Finnish Roosters

[Janikka]

The evil Telia corporation decided to disturb the universal balance by disconnecting the internet connection of Johtaja the Great, our one and only leader. This is because he lives in the middle of nowhere, and the local customer base for the ISP consisted only of him and some farmer whose tractor could often be heard in our PSN party whenever Johtaja went out for a smoke on his balcony.

Johtaja refuses to play on a 4G mokkula which is really unstable where he lives, and the area just recently got 4G coverage so 5G is a ways off over there. This means the end of his illustrious EASHL career, at least for now.

It also means that I am taking over the captain duties. Shortly before this situation occurred, Johtaja reverted the team's name from Children of Ice (an allusion to his favorite band, Children of Bodom) to its original name of Finnish Roosters. I am adhering to this change, and so we are continuing under the name that was first used by Johtaja for his team more than ten years ago.

I intend to stand guard awaiting the return of Johtaja. While I am assuming the official position of team captain and all the related duties, Johtaja is an honorary captain and the only true leader of this team. Finnish Roosters will devote all its wins to Johtaja and ask his forgiveness for all its losses. While the situation is bleak, we will not lose faith that one day, somehow, he will come back to us and reclaim his rightful position as our leader on and off the ice. Until that day comes, I hope to do right by his name.

Meanwhile, the legendary defenseman JParola will also not be continuing with us. Further changes to the roster will be announced.

[Baranizer]

This is epic )

[Janikka]

Donning the C

 

I’ve never seen myself as a leader. This goes for any context, not just EASHL. I was never the type for it, and so I’ve always looked for leadership in others. Having caused my share of problems on teams in the past, I was more of a guy you needed to keep in check. You needed someone like Johtaja to tell me off when I would deviate from what was best for the team.

 

I feel like I have matured and am no longer the erratic person I once was. This didn’t really make the idea of stepping into Johtaja’s shoes any easier for me, though. I still would have liked to just sit back and play, letting him do the rest. Upon hearing the news about him, my first thought was to transfer to another team and play under someone else.

 

I still have my doubts about whether I have the authority for this role. There are different tones of authority, of course, and I’ll never be another Johtaja, but it’s still a learning process and I think will be that way for some time. The necessary qualities don’t come naturally to me, so I need to look within and bring those qualities out into our WhatsApp group and our PSN parties.

 

I have already had a taste of how it feels when things start to click, though. You put together a lineup and point out some things about how you’d like your team to play, and when you see it actually starting to work out, the feeling is extremely rewarding. I can definitely see why some people like to assume this position from the outset.

 

Amid the questions and uncertainties, I’m lucky to have the wisdom of people like my official video coach Pakis (a.k.a. Pakjiz) and my trusty assistant captain PSChibra advising me on how to proceed in all this. And whenever things get too dire, I shall look up into the rafters of our home arena. From there, the guiding light of Johtaja shall shine upon us and illuminate the way forward.

[pentsaa]

I'm looking forward to having an audio book produced based on these posts.

[Janikka]

We have finalized our roster for ECL 11. Now it's all about honing our game together by identifying the problematic aspects and working to improve them as the season opener draws near. As the captain and GM, my main objective is to continue our ECL Pro tradition of making it into the playoffs. It is certainly a challenge with all the changes we've had and Pro being competitive as ever, but I see it as a realistic goal at the outset. Of course, the truth is always determined on the ice.

Forwards

@PSchibra (A)
@pakjiz AKA Pakis (A)
@TuomoP83
@koojiikoojii
@ilikkaa

Defensemen

@Janikka AKA Janikka- (C)
@yolonaattori69 AKA Profiilipakki
@mannnes AKA Kisuuu-

Goalie

@devilfish333

 

Finnish Roosters alumni

JohtajaTheGreat
JParola

The alumni remain on the roster as we head into the season. The Finnish Roosters organization does not comment on the particulars of their status with regard to the ECL at this time.

 

(logo by @Neonhum)