Buckle up, y'all. (Section30...don't hate me.)

1974 OFFSEASON

A Black Hole in Yubay

The terrible 1973 season in Yubay only got worse for the Falcons franchise as owner Leo Rankin suffered a severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed and in a coma and unable to run the franchise or give direction as to what to do in his absence. Commissioner Hatch and the owners had to have a special meeting to determine what to do while Rankin was still in a coma with his prognosis dire at best. Having no children, Rankin's will stated that his childhood friend Barry Boyle would receive ownership of the team in the event of his death but since Rankin was still alive there was a huge decision to make. Hatch did not consider Boyle to be ownership material, as Boyle was known as an extremely shady business dealer and something of a con artist who also ran a string of casinos and illegal bookies up and down the west coast. Indeed, Rankin had bailed him out of several big illegal money scandals over the years and had to officially cut ties with him to even continue in the THL. That Boyle was the named beneficiary for the Falcons was a surprise to Hatch and the owners. They brought in a federal judge to oversee the case, who ultimately awarded full control of the team to Boyle as long as Rankin was incapacitated with a recommendation that continuity should be kept with the staff and personnel to maintain proper operation.

Barry Boyle had no such ideas and proceeded to make some shocking decisions. He first fired new GM Dave McEwen after McEwen tried to explain Rankin's typical process and followed by firing highly respected three-time Cup winning coach Rudolph Nichols and his whole staff, including rising assistant coach Anderson Lamb. As the faithful fans in Sava Side awoke to the news in shock, Boyle installed his own GM, a fellow businessman with zero THL experience named Bart Alcorn, who in turn hired a new coaching staff. Star team captain Geno Pasternak reached out to both to find out what was going on and after a closed-door meeting that took so long that nearly every reporter in Yubay, along with a huge gathering of fans, had amassed outside the team office awaiting any news, Pasternak finally left angrily, speaking to nobody on his way out. The crowd grew so large and restless that police were called to restore order. Locked inside the team office, Barry and Bart, as Falcons fans would forever disgustingly call them, made a press release stating that Pasternak had been traded due to insubordination. The fans in Sava Side began to riot. All of Torland was stunned as they watched this catastrophe unfold before their eyes. Commissioner Hatch was called upon but he had to announce there was nothing he could do, although he condemned the proceedings from Boyle and threatened league sanctions.

The wife of Leo Rankin, Lynette, proceeded to file a lawsuit to attempt to regain control of the franchise but it is considered a long shot and won't be able to overturn the federal ruling before the season begins. There is hope, however, that Lynette may be able to make progress before the '75 season.

Later that evening, a teary-eyed Geno Pasternak wished the faithful in Yubay goodbye as he announced that he'd been traded to the Portarra Pioneers but hoped he could also return to his adopted home of Yubay in the Sava Side soon. He implored the fans to remain faithful and defend their team peacefully with the honor and dignity of a once stalwart franchise.

The Pasternak Trade Terms

After Barry Boyle shockingly put Pasternak on the trade block, Pioneers GM Scott Hauser first called Pasternak and talked to him about the situation and if he'd consider coming to North Portarra and taking the reigns for the upstart Pioneers. Pasternak seemed warm to the idea so Hauser submitted a somewhat mediocre offer to Barry Boyle centered around their top draft pick and was almost in disbelief when Boyle immediately accepted it.

The Pioneers sent their 1974 1st-Round pick (#4 overall), 1975 2nd-Round pick, F Frans Solberg, and prospect F Dean O'Brien to the Falcons for F Geno Pasternak.

The trade gives Yubay three first-round picks in the upcoming draft, but teams are concerned with not knowing what Boyle and Alcorn may do with them or how they might wish to proceed as a franchise.

Coaching Carousel

With Rudy Nichols out in Yubay, the Pioneers brought him in as a co-head coach at the suggestion of Pasternak, with whom he has had a great working relationship and played under during his entire 12-year tenure in Yubay. Anderson Lamb landed in Trowburgh after Steve Scarborough retired.

Barry Boyle and Bart Alcorn hired Wayne Hooper, a former unsuccessful Indy League coach, to lead the team along with an assistant with very little experience in Irving Stovall.

Notable Retirements

A fan favorite and team leader in Narva, forward Stefan Ostrowski retired at age 37 and 13 years with the club in Lecayne and Narva. The Polish player was originally drafted by Port Alrene but traded on draft day to the then Lecayne Saints. Ostrowski was a four-time All-Star and highly respected around the league.

Among other retirements, several other forwards hung up their skates including former longtime Anchors forward Rory Burkholder, who won two Cups in Port Alrene, and former Captains forward Aleksander Volkov, who also won a Cup for Kirkenport. Both players were selected in the expansion draft, each playing two seasons in Trowburgh and Fort Bevin respectively.

Known as a glue guy and a tremendous enforcer, forward Alex Harter played 13 seasons for five teams as a respected 2nd-liner and team leader. Truly one of the all-time underrated players, Harter won a Cup with the Whales in 1963.

In the aftermath of the volatile situation in Yubay, longtime Falcons forward Chauncey Levesque decided to retire early rather than continue playing under the new regime. Levesque signed as a free agent in 1961, when the Falcons were still in Trowburgh as the Lions, and went on to win three Cups with the Falcons. The 35-year-old was known as an adept passer for the 2nd-line units.

Hall of Fame Inaugural Induction

Commissioner Hatch announced that a long-awaited THL Hall of Fame was being established and a panel would be assembled to vote on potential first inductees for an inaugural class of 1975. The inductees would be announced prior to the 1975 season. Players and coaches at least one year removed from their final playing season would be eligible.

Trades and Signings

The Kodiaks promoted goalie Brian Mahaffey and traded G Jack MacCready to the Captains for prospect G Fred Teal and veteran D Wade Vanderlee.

The Glaciers sent veteran forward Gary Musgrove and D Roman Vasylyk to the Pioneers for defensemen Darren Fitzgerald and Jimmy Petton.

After the shock of the Falcons situation had worn off and things became more clear, goalie Von Wentz requested a trade from the team, and wished to go to Narva or Chasonne to be near his hometown of Collon in Forstana. Barry Boyle attempted to squash the request but Wentz submitted an official document through his lawyer that he would not play a single minute more for the Falcons as long as Boyle was in charge. At first Boyle was going to play the bluff but then decided to trade him for a younger player with contract control. He sent Wentz to the Heralds who sent one of their young starters, Claude Dohms, back in return.

With Wentz now in the fold, Chasonne shipped F Steve Kohanski and their 1974 2nd-Rounder to the Glaciers for F Joey Fredella to bolster their second unit behind Gary Wiz in an attempt to make a possibly final run with some of their veteran players.

1974 THL Amateur Player Draft

The Barry Boyle situation seemed to scare off international declarations, as a few top prospects decided to delay their intentions for a season, including D Adam Bogdanov (Russia), F Pekka Jokinen (Finland) and F Sten Zaal (Holland), as only top French goaltender Chris Daniau declared for the THL. The national pool was very strong, however, with quite a few teams eager to select franchise cornerstones between whatever Yubay decided to do.

1st-Round 1974

1 – YUB – G Chris Daniau (France)
Taking a goalie with the top pick can be tricky but Daniau is an all-world talent who has a chance to be a perennial All-Star.

2 – FTB – F Nigel Flood
Flood is a quiet guy with a lethal stick. Fort Bevin will appreciate his low-key leadership and ability to play alongside anyone at an All-Star level.

3 – KAV – D Darren Cain
Some thought Cain was the best overall talent in the draft. The big defenseman can score and do everything well. He'll bring instant leadership to a young team in Kavalos.

4 – YUB (via PTP) – F Jerry Razzo
Razzo is a bit of a polarizing prospect; when he's “on” he's unstoppable but can be streaky at times.

5 – TRO – F Mozzy Turk
Turk is a big personality with the skills to match. Not the most athletic but maximizes his abilities and will be a fan favorite in Trowburgh behind Adam Oreskovich.

6 – NAR – F Luke Wisniewski
The cousin of the great Gary Wiz, young Luke is a budding talent himself. He's still figuring out some parts of the game but he's an undeniable scorer like his older cousin.

7 – POR – F Stan Johanson
Classic lunchpail guy, Johanson is a tough player with a well-rounded game who can galvanize any line.

8 – YBG – F Kenny Joiner
Joiner is a bit of a project, low floor-high ceiling guy. If he's given time to allow his game to mature he could be a top-line guy.

9 – YUB (via CHA) – F Rodrigo Redden
Related to Rey Redden, a former Trowburgh Lions player, the younger Redden has all the same stick skills and a more athletic frame to go with it. Despite the chaos in Sava Side, Redden could be a real steal.

10 – PA – G Bo Broadway
With a deep roster, Port Alrene decided to draft Bo and stash him until he can play under Ferdy Haight. Lots of potential here.

11 – KRK – D Rod Lacey
Classic Kirk pick. Tough, nasty d-man who can hit and defend at a high level.

12 – KIR – D Tony Champagne
He's a limited player but very good at defending around the boards, taking hits and delivering bigger ones in return.

Notable 2nd-Round Picks: Drafted at #13 by the Falcons, forward Bobby Sallee Jr. is the nephew of THL star Tyson Sallee, currently playing for the Pioneers. Sallee Jr. played for the Niko Side team in the Torland Youth League and a year of collegiate hockey with Kimaesee University along with fellow youth and college teammate F Jed Poe who was drafted by Kavalos at #15. Former Youth League star defenseman Ollie McClellan from Hyletville was drafted at #14 by Fort Bevin, who played a season at Gavas College.

Team Identity Changes

Two teams made significant changes to their sets along with becoming the first teams to add player names to the back of their sweaters.

1974 Chasonne Heralds



The Heralds made yet another change to their identity, removing navy blue entirely from their color palette and updating their Columbia with a brighter, bolder version which they dubbed "Symphonic Blue" to go with the gold and white. A whole new uniform set was created with a wild asymmetrical striping pattern and a scaled down version of their logo to go with it. Player names were added to the back of the sweaters and a western-serif letter and number font was chosen. The new look continues Chasonne's tradition of unique identities and is Jack Elam's first offering as a new owner, which will certainly turn heads and cause discussion.

1974 Yubay Glaciers




Having not changed their uniforms since their entrance into the league in 1965, the Glaciers suddenly made a bevy of changes and updates starting with a new primary logo featuring a geometric bear head. With the polar bear being the unofficial mascot of the Glaciers, the team wanted to feature a new look beyond the classic "pizza slice" glacier logo.

The team also decided to introduce a new color into the scheme which felt rushed and forced into their previous set to try to create a fresh look away from the old "clown suits" as they had been famously dubbed. Red is kept as the technical primary color but teal and purple are used prominently along with cream. The away sweater features an alternate colorway of the logo and added short yokes. Hearing that Chasonne had added player names to their sweaters, the Glaciers decided to do the same on a trial basis despite some reservations by the owners.


C&C appreciated!

Oh man, not a fan of the Glaciers update. I don't like the extra purple, and replacing the pizza slice is sacrilege. I hope that a throwback look is implemented very soon, along with the removal of purple.

Both of those look about 20 years ahead of their time, but I love them all the same! Lookin great!

Thehealthiestscratch wrote:

I think the first offering by new management for the Heralds kept in line with their identity. I’m personally not excited about the progressive look, and it’s probably because I don’t like their team, but it is 100 percent Chassone, that can’t be argued.

I also like the Glaciers update a lot. The purple is a nice touch and the polar bear looks like it is chiseled out of ice. Very good update!

I'm surprised you like the purple, you might be the only one. I don't even like it. Haha.

QCS wrote:

Oh man, not a fan of the Glaciers update. I don't like the extra purple, and replacing the pizza slice is sacrilege. I hope that a throwback look is implemented very soon, along with the removal of purple.

It was a very rushed makeover by the Niko Siders. Fan approval is pretty low so I don't think it will last long. One of the hallmarks of the Glaciers has been a consistent classic uniform and this was pretty out of character for them.

Section30 wrote:

This is exactly what I was going for, haha! Sometimes you gotta introduce a little chaos to shake things up! (Don't lose faith in your Falcons just yet though!)

MyTeamIsDr.Pepper wrote:

Both of those look about 20 years ahead of their time, but I love them all the same! Lookin great!

ThisIsFine wrote:

Is time travel possible?

Because the Glaciers just went and skipped forward to the 90s bruh

I appreciate the feedback! They're both certainly more modern than the vast majority of mid-70's looks in the NHL but I'm not following their timeline exactly since Torland has several of its own trends and styles and will generally be more progressive by nature. However, if Vancouver could create that atrocious Flying V uniform in '78 then anything is possible.

Yubay's teal and red with an addition of purple certainly has a 90's flair, though the design is more in line with late 70's looks. It might be the extra number outlines too-- I was going for an early St. Louis Blues look on that one.

Not as bad as last year!
 

Last edited by Section30 (1/17/2020 11:35 pm)