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Greetings, friends! The fun of the off-season has arrived and with it, another Hall of Fame induction. As is custom, we have 2 players to add to the Hall of Fame today, as well as a Builder.

 

PLAYERS

 

D - Joseph McWolf, S63-S70 :nya::rig::mal:@McWolf

RS: 576 GP, 114 G, 433 A, 547 P, +5, 1243 PIM, 1887 HIT, 1130 SB, 20 GW

PO: 37 GP, 5 G, 19 A, 24 P, -5, 88 PIM, 131 HIT, 68 SB, 0 GW

 

S64 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman) 
S67 Sterling Labatte Trophy (Top Defenceman) 
S67 Alexander Valiq Trophy (Top Offensive Defenceman)
2x All-VHL First Team (S64, S67)
2x All-VHL Second Team (S69, S70)

 

Defencemen are probably the most under-rated position in the VHL but I reckon we'll be seeing a fair few being inducted in the near future. In a way, McWolf paved the way for a new generation of all-around blue-liners equally prolific at both ends of the ice. He may not have had the playoff success he deserved, playing for some very unlucky New York and Malmo teams, but in the regular season he was the epitome of consistency. From a break-through year as a sophomore all the way to an All-VHL Second Team appearance in his last season, McWolf was ever-present on the hits, shot blocks, and defencemen scoring leaderboards. The points total may look low but only 4 other defencemen have ever put up as many while amassing 1,000 career hits and shots blocked. Only a strong S63 class kept McWolf off a first ballot induction.

 

C - Jasper Canmore, S58-S65 :cal: :hel: @Bushito

RS: 576 GP, 292 G, 441 A, 733 P, +191, 486 PIM, 949 HIT, 281 SB, 55 GW

PO: 63 GP, 18 G, 49 A, 67 P, +10, 67 PIM, 102 HIT, 36 SB, 1 GW

 

S59 Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved)

S62 Alexander Beketov Trophy (Most Assists)

1x All-VHL First Team (S63)

1x All-VHL Second Team (S62)

One Continental Cup (S62)

 

A slightly longer wait but equally deserved induction arrives for Jasper Canmore. For Canmore, it was less about the beginning and end but more about the peak, which was higher than most players could dream of. From S61 to S63 the Canadian center was among the more feared in the VHL, with an eye for a pass unparalleled among his contemporaries. In the same time frame, the Calgary Wranglers, managed by Canmore's agent Tyler Barabash, made 3 straight finals, claiming their first Continental Cup in nearly 20 seasons in S62. Fittingly as Barabash steps down from a long and largely successful run as Calgary GM, a key piece of his arguably his greatest team receives recognition. Canmore played with Keaton Louth and a young Oyorra Arroyo up front, with Mats Johnsson and Norris Stopko at the back, making him the 4th member of those Wranglers to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 

Voting results:

Joseph McWolf - 12/12

Jasper Canmore - 7/12

------

Sebastian Ironside - 5/12

Tyson Kohler & Jakab Holik - 0/12

 

BUILDER

 

We have all kinds of Builders in the VHL. From members who delivered in flashes, to high-profile commissioners and other important positions, to the guys who just kept plugging away. This season's induction definitely falls into the latter category. Tyler Owens, known simply as @Tyler, has been in the league from its earliest days, back in S3/S4 in 2007/8 which I'm sure he will correct me on. There have been many players, and although no Hall of Famers, plenty to remember. From one half of the notorious Dubnikov brothers, through a couple sets of Evans', via a genuinely elite goaltender in Andreas Bjorkman, to playoff hero Milos Denis and more recently serial cup winners Slava Aleksei and The Charm. Still kicking with stay-at-home defenceman Andrej Petrovic, Tyler has been here through the league's highs and lows, with now over a decade of VHL service.

 

There's been a fair few jobs along the way, grader I'm sure, potentially some VHLM roles I'm forgetting, but what really sealed the deal has been his time as VHL GM. Tyler clearly has a soft spot for the underdog, as while he stays away from the GM scene most of the time, he has picked up sleeping giants on two occasions, taking over Vasteras in the midst of a 20-season cup drought in S21 and then the once great Davos during a similar slump in S57. Through careful trading, drafting, and quite a bit of patience in the face of public opinion, Tyler broke two curses making it look easy, delivering the cup to Vasteras in S26 and to Davos in S61. So whenever anyone's cup drought gets a bit too much to handle in the future, you know who to call.

 

With that in mind, Tyler was unanimously inducted into the Hall of Fame as a Builder.

 

 

Congratulations to McWolf, Bushito, and Tyler! :cheers:

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After seeing the two first-ballot inductees get unanimously voted into the Hall last season, I wasn't too sure about McWolf's place. He was great, but I felt like his lack of points throughout his career might kill his chances. That, and his lack of postseason success. I loved his whole career though. He joined the VHL in some dark era for defensemen, with the best ones retiring soon and a bunch other all changing position to forward in quick succession. That kind of created a gap where there were not many defensemen in their prime to fight for awards, letting him do his thing, which was consistently hit the 60-point, 100-blocked shot and 200-hit marks. Too bad he couldn't get it done in the playoffs.

 

And in the end, he made it.

He's now a Hall of Famer.

The HOFer with the lowest career PPG.

Probably the HOFer with the lowest career high at 80 points, too lazy to actually check but I'm going to assume it's a thing.

But also one of the best two-way defenseman in the history of the league, and frankly I'm proud that his more defensive numbers were recognized as elite enough to make the Hall.

 

Thanks everyone! GMs, teammates, rivals altogether. Having played for 4 different teams (if you count the 2 stints with New York separately), there are too many to name every one of them, but you know who you are. Thanks for the great ride!

Edited by McWolf
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4 minutes ago, McWolf said:

After seeing the two first-ballot inductees get unanimously voted into the Hall last season, I wasn't too sure about McWolf's place. He was great, but I felt like his lack of points throughout his career might kill his chances. That, and his lack of postseason success. I loved his whole career though. He joined the VHL in some dark era for defensemen, with the best ones retiring soon and a bunch other all changing position to forward in quick succession. That kind of created a gap where there were not many defensemen in their prime to fight for awards, letting him do his thing, which was consistently hit the 60-point, 100-blocked shot and 200-hit marks. Too bad he couldn't get it done in the playoffs.

 

And in the end, he made it.

He's now a Hall of Famer.

The HOFer with the lowest career PPG.

Probably the HOFer with the lowest career high at 80 points, too lazy to actually check but I'm going to assume it's a thing.

But also of the best two-way defenseman in the history of the league, and frankly I'm proud that his more defensive numbers were recognized as elite enough to make the Hall.

 

Thanks everyone! GMs, teammates, rivals altogether. Having played for 4 different teams (if you count the 2 stints with New York separately), there are too many to name every one of them, but you know who you are. Thanks for the great ride!

 

 

those two top d-man awards couldn't deny him imo

 

that's 1/4th of a career being the best defenceman in the league. 

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1 hour ago, gorlab said:

I sincerely hope boubabi is being discussed as builder inductee again... cuz wtf. 

The only thing I'll comment is that there was another name discussed (this person still has a player in the league) closely but Tyler had been around longer.

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  • Admin
54 minutes ago, Advantage said:

The only thing I'll comment is that there was another name discussed (this person still has a player in the league) closely but Tyler had been around longer.

I will also comment that boubabi has been discussed.

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