Home | Webstore
Latest News: OOTP 25 Available - FHM 10 Available - OOTP Go! Available

Out of the Park Baseball 25 Buy Now!

  

Go Back   OOTP Developments Forums > Prior Versions of Our Games > Franchise Hockey Manager 4 > Franchise Hockey Manager 4 - General Discussion

Franchise Hockey Manager 4 - General Discussion Talk about the latest FHM, officially licensed by the NHL!

Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 10-14-2017, 11:40 PM   #1
RubeBaker
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 640
When did you first get into hockey?

I lived close to Philadelphia in the mid to late 1970s and this was during the heyday of the Philadelphia Flyers and the "Broad Street Bullies". I loved baseball, ice hockey and football as a kid (in that order). In the early 1980s, ESPN was still a fledgling network and I used to enjoy watching the NHL games during that time. This was when I first discovered Wayne Gretzky and when the New York Islanders had their Golden Age much like the Flyers had theirs a few years before.

My friend had the Coleco NHL tabletop game and I still remember that his edition had the Cleveland Barons logo. I got a later edition for my birthday when I was 10 and mine had the Colorado Rockies. I LOVED playing that game although I never understood why the plastic player pieces only came with the road uniforms to stick onto the players. Either way, I enjoyed the heck out of it and would often play while watching the NHL games on TV.

In the mid-1980s during my adolescence, I gravitated more towards baseball and football and this was when my family and I moved down South. My interest in the NHL began to wane and although I still enjoyed watching ice hockey on TV or at the local minor league affiliate's arena, I didn't follow the NHL on a regular basis until last year. I got frustrated with the NFL for many reasons which I don't want to get into here, but I discovered the OOTP YouTube channel and started watching the FHM videos with Jeff and Adam. I enjoy watching the streams of the historical and modern simulations and I started watching the NHL games again. Thanks in part to Jeff and Adam and FHM, I am back to watching the NHL again and it is so nice to be back to where I was as a kid.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. What's your story?
RubeBaker is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 02:57 AM   #2
Torgonius
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Posts: 826
My 4th grade math teacher was Don Maloney. No, not THAT Don Maloney, but this one also had a brother named Dave. He broke the class into 3 groups. The middle kids were the Sabres, the smart kids the Islanders and the paste eating kids the Rangers. I was in the Islanders group.

We lived in upstate NY, with the nearest real rink about 30 miles away, so we only got to play if we were fortunate enough to have cold enough weather for the town to flood one of the softball fields and have it actually freeze before it got vandalized.

We could get skates from the department store in town, but no other equipment except what we could scrounge. My cousin was the equipment manager for RPI about an hour away. We'd get to go to games a few times each season, and were lucky enough to be there during the Adam Oates / Joe Juneau days. We'd get old pucks and the occasional piece of gear or nearly broken sticks.

One of my first jobs out of school was sports director for the tiny little radio station in town. It was so small that our microwave oven was more powerful than our transmitter. But it got me press access to games. I had the great opportunity to cover the Albany Choppers in their whole half season of IHL ignominy. I also got to cover the Capital District Islanders with Butch Goring at the helm, and then the Albany River Rats, teams which also proved that Albany was not a hockey town.

I graduated to covering some NHL, too, but then the league decided to not play a half season, and I moved to Oregon to actually go to journalism school. I also played for the club team there... using 'play' in the very loosest sense of the word. We had a great coach, though, and he helped me overcome what he nicely called my 'mobility issues' and turned me into at least a non-disastrous player who could get a shift or 2 per period. He did turn me into a pretty good tactical coach, though.

I took that with me to Portland, and started coaching some kids roller hockey teams, and then coached an adult women's team. I coached a future NHLer for a summer season, goaltender Derek Gustafson. He won one game in the NHL, naturally against the Islanders.

It was also in Portland where I got to meet Mike Milbury and some scouts. They were in town to see Zdeno Chara, Eric Brewer and Jarrett Smith play for Prince George. I was down at the arena early, at the sports bar, and the Islanders game on the TV. It was on because Milbury asked for it to be on. Probably the only good thing Milbury ever did for the Isles! He needed change for the cigarette machine (remember those?), so I helped him out and he got a pack of Pall Malls.

Not too long after that, I left Portland and moved to New Jersey. I took up playing beer league hockey, and coaching a women's high level rec team. We made a few trips to the USA Hockey National Championships, where we made excellent fodder for the teams from Massachusetts and Minnesota.

I stopped being a journalist before I moved back. It's not the wonderful career you think it is. The hours suck if you want to have any semblance of social life, and the pay is worse. I've been playing simulator hockey since the days of Hockey League Simulator 2 and Wayne Gretzky Hockey 3, though I also have a copy of the first good hockey game for computers, SuperStar Ice Hockey on my Apple ][gs, both of them still work.

Fast forward to now. I'm still an Islanders fan, I still live in New Jersey, and I still play beer league. I obtained my USA Hockey Level 5 certification a few years ago, getting to meet and talk to some great NHL coaches in the process.

I absolutely love the tactics system in FHM4, and really hope the team can get it nailed down.
Torgonius is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 04:27 AM   #3
Tiger Fan
Hall Of Famer
 
Tiger Fan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Ontario Canada
Posts: 9,510
I am Canadian so it was while I was still in the womb. Started skating at the age of 3 or 4 and played hockey (youth hockey initially but just recreationally after that) ever since. Hung the blades up about 8 years ago when got too busy taking my kids to their hockey games to have time to play myself.

Some of my earliest memories are of watching the Leafs on Saturday night with my dad on a black and white tv around 1970. Also remember the old CBS (think it was CBS) game of the week in the early 70's and watching some early WHA Toronto Toros games on tv.

My parents even took me to a WHA game as well as a number of Leaf games. I remember going to watch the Leafs in the old Maple Leaf Gardens and after we moved out of Toronto making the trek to the Olympia to see a few Wings games. I am probably also one of the few who went to the Richfield Coliseum to see the Leafs play the Cleveland Barons.

Love seeing the same look on my kid's faces when they were younger as I had at those old Leaf games when we went to the Joe Louis, ACC or to Buffalo to see games.

My older son is playing in a low level junior league now and still has hopes of OHL or college but whether that comes to be or not, just the life lessons he has learned and the times we have shared driving too and from his games or at the many NHL/OHL games we attended together provides plenty of memories.

I am a big baseball fan, but there is no better sport to watch live than hockey. And there is nothing like hockey and how it connects generations in Canada.
Tiger Fan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 07:11 AM   #4
TheAdamBn
Minors (Triple A)
 
Join Date: Jun 2013
Posts: 289
Being a brit, my story is a little different

I must have been somewhere around 12-13 years old and bored during a school holiday. Looking through the film channels, I found a film staying an actor from Young Guns 2 (another film I loved) called D2

Yup, thats right. Disney and the Mighty Ducks franchise introduced me to Ice Hockey. Without having access to any TV sports packages (and to be honest I doubt it would have been shown anyway) I had to make do with video game Hockey for a number of years

PS1 era gave me and my friends access to hours of fun with a multitap and i started picking up EA's NHL series yearly since 1997, the 2005/2007 Eastside Hockey Manager as well as the 2015 remake. During travels to the States, I picked up hockey tops wherever I could. I have a 2004 Ducks, 2006 Tampa Bay and a 2007 Rangers (adopted as my team from my love of Gretzky and who won the 17/18 Stanley Cup in my last game of FHM4 )

In recent years, I have been involved with my local NIHL South Team, Solent Devils. I took my (now ex) wife there to see my first actual game as well as helping create some graphics for their websites and facebook pages. One of my students was even playing for their under-18 affiliate

These days I watch games as and when I can with Premier Sports (£10/$13.30 a month)
TheAdamBn is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 12:46 PM   #5
Savoie45
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Oregon
Posts: 547
I live in Oregon, so hockey has always been kind of an after thought, with the exception of the Portland Winterhawks. That said, I didn't get into hockey until I bought NHL 94. That's essentially how I learned all the rules and such of the sport. I've been a huge fan of the sport ever since. These days it's the only sport I'll watch.
Savoie45 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-15-2017, 02:01 PM   #6
Pirates
Major Leagues
 
Pirates's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Posts: 368
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiger Fan View Post
I am Canadian so it was while I was still in the womb.
What a GREAT Comment.
Pirates is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2017, 12:36 PM   #7
flyers139
Minors (Rookie Ball)
 
Join Date: Nov 2013
Location: Anchorage, AK
Posts: 40
I'm a little younger than some here. Still remember watching my first game, which was Flyers-Canucks, New Year's Eve 95'. I lived in Philly and its suburbs my whole life and I pretty much picked up the sport right then and there. Played competitively, starting out as a LW (I wanted to be John LeClair) and then moving towards Center later on. Though I am always half-joking, my fiance can attest that I tell people that I don't care what game is on, I just like hearing the sound of skates on ice haha.

One of my best friends is married to a freelance reporter, so, living 3 miles from the Wells Fargo Center has allowed me the opportunity to get into the Flyers locker room on occasion to be a "crew member" for some filmed interviews. Still do fantasy keeper leagues, only television I pay for is the NHL package (seriously), recently sold a good deal of my jersey collection, and play FHM daily. Hockey is just great.
flyers139 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-17-2017, 07:29 PM   #8
Edster007
All Star Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2012
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 1,653
My earliest memory was my father telling me the Rangers beat the Bruins 4-2 the night I was born. So pretty early on.

First game I went to was on my 9th birthday, the Rangers beat the Seals 12-1. I think they scored 7 times in the 3rd period. When we got up leave the guy sitting behind us said glad you had fun at your first game kid, its all down hill from here.
Edster007 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2017, 11:23 AM   #9
RayRayDK
Minors (Rookie Ball)
 
Join Date: Oct 2016
Posts: 41
2 years 1 month ago Played soccer my whole life, because hockey isn't that popular in Estonia where i live now... I had a knee injurie and was out for 8 months, after that soccer just wasn't the same to me, so.... While eating dinner with some of my friends, one of them just bursted out... Guys seriously.. lets start a "beginners hockey team"... So we did Luckily we had a national team player to coach us 2-3 times a week... now EVERYTHING is about hockey for me and my family I even get up at 4-5 in the morning to watch NHL games live

Big fan of BlackHawks, Kaner... and also do enjoy to watch Toronto

I am planing my first trip to Canada, to watch Habs vs. Bruins in January.. fingers crossed it will happen

#88 RayRay

Last edited by RayRayDK; 10-21-2017 at 12:40 PM.
RayRayDK is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2017, 01:58 PM   #10
eldur00
All Star Reserve
 
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 506
Well I was pretty young. I'm originally from Quebec.

My uncle was watching a Habs-Nordiques game. Shane Corson scored a goal Mario Gosselin probably still wishes to this day he could get back. My uncle was a huge Habs fan and he started mocking Gosselin. So I became a Nordiques fan because I thought my uncle was kind of douchy.

Then of course they moved. By then, I had been bullied for being a Nordiques fan in a very strongly Habs fandom dominated city...there was no way I was going to cheer for them...

I had endured horrible years of mediocrity with Quebec City and there was that brand new team called the Ottawa Senators that was just as awful, if not more...

Still a Sens fan to this day...guess I have a thing for underdogs.
eldur00 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-21-2017, 08:52 PM   #11
caniwi
Bat Boy
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 7
I am a 66 year old ex-pat Canadian living in a small town on the south island of New Zealand and have many fond memories of the game. I was born in Kingston Ontario and the game crept into my consciousness as a result of my father having tickets to the Kingston Frontenacs of the EPHL ... Easter Professional Hockey league http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/leagues/77.html.

My first real memory was the final game of the 1961-62 playoffs .... The game went into overtime .... I think the second period .... and Jacques Laperriere scored his only semi-pro playoff goal from the (left point) on Eddie Chadwick to win the championship. I was just 11 and the image is still stuck, the shot was taken right in front of me. http://www.hockeydb.com/ihdb/stats/p...y.php?pid=2958

Time went on and I lived in Calgary for 27 years and near the end of my time I would not take free tickets to Flames games .... I grew up being able to talk to my friends when there was a break in the action .... when I needed to yell at those I was with instead of talking calmly, as well as getting bombarded by 20 seconds of every song that I never liked I stopped going.

There was plenty of AJHL and University hockey to watch as well as the Mac's Midget Tournament over the Christmas holidays ..... I was satisfied ....

I watch NHL condensed games and if I could turn off the colour commentators (I'd leave the play by play guys) and keep the crowd noise I would .... but it is not a perfect world ... but FHM 4 is getting there and I've been on-board since V1.

This is my story ... and I am still Canadian.
caniwi is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks

Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:12 PM.

 

Major League and Minor League Baseball trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com and MiLB.com.

Officially Licensed Product – MLB Players, Inc.

Out of the Park Baseball is a registered trademark of Out of the Park Developments GmbH & Co. KG

Google Play is a trademark of Google Inc.

Apple, iPhone, iPod touch and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.

COPYRIGHT © 2023 OUT OF THE PARK DEVELOPMENTS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

 

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.10
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Out of the Park Developments