Claimed: Where are they now? (Doubles Submission)

[Quik 4,113]

Where are they now?

A look into what happened with my past players!

 

Player #1 - G Matthew Pogge

 

Pogge joined the league right from its inception, all the way back in Season 1. After four seasons in Vasteras, which included a Continental Cup, a Howe Trophy as playoff MVP, and a pair of Tretiak Trophies, the Black Eagles' netminder decided it was time to move on and try his hand in the NHL. It was a bit shocking at the time, that a goaltender so early in his VHL career would leave for another league; his GM, Lucas Tannahill, was not happy with the decision as it signaled that, along with the departure of other players such as Scotty Campbell and Jon McKelvie, the once hopeful dynasty was no longer a realistic dream. Tannahill later stated that "it was disappointing that he made the decision. I understand the desire to move on, and the team was disappointing in his last couple seasons, making early exits while not really providing any support."

 

Looking back, Pogge will go down as a product of his times, rather than an all-time VHL great. Much in the same vein as many great NHL players, Pogge is a goalie that, if you had a time machine and pushed him 50 years in the future to today's VHL, he would probably be a lot closer to average than the star he was known as during his time in the league.

 

After leaving the VHL and joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Pogge was quickly shown why the NHL is considered the top hockey league in the world. He would post a rather pedestrian first season with a 12-14-2 record on a mediocre Leafs team. His personal numbers weren't much better, sporting a .902 Sv% to go along with a 2.97 GAA in his first NHL season, splitting time with then Leafs netminders Andrew Raycroft and Mikael Tellqvist. From there, Pogge would slightly improve, posting a career .906 Sv% and 2.89 GAA, and spend parts of the next 6 seasons as a journeyman NHL goaltender, making stops in Phoenix, Dallas, Atlanta, Calgary and Long Island before finally calling it a career.

 

After hanging up his skates, Pogge and his wife, Francesca, decided that a move to Italy to be closer to her family would be best for them and their two young children. In Italy, Pogge ran a hockey school that brought children from all around the country, and would go on tournaments to showcase their talent. The school produced a handful of players that would join European leagues, such as the Swedish Hockey League, Kontinental Hockey League and Finnish Elite League; as well as a future VHLer in Matteo Gallo. Once his son was old enough to take over, the former VHL Tretiak winner retired to the Italian countryside, where he and his wife still reside, well into their 70s!

 

 

Player #2 - RW/C Branden Snelheid

The Blazing Swiss, Branden Snelheid, played his last game in the VHL 45 years ago, in game 7 of the Season 10 Continental Cup Final. It was a heartbreaking defeat that denied the Hall of Famer his 3rd championship, and came in overtime after, for a second consecutive season, he tied the final game up in the dying moments of regulation! Known for his speed, quick hands, and lethal shot, Snelheid had dazzled fans for six seasons before calling it quits. Unlike his predecessor in Pogge, however, Snelheid was not making a move to the NHL. No, Snelheid was making a move to Hollywood, where his then girlfriend, Scarlett Johanssen (Editor's note: for some reason I had a storyline where Snelheid was dating her and acting during the off-seasons lol), had gotten him into acting.

 

It was an odd, if unexpected move for Snelheid, as he was still in the prime of his career, having just posted career highs in both goals (62) and points (125). However, he went on to have some success in the acting industry, starring in films such as Firestorm, CheckMate, Prognosis Negative, and Rochelle Rochelle. Known for doing his own stunts, Snelheid had a suspension cable snap while filming the never released Project Mayhem, which broke his back and put him in a coma for three days. The injury forced him to retire from acting, at the request of his wife, Emily. The two moved back to his native Bern, where they raised their son Braden, who would follow his father's footsteps as a hockey player and join the VHL.

 

Unfortunately, on the night of Braden's VHL draft, Branden and Emily were hit by a drunk driver after leaving their son's draft party. It was a tragedy mourned by all, and it affected Braden most of all. The son of the Hall of Famer had a tough time dealing with the loss of both his parents, and his VHL career never met the promise that it began with.

 

Player #3 - RW/D Matt Bailey

 

The giant known affectionately as "Beast", Matt Bailey, played a full eight seasons in the VHL en route to becoming a first ballot Hall of Famer as well as the first (Editor's note: only?) player to win each of the Boulet, and Labatte Trophies. He also collected the Howe, Malone, and Mikita trophies, to go along with 7 All-Star appearances, and 2 Continental Cups (was one of only 4 players to score two Cup winning goals). All-in-all, Bailey went down as one of the VHL's all-time greats, and would likely continue his dominance of the VHL today. After completing his 8th season in the VHL, Bailey signed with the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL.

 

Looking to add a type of player not seen in the league since Eric Lindros, the Flyers signed Bailey and had him convert back to the wing where he would go on to star for them. In his first NHL season, Bailey scored 43 goals and 46 assists in 76 games to lead the Flyers in scoring, while also continuing his punishing brand of play by notching 236 hits. He would go on to play 381 games over 5 seasons in Philadephia, scoring 200 goals exactly in the Orange and Black, while adding 217 assists to average well over a point per game. After his fifth season in the city of brotherly love, management was looking to make some changes and begin a rebuild. Bailey was a Free Agent and signed with his childhood team, the Toronto Maple Leafs. It was with the Leafs that Bailey would make his only Stanley Cup appearance, in his second and final season with the team. That year, he managed to score his 3rd professional championship clinching goal, scoring the only goal in a 1-0 Game 6 victory over the Dallas Stars to give the Leafs their first Stanley Cup in over 70 years! Bailey finished his NHL career with 276 goals and 292 assists for 568 points in 542 games played, picking up a pair of Rocket Richard Trophies, as well as a Hart Trophy and a Conn Smythe in his final season.

 

After retiring from the NHL, Bailey stayed in Toronto and soon after moved into the front office of the Leafs organization. He was named President of Hockey Operations, taking over from the legendary Brendan Shanahan, and has presided over the team for the past 20 years, overseeing 6 Finals appearances, 4 Cup winners, and a retool that has seen star players moved out for younger pieces that look to be starting the next wave of Championship teams in the Big Smoke! Bailey recently announced his intentions to step back from the game, in order to spend time with his grand-children, one of whom is making a name for himself as potentially the next great hockey superstar!

 

What about the rest? C Samson St. Cloud / LW Braden Snelheid / RW Matteo Gallo

 

There have been 3 other players that I have created to grace the halls of the VHL. Samson St. Cloud, Braden Snelheid, and Matteo Gallo. Going in chronological order, we start with St. Cloud. He was a once promising prospect, reaching 143 TPE in relatively short order! However, after developing a drug addiction, he stopped putting much effort into his hockey career. Sadly, his life was met with tragedy when, during an off-season party in Mexico with Mike Richards, then in his late 50s, but partying like it was 2015. A cocaine induced rage led to Richards pushing St. Cloud under a bus. Miraculously, St. Cloud survived the hit from the bus, but a pack of rabid dogs carried him across the US-Mexican border and he was murdered by then-President Trump for being an illegal alien!

 

Braden Snelheid, as was mentioned earlier in this article, had difficulty dealing with the loss of his parents. He played out his career in the VHL, then, in an effort to find peace, moved to the Himalayas to become a Monk. He has not come back to society in the approx. 20 years since he left the VHL, but there are rumours that he started a hockey league that his other Monk brethren take part in. It is rumoured that this is now known as the key to enlightenment, and now, before becoming a full-fledged monk, brothers of the monastery must take part in a 72 hour non-stop game of hockey. Unfortunately, these rumours cannot be substantiated, as outsiders are not permitted within the walls of the monastery, unless they vow to give up their outside lives and work to join the brotherhood.

 

The final player we look back on, Matteo Gallo, has lived a more conventional retired-life. The Italian moved to New York City upon his retirement, and has recently opened a Resto-Lounge that has seen many of the world's top athletes and celebrities. The establishment, known as Cannoli, is the most hip place in the city, with reservations reaching 15 months in advance. Chef Bobby Flay was quoted as saying "even the secret, secret line is booked months in advance, only people with Gallo's personal number can get in without planning it months in advance!" For his part, Gallo has already tripled his net-worth in just 5 years, making more in the past 12 months than he did in 8 years as a VHLer!

 

 

And there you have it! You made it all the way to the end of an article about players I've created. There were some Hall of Famers, and some busts, some happy endings, and some tragedies. This is where these players are today, with some of them shortly to be joining Snelheid and St. Cloud in the ground. The league has had a lot of seasons, and if these people were real, most of them would be very old right now, if not actually dead. It's amazing to look back and remember the players I've created, and remember not only the seasons they had, but the friendships I've made, and the teams I've been a part of. I haven't been active for a long time, but this league got me through a lot, as I'm sure it has for most of its members, and it's fun to look back and realize that it's been 10 years since it opened!

Edited July 19, 2017 by Quik

[Gudnason 607]

OMG POGGE WELCOME BACK

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

1 hour ago, punkhippie said:

OMG POGGE WELCOME BACK

geez where have you been lol

[NotAVHLM-GM 1,858]

Also, its not a doubles week, just a 3 tpe uncapped but great piece man, wonder how you came up with the Snelheid last name, as its dutch for speed

[Quik 4,113]

5 minutes ago, Green said:

Also, its not a doubles week, just a 3 tpe uncapped but great piece man, wonder how you came up with the Snelheid last name, as its dutch for speed

It is for me Using my donation perks for this one.

 

And yeah, I google translated blazing speed to dutch, which is how I got Branden(de) lol

[NotAVHLM-GM 1,858]

And then you make him from switzerland, the dutch need more love lol.

Although I have to admit, my first league (shl) I was in a draft class with a player named Michael Haan (which is an actual dutch name) and it took me quite a while before I realized that he was actually American.

[Quik 4,113]

8 minutes ago, Green said:

And then you make him from switzerland, the dutch need more love lol.

Although I have to admit, my first league (shl) I was in a draft class with a player named Michael Haan (which is an actual dutch name) and it took me quite a while before I realized that he was actually American.

hahah, yeah, I don't know why I went with Dutch tbh. I think I was looking up German first, but that shit was way too nope lol.

[Gudnason 607]

37 minutes ago, Quik said:

hahah, yeah, I don't know why I went with Dutch tbh. I think I was looking up German first, but that shit was way too nope lol.

 

Damn, why you go Dutch with that girl on your first date?