Sailing Off Into the Sunset

Our long-running trans-continental Saltmarsh campaign came to an end this past weekend. We'll say farewell to Vlaryn, Moe, Seven, and Ciara, but I'm sure we'll see them again someday! In the meantime,  we'll continue to enjoy this amazing illustration of the party that's now framed in our game room!

When one story ends, however, another begins! Right after wrapping up Saltmarsh, we launched into Matt's new superhero campaign!

Tomorrow's Stars

In lieu of the preseason games I've done in the past, I thought it would be fun to showcase some of my pre-NHL hockey league's up-and-coming talent, so I put together an exhibition game consisting entirely of rookies and prospects. Eligible players included those who were rookies in Season 4, draft picks for the upcoming Season 5, and prospects who could be drafted for Seasons 6 and 7. For captains, I selected this season's top two draft picks, Duke Keats and Frank Foyston. Why not get their rivalry started a little early? I then divvied up the remaining players more or less randomly and got them on the ice!

Team Foyston notched the first goal early in the first period when Dick Irvin (eligible for Season 6 draft) took a pass from his captain and beat Millionaires' rookie Hugh Lehman. Foyston himself would score unassisted on the power play later in the opening frame. Team Keats, meanwhile, couldn't get much going against opposing goaltender Hap Holmes (eligible for Season 7 draft).

In the second, future superstar Newsy Lalonde (eligible for Season 6 draft) got in behind the defense and converted a feed from Keats to get his team on the board. With the score 2-1 in favor of Team Foyston, the squads settled into a lot of chippy back-and-forth with few quality chances. Lehman then stonewalled Irvin at the buzzer to keep his team within one.

Irvin would get revenge in the third, however, when he rifled a wrist shot past Lehman -- his second goal of the game -- to make it 3-1 for Team Foyston. Midway through the period, Keats tallied on a pass from Shorty Green (eligible for Season 7 draft) to make it 3-2, but his team couldn't get the equalizer. 

Who were the standout performers in this contest? Irvin was the MVP with a two-goal performance, and he looked the part of a number-one center. The two captains, Keats and Foyston, each racked up a goal and an assist. Lalonde had just the one goal, but had several good looks and is sure to be a force in this league someday. For the goaltenders, Holmes stopped 27 of 29 shots for Team Foyston and Lehman stopped 23 of 26 for Team Keats. 

Time to get rolling with Season 5. As it happens, Keats and Foyston will be facing off against each other for real when the Comets and Millionaires meet on opening day!

Preseason Deal

The Millionaires lack a number-one defenseman and there are legitimate questions about whether Hugh Lehman is the real deal in goal, but this team is aggressively pursuing players who can vault them into contention. Drafting stud pivot Duke Keats with the first overall pick was a huge step, and now the Millies have made a significant -- if not quite blockbuster -- trade to continue to bring talent into the organization: They've worked out a deal with the Victorias to land high-scoring winger Frank Rankin.

Rankin was an original member of the Vics and won a pair of Creighton Cups with that celebrated franchise in Seasons 1 and 2. He ranks thirteenth all-time in points with 52, so although he's not quite a star, he's had a fine career and will be the most accomplished player to have donned a Millionaires' sweater.  

Season 4, however, was a bit of a challenge for Rankin. He lost his spot on the top line and muddled along with a plus/minus that was among the league's worst until recovering somewhat over the last few games. Rankin was so snakebitten that by season's end he was primarily a power-play specialist and wasn't trusted to play big minutes for a Vics team that was in a tight battle with the Bulldogs for first place. He finished with just 9 points (6 G, 3 A) in 16 games. Perhaps a change of scenery will help! On the Millies, Rankin will play on the first line with rookie Keats and incumbent star Jimmy Gardner (10 G, 9 A, 16 games). That line should be a lot of fun to watch, as all three lads can skate and score. As an added bonus for the Millies, Rankin almost never takes penalties, and they need disciplined players to balance out their many hotheads.

Moving to the Vics in return is Ernie Russell, who was the (de facto) top centerman for the Millionaires in their expansion season, though he's primarily a winger by trade. Russell was second to Gardner in scoring (7 G, 6 A, 16 games) among the Millies, and he'll bring a lot of energy and feistiness to a Vics team that seemed dull and listless despite its prodigious talents. I'm excited to see how this trade pans out, and hope especially that Rankin rediscovers his touch with a new organization!

Season 5 Draft

Now back to hockey! I hope to start the fifth season of my pre-NHL Hall of Fame league in the coming week or two, and the first step to get ready was to conduct the draft of new players. Five more Hall of Famers are joining the league, and the teams have selected players in reverse order of their Season 4 regular-season standings. 

1. Millionaires: Duke Keats, Center

The Millies passed up the best pure offensive talent in the draft class (see #2 below) to grab Keats, the franchise center they desperately need. Keats is the total package -- he can score, he can pass, he's an elite faceoff man, he can kill penalties -- but his mean streak is going to land him in the box more often than the Millies would like, and they're already the most-penalized team in the league. 

2. Comets: Frank Foyston, Right Wing

Foyston has blazing speed and elite scoring abilities -- welcome additions for a Comets team looking for offense after scoring a league-worst 2.44 goals per game last season. Foyston will suit up at right wing alongside superstar center Frank McGee, who has never had such an offensively gifted linemate. This pair of Franks is going to form a dominant combination. 

3. Thistles: Jack Walker, Left Wing

Walker is a top-notch defensive forward with offensive upside and will fit nicely on the Thistles' second line with Tommy Smith and Fred Whitcroft. He essentially replaces fellow defensive forward Harry "Rat" Westwick, whom the Thistles dealt to the Millionaires to obtain Whitcroft at last season's trade deadline.

4. Bulldogs: Jack Gibson, Defense

The defending Creighton Cup champions have bolstered their impressive blueline with Gibson, who moves the puck well and holds his own defensively. He's no Jack Laviolette, but he'll add value in a supporting role.

5. Victorias: James Sutherland, Defense

The downside to finishing the regular season in first place is that you get the last pick in the draft. Sutherland will be the worst defenseman in the league and won't be much help to the Vics, who could really use more depth at that position.

Season 5 Awards

Trophy time! Who were the top performers in Season 5? Read on to find out!

Position Player MVP: Cap Anson, Haymakers

Anson won this award in Season 3, as well, but this year he was even more dominant. He led the league in home runs with five (tying the single-season record) and total bases and also played error-free defense at first base. Second baseman Nap Lajoie of the Blue Legs and left fielder Ed Delahanty of the Canaries finished a distant second and third, respectively.

Pitcher MVP: John Clarkson, Resolutes

I've chronicled Clarkson's Lazarus-like return to stardom in earlier posts. The Season 2 Pitcher MVP has now regaind his old form and authored one of the best seasons we've yet seen in this league. Clarkson set a record with 102 innings pitched and although his record was just 5-5 due to the lousy run support he received, Clarkson notched a 1.94 ERA (the second-best single-season ERA in league history), tossed two complete-game shutouts, and even hit two home runs for good measure! The Haymakers' duo of Cy Young (7-2, 2.12 ERA) and Mickey Welch (6-3, 2.41 ERA) finished second and third.

Playoff MVP: Cy Young, Haymakers

I could make a case for Haymaker stalwarts Deacon White or Joe Kelley, or even Billy Hamilton of the Blue Legs in a losing effort, but the player who had the biggest impact on this series was pitcher Cy Young. Young posted a 2-0 record with a 1.50 ERA across two starts and 18 innings pitched, and in both starts he outdueled last year's Playoff MVP, Pud Galvin. As an interesting side note, Young now has five  career playoff victories, while no other pitcher in the league has more than two. He alone has accounted for 39% of all pitcher playoff wins!