VHL 20 in 20 #1: Limbo

[sterling 1,996]

Limbo

The VHL's approaching its 20th season, and has been around for three and a half years. That, in itself, is amazing. What I find more intriguing is the fact that many of the most active members today were not around back when the league began. That, in part, is why I've decided to write up the 20 for 20 series - I want people to know of the league's humble beginning. There were some awesome, interesting, and sometimes even unnerving moments in VHL history, and I hope to bring you 20 good ones that you will enjoy. I figure it only makes sense to start with the creation of the VHL, and how the league we know and love came to be.

As some members may know, the VHL is not an orphan league - it has ancestors that date back even further than 2007. A similar league existed before the VHL, that was run by familiar names - Scotty Campbell, David Knight, etc.

"It was originally founded by a member named Champion, who was later forced to resign due to inactivity." - David Knight

The ESHL - the Extreme Simulation Hockey League, is the league I'm referring to. I joined this league long after Champion left, and he was barely an afterthought by this time. However, it appears that the ESHL was very close to closing down.

"While he considered closing it, I stepped forward to take over the reigns of the league. Under the guidance of myself and thepoint17, the ESHL began to thrive with an influx of new members. Not long thereafter,  a new commissioner joined the ranks - Scotty Campbell. Scotty took the job of main simmer, and the simulation was done on Playstation." - David Knight


Back in the day, this was our world

As we can see, the playstation simulation - while effective in the short-term, eventually became impractical as time went on. Around this time, during the ESHL's sixth season, is when Kevin Brooks and I showed up. I found my way over from a link that was posted on another hockey forum, and I imagine Brooks did the same. Either way, it didn't matter as the league was already on the downturn. However, his short time in the ESHL was enough to get Kevin Brooks focused on creating a new, more easily-sustainable league than the ESHL when the league closed down halfway through our rookie years.

"I wasn't a part of the decision to close the league. I was far from in power there and was as surprised as everyone else to see it close. From there, Brett Noiles and I took the idea and applied it to a "Custom General Manager" themed site which took off to minimal fanfare. We closed it shortly after and Quik and I began work on the original Victory Hockey League." - Kevin Brooks

The ESHL was no more - all that was left of it was memories. The period between the ESHL's closing and the VHL's opening is the period I call "Limbo", which explains the title of the article. Personally, I had just been introduced to the idea of player sim leagues, and was still very much intrigued by its ways. Just before the ESHL forum went offline, I saw a member named pombo_22 asking for help in creating a new, similar league. I sent him a message, and he agreed to let me help out as his assistant administrator. Pombo_22 is still among us in the VHL, but goes by "Beketov" now, or Robert Sharpe.

"I don't think I was ever trying to reincarnate the ESHL - that would be impossible. I was simply trying to bring in new elements that would work as a replacement for it. It failed, I suppose, because of poor management skills. I was young and didn't have the time to concentrate on the leagues or the management logic to run them correctly." - Robert Sharpe

Sharpe says "leagues", because he was in charge of a few leagues during the "Limbo" period - all of which were unsuccessful, to my dismay. Others, like David Knight, stayed away from hockey leagues during this time, instead choosing to join other leagues that focused on other sports.

"I was in the MSFL (football) and EPL (baseball) and remained there. In between the ESHL and the VHL was another league created by scotty which did not last long." - David Knight


The Oshawa Generals - one of the teams in the defunct OHSL

The league Knight is referring to is the OHSL. Like Knight, I too learned that another league had opened up, and was run by the same guys who were running the ESHL. Naturally, I joined as soon as possible. However, we ran into a very similar problem, and I don't think we even simulated a single game before this league also closed down. At this point, I really thought it was over, and that I had missed the boat on player sim leagues. Luckily, some of us hadn't given up just yet.

"I joined the OHSL with a different username. I played for a little bit, but the league just wasn't the same and I proposed to Scotty that he join me at a new VHL. It would be something that we would put mass amounts of dedication into, himself much more than I did, and we saw the results nearly instantly." - Kevin Brooks

The closing of the OHSL was tough, but it opened the door for the VHL to finally come about. Being run by guys like Kevin Brooks, Scotty Campbell, Brett Noiles, and Matt Pogge, the league certainly had promise. The key was figuring out how to simulate games efficiently, which is where the program "STHS" came in.

"The idea to implement STHS was Noiles'. He had come across it and we found it to be more than suitable. It would normally take an hour to sim a single game in previous leagues, but with STHS, it could now take us a matter of seconds. Statistics were automatically kept track for us, and there seemed to be fair scores when we ran tests of the engine in the demo. The decision to purchase came weeks after opening the league, which left us on shaky ground to begin with, but proved to be worth the wait." - Kevin Brooks


Kevin Brooks at the opening of the VHL

Naturally, when people got word of the league's opening, they came in masses. We had been scattered out across the internet, but many of us came back. Some of us joined the VHL from scratch, without having been a part of any previous leagues. Either way, the member base was overflowing. I didn't join too long after the league's opening, yet I was the 79th person to sign up.

"I was in one of Robbie's leagues when I heard about it. He was simming and, therefore, cheating to win so I didn't want to stick around much longer. I had enjoyed being in the ESHL and OSHL so I figured the VHL, under the same management, would be just as good. Signed up as member #25 and the rest is history." - Robert Sharpe

The rest is history indeed. 3 and a half years later, and look at us now. This is only the beginning of my 20-part series, but I can already tell you all how proud I am at our ability to survive. Believe me, there were times when things got difficult. There were times when even an optimist such as myself would wonder 'Is this the end?'. At no point in time was this more true than when Scotty Campbell, our beloved yet often picked on leader, stepped down as commissioner and simmer. However, we had some great members step up, and we've continued to grow since then. Thankfully, we've been able to defy the odds and exceed the expectations of us all - even our founding father.

"I never expected the VHL to continue as long as it has. I was expecting it to die in about eight months, knowing full well at the time that this was the average life for a single league. As it grew, however, more people were becoming attached to the idea of not having to start over. Friendships grew and the workers emerged. Guys like djscooter and Kendrick really pitched in when we needed it and showed other members how they could help. Grading became an active role and doing a job held substantial reward. People encouraged each other to better the league in their own regard and a community began to emerge." - Kevin Brooks


The VHL attracts members and players from all around the world

A community did emerge, and while we've lost some truly great people to boredom, loss of interest, or busy schedules, we've also met some equally great people. If everyone had stuck around, we can only imagine what the league would be like today, but we must accept (and be thankful for) what we have. It's been a long time, and a lot of us have grown up with the VHL in our lives. I hope that this does not change for a long time.

"We've been here for a long time, and I must say that it's been absolutely incredible to watch. Scotty isn't here anymore and - I'll be honest - I'm starting to fade out too, but the spirit that was fostered here in the early days still remains and is still the uniting force that's keeping this community open." - Kevin Brooks

Many of us, myself included, have devoted a lot of time and effort towards keeping this league enjoyable for everyone. Personally, I don't regret it one bit. I do not regret the growth I've undergone during my time here, nor do I regret the friendships I've made. We VHLers are a special brand of folk, and while we don't always get along, we can certainly agree that we all love the great game of hockey. We love it so much that we will sit around and create our own league, with our own players and teams. We can win championships, set records, and create history without leaving the comfort of our bedrooms. On the internet, the VHL is my "home", and I'm sure I'm not alone in this.

The V, 'nuff said.

End of Part 1
Special thanks to David Knight, Kevin Brooks, and Robert Sharpe

 

[v.2 1,393]

Awesome article

[Beketov 8,960]

On 10/7/2013 at 11:05 PM, sterling said:

3 and a half years later, and look at us now.

Man, if anything ages this article it’s this. We’re over a decade past this point now.

[sterling 1,996]

11 hours ago, Beketov said:

Man, if anything ages this article it’s this. We’re over a decade past this point now.

That PS2 is pretty fresh

[mattyIceman 1,179]

19 hours ago, sterling said:

That PS2 is pretty fresh

Whip it out I wanna see it