Vancouver Left Singin' The Blues

It was the challenge that very nearly almost sorta went unnoticed. And yet, it was legal. What gives?!

"The media bias against this type of thing has been strong for some time and I can tell you we have a lot of pride in this lockerroom and we're not going to stand for it."

"This type of thing"??

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" Eren, GM of the St Louis Blues is over it, clearly.

"We really don't." The media in the Enterprise Center press room has no idea what "it" is that the seemingly irate GM is "over" (clearly).

"We've been blackballed! Or as our redditors have labelled it: blues balls'd!"

At first there are simply giggles and then slowly laughter erupts through the room after hearing such a (seemingly) irate individual shout the term "blues balls'd". Someone in the front row cautiously eeks one out given the noise around them figures it's as good a time as any. Nailed it.

Basically, St Louis issued a HockeyNights challenge (avec steal) against the Vancouver franchise to get viewership more erect in a market where it's been flaccid. Due to unexpected "alternate programming" viewership went unnoticed and the Blues players, brass and fans were feeling it.

"I mean, I spoke with the Commissioner and none of us could have predicted that Toddlers & Tantrums: The True South would have the audience it does, but I've been assured the show is already off the air and our win is a win and it stands. St Louis is here to win and we're going to get noticed. We proved that today." GM Eren is calmer now (clearly).

"OK but what about the MSHL match? Bloomington beat Macon so you lost a steal!?"

"Eh, sh*t happens. What's a Bloomington Bison anyways? Do you any of you know what the dad buffalo said to his boy when he was leaving for school?"

Additional Awards in NSHL25

Based on feedback received the NSHL Commissioner has announced a couple of new Awards in the NSHL25 season.

The first will be the addition of CAVALRY PLAYER of the YEAR.

As CAVALRY players are ineligible to be nominated for standard MSHL Awards, they are proving to have an impact and as such, will be eligible for their own category.

The status / value of CAVALRY players as a whole was unknown going into the season. The idea was they might simply be fillers. However, they're proving to be an every day part of MSHL life for a number of teams and that should definitely be taken into account at year-end. The league will continue to monitor CAVALRY player activity over the course of the season and who knows, perhaps they'll be available in all MSHL Award categories in the future.

The second addition will be MOMENT of the YEAR.

This award will be more open to interpretation (which may mean it's a one and done a la name your MSHL team..), however GMs will be allowed to name the moment on the ice or off it that they think was the "best" moment of the year.

Is it a result? Is it a trade? Is it a Discord quote?

The winning "moment" is unlikely to receive much of anything, but the Commissioner is open to suggestion on what the "reward" or even the process should be.

One option could be a Re-Draft Rumble style "vote" tournament of various moments as submitted until only one remains. That is to say, if enough interesting events happen and there's league-wide buy in.

Discuss.

We're About to Heat. Things. Up.

It's true, the entire hockey world can't stop talking about Heated Rivalry, and we haven't even started yet! Oh, it's true.

Perhaps everyone is waiting to see how we follow-up after since a long lay-off following X? Perhaps?

For NSHL25 the league has mashed-up the previous version of HockeyNights and last season's successful but confusing to many, Ladder competitions into a single event and the internet fanboys and girls cannot get enough.

Now that all teams have played or are on the verge of playing their 5th regular season game, the door opens for HockeyNights. The idea in TL;DR format is:

Heading into a home game you think you will win (NSHL, MSHL or both ways is also welcome), you may declare it a guaranteed win which has viewers hooked and a HockeyNight is booked.

Win? You earn points towards HockeyNights that are collected throughout the season. Based on how teams rank at the end of the year they earn a payout for all their successful HockeyNights.

Teams can issue 10 "challenges" per league and have three (3) chances where they can steal another team's "challenge" if you declare a HockeyNight in both leagues on the same day and sweep the evening.

HockeyNight challenges are made prior to the game(s) in question being played. All challenges and HockeyNight questions or commentary is made in the appropriate Discord channel.

Knees bent. Head up. Have fun but be safe out there!

140 Shall Enter. Only 1 Will Be King.

The field of 140 is being set and it's the largest KOTR talent pool ever assembled.

The first round will be merciless as 28 entrants will have their KOTR throats slashed and dreams of becoming King dashed.

In a tournament where anything can happen, historically, the league's best rise to the occasion including an epic comeback by reigning King Auston Matthews in NSHL24.

The initial Round 1 Group Draw will take place on Saturday, with action to commence Monday or Tuesday (depending where an even split of games falls).

The tournament goes the rest of the season and may feel like a marathon but as rounds close out, there are many, many sprints between here and the finish line.

Strap up and strap in, fellas.