VHL 20 in 20 #9: What Could Have Been

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What Could Have Been

I’m sure many of you VHL newcomers have already been educated, but just in case you haven’t, here is something you should know. Back in the VHL’s first season, the biggest name in the league was Calgary Wranglers general manager Brett Slobodzian. The 6’1”, 180 lbs right winger from Medicine Hat terrorized goaltenders and opposing teams’ fans alike in the league’s beginning years, and was on a collision course for VHL greatness. The man set records that would stand for a good amount of time before Scotty Campbell re-wrote the books in Season 6, but after Season 3, Slobodzian’s play dropped, and he was more of an afterthought in the fast-growing league. If you’re wondering what happened, you’re in luck – you’re about to find out.

Brett Slobodzian came from humble beginnings – a prairie boy, born and raised in Medicine Hat, Alberta. Like most young boys, he grew up with hockey as a big part of his life, and did enjoy the game. However, as he says, becoming a professional hockey player was never his biggest dream.

”I actually wanted to be a firefighter growing up, but once I realized that I had the potential to play in a higher league, than playing professionally entered my mind.” – Brett Slobodzian

Brett Slobodzian was poised to set the league on fire during his first season as a VHL player, but he needed a strong supporting cast in order to be able to do so. Not only was Brett Slobodzian a great player, but he was also a fantastic general manager. Obviously, this can be proven by the way he built the Calgary Wranglers to become the league’s dominant team (perhaps the most dominant team the league has ever seen) right off the bat. Assembling players like Scott Boulet, Sterling Labatte, Brad Janssen, and others turned the Wranglers into an unstoppable machine for the VHL’s first year…until the playoffs. However, I’m not going to go into too much detail about the team’s performance, as you can refer to a previous episode for that.

Slobodzian ran the show for the VHL’s first season as he scored 171 points, which was 36 more than Scotty Campbell in 2nd place. Slobodzian had a strong supporting cast, but when you win the scoring title as convincingly as he did, it is clear that you’re the catalyst of your offense, and not a product of it. Brett Slobodzian was exactly that, and his big year did not go unnoticed.

”After my first season in the VHL, I was getting a lot of recognition from the NHL. Sure I was making headlines in my junior days, but I attribute the VHL for showcasing my talent. After the Colorado Avalanche drafted me, it was an eye opener in that it gave me the confidence to feel like I could do this. – Brett Slobodzian

Despite a heartbreaking loss to Vasteras in the VHL finals after a truly dominant season both personally and as a team, Slobodzian came back to Season 2 ready for revenge. Points-wise, he would quiet down with “only” 125 points, good enough for 4th in league scoring, but that didn’t bother him. In fact, it set him up to avenge that Season 1 loss to Vasteras by beating them and claiming their 1st VHL championship in franchise history. Slobodzian’s 13 goals in only 11 games made him an obvious choice for the Howe trophy – the league’s playoffs MVP award went to him for the first and only time of his career, but winning it is no small feat at all.


Slobodzian in action

Season 3, the Wranglers would re-ascend to their dominant state. It was not quite on the level of their Season 1 success, but it was good enough for the team to easily be a favourite for a 2nd straight Continental Cup. Slobodzian would capture his 2nd MVP trophy (his 1st win coming in season 1) with 154 points, and would help the Calgary Wranglers repeat as champs.

”It's hard to explain the impact he had on us as a team. I guess the best way I could describe it would be uplifting. During season 3, obviously, we did much better and didn't need that kind of presence as much as we did before, but he was a great guy to have around in cases where we had lost a few games in a row and were feeling pretty shitty about ourselves. Slobo would always be there to cheer us up. – Robert Sharpe

It was in that offseason where things changed dramatically for the VHL superstar. Fresh off the euphoria that came from a 2nd consecutive Continental Cup championship, Slobodzian was hard at work trying to get stronger and lead Calgary to an unheard of 3rd Continental Cup in a row. Unfortunately, a terrible accident led to him severely damaging his right knee, and needing to have it practically re-constructed from scratch. Not only did this change affect him dearly, but an altercation between him and some of his teammates caused the recovering superstar to quit the VHL in a rage.

The league was shocked, as the biggest name in the league had just up and left them, just as quick as he set the league ablaze with his brilliance. Nobody could really believe it, but all was not lost. Soon after, Slobodzian came back to the VHL, apologetic for his quick actions, and insisting he didn’t think his decision through and was coming back.


Slobodzian announcing his retirement back in Season 3

”I think I was given an unfair shake on what type of person I am and because of a few lapses during my career, it's unfortunate that I gave the rest of the league a mis-representative perception of myself. To have a chance to redeem myself would be the greatest gift without being reminded constantly of my ways. I am who I am.” – Brett Slobodzian

Unfortunately, while the spirit was willing, the body was simply no longer able to keep up. Brett Slobodzian struggled immensely in season 4 as he put up a very disappointing (by his standards) 83 points as the Calgary Wranglers fell out of the playoffs picture for the first time ever. Many pundits were calling for Slobodzian to call it quits once again, and that his time in the league was over, but Slobodzian didn’t seem keen on going out on such a personal low note, so he decided he would stick around for a 5th season.

” There was definitely a big drop in play. It was obviously because of his injury and all the trouble he went through in that offseason. Needless to say, he was never happy with his play again and quickly faded away.” – Sterling Labatte

Season 5 would be Brett Slobodzian’s final season in the VHL, and while it wasn’t up to his usual standards, he was able to improve on Season 4 by surpassing the 100-point mark once again with 103 on the year as the Wranglers climbed back into the playoffs, only to be eliminated in the 1st round by the red hot Seattle Bears. It was after this that Brett Slobodzian stepped off the VHL ice surface for the final time. In the end, he would finish with 636 points in 360 games, and would score 79 points in 38 playoffs games. His number was promptly retired by the Wranglers’ organization, and Slobodzian was included in the Season 6 class of Hall of Fame inductees. Also, he was recently inducted into the Hall of Fame again, this time as the hall’s first builder.

”There were a lot of great and not-so-great moments in my career. To focus on the positives, winning that first championship in Season 2 was a highlight, especially after the heartbreak we endured in Season 1. I also really enjoyed helping the newer guys in the league. I'm no mentor, but to assist them and then see them go on to lengthy VHL careers was certainly rewarding in a different aspect. Lastly, being inducted into the builders’ category most recently was something special, considering that history I had with the league. To be voted in, it was quite the shock I must say.” – Brett Slobodzian

Not only was Slobodzian a phenomenal hockey player and general manager, but he was the face of the Calgary Wranglers franchise, and one of the prominent men in Calgary-based sporting activities. Brett Slobodzian jerseys were being sold as quickly as Jarome Iginla jerseys at his peak, and while Slobodzian jersys are a bit less popular today, those older fans will still wear it with pride when they attend a Wranglers game. Slobodzian was a great leader, and just about anyone who was ever his teammate would agree with this.


Slobodzian was an icon in Calgary

”His impact was huge, but not just as a player. Brett was a great leader in the room and was really passionate about the game of hockey and about winning. He inspired the entire team to work harder. – Sterling Labatte

”Oh, he was a great locker room guy without a doubt. He was second to none in my opinion. He always kept the guys talking and laughing in the locker room, and there was never really a dull moment.” – Robert Sharpe

Unlike many of the VHL’s biggest names, Brett Slobodzian played his entire career with one team – the Calgary Wranglers. This type of loyalty was rare, but it could have also been a result of a rather short career by Slobodzian. However, I’d like to believe that Slobodzian would’ve stayed in Calgary for as long as he was playing – it seemed like the type of thing he would do. Not many players have played more games in a Wranglers uniform than Slobodzian has, and those that have are no losers: Labatte, Boulet, Virkkunen, Stormwall,a nd Sauve are all strong players who could be remembered in this league for a long time.

This is where the pundits and the diehards come out and speculate. This is where we decide how good Brett Slobodzian was, and how good he could have been had he not gotten injured and had he not had to retire so early in his career. If Brett Slobodzian had the longevity of Scotty Campbell, how far could he have gone with his greatness?

”I don't want to take anything away from those who came before me or those who proceeded me, but I had the tools to do something special in this league, but I did it to myself and I can't blame anyone but myself for my career taking a fall.” – Brett Slobodzian

Obviously, everyone will have their own speculations, but from the pace that Brett Slobodzian had been producing at for his first 3 seasons in the league, I think that it would be ridiculous to assume that he would have slowed down anyway, regardless of an injury in the offseason. It’s very likely that Brett Slobodzian would have been a top player for many years, and perhaps would have stayed neck-and-neck with Scotty Campbell for 8 full seasons had he chosen to stick around for that long – he was that good. As for the Wranglers as a team, they would win a 3rd Continental Cup in Season 8 thanks to some strong play by Sterling Labatte and company, but had Brett Slobodzian stuck around, who knows how many more they could’ve had? The Seattle Bears were heating up, and they traded for Scotty Campbell, which put them over the top, but having Slobodzian around for Calgary would’ve made things very interesting in the North American conference.

However, when it comes to judging players in a historical context, we have to look at what a player did, and not what they could’ve done had they had more time to perform. Even here, though, Slobodzian is impressive. Of his 5 years in the league, he has 2 MVP trophies, one playoffs MVP trophy, and 1 Continental Cup. He also has on Sam Pollock trophy for executive of the year, and is a two-time North American conference all-star. He’s won two Lemieux trophies, two Malone trophies, two Mikita trophies, and a Francis trophy, and was a World Cup bronze medalist. Yes, even in a short time, Brett Slobodzian was a great player, but just where does he rank in an all-time sense?

”Certainly in the top 5, no doubt. More likely in the top 3. No one can really beat Campbell for that top spot but Brett is most certainly up there. – Robert Sharpe

”I would say top five. The VHL we knew then was a lot different than it is today and therefore I think we have to rank guys based on the era in which they played. Next to Campbell, there was no other star that impacted their team more than 'Slobo'. – Sterling Labatte

I thought it would be interesting to see how Brett Slobodzian would evaluate his own career in comparison to others, and whether or not he agreed with this lofty ranking. When I talked to him about the praise that Sharpe and Labatte gave him, I asked him if he agreed with their assessment of his career. Here is what he had to say.


Kinda like this guy

” I don't, to be honest. During my era, I was a prominent player, but if you put Brett Slobodzian in this era of the VHL, he'd get eaten alive. I think if I were to have played 6, 7 or 8 seasons in the league, than it would be a fair assumption for the duration of my career. There have been so many other players that have come after my career that have really impacted the league. I thank those who put me up among the best, but I think it's unfair to all those who surpassed me. – Brett Slobodzian

These are strong words from Slobodzian, but I think he’s just being modest. Like Sterling Labatte said, we need to take everything relatively and judge players by how great they were within their own era, and Slobodzian truly was great in the VHL’s early era. Yes, he could have been better, but when it comes down to it, he was damn good without all the ‘what if’s. His peak years didn’t last long, but even in only 3 good seasons, he was still able to be a 2-time MVP – something that not many VHL players can say.

”If I had to compare myself to anyone at the NHL level, it would be Matt Duchene. We are similar in stature, possessed the same speed burst and acceleration, and we kind of both have or had similar offensive instincts. – Brett Slobodzian

If I had to compare Brett Slobodzian to an NHL player, past or present, I’d have a different candidate. I’ve had this in my head for a while, and have been comparing VHL legends to NHL greats for a while now. Campbell is Gretzky, Labatte is Orr, Desny is Hasek, Pogge is Plante, and the list goes on. Brett Slobodzian, to me, is the VHL’s Mario Lemieux. Both players were immensely talented, but lost a lot of potential productivity due to injury or sickness, and both retired from their respective leagues out of frustration and later came back. Both are good players who spent their entire careers with one team, and were immensely popular within their hometowns, but it’s the unfortunate events that occurred in their careers that left people wondering just how good they could have been. Could Lemieux have measured up to Gretzky had he been able to avoid the injury/illness bug? Could Slobodzian have stuck with Campbell? We’ll never know, but both players are great either way.

To conclude, Brett Slobodzian dazzled us for several seasons before he tragically ended his career. It was unfortunate, but Slobodzian has no one to blame but himself, and the cruel Gods of fate for his unfortunate demise. However, we cannot take anything away from the Hall of Famer, as he was still able to be great, and has still been able to accomplish what most VHL players will never get close to. Truly, we were in the presence of someone special back in the early days, and while he is long gone from the league, we still wonder to this day: What Could Have Been?

End of Part 9
Special thanks to Sterling Labatte, Robert Sharpe, and Brett Slobodzian