.sniffuM 1,741 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) This will be a series in which I look at the reign of every GM of every VHL franchise and decide which GM is the best in team history, which is the worst, and which is the most forgettable. ------------------------------------- The Calgary Wranglers are one of the VHL's most esteemed franchises. With an impressive seven cup wins, Calgary has also been extremely stable, with only five General Managers in their thirty-six seasons of existence (easily the least of any of the original eight franchises). They have had a VHL record three GM's hold the position for at least eight consecutive seasons (for reference, only one other VHL team can boast having two such GM's). All things considered, this franchise has been a model of consistency in the league. But of course, with the constant ebb and flow of the league, there have been some down times in the franchise's history, much like any other VHL team, so here's a primer on some of the performances of the General Managers that have led the Wranglers in years past and present. Best GM in Franchise History: Scott Boulet (S3-S10) Record: 388-156-32 (67.4%) Cup Wins: 2 Although many would argue that Brett Slobodzian should get this spot for an insane two-year run to start the franchise that saw Calgary win more than 80% of its games, I personally side with Boulet just because of the sustained success he had throughout his entire run. Boulet inherited a cup winning team from Slobo, and although most would attribute his first cup win in Season 3 to the building of the past GM, Boulet was able to keep his team in constant Cup competition with his masterful building. Boulet was one bad mother fucker. Boulet's consistency was truly a feat to behold. He led Calgary to seven consecutive 40-plus win seasons, only missing the playoffs once in that run in a Season 4 that saw division rivals Seattle and Hamilton both top 50 wins on the year. Boulet finally succumbed to a rebuild in his last year, picking up 56 of his 156 losses in Season 10 before passing the team off to Matt Bentz. It was the end of an era that saw Calgary dominate the VHL for the first nine seasons of the league's history. Worst GM in Franchise History: Matt Bentz (S11-S19) Record: 302-302-44 (47.6%) Cup Wins: 2 It's very strange to see a GM with two Cup wins be called the worst in a franchise's history, but that's a testament to just how good Calgary GM's have been throughout team history. Bentz's run at the helm of Calgary finished with the biggest bang possible, as a huge free agency coup that saw the team court stars Alexander Sauve, Matt Bailey and Ryley Dawson in a two year stretch helped the GM end with two consecutive Continental Cup wins. With such a big finish, how can Bentz be called the worst GM in team history? His main issue was his very slow start. Yes, he was leading the best franchise in league history up to that point through its very first rebuild, and yes, he did have to deal with the Bentz Curse, which described the surprising tendency of top Calgary prospects and players to retire on Bentz unexpectedly. However, it took Bentz until his seventh season in Season 17 to finally finish with a record above .500. He made the playoffs a couple times in his first six years, but those were extremely weak years in the North American Conference. Bentz won 112 games in his last two seasons as Wranglers GM, meaning that his teams averaged less than 30 wins in the other seven seasons he held the position. He was still an overall good GM, but for a franchise loaded with great ones, Bentz holds the spot at the worst one. Most Forgettable GM in Team History: Jardy Bunclewirth (S20-S25) Record: 177-230-25 (41.0%) Cup Wins: 1 Somebody had to lose here. After Brett Slobodzian, Jardy Bunclewirth is the second-shortest-tenured GM in team history. He also boasts the worse winning percentage in team history. So why did he not go into the worst GM category then? The answer is simple: he had a couple years of strong success after taking over a team with essentially no assets, and then finished his tenure with one more rebuilding year. Unlike Bentz, it didn't take Bunclewirth seven seasons and a monumentally fruitful free agency run to win his cup. Rather, Bunclewirth put his team together through drafting and trades, and led the Wranglers on a fairly quick turnaround by winning a Cup just three seasons after the Bentz reign was over. So what's so forgettable about Jardy then? Nothing really, but someone had to take this spot. He's sandwiched between the two longest running GM's in team history in Bentz (nine seasons) and Jason Glasser (eleven seasons and counting). Not only that, but Jardy's run of success was pretty short, and the aforementioned GM's he's sandwiched between have just been more buzzworthy in their runs than Jardy was (Bentz for the Curse, Glasser for his long-sustained success). Bunclewirth will go down as one of the better GM's in VHL history, but unfortunately, also finished his run in Calgary as the most forgettable one the team has ever had. Edited March 10, 2014 by Muffins diamond_ace 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Head Moderator Baozi 1,635 Posted March 10, 2014 Head Moderator Share Posted March 10, 2014 Scrubs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike 708 Posted March 10, 2014 Share Posted March 10, 2014 (edited) Really like articles like this if only you weren't a ghey and left Riga even though i traded for you and the part where you didn't respond to chat or pms. Edited March 10, 2014 by Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,550 Posted March 10, 2014 Admin Share Posted March 10, 2014 cool concept and fuck yeah diamond_ace 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Victor 10,550 Posted March 10, 2014 Admin Share Posted March 10, 2014 Really like articles like this if only you weren't a ghey and left Riga even though i traded for you and the part where you didn't respond to chat or pms.not responding to PMS is the safest option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.sniffuM 1,741 Posted March 10, 2014 Author Share Posted March 10, 2014 Really like articles like this if only you weren't a ghey and left Riga even though i traded for you and the part where you didn't respond to chat or pms. My next player shall be a Riga lifer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diamond_ace 3,106 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 Wranglers Gonna Wrang. Victor 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sterling 1,990 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 not responding to PMS is the safest option. No, they still get mad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 11 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 (edited) Good article. Respect lost. Would read again. I was the best though. Edited March 11, 2014 by Aether Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOOM 8,426 Posted March 11, 2014 Share Posted March 11, 2014 No, they still get mad. Testify! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomsday 4,041 Posted March 12, 2014 Share Posted March 12, 2014 Content: 3/3 - Really like the premise of this article and can't wait to see the future installments. A nice read for guys like me who haven't been here relatively long and missed out on a lot of the history of the league. Grammar: 2/2 - Only one thing, off by one letter. Well done here. the worse winning percentage in team history = the worst winning percentage in team history Appearance: 1/1 - Boulet could intimidate a honey badger with that glare. Overall: 6/6 - Yup! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kesler 1,514 Posted March 16, 2014 Share Posted March 16, 2014 Claimed Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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