Actually if you look, the Kirk Boys also have an entry in every award category

MyTeamIsDr.Pepper wrote:

Man, all that information is pretty interesting! I like seeing all the banners, which seems to be a trend on the site as of recent, lol. I forget how many different looks the Heralds have sported, their current look seems to be my favorite though. It seems like my Whales are pretty much in the middle of the pack in terms of success, although it seems like were at the bottom of the original 4 unfortunately. I don't remember the Neptunes being so bad as their winning percentage would have you believe, but man it's nothing compared to the Saints. Does that include the first stint of the Saints? Or is it only the current reincarnation?
The retired numbers graphic are cool, I thought about doing that too, I'm glad someone else took a stab at it, it looks good!

Also, congrats to the Killers on a... killer... playoff run. Haha!

I have also been thinking about doing banner graphics - not just for retired numbers, but also championship banner graphics (Marcotte Cup, Louis Trophy, and division championships).

First off, congrats to the Killers!

Secondly, I'm absolutely loving the deep dive into THL history. Although I respectfully disagree about your decision for GOAT... I'll gladly take Geno as the top forward of all time. Seeing the Saints all time numbers just makes me laugh, it's almost impressive how bad they have been for such a long time.

1985 THL OFFSEASON

BREAKING NEWS: Major Shakeup in the THL Amid Civil Unrest

After two decades of civil unrest in nearby USA, the racial tensions began to boil over in Torland at the beginning of the 80's. By the early fall of 1985 civil unrest reached a fever pitch with riots occurring in nearly half of Torland's major cities. Torland's capitol, Vensessor, was put under martial law while several of the largest cities were forced to close down sectors and enact bans and limitations while the National Guard and Torland military forces restored order. This directly impacted the Torland Hockey League which was preparing to begin their 1985 regular season. With teams in Vensessor, Prestonburg, Bancana, Abrieden, Lecayne, Trowburgh, Chasonne, Portarra, Yubay, and Kavalos all unable to access their arenas under martial law, the THL's Commissioner John Morgan Hatch unilaterally cancelled the season. The announcement rankled the owners who initiated an emergency meeting to discuss their options.

The owners voted 15-7 to oust Hatch, now 73, and proceed with a shortened and delayed 48-game season. They elected 48-year-old Trowburgh native and promising lawyer Pete Byrd to assume THL Commissioner duties. Byrd immediately negotiated a special one-year CBA with TUHP's Rod Temple to cover the unusual new season as the old CBA had expired. Byrd arranged for a delayed start to the 1985 season which would be shortened to 48 games and include a regular playoffs. The draft would be shortened to a single round and held privately at THL headquarters in Trowburgh. Any traded second round picks would be assigned to the following year.

Notable Retirements

Ernie Bukowski, longtime goalie for the Narva Neptunes called it quits after a roller-coaster career of 18 years. The focal point of the infamous “Fleece” event during the 1967 draft, Bukowski was a late-bloomer after a rocky start in the league. The big Pole eventually rounded into form and was named Best Goalie in 1977. He was magical in the net on Narva's second Cup run in 1978 where Bukowski was named Finals MVP.

Coaching Carousel

No teams made any staff changes due to the short season. It's suspected that several coaches are on the hotseat though. 

Notable Free Agents

The most coveted free agent was former Best Forward David Suvak. The #2 pick by Abrieden in 1979, Suvak ascended into one of the best in the league until the tragic bus crash during the 1983 playoffs kept him out of the 1984 season. He returned for the wildcard round after some pressure by the Bucks but wasn't himself and it hampered team chemistry. He felt he was unfairly rushed back to play and then blamed when it didn't work and decided not to renew his contract. With half the teams in the league eager to gain his services, it was a dark horse in Quebel that scored the deal, with fellow Hungarian forward Marcel Luksik proving to be the clincher. It's a huge moment for the Crusaders who land a young franchise cornerstone just as their team is becoming more experienced in the playoffs.

- Former Guilden forward John Jurksi turned down extra money to join his hometown Killers on a loaded lineup.
- Former longtime Captains defenseman Will Suppan signed with the Pioneers.
- The Alko Wizards convinced young F Andy Bauldaff to join their team as their lead scoring option.
- F Marc Truong signed a 3-year deal with the Yubay Falcons.
- In a late free agent addition, contract negotiations fell through between the Captains and F Sam Toivonen, resulting in the Swans making an offer which was signed for 3 years.

Player Trades and Signings

- The Whales re-signed F Eric Caparros to a 6-year contract.
- The Anchors signed both of their goalies, Dennis Vanderbloem and Bo Broadway to new contracts.
- The Heralds signed F Gian Guiliano to an 8-year deal and D John Schmoldt to 5 years.

1985 Player Draft

With the draft shortened to a single round, many prospects chose to wait until the next year to declare, resulting in a somewhat shallow pool.

1 – ALK – F Sam Sebastian
The best prospect by a mile, Sebastian is an easy scorer and has room to grow.

2 – SIN – F Mike Holloway
Holloway has a high floor and hockey IQ but isn't flashy or fast.

3 – PA – D Nika Tchaikovski (Russia)
The diminutive Russian blue liner is tough and feisty and will bring some pizzazz to the Anchors.

4 – NAR – G Jarkko Bergstrom (Sweden)
The Neptunes value good goaltending and with Bukowski's retirement they look at Bergstrom to fill it.

5 – KRK – F Mark Freeman
With Toivonen gone, the Captains grab Freeman to pair with young Martikainen.

6 – YBG – F Mark Parker
The Glaciers need young players with room to grow. Parker is a solid forward.

7 – LEC – F Will Zimmerlee
With few touted forward prospects, the Saints reach here for Zimmerlee who's best on the power play.

8 – KIR – F Derek Curry
The Kodiaks also reach for a forward out of desperation, though Curry can be a nice 2nd-liner.

9 – GLD – D Myron Burke
The Barbarians don't reach and go for BPA in Burke who is a nice defensive prospect.

10 – QUE – G Victor Knight
The Crusaders are ecstatic to land a goalie at #10. Knight can spot start right away.

11 – CHA – D Neal Caldwell
12 – FTB – F Josh Sandoval
13 – YUB – D Arnold Fleming
14 – PTP – D Gus Lowe
15 – TRO – D Tim George
16 – ABR – D Peter McDaniel
17 – PRE – D Geoffrey Cole
18 – VEN – D Willie Goodwin
19 – KUR – F Jeremy Schmidt
20 – BAN – F Shaun Watkins
21 – POR – G Jeff Alexander
22 – KAV – F Stanley Grossman

Team Identity Changes

1985 Bancana Kings

Previous Identity: 1980-1984 Bancana Kings

The Kings made just one tweak, removing the wordmark from their home sweater and adding the Crown-B.

1985 Portarra Pioneers

Previous Identity: 1972-1984 Portarra Pioneers

In an odd situation in Portarra, the Pioneers had been working on new designs after more than 10 years with their current look but with owner Lewis Vail dragging his feet on approving a new look, the team did not have anything approved or ready before closures of major shipping lines and printing and textile factories. Rather than reuse old heavily-used uniforms from the previous season, Vail decided to go with one of the designs that had the most merchandise and gear printed and available on short notice which was this odd orange-and-yellow design with a script wordmark. The uniform removes navy and features an indented striping system.


C&C always appreciated!
Up next: A unique short season

Interesting stuff! Intrigued by the prospect of a shortened season and definitely glad it didn't get cancelled. Sad to see Bukowski hang em up, but at least the Tunes hopefully have his replacement already.

I'll kind of miss the Kings' weird script, but the B-K-crown looks good, obviously. The Pios, on the other hand, is a wild look, but I love it! I didn't expect orange and gold to be able to work together as well as you've made them, and the striping is funky but definitely works. A fun story behind them for sure; it'll be interesting to see if those stick around or if they find a more permanent solution.