​

Welcome to Kawagama Lake and welcome to the 10th anniversary NHFL draft. Thank you, so much, for coming. 9 drafts, 14 GMs, 1340 draft picks, countless hours of preparation time (and 'wing it' time), preparation for drafts that occurred online, in downtown Toronto, at Camelot Towers in Hamilton, in a basement mancave in Bradford, in Frontenac country, in a takeover of the main floor of a Cambridge home, under the lights of the first ever projector-style draft board at Penn State, right after the first full-on NHFL golf tournament at a beautiful course in Sudbury, and between campfires in Belmont. Now, we're here. Hopefully - this time - all 10 of us. With a cold drink in hand, reminiscing about the highs and lows of past years and looking ahead to what the 2017-18 season might have in store.

Welcome to Kawagama Lake. Welcome to the 10th NHFL draft. 

​

DICK CHEESE

​

What an absolute gem of an addition you have been to the GM pool since the moment you joined in the summer of 2012. You express your gratitude for this league more than any other GM, so let me try to return the favour as best I can. I feel like I speak for all the other GMs when I say that we are blown away by your commitment to traveling all over southern Ontario for drafts, HDIC's and other get-togethers. We all gravitate toward you. You're kind, considerate, fun-loving and have got a great sense of humour. Very few people make me laugh as hard and frequently as you do. Don't ever change - You are going to make one hell of a father

​

BRIGADE HK

​

Cousin in name, brother in practice. You weren't the biggest hockey fan when we kicked this thing off 10 seasons ago, but you took to it in short order and boy am I glad you did because now I can't picture playing in this league without you. I was too young to remember when I first started looking up to you, and that hasn't changed. Hangouts, double-dates, pub nights, concerts, league-related gatherings, and you stood next to me at my wedding. You've been the big brother I never had, and I'm eternally grateful. thanks for being there over the years. Just ease up on the pre-pubescent hockey players tho.

​

FUNKY COLD MOLINA

​

I don't think you fully understand the magnitude of the positive influence you had on the league when you took over your roster in 2010. It didn't take long for everyone to realize that the league improved drastically just by having you as part of it. Having known you as a friend prior to 2010, I knew this was going to be case: you have a tendency to naturally bring happiness to those you interact with. You're easily approachable, hilariously personable, thoughtful and unassuming. I'll summarize by saying that you are, without a doubt, the greatest person in the history of the world..... that was punched in the face by a girl

​

CERBERUS HC

​

Seriously, how can I possibly communicate in this small space what you mean to me and this league? You have consistently been the glue that has kept the NHFL together. During the darker times, it was you that convinced others that there were brighter days ahead. Its been you that has consistently hyped events up and got everyone excited. Its been you. Its always been you. When the phone rings and I see it's you calling, I have to collect myself before answering because I know i'm about to laugh, and laugh a lot. Without you, the NHFL doesn't exist. Without you, this web of friendships between the 10 of us doesn't exist. I'm so lucky you're a part of my life.

​

G.O.A.T.

​

Let me begin with a sincere and heartfelt 'Thank You' for offering to host the draft and for arranging to have it at your family's cottage. The Kawagama Lake cottage is home to so many fond memories of mine (including some that you and I shared together) that I can't think of a more appropriate location to celebrate the 10th NHFL draft. You were the missing piece we were looking for when you came aboard in 2012; a funny, kind and considerate person that also happened to be a passionate hockey fan and who can trash talk with the best of 'em. Thanks again, brother.

​

STATE COLLEGE MML

​

I can't explain it. The first time we met, I felt like I had already known you for years. The handful of times each year we get to hang out, it always seems like not a beat has been missed. Maybe it's your dry (and rated r) sense of humour that just gets me. Maybe it's that we share a first name (this is probably the reason). Maybe it's because you're a truly genuine, down-to-earth person (this definitely isn't the reason). Ten drafts together. Amazing, isn't it? And to me, it seems like it has just flown by, while simultaneously also feeling like I've known you a lot longer than that. I can't explain it, I'm just happy to call you 'friend'

​

FISHER KINGS

​

Coming up on 20 years of friendship, there is so much to look back on that it's difficult to narrow the highlights down to a couple paragraphs. The trip to panama, the annual hiatus, your wedding day and, of course, gatherings at Kawagama Lake are the events we shared that will have an everlasting and profound impact on my life. In that sense, it's entirely fitting that we celebrate 10 years of the NHFL and 20 years of friendship together overlooking Kawagama Lake. You're an incredible person: you're hard working, funny, intelligent, caring, you're a natural leader and, easiest of all to see; you are a great father. Love you, brother

​

THE WHITE STACHE HC

​

The big brother to all, I want you to know that your commitment to travel from Ottawa to the drafts these past couple years is incredible, but it's not just the travel time - it's making yourself available to even attend the draft in the first place. The league doesn't know how lucky we are that you bend over backwards and sacrifice vacation time in order to come and hang out with us for the draft weekend. You don't receive enough credit. I couldn't have chosen a better person to take over my own brother's team all those years ago. You're a true friend, an admirable brother, and a stellar father. You're also a kick-ass jocko winner.

​

MR. TRADE

​

When you gave $20 to a homeless guy the night I met you, my first thought was that you made a hilarious drunk mistake. But it wasn't a mistake. You're just one of the most generous people I've ever met. You share, without hesitation, what you have. No matter how much or how little it is, and that is just the tip of the iceberg of what I love about you. Your trade energy - present since the league inception - spread like wildfire to the other GMs over the years and was a catalyst in morphing the NHFL from a run-of-the-mill fantasy league, to the ultimate experience that we all now get to share with our best friends.

​

MICHAEL HAYMAN / HC HAYMOS