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***RAmenAmen*** · 01-05-2025, 04:37 PM

It hasn’t been long compared to some of the users around here, but it feels like a lifetime ago that I stumbled across a reddit thread advertising the SHL - a league I’d discovered years before but never had the courage to jump into something I worried would be too time consuming to stick with. In retrospect, I missed some of the biggest years of the SHL during the pandemic, but I ended up joining at the exact right time to meet some great friends and get sucked into what would become a huge part of my life these last three years.

I’ve been lucky enough to dabble in a pretty wide range of jobs across the league, in several departments including a brief stint as the J Awards head, and of course, GMing Quebec City as co-GM for 6 seasons before taking on the head GM position in S72. I’ve played for some great teams and have had plenty to celebrate thanks to some great teammates and a whole lot of luck, but it’s the people I get to talk to and work with (or even against, with a great group of GMs in the league) that keep me coming back and looking forward to the next few years!

Anyway, now that ruby card packs are a thing I need to make more money, and I've never done a presser before so ask me anything you’d like and I’ll try to answer when I can!

***

01-05-2025, 04:40 PMJamesT Wrote: S79 Charity drive cards when?

Soon! The database was a huge challenge, and we had to comb through a lot of weird issues first, but they're finally all available for the art team, who are hard at work on it!

01-05-2025, 04:41 PMBadWolf Wrote: Wow, 3 years already! Glad to call you a friend.
So tell me, if you had to narrow down your top 3 accomplishments, what would they be?
I know that’s a bit hard, you’ve done so much!

The same to you! Narrowing it down is hard, because so many "accomplishments" here are hard to pin down. As a player, that first cup win is always unforgettable, in particular because of how long it took to finish the rebuild in Edmonton and how much work everyone put into planning builds together, earning to a high level, and choosing to take risks and go all-in as a team when we did. And of course, any finals series that goes to 7 games is going to stick with you in a way that others won't. As a GM though, my proudest accomplishment has to be seeing the S76 QCC team finally lift the cup. When Lore and I took over the team, we had some really tough conversations about what we needed and the trades we'd have to make to position us for future success. We knew we built a great team, largely off the backs of that S74 draft class, but after finishing the regular season in 1st for 3 straight seasons without a cup I was really worried that the players would come up empty after everything they'd given to the team. Of any winning team I've been a part of, that's the one that I'm most proud of.

Wins are great, but I think my favorite "accomplishment" after three years here has to be the friends I've made along the way. I know it sounds cheesy, but those in the know know that I've had a really tough couple of years, and I've had a ton of support from everyone here, not just in QCC/EDM/SFP. I joined the league on a whim because I like hockey and my favorite games are spreadsheets, but that's ended up being the least important thing I've done here.

01-05-2025, 04:41 PMRevontulete Wrote: Which jobs have you enjoyed the most within your three years here? I'm sure GMing is up there, but I'd love to hear what other jobs you enjoyed and why

GMing is my favorite, and the J is the league I love to do it in. Seeing excited new users come into the league and giving them the tools they need to succeed is the best feeling there is. Watching one of your draftees go on to win the SHL MVP is something you just can't beat! I've also really enjoyed being part of awards teams and the resurrection of the HoF committee. Diving into stats is a passion of mine, and I love being able to reward people for everything they do!

I've only been part of the cards team as the operations lead for a little while now, but I really love what that team is doing and I'm excited for what we're going to be able to show you all in seasons to come! As a longtime card enjoyer and occasional complainer, I was shocked by just how much goes on behind the scenes and I'm even more impressed with the work that goes into it! Some of the back end work for our little hobby site is on par with the work I see in a Fortune 500 company (and a lot of it is better).

01-05-2025, 04:42 PMspidey Wrote: Justin Time has accomplished more than most goalies and players in league history. What are some of your favourite highlights? What is there left to accomplish to call it a career? How many seasons do you believe you have left?

I'm really proud of what Time has been able to do so far. It's no secret that life as a goalie is... different than being a skater, and it's easy to get discouraged when things don't go your way, but it's also what drove me to find other ways to contribute to my teams and find my way to coaching and GMing. With the Razov this past season I've won all the awards goalies can realistically win, and joining the exclusive 500 club was something I never expected when I created. Doing it in the same season as someone like Rebecca Montagne, who I've looked up to for most of my career as the model of how to be a modern goalie, just makes it that much better. I've made no secret what I'm after at this point though, and that's passing @Matteo for 1st in all time wins and being the first goalie in the 600 win club. That kind of accomplishment isn't one you can do by yourself though, and it's only remotely in reach because I've been part of two outstanding SHL teams in the Blizzard and the Pride. Earning to 2k gives you a lot more rolls of the dice, but you can't put together the wins I've had without a full team of people helping you get there. If I make it to 600 it'll be because of them more than me. As for how many seasons I have left, I want my recreate to be Justin's kid, and I'm a stickler for realism, so that means somewhere in the S87-S90 range. Lots of time to rack up wins as a backup before diving back into the J.

01-05-2025, 04:45 PMThePyroAlpaca Wrote: What's your biggest regret as GM? ( has to be a decision you made, don't just bail and say wish I won more cups haha)

You don't GM for long without regrets, and I've made my share of bad draft picks and bad trades. Most of the time hindsight makes your decisions look black and white, but I think the only time I've really looked back and said "I should have done this differently and I *knew* I should have done it differently when I did it" was when I let my war room talk me into a draft decision I knew in my gut wasn't the right call. Sometimes you have to follow your gut, and whenever I've deviated from it I've made mistakes.

01-05-2025, 04:47 PMNaomiMannequeen Wrote: What's been your favourite part about GMing so far? What's been your least favourite part of the job?

I mentioned it earlier, but seeing draftees grow into SHL stars is what GMing in the J is all about. Now some of them are GMs, coaches, or MVPs on their respective teams, and it gives me even more reasons to cheer for pretty much everyone in the league. Those connections are what make this hobby more than a video game and so rewarding to be part of.

Least favorite is tough. Sometimes players don't fit like you hoped they would, or you try to give second chances and get burned. If you GM long enough, you're going to have conflicts and be responsible for resolving them, and that's never a fun part of the job.

01-05-2025, 05:00 PMHabsFanFromOntario Wrote: Who exactly IS Jojo Larkin?

Man I miss that guy. He was great at trash talking me in the J and I was really excited to have him as a teammate in EDM. Hopefully wherever he went he's having a good time.

01-05-2025, 05:06 PMschotte74 Wrote: Let's play Look-alikes! Tell us some names RAmenAmen was told he looks like!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjYrquUdgKM

Haha, this is great! Thanks for making the presser less "boring" and giving me something silly. IRL, I've been told I look like Tim Thomas when I'm on the ice, and I'm still not sure whether it was meant as a compliment.

01-05-2025, 05:59 PMenigmatic Wrote: What do you look for when drafting a player?

Happy 3 years Ramen grateful you landed in Québec with us.

Couldn't have asked for a better place to land, and happy to still be a part of it!

When drafting in the J, I'm looking for someone who brings energy to a locker room, wants to learn, and will be a positive member of our community. I think a player's first couple seasons set the tone for who they'll develop into over their career, and my most successful teams have come about when the locker room looks to lift each other up and drive their teammates to earn. I also have a strong preference for first gen players, because the J is about welcoming people to our community and showing them what the SHL is all about, and I think first gens both give and receive more energy from J locker rooms than recreates do most of the time.

01-05-2025, 08:42 PMpatricianlobster Wrote: Have you ever traded/lost a player you really wanted to keep? What sort of challenges does that pose to a GM when filling in a void for someone you wanted to keep but couldn't?

Sure have! I think I "lose out" on players I want every draft, but I've had late picks that just didn't pan out who we lost to inactivity, and I've occasionally had to move someone who didn't fit well in the team or didn't make sense to keep with our roster. It always sucks to see someone go, but you have to view every situation like that as an opportunity to get the best value you can for your team. When I first took over the head GM spot, we knew we weren't a competitive team and we were facing even bigger roster gaps the following season, so we shipped out three capped players to get future picks in return, and that helped build the core that won us the cup in S76. Players who went IA ended up making room for unexpected waiver adds who would go onto be cornerstones of the team for multiple seasons. Nothing ever goes completely as planned, and being flexible and willing to adapt on the fly means you'll always be ready to jump on opportunities that come your way.

01-06-2025, 11:20 AMBy-Tor Wrote: Is it hard being that awesome?

You're too kind. And yes.

01-07-2025, 11:35 AMChevy Wrote: What's next after JT?

Also <3 you as a person and glad to have you here in the SHL.

The goalie position is my first and foremost love, and I hope to come back to it someday, but it'll have been 4 years irl with a goalie and that's enough for the worst masochist. The plan is to try a scoring forward next, but I'm hoping the meta changes a bit before that happens so we get another era of people trying new things. The SHL is a bit stale in terms of builds right now, and being on the GM side exposes you to a *lot* of build work.

01-08-2025, 12:35 PMjaypc8237 Wrote: What has been your favourite season ever to play as a player and as a gm. Can be 2 separate for each

I feel like I'm banging the S76 drum a lot, but it works for both again here. Like I said above, on the GM side in QCC it was the culmination of my first real "4 year plan" at the start of my GM tenure, and seeing it pay off was super gratifying, especially with how much it meant to the people in the LR. On the player side, S76 was a special one for a lot of reasons. My first cup in S73 was a roller coaster of stressful coaching, and my chance to enjoy it was cut short when my dad passed away the day the following day. I scaled back my SHL engagement quite a bit after that to spend time with family, and felt more frustrated and burnt out by sim stuff than anything else. The move to SFP in S76 was a fresh start I didn't realize I needed, and getting to enjoy the full ride to the cup that season with a franchise that had never won before was a really special thing to be a part of.

**JamesT** · 01-05-2025, 04:40 PM

S79 Charity drive cards when?

[Image: 677997595016298552.webp?size=96&animated=true]

***BadWolf*** · 01-05-2025, 04:41 PM

Wow, 3 years already! Glad to call you a friend.
So tell me, if you had to narrow down your top 3 accomplishments, what would they be?
I know that’s a bit hard, you’ve done so much!

***Revontulete*** · 01-05-2025, 04:41 PM

Which jobs have you enjoyed the most within your three years here? I'm sure GMing is up there, but I'd love to hear what other jobs you enjoyed and why

spidey · 01-05-2025, 04:42 PM

Justin Time has accomplished more than most goalies and players in league history. What are some of your favourite highlights? What is there left to accomplish to call it a career? How many seasons do you believe you have left?

***ThePyroAlpaca*** · 01-05-2025, 04:45 PM

What's your biggest regret as GM? ( has to be a decision you made, don't just bail and say wish I won more cups haha)

*NaomiMannequeen* · 01-05-2025, 04:47 PM

What's been your favourite part about GMing so far? What's been your least favourite part of the job?

***HabsFanFromOntario*** · 01-05-2025, 05:00 PM

Who exactly IS Jojo Larkin?

schotte74 · 01-05-2025, 05:06 PM

Let's play Look-alikes! Tell us some names RAmenAmen was told he looks like!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjYrquUdgKM

***RAmenAmen*** · 01-05-2025, 05:21 PM

Updated to here!

enigmatic · 01-05-2025, 05:59 PM

What do you look for when drafting a player?

Happy 3 years Ramen Smile

grateful you landed in Québec with us.

patricianlobster · 01-05-2025, 08:42 PM

Have you ever traded/lost a player you really wanted to keep? What sort of challenges does that pose to a GM when filling in a void for someone you wanted to keep but couldn't?

***RAmenAmen*** · 01-05-2025, 09:42 PM

Updated to here!

By-Tor · 01-06-2025, 11:20 AM

Is it hard being that awesome?

Credit to enigmatic, Merica, tweedledunn, and jaypc8237 for sigs

***Chevy*** · 01-07-2025, 11:35 AM

What's next after JT?

Also <3 you as a person and glad to have you here in the SHL.

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