The Talents Behind the Trophies Special Edition: Renaming Trophies?

[Doomsday 4,043]

Many thanks to @Motzaburgerfor this beauty!

 

Hello, VHL, and welcome to this Special Edition of the Talents Behind the Trophies! Yes folks, the rumors are true! I am back in the saddle, writing once again for my beloved VSN. I have graciously been allowed to remain and write thanks to @Mr_Hatter, and as a result, what was originally planned to be a media spot instead became a Special Edition of the Talents Behind the Trophies! I'm thrilled to be back in my element back in the saddle, and I hope you enjoy this article, for there will be more to come!

 

As the 74th season of the VHL draws to a close, yet another chapter is added to our storied league. Within a few calendar years, there will be more VHL seasons than there have been NHL seasons, and that's absolutely remarkable. From a league that began back in 2007 with six teams, now preparing to begin it's 75th season thirteen years later, now with sixteen teams. The VHL has a lore all of its own, the game of hockey in the VHL world producing its own heroes and legends. Their names and deeds grace the memories of VHL members, and for the truly elite, the VHL Hall of Fame. Beyond that is an even rarer honor: having an award named after you. Initially named after real-world hockey legends, as the VHL forged its own history, the legends of the VHL began to grace the league's awards. Many of these names have stood for decades of VHL history, which begs an interesting question: is it time for some awards to be renamed after players who personify the award better?

 

The Scott Boulet Trophy

 

One of the legends of the early days of the VHL, Scott Boulet was a pivotal piece of the dominant Calgary Wranglers squad that terrorized the VHL in its infancy. While Brett Slobodzian was seen as the early star of the Wranglers, it was Boulet who stepped up as Slobodzian fizzled out. From Day One, Boulet was seen as the premiere two-way forward of the VHL, winning the Delvecchio Trophy, as it was originally known, four times in the first six seasons of the VHL. But, looking at his statistics today, even his best season, in which he scored 65 goals and 74 assists for 139 points, had a staggering +65 rating, 134 hits, and 50 shots blocked, wouldn't even make the ballot these days for the trophy that bears his name. 50 shots blocked is a remarkable number of blocked shots for a forward, even in this era of the VHL, but his hit total would certainly keep him off the ballots. Since Season 12, no one has won the Scott Boulet Trophy with less than 200 hits.

 

While still undoubtly one of the game's greats, does Scott Boulet still stack up to today's two-way forwards?

 

Boulet's four wins of the award has been matched by multiple players, including Leroy Jenkins, Lord Karnage, and Matt Thompson, but it has only been eclipsed by one player: David Smalling. Playing anything but small, the legendary HC Davos Dynamo forward built his career around being a disruptive presence regardless of where he was on the ice. After winning his first Scott Boulet Trophy in Season 28, Smalling went on a dominant stretch from Season 31 to Season 34, winning four straight Boulet Trophies. Averaging over 100 points and over 300 hits per season, Smalling became not only the definitive two-way forward of his era, but perhaps of all-time. His numbers and defensive dominance eclipse that of Scott Boulet, and while his offensive numbers may not consistently rival Boulet's, David Smalling to me is the epitome of what voters look for when awarding the Scott Boulet Trophy, and I would not be surprised to see the award one day bear his name. 

 

The David Knight Trophy

 

One of the more controversial awards, the David Knight Trophy is awarded annually to the general manager deemed to be the best in the VHL. I say controversial, of course, because the criteria is rather subjective. There are many differing opinions of what makes a great general manager, and especially what makes one better than the rest in a particular season. David Knight won the award twice, in Seasons 20 and 21 with the Toronto Legion, also experiencing later success with the HC Davos Dynamo. While he was not the first to repeat or win multiple Sam Pollack Trophies (the original name of the award), the award would be named after him in large part for his massive contributions to the early days of the VHL, and it will likely stay that way. 

 

One of Knight's many VHL contributions, despite not being the same guy, while really being the same guy.

 

If, for some reason, the league decides to rename this award, there's really no debate on this one: Chris Miller. With over 1,000 wins to his name, multiple Continental Cups, most notably with the New York Americans, and six David Knight Trophies, he would be the easy choice to bear the name of the award given to the top general manager. This isn't, of course, discounting the ongoing career of Blake Campbell, a three-time Knight Trophy winner himself, along with being the architect of the Seattle Bears dynasty that dominated the late 60s to early 70s of the VHL. When all is said and done, he may eclipse the marks set by Miller, already with an undeniable imprint set upon league history. However, I don't see the trophy changing names anytime soon, if ever. 

 

The Daisuke Kanou Trophy

 

A prestigious trophy awarded to the most valuable player of the VHL playoffs, there was no debate when it came time to renaming the Howe Trophy in Season 29. Daisuke Kanou, the legendary goaltender of the HC Davos Dynamo, was the easy choice. A dominant netminder in the regular season, Kanou had another gear in the playoffs, and for decades, was the only player to ever be the Playoff MVP three times. Season 24 stands as one of, if not, the best postseason performances in the history of the VHL. With an 8-1-2 record, Kanou had a staggering 0.98 goals allowed average, with a save percentage of .962%. It was the epitome of dominance, of a player going above and beyond to will his team to a championship, and it was something only Kanou managed to do three times. 

 

http://i390.photobucket.com/albums/oo349/noahlefevre/KanouHoF_zpsfab37668.png

 

That was, of course, until Season 71, when Seattle Bears goalie Rayz Funk won his third Daisuke Kanou Trophy. Perhaps the most critical piece to the Seattle dynasty, the Bears rode on the back of Funk to four Continental Cups in a six year span, with Funk winning a record fourth Daisuke Kanou Trophy in Season 73. It's a record that may never be matched, let alone broken, and it firmly sets Funk in the pantheon of VHL greatness. However, it's very unlikely that we ever see this trophy bear his name, and it really has nothing to do with Kanou or Funk. You see, there's already a Funk Trophy: the Dustin Funk Trophy, awarded to the most improved player in the VHL. There's no chance the league would allow there to be two Funk Trophies, for obvious reasons of avoiding confusion. Even if the Dustin Funk Trophy would be renamed, I'm not so sure we'd see the Kanou become the Funk, again with confusion being a major reason behind it. It won't, however, stop the future Hall of Famer from taking his deserved place among the game's greats. 

 

Season 75 is a momentous milestone for the VHL: three quarters of a century of play for the Victory Hockey League. It's a big testament to all members, from the Blue Team, general managers, players… everyone. The contributions of the whole have gotten the VHL where it is today, and have given us the expansive and immersive history that really sets this league apart from all others. This is really a big deal for the league, and I hope the upcoming season will be just as special for you and your teams.

[Banackock 7,696]

Rayz Funk >>>>>> Kanou

[TheLastOlympian07 2,388]

2 minutes ago, Banackock said:

Rayz Func >>>>>> Canou

FTFY

@tfong ban(a) him tho

[Mr_Hatter 1,603]

doom doom doom! Place this article under "Things you love to see"