Claimed: Memories [1/2]

[Tyler 885]

Ten Years Later....

 

 

Seeing as it is the tenth anniversary of the VHL this week I think it's important to look back at one of the key moments of my own experience in the league. I can think back to a few times in my history on the VHL that remain relevant. The early times when the Seattle vs. Toronto rivalry was at a fever pitch, the forum fights that had very little to do with hockey and of course my time GMing Vasteras for a handful of seasons. That last bit is what I want to focus my writing on here. I became GM in Season 21 when the team was in dire straits. We had nothing going for us, the hysteria of anti Vasteras rhetoric was at a point where it was difficult to convince even draftees to play for the team beyond their entry level deals. It was, to put it mildly, a franchise in dysfunction.

 

The team had just moved back to Sweden from Madrid (a move which was dumb from day one IMO) and I knew I had so much work ahead of me. I was hardly an expert on the league despite having been in it for a few years at that point, and to say my reputation was below average would probably be a doing me a favor. Sadly the archives seem to be lost forever so I can't recall every single person I did draft over the seasons. I remember drafting Scotty's player (RJ Stafford?) as well as his "brother" players but other than that I really don't remember too much. Drafting Scotty's player was obviously the best move I made not so much because the player was great but because being able to have someone like that to mentor me obviously helped. It did, however, also add another dynamic which was that people were able to finally take Vasteras with a little more seriousness having him aboard. 

 

 

It didn't take long before we had a real shot at the playoffs. We did what we could, steadily progressing every year and getting closer to where we wanted to be and by Season 24 we had James Bencharski and Lars Berger leading the way. Two all time talents who were well over a point per game every year. Despite that, it wasn't enough to make the playoffs. At this point it felt like the famous "curse" was real and no matter what we did we would never go past a bubble team.  We didn't win that year, but the momentum was inevitable. We knew we were going to win. A 120 point season led us to the playoffs where we dominated our opponents and ultimately broke the "curse". I'm not the type to get excite over a sim league, it's all in good fun and I never let the internet get me too high or too low. However I can't pretend I wasn't a mix of emotions when we won. It was the end of my first year of university and while I had many memories that year, I think breaking the curse has to rank up there.

 

While I have been off the VHL for a while it's always been a weird and unexplainable part of who I am. I joined when I was 13 (I think?) and am now 23 and a totally different person. It's really not an easy thing to describe but as I've come back to the league it's as if little has changed. The names are (sometimes) different, but the commitment people have to an imaginary hockey league hasn't changed a bit.

 

ps: bring back Vasteras for fuck sakes

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

Review

Great read Tyler. Vasteras does need to come back enough of this Stockholm Viking nonsense. Glad to see you back as well. Never formally got to welcome you back.