Eaglesfan036/Austin Gow Hall of Fame Builder Article

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

Joined: 2012
Positions Held: Grader, Recruitment Crew, VHL Mag Writer, VHLM GM (Yukon, Oslo), VHL GM (Calgary), Board of Governors, VHLM Commissioner

 

For someone who originally "didn't want to join that stupid league to do more homework", Austin has become one of the league's most recognizable members. While he has not yet had an elite player join the Hall of Fame, many of his teammates agree that he is a great addition to any locker room. This infectious attitude helped contribute to his success as a VHLM GM, which was then parlayed into success at the VHL level. While not holding many "official" positions outside of GM, Austin left his mark both on the Board of Governors and in the VHLM as VHLM Commissioner.

 

As mentioned earlier, Austin was originally less than enthused when shown the Victory Hockey League. Like many members, he created his first player after himself. An on and off TPE earner during a time where TPE was much more scarce, Austin Gow finished with a middling amount of TPE and was known for only two things - winning the Christian Stolzschweigar Trophy (Rookie of the Year) in Season 30 and being on the wrong side of the Continental Cup Finals three times in a row (S31-S33). Since then, his players have included Robert Gow III, Tim TebowGow, Travis Gownecny, Gritty, and his current player, Kevin Malone.

 

Austin's first foray into management came as general manager of the Yukon Rush. At the time, the Rush were a VHLM Expansion Team with a history of success. In their first five seasons, the Rush won the Founder's Cup twice. When Austin became GM, he not only continued on this tradition of success, but built upon it further. As general manager from Season 36 to Season 41, the Rush won the Founder's Cup in Season 37 and Season 38. Austin was also awarded the Jack Reilly Trophy (Top VHLM General Manager) in Season 37, Season 38, and Season 41. While the on ice success is important, just as important was the off ice success. An active locker room saw the likes of Bennet Wahl, Don Draper, James Faraday, and many others proclaim "Yukon 2 gud" in every single game thread.

 

After his success in the VHLM, Austin became the general manager of the Calgary Wranglers in Season 42. While not as successful as his time with the Rush, with Austin at the helm, the Wranglers were able to capture a Continental Cup in Season 44, ending a 10 season drought. The Wranglers would appear in the Continental Cup in Season 45 and Season 46, but fell in defeat to the Helsinki Titans in both seasons. Austin would step down at the end of Season 52, but after a one season hiatus, he was recalled back into the position in Season 54, keeping the position until S57. Austin was awarded the David Knight Trophy (Top VHL GM) in Season 44 and Season 57. At the end of Season 57, Austin would step down as general manager, and has yet to take the position again.

 

During his time as VHLM Commissioner, Austin worked with many other members of the Green Team to keep the minor leagues running smoothly. This in itself was a feat - for the longest time, the VHLM was plagued with simming delays, roster movement delays, and delays in general compared to its major league counterpart. Through manually posting individual games, updating the VHLM simmer daily of all roster movement needed, and updating and tracking the various waiver systems, Austin helped keep a league functional at a time when "functional" was an achievement. Austin would also have a role as a member of the Board of Governors. During this time, he was most known for his instrumental role in the now defunct Awards Committee, as well as other improvements to the VHLM.

 

Outside of his official league positions, Austin was a very public member of the forum. Always available to chat, he spent countless hours discussing (and let's be real, most likely trolling as well) the topics of the day in the VHL. From #BringBackChat, #Munk4Commy, and other movements, Austin continuously showed that it was OK to take this league for what it truly is - a community of friends.

[Fire Tortorella 2,653]

@WentzKneeFan036

@Victor

[McWolf 3,116]

13 minutes ago, flyersfan1453 said:

#BringBackChat

yes please

[eaglesfan036 4,605]

Yay finally

 

#bringbackchat