The National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League Newsletter League Established May 1, 1997 Volume #13, Issue #2 - October 9, 2009 ********************************************************************* Current League Officers: Commissioner: Doug Norris Vice-Commissioner: Brian Leahy (7/15/07 to present) Email the whole league: mailto:nshl at yahoogroups dot com NSHL Chat List: mailto:nshlchat at yahoogroups dot com Web Page Administrator: Guy Caron League Web Site: http://nshl.org Files Adminstrator: Brian Leahy / Tom Vinacci League Files Site: http://www.highrantdistrict.com/SOM/NSHL Team Websites: Capital City Cougars: http://members.tripod.com/~CapCity/ Seattle Rainiers: http://math.colorado.edu/~norrisdt/rainiers/rainiers.html *************************************************************************** OH MY GOD, WE ARE SO CLOSE!!! The 2009-10 NSHL season, the league's thirteenth, will commence on Wednesday, October 21nd. The league file accompanying this newsletter will have the league schedule imported, so be ready - as all twenty-four teams have a divisional rivalry game on October 21! By October 19th, your team must have no more than 36 players on your roster. If you are not in compliance, I will attempt to contact you, but if the Week 1/2 process is going to be held up, I will make your releases (using my best judgment) at that point. Great article from Tommy V on the morality of following the league's Honor Code for teams constipated in the middle of the pack (so to speak). Definitely give it a read - I think that it will get you thinking as well. *************************************************************************** CONSTITUTIONAL COUNCIL ADDITION Please welcome Jeff Tsuruoka to the Constitutional Council. He joins Patrick Shea and Andy Bartalone (along with Brian and myself). Speaking for the four of us, it's great to have Jeff on the team! *************************************************************************** 2009 CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC INVITATIONAL RESULTS by Brian Leahy, CCCI sponsor Seattle R-5 at Topeka-3 (Championship Game) Long Island-0 at St. Michael's-2 (3rd Place Game) WARDS: Al Arbour Cup (Tourney Champion): Seattle Rainiers Bryan Trottier Trophy (Tourney MVP): Mike Smith, Seattle Rainiers Mike Bossy Award (Best Forward): Ilya Kovalchuk, Topeka Tarantulas Denis Potvin Award (Best Defender): Jaroslav Spacek, Seattle Rainiers Billy Smith Award (Best Goaltender): Mike Smith, Seattle Rainiers ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMS: First Team Goaltender: Mike Smith, Seattle R Defense: Jaroslav Spacek, Seattle R Defense: Filip Kuba, St. Michael's Left Wing: Ilya Kovalchuk, Topeka Center: Henrik Sedin, Topeka Right Wing: Corey Perry, Topeka Second Team Goaltender: Pekka Rinne, Topeka Defense: Ryan Suter, Montreal Defense: Shea Weber, Topeka Left Wing: Andy MacDonald, Seattle R Center: Evgeni Malkin, Long Island Right Wing: Dany Heatley, Seattle R Congrats to the Seattle Rainiers - champions of the CCCI 2009 Tournament! First two-time champion, as well! The Topeka Tarantulas finished 2nd, runners-up. The defending champion St. Michael’s Privateers finished 3rd, with the Long Island Berzerkers taking 4th place. Previous tournament results: 2008 – Champion: St. Michael’s Privateers, Runner-up: Capital City Cougars 2007 - Champion: Vancouver Whitecaps, Runner-up: Seattle Rainiers 2006 - Champion: North Calgary Hawks, Runner-up: Seattle Rainiers 2004 - Champion: Quebec City Patriotes, Runner-up: Capital City Cougars 2003 - Champion: Buffalo Bulldogs, Runner-up: Toms River Lightning 2002 - Champion: Toms River Lightning, Runner-up: Seattle Rainiers 1999 - Champion: Seattle Rainiers, Runner-up: Lyndonville Blades For more on the 2009 tournament: http://capcity.tripod.com/CCCI/index09.html *************************************************************************** THE MORAL AND ETHICAL IMPLICATIONS OF RUNNING AN NSHL FRANCHISE (No One Will Take Decent Older Players Off My Hands) by Tom Vinacci, Buffalo Bulldogs owner The NSHL operates in a unique universe, one where the rules of running a franchise differ from those in real life. National Strat-O-Matic Hockey League owners live in a feast-or-famine world, where you either have a realistic chance at winning the Farley Cup or you have a realistic chance of winning the Tavares Cup. There is no middle ground, whereas in the National Hockey League you get cities like Boston and Toronto fielding teams that most times are not meant to be Cup contenders, but are meant to put fannies in the seats and ensure a profit primarily via ticket sales. In the NSHL we've got no Profit and Loss Statement to contend with. We are either trying to actively feast or actively famine. Enter the Buffalo Bulldogs. At the moment we are absolutely not a contender for either the Farley or Tavares Cup; we are likely a low-to-middle-of-the-road club. The best way for us to become a quick Farley Cup contender is to win the Tavares / Hedman / Duchene Cup. Alas, the pesky Honor Code is in the way. Mark Rechi and Richard Zednik are two decent veteran players who currently make the Bulldogs a better team, which is exactly what I don't want. There don't seem to be any upper-echelon NSHL clubs who can use these guys to make them better this season (and next, in the case of Recchi), and no lower-level club wants to take on players who might make them middle-of-the-roaders and worsen their draft 2010 draft status. In a case like this, I could cut the players. I could have cut them before the entry draft or I could cut them now ... but it isn't the right thing to do. It violates the Honor Code. I might be able to get away with it if no one is really paying attention, but it would be the wrong thing morally and ethically to do. I could keep the players but play worse players. I could program awful pass / penetrate / shorthanded actions for each player. I could use ridiculous strategies, play my 4th-liners on my 1st line, or not play my best goalie as much as he is allowed to play, but it would not be honorable. None of this is meant as a complaint, mind you. It is meant as a statement of awareness that there may be a glut of teams in a given league who are middle-of-the-roaders who may run into a bit of boredom without being a contender for one of the Cups I've mentioned. Keeping these teams engaged and interested in some way means less thoughts of wading into the murky waters of Lake Morality. *************************************************************************** INCENTIVE POINTS BUF, -1 (newsletter article) 2009-10 CUMULATIVE INCENTIVE POINTS BUF -1 SHS -1 *************************************************************************** ASSOCIATE LIST: SINCE GP Dale Ripley September 11, 2007 28 Francois Lessard December 10, 2006 8 Steve Kramer December 13, 2004 0 Greg Ralls December 14, 2004 0 Andrew Smith November 19, 2005 0 J.J. Schrems May 1, 2006 0 Scott Bruner June 18, 2007 0 Steve Beren February 2, 2008 0 If you're still an active associate, and aren't on this list, please get in contact with me. Thanks! Doug *************************************************************************** TRANSACTIONS: BRK - TRADE TPK#5 to VAW for Andrew Gordon. LYN - TRADE Henrik Tallinder to TPK for Steve Eminger. MIN - RELEASE Patrick Davis, Philippe Dupuis, Geoff Kinrade. MON - SIGN Jean-Francois Jacques, Staffan Kronwall. STM - RELEASE Derek MacKenzie. TPK - TRADE Steve Eminger to LYN for Henrik Tallinder. VAW - TRADE Andrew Gordon to BRK for TPK#5. *************************************************************************** League Governing Boards Responsibilities of the following governing boards are outlined in the Constitution. Review Board Tom Vinacci, Buffalo Bulldogs Patrick Shea, Long Island Berserkers Mark McNeil, Lyndonville Blades Constitutional Council Head: Patrick Shea (patrickjshea at verizon dot net) Doug Norris, Commissioner Brian Leahy, Vice-Commissioner Andy Bartalone, St. Michael's owner Jeff Tsuruoka, Brooklyn owner ***************************************************************************