward
S46 Scott Boulet Trophy - Top Two-Way Forward
S47 Scott Boulet Trophy - Top Two-Way Forward

 

 

Season 42 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S42 (STO) 72GP | 32G - 55A -  77P |  -9 | 254SHT |  4GWG | 126PIM | 249HIT | 146SB
Playoffs:
S42 (STO) 4GP | 1G -  1A -  2P | -3 | 15SHT | 0GWG |  4PIM |  14HIT | 7SB

 

The Vasteras Iron Eagles, a franchise mired in disappointment, unfulfilled potential, and futility, had met their unfortunate end in Season 40.  In its place was the Stockholm Vikings.  General manager Benoit Prévost, who had overseen the team’s last season in Vasteras, was looking to establish a new identity for the previously failing franchise.  With Niklas Lindberg, his previous player, retiring, Prévost was looking for a franchise player to bring the Vikings to glory.  And so Lord Karnage began his VHL career.

A gifted defenseman, Karnage first stepped into the league system midway through Season 40, playing 17 games for the Minot Gladiators before being selected third overall in the VHLM Entry Draft.  In Season 41, his only full season of VHLM play, Karnage won the Founder’s Cup as a member of the Bratislava Watchmen.  His play was good but not exceptional, although he clearly had all the tools to succeed in the VHL.  As he was represented by a GM, Karnage forwent the Season 42 VHL Entry Draft, where he likely could have been the #1 pick, and simply moved to the Stockholm Vikings’ roster.

Karnage’s first season was proof enough of his potential.  He scored 87 points, second among all defensemen, first among rookies, and more than a significant portion of the league’s forwards.    He was able to help guide a young Vikings team, mostly built through the team’s eight picks in the first two rounds of the S42 draft, into the playoffs for the first time since the name change.  Ultimately, the playoff qualification didn’t bear much fruit for Stockholm: the Express, led by playoff MVP Martin Brookside and future hall of famers Thomas O’Malley and Mason Richardson, swept them in the first round.  But it was still a positive season.  Karnage swept the rookie of the year voting to bring home a Stolzschweiger Trophy, his first ever individual award.  Things were looking up for the Vikings.

 

 

Season 43 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S43 (STO): 72GP | 51G - 48A -  99P | +51 | 409SHT | 16GWG | 161PIM | 299HIT |  32SB
Playoffs:
S43 (STO): 5GP | 2G -  7A -  9P | +1 | 27SHT | 0GWG |  8PIM |  17HIT | 3SB

 

The future certainly seemed bright for Stockholm, but nobody knew just how soon that future would come.  Over the offseason, the Vikings improved quickly acquired young forward Jody 3 Moons and future hall of famers Brick Wahl and Tom Slaughter from the New York Americans, jumping into championship contention and likely top spot in the European Conference.  But things would change for Lord Karnage this season as well.  With Lloyd Light and Jack Kowalski on defense, as well as Francis York Morgan and Prince Gigga-Bijou playing their rookie seasons, there was less of a need on the blueline.  Meanwhile, the Vikings had four centers but only four wingers.  Due to his offensive ability, Karnage was moved to left wing and quickly slotted into the second line with Jody 3 Moons and Vogon Jeltz.  He fit like a glove.  Karnage would score 99 points on the season, second-best on the team behind MVP Tom Slaughter.

The team success was even greater in the regular season.  Stockholm was able to hold off their European Conference rivals, the Cologne Express, to win the Victory Cup with a league-leading 116 points, earning Prévost Top Executive honors.  However, things came crashing down in the playoffs.  Cologne, once again the cause of Stockholm’s downfall, won the European Conference 4-1 in a series dominated by Bismarck Koenig.  Cologne was ultimately taken down by the Seattle Bears in the finals, but this didn’t soften the blow for the Vikings.

 

 

Season 44 Statistics:
Regular Season: 
S44 (STO): 72GP | 53G - 56A - 109P | +40 | 484SHT | 13GWG | 140PIM | 353HIT |  27SB
Playoffs:
S44 (STO): 14GP | 5G -  2A -  7P | +1 | 62SHT | 2GWG | 42PIM |  51HIT | 8SB

 

Tom Slaughter was back for his last season, but it was Karnage who would become the team’s top producer in Season 44.  Now fully adjusted to his new position, he scored a team-leading 109 points, which was good enough for third in the league.  Once again, Cologne and Stockholm battled for supremacy in Europe.  This time, it was the Express who would come out on top in the regular season with 108 points over Stockholm’s 107.  Karnage also managed to put up 353 hits, second in the league - which, along with his scoring totals, helped him to win his first Boulet Trophy for the VHL’s top two-way forward.  It certainly wouldn’t be the last.

The Vikings were able to put up more of a fight in the playoffs, but it wasn’t quite enough.  After winning a seven-game barnburner of a series over Davos, they once again fell to the Express, also in seven games, in the conference finals.  With future hall-of-famer and star center Tom Slaughter retiring, many believed that the franchise had once again seen their best shot at a cup slip through their fingers.  But on an individual level, things were looking up.  Karnage had officially established himself as the league’s premier two-way forward, and he was only just entering his prime.  The VHL was yet to see the best of Lord Karnage.

 

 

Season 45 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S45 (STO): 72GP | 47G - 63A - 110P | +49 | 429SHT | 11GWG | 204PIM | 374HIT |  23SB

 

In Season 45, the European Conference encountered a major shake-up.  The Titans, after making a plethora of moves including the acquisitions of Thomas O’Malley, Phil Hamilton, and Greg Clegane (among many others), quickly shot up to first place and a Victory Cup.  The Vikings, meanwhile, were left in the dust.  The retirement of Tom Slaughter and the improvement of just about every other team in the conference resulted in Stockholm finishing dead last in the conference despite an 80-point season (good enough for a playoff spot in North America).  Even the Cologne Express, fresh off the losses of Thomas O’Malley, Christoph Klose, and Bismarck Koenig, finished ahead of them. 

Lord Karnage, meanwhile, only got better.  He finished a stellar year with 110 points and 374 hits, both career bests at the time and among the highest in the league.  This was good enough for Karnage to win his second-straight Boulet, not to mention votes for MVP and Most Outstanding Player.  Despite a disappointing team season, Karnage had fully established himself as one of the VHL’s top players.

 

 

Season 46 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S46 (STO): 72GP | 47G - 56A - 103P | +33 | 451SHT |  3GWG | 165PIM | 357HIT |  31SB

 

Once again, difficult conditions led to a poor season for the Vikings.  Blake Campbell controversially signed with the Americans in free agency after his entry level contract expired, while the rest of the European teams once again were among the best in the league.  For the second straight year, Stockholm finished dead last in the conference despite a great year from Lord Karnage.  With 103 points, Karnage was tied for third in the league in scoring, and he also was close to the top of the league with 357 hits.  

For the third straight year, Karnage would win the Boulet Trophy, this time beating Helsinki’s Christoph Klose by four votes to take home the hardware.  This would put him in historic company.  Only five other players had won Top Two-Way Forward in three straight seasons before him, and all five were hall of fame inductees.  Even if Karnage wasn’t quite experiencing the team success he may have wanted, he was now five seasons into his career and on the fast track to becoming a legend.

 

 

Season 47 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S47 (STO):  72GP | 45G - 67A - 112P | +71 | 447SHT | 11GWG | 177PIM | 331HIT |  19SB
Playoffs:
S47 (STO): 16GP | 5G - 13A - 18P | +8 | 76SHT | 0GWG | 42PIM | 101HIT | 9SB

 

After two seasons of disappointment, things really turned around for the Vikings in Season 47.  The acquisition of Ariel Weinstein gave Stockholm the top goalie they needed, and Lord Karnage was going into the season as one of the best players in the league.  As the Vikings jumped back into playoff contention, Karnage would put up his best-ever scoring totals, with 112 points, not to mention an impressive 331 hits.   For the fourth-straight time, he would take home the Boulet - making him and David Smalling the only players to ever do so.  

Meanwhile, Stockholm would translate their success into the playoffs.  The Vikings swept the Reign in the first round and managed to pull of a surprising upset of the Koenig-led Helsinki Titans in six games to make it to the finals.  This was the team’s first conference championship since the move from Vasteras, and likely Karnage’s best chance at a cup.  But it was not to be.  The New York Americans, led by playoff MVP Edwin Reencarnacion as well as that year’s Shaw winner, former Viking Blake Campbell, would defeat Stockholm in five games to win it all.  They had been close, tantalizingly close, but New York were just too good.  In the end, the Vikings’ only consolation was another Top Executive award for Prévost.

 

 

Season 48 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S48 (STO): 72GP | 48G - 57A - 105P | +35 | 496SHT | 14GWG | 137PIM | 370HIT |  43SB
Playoffs:
S48 (STO): S48(STO) 10GP | 6G -  7A - 13P | +6 | 88SHT | 0GWG | 22PIM |  48HIT | 6SB

 

Fresh off the disappointment of last season’s finals appearance, Karnage and the Vikings were back and hoping to redeem themselves.  Karnage would end up finishing with his fifth straight season with over 100 points and 300 hits - this time with 105 points and a league-leading 370 hits.  He would also be one of the league’s top five point scorers for the fifth-straight year (and top ten for the sixth).  Stockholm would once again finish second in the conference, however Karnage would narrowly lose out in the top two-way forward voting to Edwin Reencarnacion, who had more goals and points but less hits.  His Boulet count would be stopped at four.

Stockholm was also unable to follow up on their playoff success from the last season.  After sweeping the Express in the first round, the Vikings fell to the Titans in the conference finals, while the Legion would start their historic three-peat by winning the finals in five games.

 

 

Season 49 Statistics:
Regular Season:
S49 (STO/NYA): 72GP | 36G - 46A -  82P |  +8 | 492SHT |  5GWG | 152PIM | 299HIT |  54SB
Playoffs:
S49 (NYA): 6GP | 2G -  5A -  7P | -2 | 28SHT | 0GWG |  6PIM |  13HIT | 2SB

 

Season 49 would Lord Karnage's last season, and it would mark the end of an era.  Benoit Prévost stepped down as GM of the Stockholm Vikings after Season 48, and his replacement began to work towards a rebuild.  Deals were made for draft picks in the offseason, and later Severin von Karma and Ariel Weinstein would be traded during the season.  After 50 games in his last season with the Vikings, Karnage was traded to the New York Americans close to the trade deadline in exchange for a first-round pick.  

But Karnage wasn’t quite the same.  Despite picking up the scoring pace in his last regular season games, he had been below a point per game with Stockholm, and his 38 points in 22 games with New York was only enough to finish with 82 points in his final season - by no means a bad total, but not the same as his exceptional performances during his prime.  Sadly, the team success was disappointing as well.  The Americans only managed to finish third in the North American conference and were defeated in the first round of the playoffs by the Legion en route to their second-straight cup.  Although Karnage ended his career with a down year, he would still walk away as one of the best and most decorated two-way forwards of all time.  The fact that over 80 points and a playoff appearance would be considered a “down year” just goes to show how successful Lord Karnage really was in the VHL.

 

 

Career Statistics:
Regular Season: 
576GP | 359G - 448 - 807P | +278 | 3462SHT | 77GWG | 1262PIM | 2632HIT | 375SB
Playoffs:
55GP | 21G - 35A - 56P | +11 | 296SHT | 2GWG | 124PIM | 244HIT | 35SB

 

Lord Karnage's hall of fame status is only proven by his career statistics.  His 2,632 hits are currently good enough for fourth all-time (third at the time of his retirement).  He’s 20th all-time in points and is among the roughly 2% of all VHL players to reach the milestone of 800 career points.  He also ended his career with 77 game winning goals, currently putting him in third behind two other legendary forwards, Scotty Campbell and Zach Parechkin.  Those are accomplishments that put him amongst the best players to ever plan in the VHL and that's not even counting his award cabinet.  He was easily one of the best players of all time, and had it not been for players like Thomas O’Malley or Bismarck Koenig, he could have been the best forward of his era.  Karnage’s physicality, offensive contributions, and all-around play make him a rare talent and an undeniable hall of famer.

 

 

(for Müller)

formatting isn't exactly right compared to other HoF articles but I think it's close enough, I'm sure it can be adjusted

Edited May 15, 2017 by solas

[boubabi 4,725]

I've enjoyed the read. The final season were definitely disappointing considering how the sim engine usually rewards the good players in a weak team, wasn't the case for me.

 

Still think I was robbed in s48 for the boulet but hey, 4 boulet is already decent 

[BOOM 8,408]

Good article, great player. Koenig got two mentions so this article was amazing .