Lada Togliatti

Icos · Post by **Icos** » Tue Jul 27, 2004 11:13 pm

There's not going much around here last days, so I decided to liven up things a little bit with adding my story. My english is not perfect, but it's definetly good enough for you to understand me. I won't go in details for every game, I'll just try to present my team and more exeptional games. OK, here we go...

I started the game with normal database and with Russian league encanched plus NHL, Austrian, Canadian, Czech, Slovak, Swedish and Finnish leagues on standard. My goal was (and it still is) to start at decent team in Russia and end up as Stanley cup winner eventually. When I achieve that, I will retire. I decided to go with Lada Togliatti, since I don't like Moscow and Lada was the only decent team in Russian Superleague that I was familiar with. My board gave me about 16M Euro to spend on new players, which is more than enough to strenghten the team on all areas I would needed. I was glad to see that the board expects playoff qualification, since I decided by myself that I would go at least to the finals of the Russian Superleague.

My fist task was to research the squad. In comparison to the other teams I realised, that there are no "stars" in my team (no ex-NHL players and no big names). I was happy with that, because I wanted to create a deep team and not building on a few exeptional individuals. Anyway, after looking on free transfer market, I decided to offer a contract to three NHL veterans, left wings Vitali Yachmenev and German Titov and defender Igor Kravchuk. Before the preseason I signed another defender, 20 years old Maxim Kondratiev, who already played in Lada when he was a junior, but left two years ago. He was smart enough to come back after one year pause. I also needed a backup goalie, since I had only 20 years old Vasili Koshechkin, who is a big talent. After a few trainings I realized that he is a bit too young and inexpirienced, so I actually bought a starter between the pipes, Alexandr Eremenko from Amur for 110K Euro. That was it for preaseason, although I found out that my teams lacks young talents and some defenders, which I added later on.

I have created some exebition games away from home, beating CSKA 5:3 and Kazzinc Torpedo (KAZ) 5:1 respectively. I organized home tournament, Lada Cup 2003 and invited one of the best Czech teams Pardubice, Swedish team MODO and Slovenian team HK Acroni Jesenice (personal decision of GM). Pardubice won it easily with three wins and 17:2 goal difference, MODO finished second with 4 points, we came third after two loses (1:2 against MODO and 1:5 against Pardubice), which was quite a dissapointment, since we only managed to win against outsiders HK Acroni Jesenice, which finished last with 2:21 goal difference.

On the first day of the Russian Superleague we hosted Neftekhimik and we only managed to get one point, after conceding a game tying goal 10 seconds before the end of the game. After that we managed to achieve three straight wins (SKA 4:3, Salavat Yulajev 8:1 and Severstal 2:0). After that we expirienced the bitter part of the hockey with our first defeat agains Sibir (2:5) at home.

Meanwhile I strenghted the team a little more. I bought young talent Evgeny Isakov for 80K, who I sent to our junior team, from Khimik came Konstantin Kasyanchuk, which turned to be a solid backup player and veteran Albert Malgin (*I just couldn't resist buying him, since he was the greatest foreign player who ever played for my local team about 11 years ago IRL*).

I have also brought in some new backroom staff from around the world, Americans Dan Schneider (Head Coach), Chris Dashney and Jon Clark (Assistant Coaches), Finnish assistant coach Harri Kallio and two Russian AC's Alexandr Semin and Andrei Rozakov.

Some interesting games happend, etc. big loss against Dynamo Moscow (3:3 afer 47 minutes and 3:7 at the end of the game), nice win against SKA at home (being down 2:4 after first period, but managed to score six times in second... at the end I won it 9:5) and just two days later exact same loss against Salavat Yulayev (I was leading 4:3 in 27th minute, but then conceded six goals in the row) and the very last one, win against Torpedo Nizhny 12:1, after scoring 7 powerplay goals in 15 penalty minutes they've got (5 minors and one major).

Meanwhile I signed another ex-NHL star from Russia, Oleg Petrov, after scout suggestions I brought in Evgeny Lapin, after deciding that goalie area needs more expiriences I bought Aleksandr Fomichev and last but not least, I bought considerably young, but expirienced defender Evgeny Korolev.

After 27 games in Russian Superleague I'm sitting on a second place 6 points behind Lokomotiv Yaroslav (two wins), and 4 points in front of Metallurg Magnitogorsk. I'm exeeding boards expectations by 6 wins (CSKA on 8th place is 17 points behind), which is enough that they are delighted with my overall performance as GM.

My lines after some tweaking are:

German Titov-Aleksandr Skugarev-Jan Pardavy
Evgeny Lapin-Mikhail Sevostyanov-Oleg Petrov
Vitali Yachmenev-Aleksandr Nesterov-Igor Grigorenko
Oleg Belkin-Aleksandr Titov-Sergei Sevostyanov

And my defencive pairs are:
Igor Kravchuk-Filipp Metlyuk
Igor Korolev-Maxim Kondorvatiev
Vladimir Malenkykh-Ladislav Cierny
Aleksandr Lyubimkov-Andrei Esipov

Starting goalie is Aleksandr Fomichev, his backup is Vasili Kosheckin.

Some stats (best five scorers):
Skugarev 27; 16+19 35
German Titov 27; 10+17 27
Igor Grigorenko 26; 12+11 23
Jan Pardavy 20; 17+4 21
Mikhail Sevostyanov 20; 6+14 20

Best league scorer is nobody else than Ovechkin (12+32), followed by two veterans, Sergei Berezin (19+19) and Dimitri Kristich (21+15).

Goalies:
Aleksandr Eremenko 15; 2.91 0.900
Vasili Kosheckin 15; 2.24 0.919
Aleksandr Fomichev 3; 3.04 0.908

OK, that's it for now, this story was ment to be more poetic (more real), but I just couldn't be bothered with it yet, since I'm not sure what response will it get...

Post by **archibalduk** » Wed Jul 28, 2004 10:50 am

Nice job, Icos.

I hope to do a similar thing you're doing but with a lower league Finnish team.
This thread has reminded me that I must update my Bruins one.

Keep us posted

Icos · Post by **Icos** » Mon Aug 02, 2004 2:32 pm

A little update...

After 33 games I'm sitting confortably on second place behind Lokomotiv Yaroslav and infront of Dynamo Moscow. German Titov had a great run in recent games, adding 15 points to his record. Also Oleg Petrov had a great run, 8 games and 8 goals plus three or something assist. Also young goaltender Kosechkin is in great form, averaging over 8.00 in the last six games. Unfortunately his stamina is a bit low (I'm slowly taking care of it by setting his condition training on Intensive), so he can't play in back-to-back games. I'm progressing slowly, since I can't play every day and I'm coaching all of my games, so it takes a while...

I'll keep you updated until the end of the season, when I'll release the full report...

Icos · Post by **Icos** » Sat Aug 28, 2004 11:47 pm

OK I'm back from being cut from the world, as my modem literally passed away...

Anyway, today I will be giving you just a few facts about my first season, bigger updated will follow... (if anyone is even interested).

I finished second and was hoping to get as far as the finals in the playoff. But it didn't go, every single quaterfinal game against Nefthemink was won away from home and I lost the series 2-3. There was one big disappointement at our club, but I decided to go on and try to do better next season.

Eventually, the Russian Superleague was won by Avangard Omsk, Stanley cup came to Tampa Bay. World cup was won by host Czech Republic and Ukraine and Japan will be replaced by Italy and Great Britain for the next years World championship in Austria.

I accquired Ilya Kovalchuk, who was released by Atlanta, but he never played a game for me, because he left again for Atlanta just a few weeks later. I haven't made much more star signing through the summer (Ivo Ruthemann is probably my biggest signing).

Board has reduced the amount of fund avaiable to me in the second season, but my goals stay the same - making the playoffs and then reaching the finals of Superleague.

I'll be posting more stats and everything later on, when I'll have more time.

Octavian · Post by **Octavian** » Sun Aug 29, 2004 9:37 am

OK, that's going on the website

Thanks and keep it up!

Icos · Post by **Icos** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 1:10 am

expect full season update on wednestay (maybe tuesday night). Thanks for putting my story on the site!

Octavian · Post by **Octavian** » Mon Aug 30, 2004 3:05 pm

Thanks for writing it

Icos · Post by **Icos** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 10:23 am

I'm sorry, but my game crashed, so I won't be writing any stories about it. You can delete the story on the main page...

I'm starting a new career in Austria, so you might expect a story in the future about it, but I have to at least complete the first season, that I won't stop in the middle of it...

Post by **archibalduk** » Thu Sep 16, 2004 1:13 pm

Gutted! :evil:

The thread can stay here - it's one for the archives.