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*Toast* · 03-30-2023, 08:13 PM

Not late edition!

Howdy, SHL! The new virtual decade is upon us and things are looking awfully bright in San Francisco these days! We’re finally through the dark rebuilding years and while the team still has a long while to go before we’re at the point where I was hoping we would get to, I’m happy to see the development of the team. With Aneeq, Jimmy and I making the jump to the Pride this season and plenty more new faces to come I’m really excited to see where this team goes. We have something special really starting here and I’m extremely excited about the group we’ve assembled here. Something that the team really likes to get behind is the seasonal team awards! I’ll admit I entirely lost sight (something something beta vision) of this in the pre-season and I’m thankful that Caleb is around to keep me in check! Before we jump into the awards let’s review how the season went for us.

San Francisco came into this season as an expected competitor for the dumpster trophy. We have more than a few inactives on the roster filling spots as we wait for the next generation to develop so this team wasn’t expected to do too much. However, I think we really surprised some people this season! Despite trading some familiar faces like Sulo to the eventual cup winners, we still managed to have a fun campaign that saw the Pride fighting with the best of them. We were not going to accept being the losers of the league and came out swinging. Sure, we could have continued to just focus on the future but there’s no fun in that! We had access to a FHM guru on our squad and we were going to run with whatever success was to come.

This off-season we saw users actually want to come to San Francisco in free agency while the team may struggle to get into the post-season. I want to say that’s a testament to what people see in San Francisco from the outside of the team. We’re a close group that has a ton of potential. Even if the success isn’t quite there on ice we can at least guarantee a fun time in the locker room and a community that supports one another. With that being said, let’s get on to presenting the S69 awards!

The Alex Petrenko Award
Our first award presented this evening is the Petrenko award. Recently re-named, this award is presented to the individual who has shined as a leader strictly from a locker room perspective. Someone who keeps the conversation going and keeps people energetic and focused on the future while we get through some rough results. Let’s take a look at the nominees this season:

Sophie Bordeleau @boom
Sven Svenson @LordBirdman
Caleb Hayden @Caleb

It should come as no surprise that the captain of the team and alternate captain find themselves on the list. Birdman and Boom are two users who are very active in the locker room and bring a positive energy any time they are around. There is the reason they both have management experience as they do well leading a team. Speaking of management, seeing Caleb getting his name on the Petrenko nomination sheet is something that we should all get used to. I can’t say enough about how much Caleb has grown as a user since joining the league. From a “why not” third-round pick to Co-GM of the team and a multiple time award winner on the site already, there is no ceiling for him that I can imagine. The winner this season…

pride

Caleb Hayden! pride

Our poor goalie took a beating through the season for sure but the user behind it certainly did not! Caleb has excelled as Co-GM for the team so far and is a large part of why things are looking up in San Francisco. He is a natural leader already and is very involved in the team and the league outside of the SFP space as well. I don’t think there is anyone in the league who would deny what a quality user Caleb is!

The Kelly Rivet Award
Next we are moving along to the Kelly Rivet Award. This trophy goes to the MVP on the ice as voted by the rest of the team. Now typically I have a list of players we all want to acknowledge but this season we actually have a player who received 100 per cent of the vote. In a weaker season there was a clear leader on the ice and that player is…

pride

Sophie Bordeleau! @boom pride

The fact that the SFP roster was able to all vote for the same winner is a miracle on its own but one look at the stats for the season show just why Sophie got the honours. In her sophomore season she flew past the point-per-game pace and cracked the 30 goal mark in the last few games. This was a dominate season by Sophie and one can only imagine what the numbers would’ve been on a stronger team. We look forward to seeing how much better she gets as she develops into the prime of her career!

The Jack Tanner Award
Now the Jack Tanner Award! This trophy is handed out to the player who their teammates felt was the most underrated through the league. Especially for a team that was near the bottom of the standings for most of the season, it shouldn’t be surprising that there are multiple players who the team thought fit this category. Especially with a mixed roster of experienced players and new faces, let’s take a look and see who the team nominated!

Leon Athanasios @Spartan
Ragnar Lothbrok @SecondSucks22
Henrik Lekberg Osterman @Henrik

Leon has won the past two Tanner awards and continues to make an impact on the team showing how important that trade was for San Francisco so long ago. Making his debut for San Francisco this season, Ragnar has a lot of expectations from the Pride fans to make an impact and did so to get this nomination. Finally, while giving regression the fight of its life, HLO gets a nod for the Tanner after a strong season. Our nice season Tanner winner is…

pride

Ragnar Lothbrok! pride

Lothbrok dethrones Leon! Ragnar was called up quite early for a player his age so it was expected that competing with the talented SHL players would result in some not-so-good play. Ragnar managed to get involved wherever possible though and managed to cross the 30 points mark by the end of the season. While it’s not huge totals, a player who makes the jump to the pros so early and sees success definitely deserves some acknowledgment and we look forward to seeing where Ragnar goes from here!

Usually I save the announcements for the end of the post but before we get to the final award for the season I want to take a moment and make a special announcement for the team. Last season we saw Rikard Bjerg’s jersey get added to the Pridelands and we have someone who we are going to be putting right beside him. 1000+ games played in the SHL for the same team is almost unheard of but this player did just that before finally hanging up the skates. I’m delighted to announce that the next player entering the Pridelands is…

Henrik Lekberg Osterman @Henrik

S58 Jeff Dar Trophy Nomination
S58 Aidan Richan Trophy Nomination
S59 Jeff Dar Trophy Winner
S60 Jeff Dar Trophy Nomination
S61 Jeff Dar Trophy Nomination

The absolute heart and soul of the San Francisco Pride throughout his career with the team, Henrik Lekberg Osterman is everything a team wants to build around. Putting up 1000 games for the franchise was always his goal but the impact that Henrik made on the team through this career will be felt for seasons. HLO was able to get plenty of nominations for league awards and was always a favourite for team awards as well. He was even able to win the Jeff Dar once when he started to develop into a real leader for the team. On the user side of things, Henrik persevered through a difficult rebuild as the GM of the team and turned the culture around entirely. Quietly, San Francisco was built into a contender and a destination team in the league. The reputation that was established during Henrik’s career will be felt for eras of the team to come.

We’re not stopping there though. For awhile now I’ve decided that when HLO’s number was going to the rafters there was going to be one other change. The Pride of the Pride award is always presented to the user who exceeds expectations. It’s awarded to someone who their teammates feels best represents our team values in the public space and is someone that the team can really look to as a leader. The Pride of the Pride is really… Henrik Osterman Lekberg. With two wins and three other nominations through his career, it’s clear the rest of the team agrees with my thoughts here. That’s why we have decided that going forward the Pride of the Pride will now be the Henrik Osterman Lekberg Award! We look forward to awarding those who represent Henrik’s values in future seasons.

The Henrik Osterman Lekberg Award
And onto the final award for tonight! The Osterman Lekberg is presented to the member that the team felt exemplified what we value as a team. They are someone who makes an impact all around the locker room, on the ice and around the rest of the community as well. They are someone who shines all around and someone we want to give thanks to after a fantastic season. All in all, they are someone who has gone above and beyond all expectations and deserve this acknowledgment.

We have three nominees that the team has put forward this season…

Caleb Hayden @Caleb
Get used to seeing this name here! Caleb was brought up at the beginning of the post but he has simply been such a great person to have around the locker room. He was ready to step up to the plate for taking over the Co-GM role and has since been doing whatever he can to make sure this team is on the right track. Caleb has been very involved throughout the league since getting more involved in Quebec and has done just about everything in the league already. I definitely see him as the future of not only the franchise but the league overall as well.

Ragnar Lothbrok @SecondSucks22
Jax and I became close friends during the build up to to the S68 Entry Draft. I could tell then there was a fire lit under him and he wanted to see Ragnar become one of the best in the class. Since being drafted to San Francisco he has hit the ground running getting involved with the team wherever possible. Jax is a great leader for the rest of the young players and is willing to do whatever it takes to become the top defender for the Pride for seasons to come. He’s also very involved around the league this go around with involvement in the IIHF and I look forward to seeing how his career develops!

Sophie Bordeleau @boom
Our previous winner when the Pride of the Pride would be last presented prior to the name change. As I mentioned earlier, Boom is a fantastic leader. Having a player slightly older than the young core means that there will be a talented player and user there to lead this new generation of talent. Boom is quite vocal around the league and is usually a driving force behind important conversations. She is someone that has become a core part of San Francisco and is someone we’re excited to build the team around. I have no doubt that we’re a better community with Boom as part of it.

This season’s winner is…
pride

Caleb Hayden / @Caleb! pride

I think this has been a lock since the season after we drafted Caleb. The moment he played a full season for us he was going to have the team rally up to get him this award. Caleb is such a positive voice in the locker room and brings passion and energy that the rest of the team are better off for. He is turning into some sort of tactics wiz that’s going to take San Fran to heights it has never reached before and it’s incredible to see it all at work. Every teammate that communicates with Caleb only has positive things to say. He is always busy checking in with people and lending a hand wherever possible.

Your run is really only just getting started but you’ve had more impact than you can imagine, Caleb! Thank you for everything you do for your friends and the team. Here’s to sweeping awards for 50 years to come!

That’s another edition of awards for San Francisco! Thank you for everyone that took the time to read and congratulations to all of those who have received their accolades! We’ve got an incredible group here and I only see things as just getting started! Go Pride go, don’t forget to keep the locker room sign in your hearts. !rollpride

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Finally, to wrap things up we’re announcing the captaincy group for the season that you’d already know if you looked at the team during the sims!

Captain

pride

Sven Svenson - @LordBirdman pride

Birdman will be wearing the C until Sven can’t fight regression anymore. The all-time franchise leader in points continues to be a force on the ice and Birdman will always be the leader of this squad. Hopefully we can get him another Mexico before retirement comes around or at least a fight versus his son whenever that time comes around!

Alternate Captains

pride

Slavakov Vladimirashenko / @Bfine pride

Sophie Bordeleau / @boom pride

Boom returns with the A on her jersey as someone who represents the next generation of the team and joining her this season is the returning Sota! We are thrilled to have an experienced player back on the roster and it makes sense for the simp club leader to get captaincy, right?