How Roster Moves And Rivalries Are Shaping A Tighter THL Season

It's a party this week as we are joined by blissful4hire, kn1ghtl30l, and americanwolf92. We break down a week where availability swung matchups, quiet grinders changed scorelines, and a few bold trades reshaped the playoff conversation without tilting the league. If you’ve been waiting for a year where six teams can credibly chase top seed, this is it—and the stats back it up.

We start with honest team check‑ins: some clubs battled thin benches, others found rhythm by tightening pairings and letting natural chemistry lead. Shoutouts go to players who don’t chase headlines—Iverson’s steady production, Jawa’s reliability, and Adzuki’s calm on defense. We talk why fit beats flash in roster moves, how a right‑side finisher can unlock a stagnant attack, and why a two‑way center like Wizard fuels wins even when he’s off the leaderboard. Expect candid talk about pairing choices, balancing left and right shots, and solving that eternal question: who actually clicks together when the game gets heavy.

Goaltending gets the spotlight it deserves. From Orrzy’s game‑stealing nights to Titan’s consistency, we explore how structure in front of the net is the real difference between a save and a sigh. You’ll hear war stories about animation luck, bad bounces, and what defenders can do to lower shot quality without taking penalties. We also celebrate genuine growth: Magic Maroo’s season‑over‑season leap from target to tone‑setter shows what focus and repetition can do in a league that punishes hesitation.

Then the rivalry heat turns up. We react to the USA vs Canada Olympic thriller and tee up our community’s own USA vs Canada showcase: three game slots on Saturday night, roster reveals coming soon, and a clear ask to keep it competitive and respectful. We sketch hypothetical lineups, debate captains, and share how leadership and culture keep the bench calm when the chat gets loud. Whether you’re here for strategy, stories, or bragging rights, this one’s packed.

If you’re enjoying the show, tap follow, share it with a teammate, and drop a review with your pick for the USA vs Canada starting six. Who would you start and why?

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:35

All right. Well, welcome everyone to Tines Talk.

SPEAKER_05 0:41

This this season, uh well, yeah, this season right now. As went the second week, and for some reason I'm doing the intro because Pmeister is doing something. Can he say something?

SPEAKER_02 0:54

Can I say something? I don't know.

SPEAKER_06 0:57

Let's just try to join in and join out. So let's see if that works.

SPEAKER_05 1:03

We also have Blaine. We all we have a typical Blaine. Hello, Blaine. We also have a lot of guests, I suppose. We have the biggest.

SPEAKER_02 1:25

We have American Wolf.

SPEAKER_05 1:28

What's up?

SPEAKER_02 1:31

Oh hell wolf.

SPEAKER_05 1:34

Alright. And then we have Bliss for Hire.

SPEAKER_02 1:38

How's it going, guys? Alright. Well.

SPEAKER_05 1:45

I guess we're gonna start off by talking about what happened this week with teams around the league. And then we can delge into what's gonna happen with next week's, and Wolf can talk about USA and Canada if he wants to. So uh Blaine, why why don't you tell us uh how did the bisons do this week?

SPEAKER_03 2:12

Not as good as week one, but still did alright.

SPEAKER_05 2:20

You know how it goes. Oh god I can assure you I yeah. Yeah, it's it's it's rough. Wolf, how's the cuckooos been doing this week?

SPEAKER_04 2:32

Just like everybody else. Hickups availability and just trying to make sure everybody has a good time because that's all this is about us having a good time with everybody, making new friends.

SPEAKER_05 2:44

Word up. And Bliss, how's the uh Canucks doing?

SPEAKER_01 2:48

Oh, we did a lot better from last week. We found our stride, we keep trying to figure out what works for us. We kinda did a fill-out process in the first week, and now we're trying to like hem our lineups and see who's gonna work well with who. So yeah, no, I think we did really good with what we put out there and hope to see more of it next season or next week.

SPEAKER_05 3:10

Okay. So yeah, it this this week has been mostly about really availability, at least for the double hawks, and mostly about just trying to get people to like show up and just play. And kind of need defensemen, but that was that was something out of out of that equation. But yeah, we're we're doing fine. Pmeister, you want to say anything? I know you're not awakening, but Yeah, it just it seems like a couple teams, you know.

SPEAKER_06 3:44

I think Bliss and Wolf put made a good mention that a couple of the top teams had bad availability this week and uh some of the Bon fears were able to take advantage of that. Connects by higher, especially Bliss. Did you guys go four, one-and-one, or am I missing something?

SPEAKER_01 3:59

We went uh we went five, two and oh. We had to reschedule a game. Yeah, we had to reschedule a game with the license.

SPEAKER_06 4:07

Right. Cause somebody decided not to show up. Not naming names. But yeah, I I think last week was a good equalizer, and now it's more or less a two-week sprint to the end of the season to figure out who's gonna get playoff seating.

Underrated Players Step Up

SPEAKER_05 4:27

Okay. Has anyone wanted to shout out a player in their team that really like showed up this week and did like a heck of a job just being around and being the underrated player in the team?

SPEAKER_02 4:45

I'll shout out Iverson.

SPEAKER_03 4:48

Yeah. He's been actually really good. No complaints from him. Nothing he's been playing, he's been given availability every day. It's refreshing.

SPEAKER_02 5:01

I was gonna say, yeah, especially for him, that's a refreshing sight.

SPEAKER_04 5:07

Yeah, for the uh Cukars, I'd like to give a good shout out to Jawa. He's been like the uh heart and soul and rock of the team, being there every fucking game, giving us every amount of availability he could, and just kind of being a stellar player all around that we know he could have been, and he's doing great, and can't wait to see more out of him. And then Rift. You know, he's not a you know, he's he's on his availability, he's helping out the team. Danny Trin been getting better and better on defense every every time we play. So I think available you know, I think the chemistry is starting to come along very well with our team with defense-wise and offense, and and then you know, obviously Wang Tong being who he is, being really good with uh helping out. And not nobody's being negative in any of our losses, and we're just like, well, we could have just did better, you know, and everybody's staying positive, and that's the big thing about our team. So big shout out to all those guys for you know giving their all and not being negative in in bad situations.

SPEAKER_02 6:11

What about you, Bliss?

SPEAKER_01 6:14

Uh for me, yeah. I'd like to shout out this guy named Azuki, Latan 66. This is his first season in the THL. Uh he's not a talkative guy, but he stepped up and he's anchored our defense mostly. He's one of the best defenders on our team. And you know, watching this guy play, it's real really refreshing to find a defender that you don't really know if he's gonna be good or not. So shout out to Plug for letting me know about him. And yeah, from there, no. I think uh he's one of the best players that's really turned around this week.

SPEAKER_02 6:50

So all right.

SPEAKER_05 6:57

I guess if I would go for the double hawks, I guess uh Orloff. No, no, I'm not gonna do that. I mean I wasn't I'm not gonna shout out Shaner either, because he played one one night. So and he's doing nothing really, so it's been me the whole time. But I guess I'm gonna appreciate Orlov. He showed up, I think he played every single game for us last week on defense. So he's very available, he's showing up, he plays the games even when we had really bad losses. He still was there, he still showed up and he didn't back down, he didn't quit. So I guess I'll I'll give him his flowers on that.

SPEAKER_04 7:45

I think a big shout out needs to go to the owners too, and the in the GMs that actually put in the work. You know, there everybody really has you know showed up for the league and you know played really well and and and managed their teams very well, and you know that everyone's going through adversity here and there, and everybody's shying because of it because they're just putting in the effort that actually matters. So shout out to all the owners and GMs that actually put in the effort and work.

SPEAKER_06 8:09

Yeah, five of the six teams represented in this one podcast room.

SPEAKER_01 8:16

Yeah, Ferry. Oh.

SPEAKER_06 8:19

Ferry or whoever his GM is for the made men, get in here, dang it. That'll be next week's project.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

Yeah, CRQ could have definitely showed up, but yeah, that's that's next week's project as we have a magnetic of all the uh THL owners.

League Parity And Standings

SPEAKER_05 8:40

But yeah, and does anyone else want to say anything about like their just like what they think is gonna happen next week and who's gonna move up, who's gonna move down, who's confident, who's excited?

SPEAKER_06 8:54

Really, it might be one night of game somewhere and maybe be happy. I don't know.

SPEAKER_04 9:01

Really it's gonna come down to how these trades all panned out because there's a lot of trades this week, and if if everybody does everybody made the smart trades that they made, then I mean you know, we're gonna see it be a little bit closer and more competitive sector than most trades that I've seen in one season that was not lopsided and all fair all across the board.

SPEAKER_02 9:19

So that was pretty good to see. Yeah. Blaine. I'm just kidding.

SPEAKER_05 9:29

Um it's it's been that's been good. Blaine, you excited for the guys you've been like picking up and like re ready to try them and move on, like see what they do.

SPEAKER_02 9:42

Of course. I know um I think uh what was the the last trade?

SPEAKER_05 9:50

Was it? I got announced, I gotta look.

SPEAKER_02 10:02

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_00 10:04

That's true.

SPEAKER_02 10:05

You excited are you excited for Sniper? Wolf. Yeah, we're we uh we can't wait to see what he's gonna bring to the team.

SPEAKER_04 10:19

We've seen him play in games and he's he's been pretty fucking difficult to deal with, you know. And uh it's gonna be good to see what he can do with who we're gonna put him with. So stay tuned to see that. I think the couch is gonna make a turnaround this week. Depending on availability, but independent on what lines we're gonna throw out there, but it's gonna be big. I think making that trade was huge for both sides, but it's gonna help everybody keep the peace in their their respected areas as well.

SPEAKER_05 10:50

Bliss, I I saw you got old man biz and uh kind of I I I did, I did, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 10:56

No, um we had a surplus of people on our left side, so we had to compensate for that and tried to get more of the right side to even out our team. And I feel like the trade that I made, I didn't want to get rid of some of the people, but I feel like it made our team better as a whole once I did it. And no, I mean, we're gonna see how Biz is on defense. Everyone keeps saying that he won't play D, but we'll see. I mean, he uh I'm I'm I'm willing to see how he's gonna do on defense, so we'll see.

SPEAKER_02 11:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_05 11:29

I guess our last our last trade has just been with Blaine, and it was Uncle Dry for Sniper. And I guess that that works for us because Sniper's a decent right wing. We we kind of just needed a a guy to be there and play the right spot. Dry is a center. You can play pretty much goalie if you really need it in a pinch, but we need a kind of a scoring threat because some some games we have a hard time scoring, so definitely helped us.

Big Pickups And Fit Questions

SPEAKER_03 12:03

Yeah, I think the one game I played goalie against you guys, you guys pretty much held it in our zone, but there wasn't a lot of shooting.

SPEAKER_05 12:12

Yeah, we we we have uh it's still we're still in the figuring out stage of like who's who's good with who, you know, and who what works best with whoever, so it's definitely gonna still do some tweaking. I can tell you that Juju, Jorge, I they are both incredible players, but I think they played s similar types and it just doesn't mesh with them, so I mean we definitely have some some things to adjust, but definitely pretty good.

SPEAKER_02 12:55

Pmeister, I I if I remember correctly, have you been traded or I don't think so.

SPEAKER_06 13:04

No I don't know what reasons, but it yeah, basically got sent down to TC, so whether it's part of a trade or something else down the line, I have no information on that.

SPEAKER_03 13:15

So you can speak more.

SPEAKER_06 13:17

Gee, thanks, Boyne, for singing the semi-obious, but hey, listen.

SPEAKER_01 13:24

Everything is calculated, I promise. This is a chance. Call him out, dude.

SPEAKER_06 13:32

As much as I would like to call him out. I have too much trust in Boint and uh what's to actually stab me in the back like that, so I hope it's all for the right reasons.

SPEAKER_01 13:43

It is, it is.

SPEAKER_00 13:46

Before we leave the topic of trades, there's no one here to speak for the Firebirds, so I guess I will, but the Firebirds acquired Invise via trade this week. And to say it panned out for them is an understatement because they only have five wins this season. He played in four of them and he put up 33 points in five games doing so. Yes.

Scoring Woes And Line Chemistry

SPEAKER_05 14:12

Oh, well, I wonder who traded Invise, Tom. Must be some some some team, eh? Like I said last week in the trade, Invisti's uh a great player. But, you know, we we wanted our we wanted our center, we wanted the stable whiz, and you know, we we took a price to pay, but we we did it. We you know, that's way trades Burke.

SPEAKER_02 14:40

You gotta give some assets you don't want to give to get what you want.

SPEAKER_05 14:49

Uh does anyone else want to say anything just quickly, and then we'll we can move on about talking about how Knight's been doing. Everyone could question uh question him, and then we could finish it off with the Canada and USA uh talks.

SPEAKER_06 15:11

Also, I'd just like to say good games, good games to Team Canada after that epic brawl at Milano Cortina. Hopefully we get to do it again soon.

SPEAKER_05 15:21

Yeah, yeah. Four years from now. It's already four years too much.

SPEAKER_00 15:27

I'm hopefully four years from now, we don't hit the post on a wide open net.

SPEAKER_05 15:33

I just missed the net entirely.

SPEAKER_06 15:37

I wasn't gonna bring that up, but yeah, he has had a couple chances to bury that.

SPEAKER_05 15:41

Oh my Jesus Lord, when I saw that, I was just I was in shock. Like McKinnon, one of the greatest hockey players to ever play this game, does that in that game. Like he would try that a hundred times and make 99 of them. It's just that one. That's just uh that was brutal. And Connor Hallebuck, I mean, Jesus Christ, was he insane? That say on a wide open net with a stick was just oh my god. It was a turnaround point for the team for sure. I felt like USA didn't really have much offense.

SPEAKER_00 16:18

USA got outplayed from start to finish. The shots were up 42 to 21 or something like that. Yeah, it was 42 to 23, so it was almost double the shots. Hellibuck just had the answer for everything. And if it wasn't hellabuck, it was the post. Although USA had a post in the third that could have changed the game. Someone hit both posts, ting ting.

SPEAKER_06 16:41

That wasn't really a post, that was the guy holding his hands in the right spot, and it happened to clank off the post.

SPEAKER_05 16:49

Well, there's there's also the Charlie McAvoy save. That was another thing where it was going right in, and then he just comes in from behind Hellibuck and just swooshes it out the out of the way. That was also like quite impressive.

SPEAKER_02 17:04

Yeah, that was a great hockey game all around.

SPEAKER_05 17:12

Yeah, it kind of sucks, but uh I feel I feel for Connor McDavid for sure though. That guy must be sick of seeing Matthew Kachuk just win over him every single time.

SPEAKER_02 17:27

It's like three years in a row he sees this guy win. It must be I would be sick, honestly. If you may first or last. Okay, hold on a minute.

SPEAKER_05 17:53

Anyone say you want to say anything? That's just off your top of your mind, just real quick while I do some research.

SPEAKER_06 18:02

The biggest thing is apparently Sleeky's getting inspired, or apparently those US Canada rivalries are growing hot, so I'd just like to remind everyone to keep it civil, please. We are all here to have fun. Whether it's you know whether it's just you know friendly chit-chat or you're getting pissed off, just take a second back. Just remember we all have lives outside of hockey and discord that we all have to get to and have some fun with that. Now saying that, Wolf, if you can stop like absolutely pantsing me every time we play, that would be wonderful. Like you're the only player I think that I have consistent trouble with.

SPEAKER_04 18:41

I don't think I'm the only player.

SPEAKER_02 18:44

I'm not gonna say, you know, too much, but you know, like you know, something like that.

SPEAKER_06 18:50

You're the only one. I I've shut down LeBlanc before, I've shut down Blaine, I've shut down practically everybody else before what this is in his range.

SPEAKER_05 19:04

He said he said he said he shut you know he he said he shut me down. Hey, I only led you to seven points. I shut you down.

SPEAKER_06 19:14

Again, again, sometimes the opposite team can is an absolute crutch sometimes. Like, it's not exclusively on me. It's there are many a problem, especially if a center is gonna be playing up on the freaking blue line and leaving the middle slot wide open every time.

SPEAKER_04 19:34

Or maybe we just don't pinch for hits.

SPEAKER_06 19:38

Don't pinch for hits anymore. Settle down, old man.

SPEAKER_04 19:44

I believe the last time I seen you, uh I uh dangled you out of your shoes and made you fall on the ice and scored on your goalie. That was crazy.

SPEAKER_06 19:51

Yeah, the once.

SPEAKER_04 19:53

Yeah, the once fucking made you cry.

SPEAKER_06 19:56

I wouldn't say cry, but it it definitely was like a what the hell am I supposed to do at that point if he's gonna get that EA luck?

SPEAKER_04 20:06

Can't wait to see you again. It's gonna be fun. Actually, I kind of hope LeBlanc and me get to go at you on the same night, because that would be so nice.

SPEAKER_06 20:16

I mean, that'll never happen because I know Bliss is never gonna play me through games.

SPEAKER_04 20:21

I think we can make it happen, right, Bliss? I think so. Yeah, yeah, totally.

SPEAKER_06 20:28

I mean, just just nice general collusion there. Wolf, nice to see that as always from the higher up.

SPEAKER_04 20:34

You call it collusion, I call selling a score.

SPEAKER_02 20:39

Whatever fools about, kid.

SPEAKER_05 20:47

So Knight, what do you what do you feel about you know the bisons and being in there, just looking at the team and played you only played three games, but uh how do you have how have you assessed the team so far?

SPEAKER_00 21:03

I've only played three games as a skater. I I became our starting goalie because our number one guy that was draft- I signed up as a left wing, but I've always been a goalie. And once Ghost had decided he didn't want to play anymore, Blaine passed that roll down on to me. But we have a pretty good squad. I think we're top line heavy, but I think every team in the league is top line heavy right now. So I think uh out of all the seasons I've played in this league, this is the most competitive I've ever seen it. So it's nice. It's nice to not see one team 12-0 and another team 0-12 for once. But in terms of the bisons, yeah, I'm pretty confident in our roster this season. And we're sitting in second after two weeks, so that's a hell of a lot better than some of the teams I've played for in this league.

SPEAKER_05 21:53

What uh what would you assess is like the the the strongest point of that team so far, with you being a net? And seeing them play.

USA vs Canada Olympic Reactions

SPEAKER_00 22:01

Definitely our offense. Our offense is especially our top line. I mean, our top line's gonna look different now that we traded Mr. Reese Sniper and brought in Misa, but statistically speaking, I think it's gonna help us out. And I don't know. Iverson's leading the league in points right now, and he's got the same amount of games played, or barely more than the rest of the guys up there with him. So I think it's safe to say Iverson is definitely the strongest point of our team right now. But I give a special shout out to my right D, Magic Maru. Man, that guy sets the tone in the party and on the ice. I love having that guy on the ice, bro.

SPEAKER_05 22:43

Maru, yeah. I mean, we've uh we've had Maru for last season with the uh the Dark Knights, and we won the championship. And he was he's definitely a hell of a character. He's a he's a funny guy, and he's super chill. And I feel like Blaine picking him up because he saw that he scored a hat trick on D in the playoffs, and it just got him excited and stole it from us. You know, Maru's supposed to be our guy, but okay.

SPEAKER_00 23:11

Hey, I'm all for it right now. I love him. I love him. He keeps the vibes, he keep he keeps the vibes high and the score low. I love having him on the ice with me.

SPEAKER_05 23:25

Yeah, he's he's definitely been I would say playing against him, he definitely improved way more than what he was doing last season. So big ups to him. He's been showing off. I think he's been more and more available as the year went on. So you guys have a solid guy on your team. I'll give you that.

SPEAKER_04 23:49

I think he does deserve a big shout out, because I remember when he first came around, I was like, dude, I'm burning by this guy, dude. Every goddamn game. And then like the next season, he's getting a little better. I'm like, okay, okay, sure. And then the next season, I'm like, and then now this season, I'm like, shit, dude, fuck. This is the this is in my face. Like he needs to get out of it. Like, give me some space. He doesn't he doesn't allow me to do what I normally do to defense, and he's he's improved probably a lot, like more than I I can give anybody credit for for improving him a couple seasons time. So good job for Magic Maru. Like he does he has become the rock over there on defense, and good for him. He deserves it.

SPEAKER_05 24:32

Yeah, he's honestly if there was an award for most most improved, he would he would take the cake because he is he has been like super, super good. And from what what he started, it was it's just night and day. So good on him. I like that I like that he's getting the love that he deserves. Okay, so top three in the league and points are Iverson with 42, 26 goals, 16 assists. Ferry with eight games played, 23 goals, 18 assists, 41 points. Looks like he's uh he's got a better point percentage. And you got Hav with 34 and Visty on number four with 33, and only five games played. And you got Wolf running up the top five. So I guess you're you're fine, you're finding your scoring touch again, so that's good.

SPEAKER_02 25:34

I'm just improving like fine wine.

SPEAKER_04 25:40

No, it's it is really good to see the leaderboard, like it's not like one team heavy, you know. Like we you the name you just spout out was at one time five different teams, you know. So like seeing that it's like pretty much five different teams, it was it's cool to see uh the scorings happening all around. It's not just one team lopsided. So that's that just shows how the competitiveness has changed over the seasons.

SPEAKER_00 26:04

I just want to point out that Leblanc's being humble right now. He's currently tied for fifth place with Wolf.

SPEAKER_05 26:12

Makes sense. I I like that. I also, I mean, I'm not gonna like say anything, but I also kind of played a lot of games on D. So there's uh I've I've just been honestly, I I'm not looking for points. I'm just looking for like just getting the team a victory. When you're owning and when you're a player, you have like completely different mindsets of like what you want. Last season, I was in an owner, so I was like, screw it, I'll just run up the league and just score a bunch of points and just be a winger. I don't want to play defense, I'll play center, but now this this is my team, I gotta take care of it, so I gotta play positions I don't want to play, and I gotta make difficult choices. And I mean it's been I I haven't been too too displeased with what's been going on.

Keep Rivalries Civil

SPEAKER_04 27:01

So it's I like to say you actually come a long way compared to where you were a long like if you asked like about LeBlanc fucking five seasons ago, I'd be like, ah, dude, that guy he too fucking, but now you've you you've grown up and you've humbled, and it's really nice to see you growing up and being a a leader that I think you could potentially be the best at.

SPEAKER_05 27:26

Yeah, I mean, I it just it comes with age, so it's I guess you you get wiser, you know, you you start off kind of like what Invisi is right now, you know, you're just loudmouth, kind of just mucking about being a brat, and then with age you just realize, uh, who cares, you know. Like at the end, it's just a game. You don't want to be mad at anything too crazy. So you just play the game and have fun. So Invise will get there someday, but he's he's kind of a he's kind of a slow poke when it comes to intelligence.

SPEAKER_02 28:02

So he's but he's a good kid. He's funny. So uh Pmeister. I see that you're not last in the plus minus anymore. Like last season.

SPEAKER_06 28:26

Yeah, no, I've played a lot less games and generally the games I have lost they've only been two or three goals versus eight or nine.

SPEAKER_05 28:37

What did you say that you're just are you are you are you happy where you are now way better than last season? I mean it's kind of obvious, but I'm a little bit happier than that.

SPEAKER_06 28:49

I mean, taking the tier three a lot of the tier three perks out, I think, has helped the defenders a lot as far as just dealing with problems that you know. Some of the tier three builds I think people here can agree are just absolutely busted and broken. With just removing those, you can at least have a chance to deal with them now versus beforehand you kind of just handcuffed unless you got like the perfect step on them.

SPEAKER_02 29:18

Yeah. Shout out someone just on what they're doing.

SPEAKER_03 29:33

Uh I did want to shout out someone on DMI team. He only played two games, but he actually did really well in those games. It's easy. Yeah. Okay. Two games I think were against you guys and Fairy's team. It was my first two games in net. I think it was him and Ralph and Randy. We actually uh we got one win out, but I was surprised at how good he kind of stayed in position.

SPEAKER_02 30:05

Kept me uh kept me in the game. Saved my ass a couple times. Okay. Bliss, how about you? No.

SPEAKER_01 30:18

I guess I guess the only one to really uh harp on is I guess you could say Havoc. I mean, everyone knows her as a goalie, not really as a forward in this league. I know that she's been playing branching out, playing forward everywhere else. But last time she was here she played a lot of goalie and now she's top three in scoring. So it's a shout out to her and my GM.

Bisons’ Identity And Leaders

SPEAKER_02 30:43

Okay, yeah, for sure. Knight, what do you uh what do you see? What do you think?

SPEAKER_00 30:50

On my team or in the league in general?

SPEAKER_05 30:53

In the league in general, about sats. You can pick on someone, you can like talk about them in a good way, bad way, whatever you want.

SPEAKER_00 31:02

Well, I guess one thing I'll say is there's only two of you guys on in the top 15, but both of you have more assists than goals. You and Juju Rags are well, you're tied for fifth with Wolves, so I guess that technically puts Juju at six. But you have eight goals and twenty-three assists, and he has thirteen goals and seventeen assists. So I guess uh would you would you say your team's a pass first mentality kind of team, since there's nobody up there and in goals specifically?

SPEAKER_05 31:42

I th maybe maybe that's like I I would think so. Juju's a good playmaker. He's he can score as well. I think the the thing when he was with Jorge when he they played like most of the games and had a hard time scoring. I think what it was is that maybe like it's just like I said, they played two similar and in an in like a different way because Jorge is more of a shooter than he is a passer, but they play in the same wavelength, like they do the same type of moves, look for the same type of options. It's just one passes and one shoots, so it didn't work out as much. And I think that the reason why Juju is passing a lot more is because he he wants to facilitate the Jorge, who's a shooter, and he kind of got in him a little bit, and when he played with me, uh like we didn't play much on wing, the both of us, but when we did, it was just mainly, you know, feed the other guy, feed the other guy. You know, on defense, I'm not gonna like go ahead and try to score goals. I'm gonna try and pass to the guys there. So we're we're kind of a passing team. I mean, whiz is a is a great passer. He's also a great back check, so he stays behind. So I think yeah, we're just to sum it up, yeah. We're we're a passing team first for sure.

SPEAKER_00 33:09

Well, Wizard's a great guy to talk about too, because you don't see him in the top 15 on points right now, but I can guarantee you he's he's the kind of guy every team wants and no one wants to play against.

SPEAKER_05 33:22

Yeah. I have the reason why we wanted to get him, and the reason why we traded for him is because I have chemistry with him. Jorge has chemistry with him, and he's also just one of the best. I mean, he's last season's Selkie winner, so he's one of the best.

SPEAKER_00 33:38

A two-way two-way player nowadays. It's hard to it's hard to pass up one of those guys. Yeah, absolutely so.

SPEAKER_05 33:48

It's it's great too. It's great to have him. It's great to be with him. He's he's supportive, he helps out. And yeah. I I also want to give a little slight to Serenial, since I guess no one made men is in here. Whatever happened to that guy, eh? He just he kind of just fell fell into the saving portion of the game. I I know he signed up as a center, but we all know what he uh what he was last season as a goalie, and I guess he's just been a little bit different from what he's been trying to do.

SPEAKER_04 34:28

Maybe he's trying new things, but yeah, I just want to call him out because he's just about the defense in front of you, you know. That's that's what it really comes down to. I don't know if Kerry's good defensively where he's better offensively, you know, the structure of his team. Maybe he's not given him the chance. You know, when you when you're when you're playing in front of a goalie, you know, it takes you know more than just one or two guys. It takes like the whole team to play defense. And if you're not playing defense, it's it's pretty brutal on a goalie. So as he fell, you know, your team when you guys had him, you guys fucking played phenomenal defense in front of him. And it was like, man, you can't give us an easy shot, you know, like a a makeable shot. We always had to create new ways to try doing it, but like there it's you know, blowing through a fucking you know, open door.

SPEAKER_00 35:19

He's definitely the number one guy over there right now. He's got ten games played, he's got exactly three goals against on average per game, and he's got an 8-11 save percentage.

SPEAKER_05 35:29

Okay, yeah, so yeah, I just wanted to like shit on him because he's you know, he's a buddy and he's a he's like a funny guy. He's I swear, like half the time he just forgets where he is, and like you have to remind him that we're playing a game. But he's yeah, he's he's a great guy. He's funny, and I just wanted to harp on him, but yeah, he's still doing amazing things. And I also want to kind of give a shout out to Orzy, what he's been doing for our team. Unreal. Legitimately unreal. He has been like, I'm we wouldn't have half the wins we have if it wasn't for him just playing out of his mind. Just crazy saves after crazy saves. It's it's surprising and yeah, just good on him. You know, goalies are goalies is hard to play, especially when the defense in front of you is not helping you as much, and I feel like Orzy's been unreal for that.

SPEAKER_00 36:24

So Orzy's got an 848 save percentage in his backup. Dark Reed's got an 826, so you're doing alright in in your goalie tandem over there, statistically speaking.

SPEAKER_05 36:38

Yeah, we we knew Dark Side, you know, he's he's a phenomenal goalie as well. So it's just we we we kind of want to have at least two good goalies and then try to build off of what we can do in front of them. And sometimes we haven't just been scoring enough for them, and it hurt it hurt our chances, but you know, it's only two.

SPEAKER_00 36:59

You guys have a goalie. Yep. You guys have a goalie hidden in the shadows over there, and a Mr. AHL goaltender who plays defense. I mean, yeah.

SPEAKER_05 37:14

I'm gonna sit in Lucy. I swear every time he brings that up, I like I'm pretty sure 95% of the time he gets like destroyed. He's like, I'm an AHL goalie, and then lets in like seven goals. So he's he's a good he's also there. If we ever need really a goalie, he's as a third option. I think that's pretty good.

SPEAKER_00 37:35

Yeah, I don't I don't think I don't think we'd be complaining if we had a third uh if if our third rotating goaltender played in the LGHL, I don't think we'd be complaining over here. We don't even have a third goalie right now. Actually we do. It's Blaine and what do you think of being goalie, Blaine?

SPEAKER_03 37:55

Some games it's really fun, and some games the shots will literally hit you in the chest and still go in. It's probably the most fun and frustrating position ever. I play in real life too, so but just it doesn't make sense sometimes.

Scoring Leaders And Balance

SPEAKER_05 38:15

Yeah, I I I played goalie too, and I could tell you, like, I've I will not touch like goalie because that's every time it's just a luck of a draw if your guy is gonna just make the save, react in time, or is it gonna bounce off your chest, off your pads, and then your guy's gonna move his knees just so it hits off the puck in between your legs and goes in. And it's just like, okay, I'm done playing this game. I don't want to play that. So it's I can tell you that it's it's frustrating, especially when you're like as a goalie in real life, you know that like okay, that's just an easy routine save. But in the game, it just makes it out ten times harder sometimes, and yeah, being a goalie sucks, so I feel for but the both of you, really.

SPEAKER_03 39:08

Or another thing is it's been happening lately to me. I'll be out of position and my guy will still make the save, or if I'm in perfect position, he won't make the save.

SPEAKER_05 39:19

Yeah, that's yeah, I guess I I I I understand what you're yeah, like you you gotta be like off kilter to where like you need to be so you get better animations.

SPEAKER_02 39:29

It's it's stupid. Um yeah.

SPEAKER_05 39:36

Does anyone w wanna say anything or we we can just move on to the announcements on or on Canada versus USA?

SPEAKER_02 39:51

Alright. Well, Wolf, what do you want to talk about about USA and Canada?

SPEAKER_04 39:57

So we got this USA versus Canada, and it's gonna be nice. So we set up uh that's gonna happen on Saturday. Gonna be three games, 9 30, 10, 10.30. We're gonna make an announcement showing the roster coming up probably either Thursday or Friday, so be stay tuned and look for that as we gear up to stream that and we're gonna reveal the rosters then. And then yeah, we're gonna see who's who's uh who's got the better you know country in this Discord. Obviously the rivalry is gonna get high, and hopefully everybody enjoys it, you know, but take you know respect everybody as we as we go along because this is all for fun. So just wanted to put a little fuel in the fire, you know. United States won you know in the Olympics, so it's time to see if we can do it here in the server.

Style Of Play And Assists

SPEAKER_05 40:51

Yeah that's uh it sounds like fun. I mean, for a lot of I could if I could speak for a lot of uh the Canadian players around here, we we all just want to just play this because the the Olympics it hurt. Well, I won't lie, it hurt. So we all want, you know, to just prove that, you know, it was hey, Canadian maybe the Canadian hockey players didn't play good, but maybe the Canadian online virtual hockey players can maybe get that win. And I feel like America's just, hey, we're gonna prove that we'll beat you at your own sport a third time in virtual.

SPEAKER_04 41:27

You know, so I do want to put it out there. You know, we we selected both the top players from each one. You know, if you didn't make the cut, we're you know, we're we're sorry. Maybe maybe next time we plan on running this next year, I believe. And if that's the case and you you showcase your talent all the way up until then, and we feel like you deserve it, maybe you'll make that roster. And hopefully we'll be able to integrate more lines into it. But right now it's only gonna be two two team, you know, two teams, one line each, and that's just unfortunate for the the time and the setting because I didn't see as many signups as I thought in the beginning, and then all of a sudden it just rose, and I was like, well, it's already too late. Are you asked for all these people and I'm I'm kind of going forward with it, and sorry if we you know we missed anybody that feels like they deserve the opportunity. Hopefully we can get you in you know next time. And and I really do encourage everybody to get better. And this is more we you know, we're showcasing how United States virtual hockey players play and how Canadian, you know, virtual hockey players play, you know, at the peak levels for this this you know specific event.

SPEAKER_05 42:37

For the guys who are like, well, let's all right, Blaine, you know, I'll ask you. What do you feel? Who do you who should you feel like should be in either of teams about just like you know, I I because I know you're American, but what would you feel like would be an amazing game to watch on both sides? And who would be like who would be your captain if there was a captain on both sides?

SPEAKER_03 43:06

So like so you want me to give you a lineup?

SPEAKER_05 43:13

Yeah, basically, like what what who you who do you would think would be in there when like who do you project per team?

SPEAKER_04 43:20

Yeah. And then who do you want the captain or who do you think the captain's gonna be the lead the way for that team? Not in not including the coaches, which has already predetermined me and Fairy, but that's just so that we're not putting ourselves in the game and giving everybody a fair shot, you know.

SPEAKER_02 43:35

So put me on the spot, huh?

SPEAKER_03 43:44

Alright, I'd say probably for US we'd probably put Orzy in net I'd put Irish in it center.

SPEAKER_02 43:55

Irish America. Okay, yeah. Sorry, go on.

SPEAKER_03 44:06

Visiting uh right wing, probably.

SPEAKER_02 44:10

Uh let's see who else we got. I'm look at the list right now.

SPEAKER_03 44:14

But Jorge. Would Jorge play left wing?

Two‑Way Forwards And Selke Value

SPEAKER_02 44:18

I he can he's more of a center right wing, but yeah. He'll play wherever. And then Blissendee with uh trying to look in the list. Hi, Danny and Canada. What do we got? Rikini do uh Liz. Yeah, but then I think what I mean, left wing, right? Yeah. You can walk. Okay. And uh who would you think would be team captain for that? Those two. I would say you. And then probably Bullis.

SPEAKER_03 45:54

People I know that error. You guys are pretty active, pretty reliable.

SPEAKER_02 45:59

So trustworthy.

SPEAKER_05 46:03

Yep. How about you, P-Meister? I want to hear P-Meister's opinion. What type of crazy lineup you're gonna put up? Who do you think should be in Team USA and Team Canada? And then who do you think is your the captain of those two?

SPEAKER_02 46:22

Problem is I don't know who lives where. So I can't really build a US vs. Canada lineup.

SPEAKER_03 46:33

Look at the reactions.

SPEAKER_06 46:37

There isn't quite a lot, but give me two or three minutes, I'll try to shuffle through it.

SPEAKER_05 46:42

Okay. Do you how about you, Knight?

SPEAKER_00 46:45

Do you got something? For the Americans, I'd put Orzian net for sure.

SPEAKER_02 46:53

But I think uh I'm blanking on his name right now.

SPEAKER_00 47:02

Oh, Titan. Titan would be a solid choice too. I think it I shouldn't really say I'd for sure put Orzy in net because Titan's one hell of a goalie too, but I think myself I'd lean more towards Orzie because I've seen him steal some games.

SPEAKER_02 47:18

On the blue line, I'd probably put Tommy Boy and I don't know. Weapon X and then on left wing I'd go with Invisty on center, I'd go Jorge, and I'd probably put I don't know, man.

Goalies, Systems, And Stats

SPEAKER_00 47:59

There's some stacked forwards over there. I'd probably go Flo on right wing with Invisy on left, Jorge in the middle. Although having Thompson there too, I don't know. I'd probably go with Thompson, actually. I'd put Thompson on right wing, Jorge on center with Invisy on left wing. And on the Canadian side, I'd go with Jawa on left Danner on right D, Wizard on center, LeBlanc on left wing, Frogman. Actually, do you play right wing LeBlanc? I can, but I don't I I don't change hands. I'd put you on right wing, frogman on left wing, and goalie-wise, I'd put Ozzy in net.

SPEAKER_02 49:07

Okay. Who would be those Tedon captains on between the two?

SPEAKER_00 49:13

For the Americans, probably Weapon X. And on the Canadians, probably you or Shane or Okay.

SPEAKER_05 49:26

Yeah. I I will say that Thompson and Visty, you know, having the brothers' connection, kind of like the Kachuks. I swear like every American just got brothers for some reason. So it's it's that would be that would be interesting to see. Oh, if you think it's if you think it's expensive over there, you over here it's crazy.

SPEAKER_06 49:55

Fun fact, actually, Halibuck actually never like his father literally could not afford to put him in triple A hockey.

SPEAKER_02 50:03

Yeah.

SPEAKER_06 50:04

Like if you look like you look at the backstory of Connor Halibuck, it's literally a rags for riches type of story.

unknown 50:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 50:14

And there's there's about me.

SPEAKER_05 50:20

There's a lot of yeah, there's a lot of stories about how hard and how expensive is that it is for everyone. So it's it's definitely not a cheap sport. But do you think TMIC, you think you got everyone up or do you want more time?

SPEAKER_06 50:36

I think I could put a decent lineup together. Now obviously left wing, right wing, I don't 100% know that off the top of my head, but just fucking through here. I'm gonna put T Swift up there.

SPEAKER_02 50:50

I'm gonna put Wolf and I'm gonna put Jorge forward line. Liz for hire on D. Along with Boston Sniper and Pro Titan in that for the Americans for me. Okay. Then on the Canadian side. Give me Fairy, give me Biz. Give me Wizard up top. I guess CRQ plays D, right? Yeah. Uh yes. Yeah. Give me CRQ. Max Tights plays it on occasion, I think, right? Yeah, he does.

SPEAKER_06 51:47

Just looking, there'd probably be those two on D and then FYI am a coach, not a player.

The Position Of Goalie Frustrations

SPEAKER_02 51:57

And Ferry's also a coach. Yeah. So that's the case. I guess we'll sub you in the blog. And then probably throw dry in that maybe? Okay. That makes sense. Sure.

SPEAKER_05 52:23

And what do you want to be captain for those two?

SPEAKER_06 52:28

Captain was Maddie Snipes for the Canadians. And just for shits and giggles, might as well make a Jorge for the Americans.

SPEAKER_02 52:42

Oh yeah. The same Jorge. And lastly, Blaze, what do you think?

SPEAKER_01 52:53

I just hope everyone has fun. I don't really have a say.

SPEAKER_02 52:59

Alright, I guess that's fair.

SPEAKER_01 53:02

But no, in all honesty, I mean, I hope everyone has fun with it. I don't really I don't really like to give my two cents. I like to see what other people bring to the table and see what others like to say about it. And just go from there, to be honest with you.

SPEAKER_05 53:19

Yeah. I mean, the reason why we started this is to have fun and to just play and get to be with people you haven't, and then just be with the countrymen and have fun.

SPEAKER_01 53:32

Yeah, at the end of the day, we're all here to play a hockey league together, and as long as everyone's having fun, I'm all for it. And the players are the reason why the league is so fun, so does anyone want to speak about anything before you wrap things up?

SPEAKER_02 54:00

I guess not. So alright.

SPEAKER_05 54:03

Well, um thank you guys for showing up. Thank you for you know being a part of uh this podcast today. I appreciate everyone being here and making it a little bit more interesting and having more voices.

SPEAKER_04 54:18

And if anybody's listening, feel free to reach out and you guys can be on the podcast too, LeBlanc, and then we'd appreciate having anybody come join. So it was a good time. Always uh get better inputs, maybe from a different perspective.

SPEAKER_05 54:34

Yes, uh, we wouldn't we would love to we would love that. So thank you. Thank you for everyone for watching and listening. Well, not really watching, but thank you. Thank you everyone for listening to this. And yeah, I guess we can end this uh end this year.