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How did we get here? Ten years of fantasy hockey filled with additions, subtractions and changes, culminating in a league that is driven to improve itself on an almost-consistent basis. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and seeing as this league is larger and more complex than Rome ever was, the NHFL was obviously not built on that timescale, either. I would like to share what springs to mind, for me, when I consider how and why this league is so cherished amongst ourselves.

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THE EARLY YEARS

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There have been two Commissioners in the NHFL’s history. In 2008, Evan founded the league as its first Commissioner, and invited me to play. The draft was completed online that year, and if I recall correctly, it wasn’t until part-way through that draft that we decided to make this a keeper league. We’d hash out the rules later. We’d hash out a lot of rules later that year – turns out I wasn’t the only one that was new to the world of fantasy hockey and wasn’t prepared for what was to come. As a league, we were caught off guard, and the full effects wouldn’t be felt for another couple seasons.

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2009-10 was the first season I acted as Commissioner. I don’t remember how being in that position came about, only that I was out of my depth when it did. I had some ideas for league changes and additions: going to 8 playoffs teams from 6 and introducing a farm team were two of the more notable changes I proposed. Both were implemented sloppily and, in hindsight, without proper consideration. We scrapped the one idea the next season, and the other one took some growing pains and tweaks before it started receiving favorable reviews. Infighting on the message board started to creep into the NHFL experience, and my brother got caught up in it. It stressed me out knowing that the league was stressing him out. The NHFL was just a thing at that point. And for me, it was a thing trending in the wrong direction.

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I was Commissioner again for the 2010-11 season. Going into the year, we had replaced one GM that was no longer interested in being a part of the league, and by the time the season was over, I was one of a couple other GMs that had also had enough. I wasn’t interested in returning for a 4th season. We weren’t prepared. My brother left the league on unpleasant terms, other GMs were arguing amongst themselves, I sucked as Commissioner. I had enough. I quit. We weren’t prepared.

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It was Evan who wouldn’t give up as easily. He convinced me to give it another try. He offered to take over Commissioner duties again, and told me that, going forward, it would be different. I believed him. The vitriol that sullied the message boards in previous seasons faded, for the most part.  We still lost a GM mid-season, and then we’d lose the GM that replaced him, and then another GM for good measure at the end of the year. Maybe it was the optimism that Evo shared with me in order to talk me into coming back, but even through all of that GM turnover, it felt different than before. By the end of that season, after having the year off as Commissioner, I remember wanting the role back. I don’t recall whether I asked for the role, took the role, or was fortunately re-handed role – but I know I wanted it back. I was re-energized. I had a plan. I knew how I wanted things to be done. A vision was starting to evolve.

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THE MODERN NHFL

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I can’t say for certain if the additions of Matt and Marty were the main catalysts in kicking this league into a series of higher gears, but they’ve certainly played an important role. Whether we knew it or not, the additions of Matt and Marty (and Michael M and Chris in the preceding years) solidified the league’s base: we now had 10 guys who, at worst, could learn to co-exist. 10 guys that were all passionate about hockey, were attentive to their rosters and each other, all brought their own flavor to the league, were all ready to be part of taking the league to the next level, and – above all – were genuinely good people.

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In the non-GM additions category, the watershed event in the league for me that year was January 18, 2013 – the day before the start of 2012-13 lockout-shortened season. I posted the following message on the league board:

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Hello GMs,

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As I'm sure most of you have noticed, a couple GMs have posted team logos on the Facebook page and their roster page. These GMs have also decided to commit long term to a single team name for their fantasy 'franchise'.

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Having to pick a team name and stick with it will never be a rule, but I would ask that everyone at least consider a permanent team name.

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The reasoning behind this is so there is continuity when you want to look back at past seasons - right now, it's tricky to decipher which team is which, when looking back at old seasons.

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Having fixed team names obviously also reflects the professional leagues. And, IMHO, it looks cleaner on your own fantasy profile page - you can sort by team name and clearly see how you've placed, year-by-year, in the NHFL.

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It's completely optional. Like I wrote earlier, picking a fixed team name will never be a rule. If you feel this would make the league feel too serious for you, no one here is going to fault you for that. I understand that this would strip GMs of a lot of creativity that has been displayed through the use of different team names. My only solution to that would be, what would in the past be a change in team name, could be posted in the 'Team Slogan' section underneath your team name. It's not perfect, but it's not nothing at the same time.

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Every change that is suggested is done so because someone feels it has the opportunity to improve the league. This is no different. Something to consider, but certainly not mandatory.

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If you do decide to switch to a permanent team name, there are a couple GMs in the league that can certainly help you out in designing and rendering a team logo.

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- Commish

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The message didn’t go without its initial detractors, but that didn’t bother me. I was confident that once GMs saw the same potential that I saw, they would hop on board.

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THE POTENTIAL

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By the end of the following season, all 10 NHFL franchises had settled on a name and logo for their team. This changed everything.

By choosing a permanent team name and logo, we could then create division and championship banners for each franchise. The simple creation of those banners led to another significant milestone in the NHFL’s history: August 12, 2014 – the day the NHFL wix website went live. The website provided a platform to post those title banners, in addition to the leagues constitution, draft history and keeper player archives. And it kept growing. Season summaries. All-time standings. Farm team player list.

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And it kept growing. Jersey retirements. Player trophies. Arenas. Uniforms. Goalie masks.

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And it kept growing. Attendance tracking. Arena details. Franchise valuations. Team sponsorships.

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And it keeps growing.

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The draft weekends have become annual highlights. Hockey Day in Canada gatherings are now more elaborate than the early year draft days. We roll out a 100-page draft preview magazine. And it almost never came to be.

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I frequently sit back and admire where we’ve taken this league (and where this league has taken us, for that matter). I love hearing stories of other GMs bragging about the NHFL to their friends, families and co-workers. And when I think back to 2011, I am reminded what we needed to overcome to get to where we are now. I sometimes wonder if we’d have this gem of a league without the struggles we worked through. Ernest Hemingway wrote “The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places”. We needed to almost fail as regular league in order to learn how to build an exceptional one.  A fantasy hockey league is more than an online game. It’s an interaction between wildly different characters, personalities, demeanors, life stages, brothers, sons, fathers, and friends. And if those personalities can’t co-exist, everything else – the get-togethers, the message board, the desire to build and maintain a franchise – falls apart. So while the last five years have seen us blossom together as a league and as friends, I believe we wouldn’t be here today without those first five years.

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The logos opened the door for the website, which provided the platform needed to create and maintain all the little extras and add-ons that our franchises enjoy, which increased league interest, which was a driving force behind the draft guide, which increased league interest even more. The evolution of every one of those things has helped to define this league. And while all of those things are items that we are able to admire and show-off, if someone asks you what the BEST part of the league is, none of them would rank any higher than 2nd. For me, it was friendship that saved this league. Friendship saved me. Friendship brought me back and friendship makes me stick around. And long after the graphics and stats and websites and draft guides are gone, we’re going to look back on the NHFL and remember the feeling of sharing a hobby with our greatest friends.

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MICHAEL HAYMAN / HC HAYMOS