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NJBadApple · 03-31-2024, 12:12 PM

April of 2020 I posted a "Goodbye, SHL" thread, announcing my time being complete in the SHL. At the time, I had my first child on the cusp of being born (she's now almost four years old) and had gotten a promotion at my job.. so I figured it was the right time to step away from a community that I had come to love.

As fate would have it, one day I stumbled across a recruiting post on the /r/hockey subreddit close to two years later. It was nice to see that the community was not only still alive, but had grown exponentially and was thriving at a level that I never could've imagined. Although the SHL was completely healthy when I had initially left, I always thought it would fade into obscurity as most things tend to do. I couldn't have been more wrong, and curiosity took a hold of me as I once again ventured to the forums.

I was blown away; the SHL had grown to more than 15 teams, and SMJHL has also expanded (a conversation that was ongoing for literal years anyway). As the weeks ticked on, I couldn't help but think about the amazing community that had fallen back into my lap and maybe - just maybe - I had the time to make a return. Alas, I gave into destiny and finally pulled the trigger on making another player, completing the inevitable circle from "goodbye forever" to "lol nevermind".

Mads McBride is an ode to my (real life) Irish heritage; the first name is an iteration of someone that I care greatly about in my life, and the last name is just about as Irish as it gets. Helping with this transition back to SHL life was certainly propelled, at least in part, to the massive bank account that had collected dust, accumulating nearly $130M in the process from IA contracts and WJC success (thankfully my last player was with Canada during their golden years).

Fast forward a couple of years, and now ten seasons in the SHL, McBride has collected few individual accolades but continues to be one of the most consistent performers in the league and continues the climb towards elite company. Through ten seasons, his accmplishments and statistics are:

660 Games Played
373 Goals
449 Assists
822 Points
+293
1125 Hits

Ryan Jesster Finalist
3x All Star
3x IIHF Medalist (Gold, Silver, Bronze)
2x IIHF Top Forward

The climb continues, as McBride hopes to become the 6th player in SHL history to reach 500 goals over the next several seasons in addition to joining the elusive 1000 point club.

***CapnCooper*** · 03-31-2024, 12:39 PM

Don't forget about Jeff Dar nominee!
Outstanding career so far! And a huge season to come! Happy to have you with us in Texas! And glad you came back to the community!

If you're continuing the presser portion of your media:
What's kept McBride such a consistent player in the league? Despite team they are on they seem to always get the job done.