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*Otrebor13* · 07-13-2020, 01:22 PM

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of "Visiting the Office of..."! After a much anticipated and awaited return of the series (I think? Are there really any people who read all of these and are waiting for more to come out?), we're back with another great read for you all!

Today's edition is a little bit different than the previous ones. VTOO has typically interviewed GMs who have been around the SHL for a while, and/or have had a long tenure as a GM of their club. However, we're mixing it up today and bringing on a member who has not been around as long, but someone who is a great member of the SHL family and was fantastic to speak to. That's right, today's edition of VTOO we have got the GM of the Minnesota Chiefs: Collin Gibbles!

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Well Mr. Gibbles, you're one of the younger members on the SHL who I've had the pleasure of interviewing for this series. You joined the SHL back in Season 46 and are still on your first player. We like to get to know the GM, but let's discuss your player a little bit first. When you joined the SHL, what were your intentions when creating your player? Did you have any goals in mind?

When I first joined the SHL in the S45 SMJHL entry draft, I was unsure of how everything would go. I came across the league completely at random but the amount of change it has had on my life has been immeasurable. When Collin Gibbles was first conceptualized I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Pavel Datsyuk and create a winger that drives puck possession as well as adds a defensive aspect to my game. I wanted to be a dependable player that could contribute on both ends of the ice and be one of the most reliable forwards in the league. When I was first starting out, I was truly unsure of how long my player would last in the league but I had high aspirations from the beginning. The whole concept of the SHL was so foreign that if I did not get hooked in my first season, I'm pretty sure I would have gone inactive early into my career. I also knew when I joined that barring extreme circumstances, I would want to stay with a single team for my entire career.

Detroit Red Wings' Pavel Datsyuk, the inspiration for Collin Gibbles in the SHL today.

Now that you've been around for almost 10 seasons, have those goals changed? If so, what are your new goals?

10 seasons in the league has gone by a lot faster than expected. I think my goals have largely remained the same with some slight adjustments due to changes in the league and understanding how things function better. For example, I did not know our previous Sim Engine did not track takeaways, which was a huge aspect for my player's concept. With the arrival of FHM, I can once again focus on this aspect. My commitment to staying on the same team hasn't wavered, despite the rocky road in Minnesota I saw as a player. If I wasn't committed to that, I would not have signed an 18 season contract haha. Along the way my I have also picked up some new goals. With my current player, I hope to be the first forward to play 1000 games for Minnesota, which coincides with the end of my contract. I also set my sights on making it to the HOF, it might be a harder path with the engine swap but I'm determined to see it happen.

I'm sure with your dedication to both your player and building a quality team, Gibbles should be able to amass the accolades needed to have his name etched in the Hall of Fame forever.

What's interesting is you're one of the few SHL members who got in to managing early in to their time on the site. You joined back in Season 46 and were appointed as Anaheim's Co-GM in Season 47. I'm curious if that shifted your focus on your player and the league became more about managing while also having a player? Do you think you would have enjoyed a couple more seasons of just working on your player and having less responsibilities?

Looking back, I'm glad to have gotten into team management when I did. I think taking on that job definitely broadened my mind about many aspects of the league. While I enjoyed being an updater, I have found GMing to be more rewarding in the long run. I think the added responsibility honestly helped me stay more invested in my player. In a way I felt like I had to keep up my earning to provide a good example for my own players, but I also didn't want to be the one dragging my own team down with a player that could be more useful. I think for me personally, I need some sort of job to keep my mind engaged with the league. I have been guilty of falling into a pattern of "Out of sight, Out of mind".

When you were appointed the full time GM of the Anaheim Outlaws, you decided to re-brand the team. I'm sure our readers would love to know the reasoning behind this and what your intentions were with the new logo for the team.

When I took over as Head GM of the Anaheim Outlaws, we were riding off the success of 2 Finals appearances and 1 Four Star Cup win. It was brought to my attention that the logo used when the franchise was brought into the league was not original. With the success of the team and my newly found wealth from updating, I wanted to give the team something that was completely their own. I wanted the team to stand out with a unique logo but I also didn't want to completely throw away the branding that many of the first generation of Outlaws had come to enjoy. So I reached out to a few of the graphics heavyweights in the league, but didn't get much of a response until Wasty contacted me. He took the concept that I was looking to emulate and knocked it out of the park. I can't deny there is a slight bit of nepotism in the design with the rabbit being a reference to my own creation of the team mascot Outlungus. But in that, I did spend time to discover that there are rabbits native to the wild areas of southern California that fit with our vision for the team. We kept the hat and bandanna as reference to the old logo as we kept the name and location of the team. We also wanted to more concretely create a consistent branding for the team still very much in its infancy.

I've got to say, I like what you envisioned for the logo and Wasty definitely did a great job designing it. Having unique logos made specific for the league is great and I love to see it.

Now I'd like to shift our focus away from the SMJHL and on to the SHL. Your hiring to be the Minnesota Chiefs' GM didn't come without it's share of controversy. For anyone reading who is not aware, McZ was brought in to Minnesota and many believed he would take over as the GM when Shmurph stepped down prior to Season 52. However, you were named the GM instead. There was mixed feelings on the hiring, there was backlash from McZ himself and many around the league. You had never even regressed your own player, which some may believe to be an integral part to the GM hiring process.

You were very quiet and professional throughout the whole process, but I'm sure a lot of people would like to know your perspective on it all.

This is a subject I haven't talked of publicly much since it was still relatively recent, but now that we have passed 3 seasons since my hiring I am definitely more willing to dive into the subject. Not many will know, but I started getting involved with the Minnesota Management Group when the McZ trade went down.We had recently gotten through the Daco fiasco and that trade did not make the franchise look great to the majority of the league. I don't blame the previous management, but at that point my plans to keep my player with the franchise started to shift. I wanted to make my voice known and help shape the future of the team after seeing a move to win after being told we were going to rebuild and plan on the future. When I was Anaheim I felt that had to be my #1 priority and that I should not be trying to run my SHL team as well. In that regard I mainly functioned as a scout and voiced my opinions behind the scenes on matters when I felt appropriate. But I could definitely see how the opinion of Minnesota was changing around the league at the time. Although I could see Shmurphs resignation coming for a bit, I was still very unsure on if I wanted to go for the job. I planned to stay in Anaheim for a long time and be the SMJHL's next TML in terms of GM's. Once the writing was on the wall, I had multiple people across the league reach out to me and ask if I was going to go for it. I was also recently coming off a month long bout of bronchitis and the flu that kept me off the site more than I would have liked. But in that time I also saw that the group I had assembled in Anaheim was more than capable of leading if I were to move to the SHL to help my other team. It was definitely a tough choice, but in the end I put together probably one of my favorite applications I've ever made and threw my hat into the ring. I kept my application out of public knowledge for a few reasons.

1. In the event I didn't get the position, I didn't see a need to panic the team in Anaheim that I was itching to leave. I told myself when I became Head GM in Anaheim that I would only leave for a Head GM position as I preferred being in that spot of an organization.
2. I knew that public perception was that McZ was the front-runner. While I was relatively accomplished in my short time on the site, I did not know how others would take my appointment as GM. I figured there would be some that thought I was the wrong choice, so I wanted to prepare for the worst if it happened.
3. I have not been a horribly outspoken person and I prefer to take a more measured and reserved approach to my interactions in the league at times. While I do love to joke and have fun, I also realize that my actions can have far more reaching consequences than I intend.

How did you take the negativity towards your hiring?

The negativity was something I don't think anyone is ever truly prepared to see about themselves. At first when I saw it, there was definitely some anger and sadness related to it. But as the situation developed it became easier to separate myself from the comments and focus more on the tasks in front of me.

Did it make you question your ability to become an SHL GM?

I don't think it really made me question my ability to GM. When the original drama erupted from my hiring, I elected to stay out of the mud-slinging and just hold a presser for those who had questions. I can say that I was relieved and fully felt the love of the league when I saw the overwhelming public support of my appointment in those threads, not just from those close to me, but from those who I barely interacted with. It meant a lot to me personally to see people reaching out in private and public to support me. I knew there would likely be those who did not agree with it, but as time has gone by I can look back with a certain fondness and laughter at it all.

Collin Gibbles in a rare interview after being appointed as GM of the Minnesota Chiefs

To piggyback off of that, the Chiefs were in a tough spot as an organization. The direction was unclear and a lot of people didn't want to play there. You set your direction for the team and had to make some moves for those who didn't want to be a part of it. How did you feel when players told you they didn't want to be a part of the team or play for you?

It's never easy as a GM to hear that someone wants out. It definitely makes you question if it was something you did or if you could have prevented it. When I took over, I let the entire team know the direction and plan I had for the team. I also let the know that if they didn't want that for their player, I was more than willing to find them a new home. Thankfully many of the players understood our position and invested in my plan when they could have easily left. From this I brought many new voices into our management team so they could help shape the future of the franchise. I'm happy I was able to get a return for most of the players who were ready to move on as well. I took over the team knowing it was going to be a few seasons before I could hope to see the fruits of our work. We are starting to enter the period where the moves and draft picks from that first off-season will start playing for the team and shaping our image. In the end, I can never fault someone for not wanting the most for their player, but I think I have made it clear to my team that I'm always willing to work with them to accomplish their SHL dreams.

There's been a lot to discuss with your hiring, but let's look at the actual GMing aspect. As my first guest since the switch from STHS to FHM, I would like to know your thoughts on the switch so far? How have you found the transition as a GM? Were you opposed to the switch (or perhaps still don't like it)?

The switch from STHS to FHM has been a drastic change. While STHS served the league for it's first 52 seasons, it became apparent a change was needed from a variety of sources. I don't blame anyone for forcing the change, the flaws in STHS were bound to be brought to light eventually and we all knew of many other issues. Once we hit the point of no return, I have supported the change as I think in the long term it will benefit the league. I can say that the engine swap has come with it's share of positives and negatives after 2 seasons with FHM. There has definitely a change in how we perceive the league as the gap between top teams and bottom teams has become extremely evident. Even on a bad team in STHS, you could have a great season as a player and your team could sneak into the playoffs. This simply isn't the case anymore and I had to shift my long term plans accordingly. I had originally hope to sustain as a wild card team and slowly bring in talent to build the franchise into a competitor. Now with that not being an option, I have had to embrace a more traditional rebuild mentality. There are definitely benefits we have gained from FHM, but I think it's too soon to make the call on if it was the right move. I think there are still many worries I have for the league in regards to the switch. Hopefully with all the hard work people are doing to improve the league we will see even greater heights.

As you mentioned, a lot of people have realized that FHM has significantly reduced the amount of parity between teams and removed some of the luck that STHS had. However, do you think it's a little bit out of hand, like seeing Tampa Bay go 0-50-0? Do you think having that is good/bad for the league as a whole?

I think it's definitely something we need to keep an eye on as a league but I don't know if I would classify it as a problem. I can say from my own experience it can be discouraging being on team at the bottom of the standings. It can be hard to keep people motivated when we known less than a week into the season that we are not going to make the post-season. I also worry about how it will affect players in terms of recognition in the long run. With STHS, a high TPE player would perform well even on a bad team. We have seen that with FHM this is no longer the case. How we measure a career will have to shift with FHM as a great player who is not on great teams simply will not produce at the same levels as we had previously seen. I don't think we will see scoring leaders or MVP's on bottom teams like we would in prior seasons. So much more of your individual success will come from the overall strength of your team. I think the easiest way to describe my feelings on the matter would be concerned. I can easily see teams staying bad as players are unwilling to devote large portions of their prime playing career to not produce on a rebuilding team. When you know you simply won't play as well on a bad team, it's hard to convince players to come to your team for a possible future.

I think you bring up a great point. As much as people want to win, everyone also wants to see individual success. In the end, that's the reason we're creating our own players. I think this season definitely shed some light on this potential issue, and I'm hoping people are keeping an eye on these things.

Lastly, I'd like to end it off with something much more light. Mr. Recipe himself. Some people love it and some people hate it, but how did it come to you to post your recipes in threads? Where did this idea come from? Is there a recipe you refuse to share with the SHL? If so, why?

I wondered if we would touch on this. The recipe thing, like many of my contributions to the league came from a random idea I had one day. I noticed occasionally a former SMJHL GM(NJBadApple) would share recipes on discord or on the site. I have always enjoyed cooking but I have never really written down the things I make. I have had a few jobs involving food and I have always been known to test strange ideas out and make use of what I have. I have always thought it would be a cool thing to make my own cookbook one day. It also forces me to finally write down my recipes instead of forgetting them later.

So one day when the latest drama had erupted in the SHL, I decided I would share a recipe that I had recently been talking about with the SMJHL GMs. I somehow like the idea of a room of people shouting at each other, I enter, recite off a recipe, and leave. I mainly come into threads long after everything has cooled down or simmered to add something that I think people might enjoy. In part I do like to reduce the toxicity we see on this site as I think that is one of the biggest constant issues we see. I have had a few people try them out and that makes me happy to see someone else enjoying a recipe I made. I don't think there is a recipe I would share specifically in my mind. The main thing that limits what I choose to share is that I like to pick something that just about anyone can make for the most part. Too often I watch some online recipe or food video and they use 12 things only a professional chef would own or appliances that barely anyone would keep in their kitchen. I like to bring things that are fairly simple but delicious since that's a lot of what I cook at home. Occasionally I change it up and add something more complex but not everyone is great in the kitchen. I know not everyone cares about them or they see it as a dumb thing to do, but to that I simply say "Is it any more dumb than arguing about drama, adding toxicity, and getting upset on a website devoted to simulating a hockey league?"

Collin Gibbles (middle) serving some of his homemade recipes to locals

I have yet to try one of your recipes, but it's something I have been meaning to get around to! Mr. Gibbles, thank you very much for taking the time out of your day to be with us here at VTOO. I'm sure our readers will really enjoy this edition and really get a glimpse into your rise as the current Minnesota Chiefs GM, I know I did!

After a long hiatus, I bring you the 7th edition of VTOO. To all those who have been waiting for another one of these for some time, I apologize for the delay. I would also like to thank @SpartanGibbles once again for his cooperation on this interview. He was extremely quick with his responses and a great candidate to help me get this article out to all of you as quickly as possible.

To the readers who continue to come back for my articles and the inside scoop on some of our GMs around the SHL, thank you very much. I hope to bring another edition of VTOO soon!

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Previous Editions:

6th Edition: Visiting the Office of... Esa Anrikkanen!
5th Edition: Visiting the Office of… Connor Tanner!
4th Edition: Visiting the Office of... Erik Chisling!
3rd Edition: Visiting the Office of… Joe Kortesi!
2nd Edition: Visiting the Office of… Niclas Wastlund!
1st Edition: Visiting the Office of... Luke Thomason!

Word Count: Approximately 3720
*Grader Note: Gibbles has allowed for me to have 100% of the payout of this article.

***luke*** · 07-13-2020, 01:25 PM

damn we gotta redo ours now that i am a big shot GM

TheHockeyist · 07-13-2020, 06:21 PM

Nice read.

Mutedfaith · 07-14-2020, 04:29 AM

Quote:I know not everyone cares about them or they see it as a dumb thing to do, but to that I simply say "Is it any more dumb than arguing about drama, adding toxicity, and getting upset on a website devoted to simulating a hockey league?"

Gibbles, I love you but yes: It's immensely more dumb to derail a thread with a recipe.

Mutedfaith · 07-14-2020, 04:29 AM

Nice interview tho.

*Carpy48* · 07-14-2020, 12:52 PM

Very interesting to read this.
I found this part here particularly interesting (and yes, also concerning): "I also worry about how it will affect players in terms of recognition in the long run.".

There are players, myself included, currently on not-so-good teams now that definitely don't want to leave their teams for different reasons, but it's likely that they'll never win enough awards (if any) or have other recognition simply because their teams are so bad to make the HOF. And yes, we probably can blame FHM for that. I'm curious how others see this.

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