Welcome to Hockeyville! (A Manningham Mammoths Dynasty)

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While baseball may be nearest and dearest to the hearts of the citizens of Manningham, hockey is a close second. Informally known as "Hockeyville", if not nationally, at least to those who call Manningham home, the Mammoths have won the coveted Bowman Cup twice, in 1941 and 1945, and were runners up in the inaugural Monumental Hockey League season of 1905, as well as 1924. By no means are the Mammoths the most successful hockey club around, but one would be hard pressed to find fans more die hard and supportive.


The Monumental Hockey League started in 1905, and the Manningham Mammoths were one of the original participants. The league grew quickly, both in terms of attendance and size. The league currently consists of 30 teams, broken into two conferences, the Eastern and Western. The Eastern Conference holds 16 teams, and the Western Conference is made up of 14 teams. Each conference has two divisions.

In the Eastern Conference, the team makeup is:
Northeastern Division
Capital City Federals
Metro City Blades
Metro City Metropolitans
St. Germain Olympiques
Summit City Icebergs
Tottington Arrows
Tremont Patriots
Ville de Marie Citadelles

Atlantic Division
Blackburn Rough Riders
Coconut Bay Tropics
Kensington Tigers
Mayfield Barons
Morley City Mavericks
Motor City Cougars
Nickel City Niagaras
Yorkville St. Patricks

In the Western Conference, the teams are:
Midwest Division
Gateway City Eagles
Manningham Mammoths
North Star City Voyageurs
Oaktown Rustlers
St. Charles Silver Kings
Sun Valley Scorpions
Three Forks Falcons

Coastal Division
Bay City Blades
Blackfoot Broncos
Brentford Oil Kings
Cascadia City Cascades
Granby Maroons
Pacifica City Rosebuds
Tinseltown Monarchs

The prize every team chases each and every season is the Bowman Cup. Named after Charles Bowman, a man instrumental in the development of hockey, the Cup has been awarded since 1888. Originally awarded to the winner of the Canadian Hockey Association, the original premier amateur hockey league in Canada, the Bowman Cup became the trophy awarded to the champion of the Monumental Hockey League since its inception. Hoisting the Cup is the dream of every young hockey player, and is what motivates players to play through pain that would cripple the average man.


Dynasty Setup
This dynasty is part of the same universe as my Manningham Mallards dynasty. The story takes up with the Monumental Hockey League, and the Manningham Mammoths specifically, in 1947. The 1946-1947 season has just ended. The Tinseltown Monarchs have just defeated the Motor City Cougars, 4 games to 1, to win the Bowman Cup. It is the second Cup for Tinseltown, who won their first in 1944.

Like the Mallards dynasty, this one will also be taking place in "real time", meaning one day in real time equals one day in the dynasty.

The dynasty will be played out in Eastside Hockey Manager: Early Access Edition.

1946-1947 Season Review
The Mammoths lost to Tinseltown in the Western Conference Finals, 4 games to 1. They won the Midwest Division during the Regular Season, with a record of 50-26-6, and finished 2nd to Tinseltown in the Overall Standings for the Western Conference. They finished third in the MHL in Goals Scored, with 238. Morley City was the highest scoring team in the league, with 265, followed by Tinseltown with 240.

Manningham was the fourth best defensive team, giving up a total of 177 goals. The Metro City Metropolitans were the stingiest team overall, allowing 150 goals, while Tinseltown was second at 162, and Motor City third with 168 goals allowed.

The Mammoths are coached by Egor Bernard, a 58 year old Canadian from Ontario, who is just finished his 11th season as head coach. The General Manager is Brendan Erickson, who happens to be the brother of Manningham Mallards GM Dean Erickson. The owner of the Mammoths is Gino Heidinger, a 60 year old Manningham businessman, who has owned the team since 1929. He is wealthy, willing to invest in the team, and has ambitions that match his pocketbook. At the same time, he is patient, and lets Erickson do his job with minimal intervention from above.

The team's top stars are center/left wing Spencer Montgomery and defenseman Bob Perry. Montgomery, a 27-year-old, is coming off of a down year statistically, one which saw him tally 24 goals and 29 assists for 53 total points. Perry, 32 years old, scored five goals, assisted on 38 more, and led the team in ice time with 26:11 per game. The leading goal scorer, and leader in total points, was LW Andrei Viltovsky. The team's #1 netminder is Logan Fennell, a 30 year old Canadian who has also spent his entire career with the Mammoths organization. Fennel was in net for 68 games this season, winning 44 of them, while compiling a

Around the league, Cameron Christie of Pacifica City, led the MHL in goals scored, with 44, and total points, with 77. Hans Kaebel of the Metro City Blades, led the league in assists with 52. Chuck Pasternak of Cascadia City, led the league in +/- at +41, while Pier-Olivier Brennan, also of Cascadia City, led the league with 259 penalty minutes.

For goalies, Fennell led the league in wins. Pontus Westerholm of the Metro City Metropolitans led the way in goals against average with 1.67, and he also had the best save percentage, stopping shots at a .937 rate.

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End of 1947 Season Manningham Mammoths Roster

Forwards


Defense


Goalies


Team Report/Depth Chart

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1947 Manningham Mammoths Stats

Forwards


Defense


Goalies

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1947 Mammoths Free Agents

Forwards
Real Hitier - UFA Group II
Emmanuel Lalanne - RFA Group II
Seth Zacharias - UFA Group III
Giordano Jarvis - UFA Group II


Defensemen
Cole Schreiber - UFA Group III
Albert Thomas - UFA Group III
Blake Thomas - UFA Group III
Trent Gates - UFA Group III

Goalies
Cason Turner - UFA Group III

Players who would have been free agents but have already resigned this offseason:
Scooter Witt
Henrik Schilkey
Sal Taylor

Plans for Free Agents
- Players definitely plan to re-sign - Schreiber, Jarvis, Lalanne, A. Thomas
- Players definitely walking - Turner, B. Thomas (wants to hit open market), Zacharias (wants to hit open market)
- Players Probably Not Re-Signing - Gates, Hitier

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As an additional note about the setup of this dynasty, similarly to the Manningham Mallards dynasty, this is fictional, alternate-history focused. The story takes place in 1947, but it is not the 1947 we know in OTL ("Our TimeLine"). The USA is not the same as OTL USA. Some of the cities we know do not exist in this timeline. The Great War occurred from 1914 - 1918, and the technology progression resulting from it, along with the absence of The Great Depression, have led to a world that has some similarities to ours, but some differences as well. You might say this is a bit of a Utopian perspective. It may feel a bit like OTL sporting world today in a 1947 time period.

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June 19, 1947
Mammoths Re-Sign Schreiber and Jarvis
Story by Eddie Appleton

Manningham Mammoths General Manager Brendan Erickson announced yesterday the re-signing of two key pieces of the Mammoths hockey club, Cole Schreiber and Giordano Jarvis. "Getting Schreibs and Gio signed were two of our top priorities for this offseason, so I'm very happy we were able to work out deals I feel are beneficial to both the Mammoths and these fellas," Erickson shared with members of the press outside of Enget Arena yesterday.

Terms of the deals were not announced by the Mammoths, but unconfirmed sources report that Schreiber signed a 4 year deal worth $2.5 million total.

Schreiber, 6'1" and 200 pounds, is 30 years old, and is coming off a 1946-1947 season in which he led all Mammoths defensemen in scoring with 7 goals and 39 assists for 46 points total and was +34. He also spent only 24 minutes in the penalty box all season. He is known more as a defensive defenseman, and is one of the top character guys for this team. A great leader, is always in impeccable shape, and is a patient and poised blue line guard. Schreiber was a 1st Round draft pick of the Mammoths in 1935, and has spent his entire career with the Mammoths organization.

Jarvis is a 26 year old right winger from Manitoba. Signed as an undrafted free agent by Manningham, he compiled 37 points this season on 16 goals and 21 assists. A solid two-way performer, Jarvis spent time primarily on the 3rd line this season.

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June 19, 1947
Are Mammoths Trying to Trade Hanson?
Story by Eddie Appleton

Rumors have begun to circulate around the league that the Mammoths may be looking at the possibility of trading Vern Hanson. Hanson is coming off of a season in which the RW/C scored 29 goals and assisted on 38 others, so certainly interest around the league would be high if this were true.

"I have no intention whatsoever of trading Vern," Mammoths general manager Brendan Erickson commented. "He's locked up for four more years at a reasonable cost, he's just 29, so he's still in the prime of his career, so I have to ask, why would I?," he continued.

When asked about the potential of being traded, Hanson responded, "I hope not, but I know this is a business. If Mr. Erickson wants to move me, there is nothing I can do about it."

Among the teams reportedly interested are the Tremont Patriots, who rumors contend have offered Manningham defenseman Garrett Briggs, along with Tremont's 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Round Draft picks this year. Also rumored to be inquiring about Hanson are the Blackburn Rough Riders, who would likely package draft picks for Hanson.