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By Greg Wyshynski
There was a time when the biggest obsession for professional athletes was how they were portrayed on their collectable cards. That has since been replaced by Athlete Gripe 2.0: How their particular skill set is portrayed in a sports video game.

For example, St. Louis Blues rookie forward T.J. Oshie isn't thrilled with his numbers in EA Sports' NHL 09. According to a poster on the EA Sports boards, the roster update earlier this month added Oshie to the game with an overall rating of 74.

He told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that he's rather underwhelmed by this:

"When I play NHL '09, I play as the Blues and my guy is just terrible," Oshie said, laughing. "I feel embarrassed when he's out there. He's slow, every time he gets touched he falls down."

For those of you like me who aren't video-game junkies, the games today actually rate the players' skill level in real life and then program those individual players to have a certain skill level in the game.

What can Oshie do about it? Can he play the game as a different team? Or if he plays as the Blues, perhaps he can call EA Sports and get his skill level improved?

"If I play a different team, I'm betraying (the Blues)," Oshie said. "I'm hoping that I just pick up my game, get some hits and they update the game where I'm a little more solid on the puck."

That last bit is interesting: How many NHL players, who are also hardcore gamers, use their own teams in the game?

When I interviewed Rick Nash out at 2K Sports headquarters earlier this year, he talked about what attributes he'd like to see improved in his virtual self, but was unclear about whether or not he actually used the Columbus Blue Jackets in NHL 2K9.*

From that feature story:

One of the developers asked if there was one tendency Nash wanted changed in his own personal player ratings for the game.

"What's my speed at right now?" asked Nash.

"12," was the answer, to laughter around the room.

"Maybe puck possession then," said Nash.

Defenseman Mike Green of the Washington Capitals, however, has made it clear in a wacky interview** with the Calgary Herald that he is not a virtual Bruce Boudreau on EA Sports hockey:

I play NHL'08. I think it's better than '09, but I'm never Washington. I'm too superstitious.

I'm a casual gamer (does that make me softcore?), but when I do play I never use my team, the New Jersey Devils; both because it's more fun to play in someone else's sandbox, and because the computer stubbornly refuses to allow me to stack up five guys on the defensive blue line in order to truly play "Devils hockey."

Do you use your favorite team on your hockey video game of choice, or do they provide enough headaches for you in the real world that you refuse to use them in the virtual world?

(Detroit Red Wings fans need not answer this. We get it. Your team is great and Marian Hossa skates through video game defenders like Mario running through turtles after grabbing a star. Mario the Plumber, not the other Super Mario.)

Or, perhaps, are you just superstitious about it like Green?

And has anyone told Riley Cote or Dany Sabourin that they're two of the worst players in hockey, via 2K Sports' ratings?

Hello,
I'm Buff McKenzie and will try to answer letters
from GOHL fans all over the world.

------------

"Hey Buff, who wins the GOHL Cup? And why is closing time 3am?
--Duncan Disorderly

well Duncan. Victoria has had 3 very solid seasons
now, and are the current GOHL champions, Retro or not.
Windsor has been strong, but have choked the past 2 playoffs.
Crystal Lake has surprised, but look at their roster
and you will find a lack of leadership and experience, which will probably mean an early
playoff exit.
I see London and Toronto being the main teams to
beat in a best of 7 playoff, with Quebec on the
outside.
The bars close at 3am so you have no choice going
home to bed just before the wife wakes up to go to work.
That way she thinks you were home all night.

------------------------

"Hi Buff,
i go to a lot of Seattle games. do all the arenas
have hard seats like in Seattle? i get a sore ass some games"
--Emma Wroids

hi emma, stop being a damn cheapo and pay the extra bucks to move down a level, byatch!

---------------------------

"Hi Buff,
is there a website that has all the players phone numbers and married status?
--Iona Bigtwot

hi Iona. it's sluts like you that keep hockey going! there are even media groupies. i love 'em.

----------------------

"hey buffo, wat aboot the Doom. thay mak the plaiyoofs dis year?"
-Ken Hartley Reed

hi ken, doesn't look like it. but they are DOOMTASTIC!

---------------------

"Hello Mr.Buff,
Exciting playoff races this year!"
--Klaus Shave

hi Klaus, next time give me a damn question.

----------------------

"hi buff,
should the GOHL have more or less teams in the playoffs?"
--Les Ismoor

hi Les. 16 teams seems perfect. some FHL leagues
have only 8 actually make the playoffs, but i think
the excitement of having 16 GM's in the playoffs is much better. 8 playoffs teams means half the audience is gone.

------------------------

"hi buff,
can't wait for the playoffs! me and my buddies
always go to Don Cherry's bar and tear the place
apart when the Knights lose!"
--Phil Maglassop

hi phil, don't stop.

--------------------------

"buff, if i was a GM, i'd have the best team by far!"
--Stan Dandeliver

hey stan. ya ya. they all say that. then their
the first GM's to cry for free agency or whatever
else, always blaming their bad management on others.
here's a little secret Stan The Man, a good GM
is always making the little subtle deallings, always.
Otherwise you get caught with your pants down and
need to make a huge overhaul... then cry for free agency.

                             
                                                  GOHL fans are everywhere   -- Thanks Jessica

                                                                wow

Here are the all-time #1 GOHL selections:
May 2000:  Scott Gomez, Colorado Rockies
Jan. 2001:  Mario Lemieux, Montreal Hitmen
Jan. 2002:  Ilya Kovalchuk, Crystal Lake Killers
Jan. 2003:  Rick Nash, San Diego Hawks
Jan. 2004:  Nikolai Zherdev, Windsor Mooseheads
Jan. 2005:  Alexander Ovechkin, Los Angeles Scorpions
Jan. 2006:  Sidney Crosby, London Knights
Jan. 2007:  Jordan Staal, New Orleans Jazz
Sept.2008: Patrick Kane, San Diego Hawks  (covers 2007 NHL Draft)

Here are the GOHL Trade Deadline stats since GOHL 1;
(not counting draft picks)

-Some of the slowest trade deadlines had an extremely
busy week before, so many filled holes before the
actual deadline.

-GOHL 4 had the deadline on a Thursday. Something
i knew would not be as good, and it wasn't.
There are reasons the league does certain things
and will not do others.. for the most part it's
"been there, done that" with other leagues. So
we've seen things that work or don't.
The Thursday deadline didn't.

NOT A TRADE deadline, but Dec.27/2001 is also
a special trading day...
20 trades - 72 players. Plus 32 draft picks.
Reason for that? The trade freeze was over and
new rates were entered, and the Entry Draft
was the week after.

Biggest single trade?
Probably any done by the Troy Vipers...
On July 3/2001, the Vipers made a 13 player swap
including draft picks.
May 23/01, a 10 player deal.
April 22/01, a 15 player and pick transaction.

January 25, 2008
The Victoria Wolverines and Vancouver Islanders made GOHL history tonight playing in the
first ever shootout.  Mark Recchi took the first ever SO shot for Victoria but was stopped
by Marty Turco. Vancouver's Andrew Brunette made history by scoring the only and winning
goal in the shootout beating goalie Vesa Toskala.

GOHL Action Pics! Check out some pics from a few of league's stars.

GOHL 2002 Olympic Challenge

Follow Canada and Russia as they play exhibition games vs the GOHL 5 as an Olympic warmup.

Standings   Schedule   Rosters   Leaders   Individual Leaders

Team scoring   Team stats   Injuries