Historical Significance

[Victor 10,565]

Sorry @STZ, slightly long one this - just wanted to cover all the really shitty teams in my first part of this series.

 

288: Ranking the Cup Winners: Part 1

 

So it begins, my slightly subjective ranking of all Continental Cup champions in the VHL's near-50 season history, not limited to just the cup-winning year(s) but rather the whole playoff run. Some good teams have missed out as you will have seen from my VHL.com article on Sunday due to no championship or in Toronto's case because their run is still ongoing.

 

We begin from the very bottom of the list so this first edition won't be particularly complimentary: this is an effect a rundown of the most surprising and/or least talent championship squads in VHL history.

 

39. S43 Seattle Bears

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

1 Individual Award

No Hall of Famers or Retired Numbers

 

I've never hidden my disdain for the Seattle Bears' win in Season 43 and still don't quite understand how they did it. Two great teams on paper in Quebec and Stockholm never got a Continental Cup in part because they were overtaken by these underdogs in S43. It is telling that despite being Seattle's single best season since S30, the franchise is highly unlikely to retire any of its members' numbers. James Faraday and Phil Villeneuve were essentially rentals, better known for their time elsewhere. The real homegrown stars were Brady Stropko and Niklaus Mikaelson, who fittingly shared the playoff MVP award between them. Stropko was let down by inactivity common for his agency, while Mikaelson, the best shot this team had at a Hall of Famer, retired far too early. Everyone else was a peculiar mix of youth and inactives which somehow defeated 3 superior teams en route to the most unexpected championship.

 

38. S29 Toronto Legion

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

1 Victory Cup

1 Individual Award

2 Hall of Famers

 

Before the Bears' feat in S43, S29 Toronto took the crown as worst Cup-winning team in the VHL. At least the Legion's success wasn't limited to the playoffs – they also somehow came from outside the playoffs to easily win the regular season before then tamely falling back into fifth place in S30. Dougie Daniels, Gaz, and Jarppi Leppala are the weird mix of names which was engraved onto the cup in S29. The star of the show was the much-maligned Jason White, who somehow had the season of his career at the right time, being crowned VHL's top scorer in the league's lowest-scoring season to date. That was the only individually stand-out performance for the team – the two Hall of Famers, Alexander Labatte and Elijah Incognito, were still in their entry-level contracts and would hit their peaks after moving to Riga in S31.

 

37. S22-S23 Calgary Wranglers

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

3 Individual Awards

1 Hall of Famer + Retired Number (Jardy Bunclewirth)

 

I have a soft spot for the Wranglers, especially this team for which I helped kickstart the rebuild before leaving after S19. However, there is no denying that this wasn't a particularly talented team. Joey Clarence was easily fourth-best of the S18 goalies, while Dante Terragni was a steady stay-at-home defenceman. Evgeni Fyodorov peaked too early and Mathias Chouinard too late to have a chance at the Hall of Fame, with the the team's only representative being Jardy Bunclewirth, the lone remnant of the S18/S19 champions. Bunclewirth was past his best by the time Calgary became good again in S22 and in truth this team benefited from circumstance. Firstly, the dominant Toronto Legion were decimated by the new salary cap bracket structure, while the new trade rules around percentages of salary were misinterpreted allowing Calgary to go over the cap before anyone realised after their championship.

 

36. S6-S7 Avangard Havoc

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

1 Victory Cup

1 Individual Award

5 Hall of Famers (3 only played for Avangard in S6)

 

The Avangard Havoc were a failed experiment which moved to Davos in S11 but had one bright spark in their brief history in the VHL: S7. In truth, this team is quite interchangeable with the teams immediately below it on the list, but is helped by having both a Victory Cup and two seasons of challenging for the cup. In terms of the players involved, unfortunately some sparkle is removed by the fact some of the better-known names – David Night, Alex McNeil, and Mike Szatkowski – were only briefly involved in the failed run of S6. The actually successful season was all about Christian Stolzschweiger, one of the VHL's greats still in his prime. His contribution was immense and with all due respect to other of the Havoc's stars like Marrko St.Urho and Danny Tremblay, as well as young star Josh Vestiquan, Avangard wouldn't be on this list without him. In truth, few remember the non-existent location won a cup anyway.

 

35. S15-S17 Riga Reign

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

1 Victory Cup

3 Individual Awards

No Hall of Famers

1 Retired Number (Max Kroenenburg)

 

S15-S17 is a bit of a lie for this team since the Reign kept on making the playoffs until S21, but a change of GM and much of the personnel in S18 means this can be divided into two separate runs. The only constant is Riga legend Max Kroenenburg, until very recently a mainstay on the Hall of Fame ballot, who was part of an extremely fun S20 team all about attack and little else. S16 though was the complete opposite – Kroenenburg was a sophomore and the team's best players were goaltender Jonas Markstrom in the form of his life (he won the Slobo Trophy) and captain and defenceman Kaiser Straf. The Reign were hard to beat and little else – possibly the most boring Continental Cup winners. Despite not including the years S18-S21 in the title, that's possibly the main reason Riga isn't even lower on the list – since the only other accomplishment of being swept in the S17 finals was largely due to a weak European Conference.

 

34. S26-S27 Helsinki Titans

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

9 Individual Awards

4 Hall of Famers

 

The best of the worst is definitely one of my all-time favourite squads to witness in the VHL. The Titans had some good old defencemen – David Walcott sealed his place in the Hall of Fame with 111 assists in S26, while the always reliable Japinder Singh was there for both seasons – and a solid goaltender in Claudio Martucci, but this was all about outscoring the opposition. Leeroy Jenkins, Pavel Koradek, and Matthew Boragina was one of the best lines in VHL history, Koradek the sniper, Boragina the unsung hero, and Jenkins the legend breaking a hits record and making his name as one of the VHL's best ever. The team was balanced perfectly and although they were never dominant, it always felt the Titans could go on a hot streak at the right time – exactly what they did in S27 finals by winning four straight games after going down 2-0 to start.

[Victor 10,565]

289: Ranking the Cup Winners: Part 2

 

We continue looking at past champions by moving from "honestly, how did they win?" to fair but unspectacular.

 

33. S14-S16 Helsinki Titans

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

6 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers and Retired Numbers (Matt Bailey & Carl Jacobs)

1 (rental) Hall of Famer (Leander Kaelin)

 

The Helsinki Titans are a remarkable franchise for two reasons: they've never experienced a particularly long low point in their history but before expansion they also never had a particularly notable run. In fact, they won their first Victory Cup only in S33 and specialised in 2-3 season spurts of playoff contention. S14-S16 was one season longer than S26-S27 which puts it just above it in the ranking, but other pre-expansion Titans teams were more impressive from season to season. Apart from the second half of S15, after trading for the impressive but inconsistent Brandon Rush, Helsinki never felt like a surefire pick for the cup – they were clear underdogs when losing the final in S14 and limped in an ill-advised attempt to defend their crown in S16. The core of the team was established at the S12 draft, when the great Matt Bailey (also new GM) and goalie Izaak Muller joined the promising Carl Jacobs – in truth, the Titans only improved the supporting cast in the following seasons without ever becoming a genuinely impressive squad.

 

32. S25-S26 Vasteras Iron Eagles

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

1 Victory Cup

3 Individual Awards

3 Hall of Famers

3 Retired Numbers

 

A recurring theme in this section of the ranking is unspectacular teams going on a good run at the right moment. This was especially necessary for Vasteras in their third or fourth attempt to end a cup drought stretching back to S1. A promising core of RJ Stafford, Lasse Milo, and Andreas Bjorkman spent many seasons treading water, trying their luck with a number of rental star forwards like Lars Berger and Peyton Nydroj. It was a case of third time lucky, as trading for eventual playoff MVP Phil Gerrard before S26 was the masterstroke needed for Vasteras to finally take their chance. After then trading for Kevyn Hesje midseason, the Iron Eagles overtook New York as cup favourites, finally leaving Davos' shadow claiming their second and to date last championship. Perhaps Vasteras' best quality was how well-rounded team was – Hall of Famers like Gerrard, James Bencharski, and the young Tukka Reikkinen mixed in with the eventual retired numbers of the aforementioned Stafford, Milo, and Bjorkman. However, it only all came together for a few weeks.

 

31. S5-S6 Helsinki Titans

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

3 Individual Awards

4 Hall of Famers

4 Retired Numbers

 

The first good Helsinki team set the tone for the next 30 seasons of Titans history. After a huge Cinderella run in S3 to Game 7 of the finals inspired by goaltender Maxim Desny, Helsinki missed the playoffs in S4 but came back straight to the finals in both S5 and S6. By the end of the run the Titans lost Desny and gained the rookie Dominik Stryker and more importantly traded for Scotty Campbell, pretty much a guaranteed championship at this point of his career. It wasn't just all about Campbell though, as Helsinki also benefited from “7 finals in 7 seasons” Doug Schneider, who made up half of the famous Hebrew Hammers defensive pairing with Lennowitz Schalkwinnz. The latter was part of an underrated core including the likes of Daric Radmonovic, Aiden Alexander, and future Hall of Famers Branden Snelheid and Campbell's long-time linemate Matt Defosse. This era is better remembered for the dominance of Seattle and Calgary but for two seasons, Helsinki became a legitimate counterweight to that.

 

30. S10-S12 Seattle Bears

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

3 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers

3 Retired Numbers

 

There have been some great Bears teams in the VHL's past and also a very lacklustre 20 seasons since expansion, reaching a point where Seattle would probably give quite a bit for just a few season of contention. They specialised in making the most of decent teams in the VHL's second decade, winning a cup in S12 and S17 – the teams were so closely linked that Sandro Desaulniers was a rookie in S12 and then GM and retiring veteran in S17. The stars of the S10-S12 roster was the forward trio of Zacky Vengeance and Hall of Famers Josh Vestiquan and Alexander Beketov, at the times the most potent trio in the league. However, the Bears had to wait for record-setting form by goaltender Steve LaFramboise, who just missed on the Hall of Fame, to finally overcome their many rivals, including Riga in a Game 7 in S12. In the previous two seasons, Seattle was outplayed by dominant teams from Toronto and Davos and it's telling they are ranked fourth of the four contenders of the time.

 

29. S15-S17 Seattle Bears

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

14 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers

 

Almost interchangeable with the Seattle team immediately below it in the rankings, S15-S17 Seattle more or less gets the edge because of one man: Grimm Jonsson. Trading for the center propelled the Bears right past his old team, New York, into the finals and as he established himself as the first “new Scotty Campbell”, the awards ceremony was always a pleasant time for Seattle. In fact, not many teams ranked above these Bears can beat their 14 individual awards. Jonsson was helped by Emerson Hrynyk, Seattle's best defenceman since Patrice Reynaud retired in S9, who would have had a Hall of Fame career if he hadn't retired before S18. Hrynyk helped make up for a lack of a LaFramboise in goal – the S17 cup was backstopped by the young Alex... Young, who had replaced journeyman Greg Harbinson previously. At their best, the S16-S17 Bears were a great attacking force, even if they were lucky in beating Toronto in the de facto final of S17 with 3 overtime wins out of 4.

 

28. S34-S37 Quebec City Meute

1 Continental Cup

1 Finals Appearance

1 Victory Cup

6 Individual Awards

1 Hall of Famer and Retired Number (Alexander Valiq)

1 Hall of Famer (S37 only, Tuomas Tukio)

 

Had Quebec had a bit more luck in S43 or S44, they would have had more entries on this list, but instead the Meute's greatest run to date doesn't quite stand up to other franchises' great moments. Winning a cup just five seasons after entering the league was impressive though, even if that free agency of S34 when they landed Yuri Grigorenko and Skylar Rift helped immensely. The Meute's four seasons in contention never felt like a very cohesive unit – they won on talent more than on chemistry. The Valiq brothers, the free agent signings, and selling the farm for stars like Wesley Kellinger and Miles Larsson, made Quebec the VHL's villains, a role they embraced but which also probably limited them in the end. Aside from a solid S35 performance, the Meute never really threatened otherwise, falling to, on paper, weaker teams from Calgary, Toronto, and Seattle in other seasons. The attack never matched the solid defence and the often spectacular goaltending from Rift and one season of Tukio.

[Victor 10,565]

290: Ranking the Cup Winners: Part 3

 

As we climb the rankings, it's less about also-rans and mediocrity, and more about good-but-could-have-been-great.

 

27. S28-S31 HC Davos Dynamo

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

1 Victory Cup

5 Individual Awards

4 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers

 

After the S27 VHL Entry Draft, Davos looked poised to great long-term success, but was ultimately undone by the complacency and arrogance of GM Tyler Barabash. The Dynamo ended up scrambling for a championship in S31 before their core departed through retirement and free agency . Phil Rafter and David Smalling formed the perfect partnership of sniper and two-way forward for many years, but S31 was not their best year – nor was S29, the other finals appearance by Davos. It's an odd situation, while it's hard to argue Davos was unsuccessful, they seemed to underachieve throughout and got their act together in spurts, one of which came in the S31 playoffs. Arguably the Dynamo's best season of this run was S30, which also featured star names like Ansgar Snijider and Daniel Braxton, yet they were swept in the first round by Calgary. The eventual Continental Cup in S31 was the least this talented core deserved, but there is the inescapable feeling that they could have won so much more.

 

26. S22-S24 Helsinki Titans

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

6 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers

 

This section of the ranking is very much about teams winning in the season they were underdogs and somehow losing to the underdogs in the season they were favoured. This was the case with S22 Helsinki which pulled off a major upset over one of the greatest all-time VHL squads from Toronto, inspired by Hall of Famer Cam Fowler. When the core of Fowler, Michael Angelo, and goaltender Jakob Kjeldsen added another future Hall of Famer in Tarik Saeijs, the Titans looked poised to repeat in S23, but almost lost the conference to Davos. They did make it to the finals but suffered Game 7 heartbreak to the Calgary Wranglers, a team ranked third last on this list. There was less regret than there might have been had they failed in S22 as well, but the Titans effectively just missed out on considerably enhancing their legacy. One last hurrah in S24 ended very quickly at the hands of a rampant Dynamo as Helsinki continued their pre-expansion tradition of short cup runs which never became dynasties.

 

25. S32-S34 New York Americans

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

7 Individual Awards

6 Hall of Famers

1 Retired Number

 

These three seasons actually completed a VHL record 11-season playoff streak for New York, but are split for a few reasons. Firstly of course, the Americans won a cup in these three seasons, unlike the previous eight, while also almost abandoning the core which made them so successful previously (namely Daniel Braxton and Benjamin Glover). In fact, if the first eight seasons saw some continuity, in S32 New York seemed to go down the path of mercenary help. In these three seasons, the Americans had impressive rosters made up of players who had or would go on to be better known for their time elsewhere - Alexander Chershenko, Ryan Sullivan, and Skylar Rift are perfect examples of this. The chopping and changing actually brought New York more success, but that was the bizarre fallout of the S32 and S33 finals against the Riga Reign, ranked immediately above New York here – the weaker team won each final, with goaltender Alexander Labatte, the greatest of his time and maybe ever, somehow contriving to end up on the losing team both times. As an 11-season run, the Americans obviously rank higher but these last 3 seasons were so different to the earlier 8 that it doesn't feel right to assess them as one.

 

24. S31-S34 Riga Reign

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

1 Victory Cup

6 Individual Awards

3 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers

 

Ranked immediately above its direct rival, it's interesting to consider if this team, much like S32 New York, would be seen in a different light if the results of the S32 and S33 finals were swapped. Instead, Riga choked against New York as overwhelming favourites and then beat them as underdogs, not to mention with the unheralded Jehovah in place of the now American-owned Alexander Labatte. Of course, S33 Riga was still a very solid team, even if star forward Ansgar Snijider retired without a cup after the Game 7 heartbreak of S32. Miles Larsson, Michal Wozniak, and playoff machine Elijah Incognito on defence formed a formidable squad, which in the S33 playoffs showed the form which saw the Reign open S32 with 19 straight wins. If this team could have combined regular season success with the playoffs, it would likely have been seen more favourably, but instead it seems to contradict itself, looking most dangerous in the playoffs (S33 and S34) with less talented squads than S31 and S32.

 

23. S12-S15 New York Americans

1 Continental Cup

2 Finals Appearances

2 Victory Cups

3 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers

 

This is a team which could well be ranked a bit higher on the list. After all, a Game 7 loss in the S13 finals followed by two Victory Cups (and a comprehensive championship win in S14), means three seasons of being a serious cup threat, and this New York team is the lowest-ranked one which was a legitimate contender for at least three seasons. In addition to this being my first Continental Cup with goaltender Vase Trikamaki and the utter superiority of New York during S14, the temptation is there to push the Americans higher. However, this team was arguably the victim of its era. Playing in the VHL's “dead puck era”, both in terms of on-ice production and league-wide activity, the Americans never felt that impressive, considering they were at times icing six of the top 8/10 forwards in the league, including Grimm Jonsson, Zach Arce, Brandon Azevedo, and Zak Rawlyk. The dominance was there, but against weak competition, and New York's first win (the last of the original eight) never had the sense of occasion it deserved. Failing to follow it up as well puts the Americans towards the lower end of the ranking.

[Victor 10,565]

@STZ soz ran out of time to write today so will have to next part as MS later this week.

 

Unless 291 isn't up by tomorrow night. Hint Hint Nudge Nudge.

[STZ 5,288]

Yea it won't be up til tonight

[STZ 5,288]

@Victor You have an idea when this will be done? The edition is ready to be posted, but I'll wait for you if you know it'll be in tonight..

[Victor 10,565]

18 hours ago, STZ said:

@Victor You have an idea when this will be done? The edition is ready to be posted, but I'll wait for you if you know it'll be in tonight..

Nah fam

[STZ 5,288]

Ded 2 mi

[Victor 10,565]

292: Ranking the Cup winners: Part 5

 

Things are heating up now. It's the top 15 aka bonafide dynasty territory. With more talent and more seasons on top also come more words to read.

 

15. S31-S36 Helsinki Titans

1 Continental Cup (S34)

2 Finals Appearances (S34, S35)

2 Victory Cups (S33, S34)

10 Individual Awards

5 Hall of Famers

1 Retired Number (C Ethan Osborne, #49)

 

The Helsinki Titans feature prominently in the bottom half of these rankings because they have won a very respectable amount of championships in their history without ever stringing together more than 2-3 seasons of strong contention. This has changed completely since expansion and that owes a lot to the huge change in the team's image, especially crucial as the seasons prior to Mitch Higgins taking over as GM were one of the lowest points the Titans have ever experienced. The rookie seasons of future Hall of Famers Ethan Osborne and Tuomas Tukio were the start of a new identity, even if during Helsinki's peak both players were solid but not superb just yet. A supporting cast which featured at various times Smooth Jive, Anatoli Zhumbayev, Odin Tordahl, and a defence of unheralded but dependable names like Till Lindemann, Willie Weber, and Nic Riopel was enough to make Helsinki a consistent winning machine. Early on, their downfall was Riga in the playoffs, being unceremoniously swept in S32 when the Titans iced their deepest roster, and being upset in S33 after one of the greatest regular seasons. Breaking the Reign's hold on them in S34 was crucial for the Titans' final breakthrough, even though they were still taken to seven games by a limited Calgary. That inability to produce a great playoff performance, as well as failing to defend the S34 Continental Cup is what pushes S31-S36 Helsinki to the bottom of the “dynasties” section of this ranking, but there was definitely enough talent and success to classify them as just about a dynasty.

 

14. S5-S9 Calgary Wranglers

1 Continental Cup (S8)

3 Finals Appearances (S6, S7, S8)

2 Victory Cups (S8, S9)

11 Individual Awards

8 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers (D Sterling Labatte, #7, LW Matt Bentz, #24)

 

Had it not been for an uncharacteristically poor Season 4, we would be talking about nine straight playoff appearances for the original powerhouse, the Calgary Wranglers, or the exact equivalent of Sterling Labatte's career. The great defenceman, along with legendary GM Scott Boulet, would be the main two elements connecting the S3 champions with the S8 edition. Otherwise, S4 was a bit of a watershed moment, as Calgary moved on from the superstar names – Boulet, Brett Slobodzian, Joey Kendrick – to a more cohesive and just as effective team unit. The names which made up the second Wranglers generation featured a number of Hall of Famers – Devon Marlow-Marta and Josh Vestiquan for instance – but apart from Labatte no names who come up immediately as the first decade's legends. Instead, dependability was the name of the game, epitomised by the likes of Miroslav Ladic, Ace Lightning, goalie Max Weinstein, and another returning member of the S3 champions, Doug Schneider, the defenceman who never missed the cup finals. It would take Calgary a while to peak again in S8, and a first-round sweep in S9 was a sudden halt to a great first decade. It would take the Wranglers quite some time to reach these heights again but it was arguably this team, more than the S1-S3 juggernaut, which established the franchise's tradition of pumping out consistent cup contenders.

 

13. S30-S35 Calgary Wranglers

1 Continental Cup (S30)

2 Finals Appearances (S30, S34)

1 Victory Cup (S31)

27 Individual Awards

6 Hall of Famers

1 Retired Number (LW Volodymyr Rybak, #49)

 

A brief overview of the post-expansion Wranglers doesn't immediately scream greatness. Calgary peaked quite early with a cup in their first serious attempt in S30 and was rightly favoured to repeat in S31 after a tremendous Victory Cup-winning performance before suddenly collapsing in five games to New York. The Americans would have the Wranglers' number for another two seasons after that, and just as things looked to be coming to a close, GM Jason Glasser refused to pull the plug. He did so at the detriment of the ensuing rebuild, but Calgary came quite close to adding another championship in S34 and S35, despite largely playing without a defence. That attack-first strategy is what pushes the Wranglers up this ranking slightly – the 27 individual awards in 6 seasons is the second most on the list. Volodymyr Rybak was the constant factor in the success, the dynasty ending with his retirement, and to a lesser extent Clark Marcellin, the GM's player who went from center to defenceman and always sought to accommodate larger egos. These included Alexander Chershenko, Jarvis Baldwin, Chershenko again, and a particularly historical season by Michal Wozniak. Something seemed to click offensively in these Calgary teams and while it wasn't enough to win a second cup, it was fun to watch and quite an impressive achievement really given the constant chopping and changing on defence and in goal, which featured all of Marius Henchoz, Skylar Rift, Satan, and finally Alexander Labatte.

 

12. S8-S12 Riga Reign

1 Continental Cup (S10)

4 Finals Appearances (S8, S9, S10, S12)

1 Victory Cup (S12)

5 Individual Awards

3 Hall of Famers

5 Retired Numbers

 

Whenever a team relocates in hopes of better things and a fresh start, there must be an ideal situation in the minds of those involved. The effect of the Stockholm Rams' move to Riga before S8 has to come close to perfection. From VHL laughing stock to European Conference powerhouse in the space of an off-season and while of course the move to Riga was timed perfectly by GM Dustin Funk as the team was coming out of a rebuild, the Reign still exceeded expectations in the first five seasons. The only time Riga failed to make the final was in S11 when they lost a Game 7 to Davos in the de facto final (the team finished neck and neck at top of the regular season standings). Game 7s were a bit of weakness for the Reign, having also lost them in the finals of S9 and S12, although that was made up by an iconic overtime winner by rookie Zak Rawlyk in S10. If there can be gripes about Riga's performance in this era it would be the lack of serious competition within Europe aside from S11, as well as a lack of the individual success that might have been expected of an individually talented team. Layken Heidt and the defensive trio of Torsten Schwarz, Blake Beukeboom, and goaltender Marek Van Urho made up the core of this team – perhaps what was lacking was a long-term partner for Heidt up front. Nonetheless this was a dominant set of seasons in Riga's first five years in the VHL and remains their best run to date.

 

11. S24-S31 New York Americans

0 Continental Cups and Victory Cups

5 Finals Appearances (S25, S26, S27, S28, S31)

18 Individual Awards

7 Hall of Famers

4 Retired Numbers

 

A controversial choice putting a team which failed to win a cup on a ranking of cup winners? Certainly. However, it's a game of fine margins and one needs to only look at the team immediately below New York in this list to see how small the difference between success and failure is. S8-S12 Riga won one cup in Game 7 overtime – S24-S31 New York lost five finals, including a Game 7 and including series in which they had 2-0 and 3-1 leads. Is it fair to include one but not the other? There is definitely a purist view that the Americans have no place in this conversation or if they do then only by including the cup they finally won in S32. However, the last 3 seasons of New York's record-setting 11-season playoff run were distinctly different to the first 8, indeed to the extent that these 8 are ranked significantly higher. This run encompassed the entirety of the Hall of Fame career of Benjamin Glover and Daniel Braxton – perhaps the Americans' main downfall was that neither of these was a forward. Instead they had to chop and change various forward combinations, from long-time Americans Jukka Hakkinen and Keon Henderson to rentals like Pavel Koradek and Nikolai Lebedev as well as the era's biggest stars like Leeroy Jenkins and Tukka Reikkinen. New York was persistent, making the playoffs and finals when they weren't expected to even after the increasingly heart-wrenching failure. Losing to Vasteras in their first cup win since S1 was followed by throwing the first ever 2-0 lead in the S27 finals to Helsinki, before falling to archrivals Seattle in S28 and finally collapsing after a 3-1 lead against Davos in S31. This run established the Americans as perennial cup contender and it is one of the great VHL travesties and/or ironies that they only won it all after Braxton and Glover retired.

[Victor 10,565]

293: Ranking the Cup Winners: Part 6

 

The finish line is in sight - we are into the top 10. The next four mag editions will profile the most successful teams in VHL history, who combined regular season and playoff success to produce some of the league's greatest moments

 

10. S26-S30 Seattle Bears

1 Continental Cup (S28)

2 Finals Appearances (S28, S30)

2 Victory Cups (S27, S28)

10 Individual Awards

5 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers (D Mitch Higgins, #60, C Felix Peters, #92)

 

While not the most successful team in VHL history, the pre-expansion Seattle Bears squad was part of one of the greatest rivalries of all time with New York and iced possibly the most iconic core of star players ever seen. For all five seasons in contention the Bears could call on the services of forwards Felix Peters, Jarvis Baldwin, and Nikolai Lebedev, defencemen Mitch Higgins and Radislav Mjers, and goaltender CAL G. This core, featuring three Hall of Famers and Peters who has been on the ballot ever since, would be dubbed the “Seattle Six”, and the Bears' last great run very much started and ended with the arrival and departure of these players. Along with a multitude of other top players of the time, including the great Leeroy Jenkins, as well as Matthew Boragina, Elijah Incognito, and Damon Wolfe, among others, it could be argued that Seattle were the favourites for the cup in all seasons except when they were just getting started, S26. They only got one championship in S28, Lebedev's greatest season, but can consider themselves unlucky to not have capitalised on their superb regular season in S27, falling to a New York team they beat 9 times before the playoffs, and losing a Game 7 to Calgary in the last hurrah in S30. However, while an extra triumph would have moved the Bears up much higher on the list, they were still very successful and importantly got the better of their hated, and cupless, rivals from New York, most famously in that S28 final.

 

9. S18-S19 Calgary Wranglers

2 Continental Cups (S18, S19)

2 Finals Appearances (S18, S19)

1 Victory Cup (S19)

15 Individual Awards

6 Hall of Famers

3 Retired Numbers (LW J.D. Stormwall, #13, C Mikka Virkkunen, #17, LW Jardy Bunclewirth, #10)

 

Much like the lowest-ranked teams on this list, S29 Toronto and S43 Seattle, this Calgary team missed the playoffs both before and after their cup wins. The key distinction is the Wranglers won two cups and their 100% success rate in the playoffs looks much more impressive, especially when combined with some of the highest-scoring hockey the VHL has seen. Fifteen individual awards in two seasons is a remarkable achievement, and Calgary's forward core was beyond rivalling in these two highly successful years. Mikka Virkkunen and rookie extraordinaire Jardy Bunclewirth took terms leading the offensive charge, helped by the physical presence of one of the all-time great two-way forwards, captain J.D. Stormwall. In comparison to their phenomenal play, the contributions of other Hall of Famers like Lars Berger and Alexander Sauve are merely a footnote, and the disappearing act of GM Matt Bentz long forgotten. Of course, while perfection is always welcome, S18-S19 Calgary is certainly weighed down by the lack of any longevity – like lightning, they came out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly. In addition, the S18 victory was without doubt an underdog win, lacking much talent on defence and icing an inactive goaltender. The Wranglers probably could have achieved more in the regular season in S19 after shoring up those two areas with the additions of Matt Bailey, Ryley Dawson, and Zach Voss – although a still-standing record of their 8-1 run in the playoffs certainly helps showcase the sheer dominance this team was capable of.

 

8. S35-S39 HC Davos Dynamo

2 Continental Cups (S36, S38)

4 Finals Appearances (S36, S37, S38, S39)

1 Victory Cup (S37)

3 Individual Awards

2 Hall of Famers

1 Retired Number (RW Thomas Landry, #24)

 

Only three other teams on this list made the finals four times or more and only one trumps this Dynamo's 2-out-of-4 cup success rate. Coupled with very comfortable superiority in the European Conference over strong contenders such as Helsinki and Riga, this team's trophy tally should see it in the top 5 of this list, yet Davos is held back by its lack of individual standouts. It's a team game of course, but aside from two playoff MVP trophies, the Dynamo won one individual award – Odin Tordahl's Scott Boulet Trophy in his only season with the team. Tordahl is indeed also one of the team's two Hall of Famer, the other being defenceman Matt Bentley who only solidified his case after leaving Davos. That is an unbelievably small list of achievements for a team ranked eighth, yet it's hard to justify putting it any lower. When it mattered, the Dynamo delivered, inspired by a rally involving the fictional Ser Davos Seaworth and the heroic leadership of captain Thomas Landry, probably the team's most identifiable player. Timely contributions from the likes of Davey Jones, Jarrko Olsen, Shane Baker, and other solid but unspectacular players were key to Davos's success, with Lennox Moher a good but not great goalie. Nonetheless, four straight finals is a historic accomplishment, especially considering the only other team who did it, S25-S28 New York, didn't win a single Continental Cup.

[Victor 10,565]

294: Ranking the Cup Winners: Final Part!

 

The end of the ranking is in sight. Two teams remain: a legendary Davos team and an all-conquering post-expansion New York. It was close for a time but the two fell into place with little second thought in the end – it's just difficult to be both so iconic and successful simultaneously. But first... in second place...

 

2. S38-S42 New York Americans

2 Continental Cups (S39, S41)

3 Finals Appearances (S39, S40, S41)

4 Victory Cups (S38, S39, S40, S41)

21 Individual Awards

7 Hall of Famers

4 Retired Numbers (D Conner Low, #34, RW Odin Tordahl, #40, C Tom Slaughter, #66, RW Xin Xie Xiao, #88)

 

It's hard to pick holes in the run that New York put together not too long ago. It's been an almost constant stream of playoff appearances since expansion, and even just before, for the Americans, but this one in particular made a serious case for best team in VHL history. New York set one important record with four straight Victory Cups, but twice were unable to keep the momentum going in the playoffs. That is ultimately what pushes them into the second place, but otherwise the Americans had a thoroughly enjoyable five-season stretch. From the scarcely believable defensive dominance of Conner Low to the playoff heroics of Brick Wahl and the consistency of a forward core featuring greats like Odin Tordahl, Tom Slaughter, and Xin Xie Xiao, New York racked up team and individual success alike. Cameo appearances from Tuomas Tukio in possibly the greatest season by a goaltender and Matt Bentley once Low moved to replace Tordahl up front only added to the aura of dominance and is a testament to GM Chris Miller's ability to adapt to the salary cap and maintain a winning team for so long. It was sustained and probably a longer peak than the Dynamo ranked in first place, but with just slightly less longevity and playoff success.

 

1. S19-S25 HC Davos Dynamo

3 Continental Cups (S20, S24, S25)

5 Finals Appearances (S19, S20, S21, S24, S25)

3 Victory Cups (S20, S23, S25)

19 Individual Awards

7 Hall of Famers

2 Retired Numbers (G Daisuke Kanou, #10, C Anton Brekker, #12)

 

It was meant to be Toronto who ran away with the VHL after the S18 draft, but instead it was Davos. The Dynamo have, even with a less favourable decade recently, probably been the league's best franchise and its fitting their best run is the best in league history. Seven seasons from the first finals appearance to the last means that for many teams this would have been two completely separate generations, but legendary goaltender Daisuke Kanou and less remembered but still excellent center Anton Brekker remained constant from their sophomore seasons all the way through to their retirements. Like the Davos dynasty they had their highs and lows, but the highs were more frequent – Kanou's playoff heroics remain the stuff of myths – and thus so were the championships. So many great names passed through the Dynamo between S19 and S25, from one of just two defenceman MVPs Patrick Bergqvist (S20) to owner of one of the greatest hot streaks ever, Mathias Chouinard (S24), and that doesn't even include the Hall of Famers. Markus Strauss, Japinder Singh, Adam Schultz, Pavel Koradek, and Leeroy Jenkins all spent some time in Davos and none of them left particularly disappointed. Three General Managers oversaw the dynasty, from its set-up by Chad Murphy to the retool by Harvey Singh and the final icing on the cake by Frank Chadwick, with a veteran-laden team in S25 winning with the same ease that the S19 version brushed aside their rivals from Riga. As yet, three championships in the same playoff streak remains a lone feat, so the Dynamo still stay top at least until someone matches it.

[Victor 10,565]

295: How Bad is the S51 Draft?

 

You may have seen the rather dire state of the S51 VHL Entry Draft. At the time of writing, it contains only 12 prospects, barely enough for one full round. This should not truly come as a shock to the league: it's a symptom of the issue with recruitment and a perfect illustration of what obvious benefits can come from Project Player 2 starting in S52. At the same time, however, while a shallow draft quite obviously looks bad, is perception that important? Of course, it looks good to have three rounds or more in a draft but there's no real benefit or substance to it when it's obvious by draft day that quality players will be few and far in between after the first 5-6 picks. A quick scan of the bad drafts in VHL's history showcases this principle perfectly.

 

Back in the Day (S4, S9, S13)

 

There were always some go-to examples of bad drafts in the VHL and I'm not sure anything's been quite as bad these early examples. Despite going to a full three rounds (24 picks back then), these three drafts produced a tiny amount of serviceable players and limited depth. There was a huge outlier in S9 in the shape of Hall of Famer Zach Arce, drafted late in the second round after active prospects disappeared around pick #4, while S13 was all about the first overall pick, Alexander Sauve. Take away these two, one obvious selection and a freak of nature worthy of a 20 in 20 article, and you're looking at slim pickings, with the cream of the crop probably Sandro's first player, Fabian Brunnstrom, or perhaps lifetime Seattle Bear Derek Harland.

 

Although less relevant, it's also interesting to remember the league response to terrible drafts, or rather the lack of it, especially as S13 was quickly followed by an equally terrible S15. There was no recruitment team or attempt to create a recruitment drive and the environment for new members was considerably more hostile than it is today. Yet somehow, the league constantly bounced back with better drafts and probably managed to refresh its membership much more efficiently than today.

 

The Flukes (S22, S29, S38)

 

The VHL went through something of a golden age shortly after the low point of S13/S15, starting from the legendary S18 draft all the way through to expansion and beyond. Although it's hard to say that there were obvious improvements in how recruitment and retention worked, bad drafts were more of a rarity, although when they were bad, they were awful. The drafts listed above were horrendous and still in my opinion the worst in league history. It might be slightly unfair to include S38 which featured Hall of Famer Bruno Wolf (it also gave us Don Draper sadly), but apart from him, the next best player was probably Thomas Corcoran, neither a great player or GM. S22 was particularly terrible, especially coming after a streak of deep and talent-filled editions.

 

Recent Years (S44, S47, S51)

 

These two drafts are probably still fresh in public memory and are also the most comparable to S51. The old drafts belong to an old era, while the ones in between just seemed to lack top tier talent, but still went to the necessary amount of prospects. The recent trend has been a simple lack of quantity. However, S44 and S47 were not too far behind in average VHL draft quality in that we have about 4-5 useful players (and Edwin Reencarnacion) floating around from both drafts. It should be reasonable to expect something similar from S51, as having filler prospects is not essential, but it would be nice to just have more actives to simply increase the chances of the draft having enough good players to be remembered.

[Victor 10,565]

297: On The Edge

 

You can explain one bout of semi-activity as a fluke, a low point, and to be fair I thought that was the case. You may recall, if you care, that I almost disappeared from the league near the end of 2015 (most of S45 and S46). I came back from the brink in January and started contributing again, chatting shit about my teams, about Cleganebowl, as per usual, while becoming league financier again, taking over the Yukon Rush and being one of the driving forces behind the implementation of Project Player 2.

 

And yet here we are. Things have suddenly gone downhill at such a frantic pace that I can't be bothered to think of a Historical Significance topic, I'm just using it as my personal editorial column. To be completely honest, coming onto the VHL has become a chore again and one I can't wait to end. What's stopping me? I don't really know. I forced myself back in S47 because I felt like I was wasting so much pre-draft work put into Greg Clegane, which was the main reason he had 400 TPE during his rookie season and helped the Titans to back-to-back cups. In a sense I was vindicated by the great season Clegane had in S49 but what about now? I probably can't leave without retiring my player and I guess I don't want to retire a player who's a borderline Hall of Famer now but would almost certainly be in with an 8-season career.

 

Then again, what kind of warped reasoning is that? I'm stopping myself from leaving because I can't bring myself to ruin a career which I might not even be here to celebrate afterwards anyway? That's ridiculous. I suppose I don't want to leave and I'm hoping this is just a phase and therefore I'll be wanting that juicy 75 TPE carryover sooner or later. Thus I have to keep coming back and getting Clegane over the line, week after week after week.

 

That's no good though. Much like this article for that matter. I'm tempted to delete what I wrote and quickly think of a meaningful topic and make it seem like everything is like it's always been but why lie to myself? It's ironic that after being so excited by the second player idea I am now on the edge of inactivity once again just as it is coming to life. I am certainly grateful now to the random number generator that my number didn't win because two players would have been truly terrible.

 

Alright, it's time to wrap up. What a pointless rant this has turned out to be. Why are you reading it? Go away. Don't tell me to go on welfare, I will never be able to bring myself to be a welfare player. It's Hall of Fame or bust. Oh well, there's only two more seasons to go. Just four more months of going through the daily grind of the VHL. And then.... well, we'll have to see. Maybe this will pass or maybe I'll gradually disappear, in style like some prominent VHL members of the past. Or maybe I'll make this post and never return.

[STZ 5,288]

 get harder