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Thank You Everyone!


McMikey

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I just wanted to send a message to everyone that helped out and played in the King of 94 tourney and this movie project. It been a wild ride so far but the work for me has just gotten started. So i'll take a second to reach out to the crew that has made this possible so far.

Halifax was the life blood of the event. With out his dedication and love for this game, none of this would have ever happened. From my first post to this one he has been there the whole time!!!

AngryJay you have been the most traveled player and has been there from the beginning. Saskatoon, Hartford and Toronto... Where ever in the world NHL '94 is being played live AJ will be there!!!

KingRaph you are the best spokesperson for this game hands down. You have always gone out of your way to help me with this movie and I can't thank you enough.

The SNES guys!! Chaos, BobK The Hill brothers and Gereky! You guys opened my eyes up to the world of Super Nintendo and truly made this project more complete.

Smoz! Dude you are a genius.

Coach, Brutus, Uncle Seth&Buck, EA and the man Kgman!!. You guys really made the King of 94 fun for me and can't explain how much fun it was getting to hang out with you guys!!

Every Single Forum member that I met. So... So many of you, I hope you guys enjoyed your time in TO and lets do this again sometime!!!!!!

Lastly I want to thank Evan! You are the true Godfather and the reason NHL '94 is alive today. You planted the seed and look what it has grown up to be! The award you gave me at the end of the event was the most unexpected and greatness thank you anyone could ever give me.

Now as I finish filming a few more segments and head into the editing stages, i'll do my best to do this subject justice. Again thank you everyone!!!!!!

Edited by McMikey
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Great stuff, Mikey. It's a testiment to the people who've been a part of this community for so long.

But everyone should be thanking you. You've done so much here and all in less than a year.

I feel confident, that once the documentary comes out, it'll be a huge success. Traffic here will ramp up massively, and there will be a fresh, new class of players who are eager to test their skills once again.

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Agree with clockwise. There is no need to thank any of us, we should all be thanking you. You are the reason this has all happened. You were the one with the dream and the determination to get it done. We are all just here to help out in any way we can. Seeing the big grin on you face when it was all done was a great feeling! It was an awesome experience, and I can't wait to see the end result!

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It's absolutely my pleasure to help in any way I can. Not only because Mikey is MAKING A FREAKIN' DOCUMENTARY ON FREAKIN' NHL'94!!!!, but having been fortunate enough to meet Mikey a few times, I can tell you all he's a great dude with a great heart.

We all wish you continued success on this surreal journey you're on and we're all living vicariously through you bud! GO MIKEY!

:)

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I just wanted to say thank you to Halifax and Mikey for setting this up. You guys went above and beyond for this and I can't even begin to wrap my head around the magnitude of this event. It meant so much to Evan, I don't think he really understood the depth of support and admiration you guys have for him and this amazing site. Sometimes I don't think he understands what an amazing thing he has done with this site and how many people he has brought joy to over the years. You guys are really the best!

This was an awesome event and I hope that we can do this again next year. It was really great to meet you guys, some of you I've known for a long time online and it was nice to finally meet you in person.

Congratulations to kgman on his awesome win. Everyone played amazing!

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This is my 1000th post and I would like to commemorate it with huge thanks and appreciation.

I arrived back to Chicago last night and although exhausted from an exciting weekend to say the least, I took some time to reflect what I had experienced over the past couple days.

The King of 94 wasn’t simply a video game tournament.

It was an event that was built from a passion of Mikey… a passion that all of us have shared for years, the love of NHL ‘94.

Through his passion and efforts culminated into what we all were privileged enough to experience over this past weekend.

Moments after the tourney wrapped up, the expressions on Mikey’s face reflected the feelings of everyone in that room who were lucky enough to be there.

Happiness

Excitement

Surprise

Exhilaration

…and even sadness… because even after a long day, there were those (myself included) that didn’t want it to end.

This community is unlike no other community that I have experienced in my lifetime, gaming or otherwise.

People from all different walks of life with entirely different personalities that come together to celebrate an interest which the majority of people will never understand or have the ability to relate to.

Although I have been gone for some time, I'm always drawn back for those reasons.

It took Evan to bring us together.

It took Halifax to keep us together.

It took Mikey to create a venue to meet one another.

And it took the efforts of so many others to fuel our desire to allow us to play, not only this weekend, but over 12+ years online.

Mikey,

I can’t begin to even thank you enough for providing such incredible memories in my life that I will never forget.

It was an absolute honor to be able to spend time with you.

Anyone would have been stressed to the tipping point with the workload you took on but you kept a smile on your face throughout the entire weekend.

Your ability to organize everything as seamlessly as you did is unparalleled.

Halifax,

You’re dedication to NHL ’94 is simply incredible.

I’ve always felt (as many do I’m sure) without you, this community would not be where it is today.

You even reach out to me from time-to-time to let me know what’s going on.

You’re not obligated to do it, you do it because you’re a thoughtful and generous person.

I have the utmost respect for you.

Evan,

Meeting you this weekend was a special moment for me.

You have brought so much happiness to so many people.

You have built a place for a community that anyone can join from across the globe which is filled with relationships that will last a lifetime.

Thank you all for your endless efforts and dedication to the greatest game of all time.

I am looking forward to meeting you again in the future and hoping to have even more of us join at the next one.

GG

Edited by IAmFleury'sHipCheck
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I had second thoughts about attending last week. I mean I'm 45 and was planning a weekend video game get away with a bunch of internet dudes I've never met. Oh ya, it was my daughters birthday too. Such an easy excuse to bail out with.

I decided to do it anyway, something out of my comfort zone for sure. When I first got there i needed to take a sh!t. Naturally while I'm doing that Brutus texts me and asks where I'm at. Of course being honest I say on the crapper.

So I walk across the hallway and AJ opens the door. Brutus/KG are knocking out an exi. It felt totally weird the first 5-10 minutes. After that it was like we'd be buddies for years. It was crazy how every other forum member after that had the same exact feeling. It was totally unexpected. Felt like a reunion of all my college buddies. Not one moment like 'man that dudes an ass' just total chill and coolness.

Mikey thanks so much for putting this together. I can't really say anything different than what EA said about all the good buds who put this all together, cultivated the community, kept it growing and kept it in the forefront of the publics eyes.

Just freakin incredible. Prior to this weekend you guys were all characters in a video game world on the internet. After this weekend, I feel like I can call you all my friends.

Now enough with the circle jerks as Brutus or KG would say. Really looking forward to the next tourney whenever that will be. Perhaps a 2v2 tourney where i get to meet some of the best buds in the community not there this weekend - Zalex/Habs/Frey.

Congrats to KG and King. You guys proved you're the cream of the crop at the tourney. High level GA from start to finish. well done!

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Special shout out to Mikey for just a great show.

When you get a guy who is all heart and cool, guys tend to go that extra mile too.

I'll put my tourney stuff (more photos/stores, etc) together & post them after I've recouped and have some energy. MAN, grabbing some brews with all you guys, especially Mikey, made the weekend trip worth it all. Toss in the tourney & Friday/Saturday night extra games and I was in heaven.

Any of you strokes who feel like keeping the vale of anonymity removed, feel free to reach out to me on facebook and stay in touch that way. A few already did.

Edited by Brutus
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I never thought a 94 world could even exist and when I found this site, I felt so fulfilled that I'd be able to play this game still. An in person tournament, with that many people, from all over the place, was a dream come true. It's the way this game was meant to be played: on the original system, with original controllers, no lag, sitting right next to your opponent, with the pressure of a crowd watching and the hype and atmosphere surrounding it all. Incredible job putting this together and making a documentary about our addiction, Mikey you are our hero. More thanks to be given soon.

Edited by Uncle Seth
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Driving out there, I, too, wondered if the experience would be uncomfortable, but found everyone to be so nice and good natured that it really did feel like a bunch of old friends getting together for a weekend. It was great to finally meet so many of the people I have known through the site for years. It just shows what a great, strong community and group of characters we have here. I couldn't have had a better time.

Congratulations and thanks to everyone that made it happen. Hopefully we can get even more of the people from the site to come out for the next one. It was so much fun hanging out with all of you.

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All my buddies on this site, so great to meet you all outside of the virtual world. See, there's really no reason to fear clowns, at least during daylight hours. I'm afraid to even start mentioning names because I worry if I miss mentioning someone, I'll feel like sh*t. You know who you are though. Right Brutus, Raph, Ice, TK, Witt, Jer, Voc, Zepp and Coach? Everyone there was so easy to get to know and hang with. It really does seem like I've known some of you forever. What an entertaining bunch of characters. All around great people and company. An incredible pool of dedicated, talented players and class acts. I f&cking love you guys. And some of you I never really chatted with before, I'll start chatting with and playing more. Hope to see some of these old GENS vets return to the site again and participate in leagues and exis vs me, to feed our addictions. I'm talking to you EA, Sebe, Smoz, Evan, AJ. So there's my mass shout out.

As for the everyone who helped make this happen, I applaud you. Mikey, Halifax, Smoz, Chaos, Evan, I have no idea how you all organized this so well in such a short time. Just wow. The time and dedication you all put into this is mind boggling. We'll never be able to thank you enough.

To my brother, I wouldn't have came to the event if you didn't also. To me, he was the surprise of the tournament. He actually is a complete unknown, and has practically ZERO experience vs anyone else (online or in person) besides me for the past 20 years. During those couple of decades, he was never given an inch of room out there to make plays and be creative (sorry haha). I know since he's my brother, people expected him to be good and do well, but he didn't think he would and I didn't either. Being in that super tough D division, and making the top 16 by winning 5 straight "on the ropes" elimination games is a huge accomplishment for him. Especially with Evan and Smoz as the last 2 he needed to beat, a tall task for sure. I witnessed him play better than I've ever seen him do (except for that blowout vs AJ). Sorry brother Buck that we couldn't stay longer to allow you and KG to smoke a blunt.

As for myself, of course I'm disappointed not making it as far as I wanted. Despite being happy with my play the whole tournament, I made a couple poor choices in teams/matchups that I regretted immediately & did me in. I guess that's better than losing by playing bad or having bad luck though. I still can't believe I chose NOT to be Detroit vs TK in our elimination game, I don't know how that thought process even occurred. "Yeah, that's what I'll do, I'll give TK the best skating, stick-handling and shooting team in the game". But F*CK YOU ref for giving me 5 straight 3rd period penalties. You're right (for once) TK, CHI is overrated and I learned the hard way. Why I thought I could beat Ice with Washington up against "steel nuts" Gilmour & company, shaking my head here on that. Overconfidence in Pat Elyniuk maybe? Ice, I should have picked our favorite matchup, NYI vs HFD ! It would have been an epic game and we'd both have 10 minutes of our lives back. I think I have the record for longest time spent picking teams. No one will ever beat that. 10 minutes easily.

Thanks to the supremely helpful older Canadian couple who gave Buck and I directions to the QEW on the way home when the GPS stopped working. I'm sure if I stopped in my city for directions I'd risk being mugged, robbed, and sodomized. Toronto you are a cool city, with so many friendly people. And I can't be the only one who noticed the bountiful amount of 20 something hot broads roaming everywhere. But I won't miss the amount of bikers and walkers in the streets. We're New Yorkers, used to beeping and yelling at those of you in the road. Even though the law says you have the right of way, we're driving a vehicle, so get the hell out of the way.

Thanks to the Asian family who let us stay at their place via Air BnB........The water in the fridge tasted good. I'm sure it was less polluted than the water in Rochester. But why no microwave in the joint? The free Wi-Fi was a big plus, as I was able to text the fools from the forum to hang out Friday night. However, I do want to know, why is your Wi-Fi password JizzTron458392 ? Anyhow, if there are any pubes in the shower, they're from Buck. I gave my crotch a good luck buzz-cut before the trip.

PS, thanks Roberto Z. for flipping the puck away when you saw I was stuck on goalie control in our elimination game. I don't know anyone else who would have done that at such a crucial time. Good sportsmanship epitomized.

Edited by Uncle Seth
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Cheers to everyone who took the time away from home and family to attend. I think we know now that there is enough interest from the locals to probably hold one of these every year - but we had guys shelling out for plane tickets and premium hotel rooms ( it was a pretty crazy weekend in Toronto with the film festival and Leafs Fanfest going on in the neighbourhood).

Edited by jer_33
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Thanks for the kind words everyone. Had so many people thank me at the tourney as well, when in reality this only happens because of Mikey. The rest of us just chipped in like 4th liners to get er done.

I'll write more next week when I'm at a computer. Still in Toronto all week for work before I fly back. Keep providing feedback about the tourney. I've been reading through the comments and I love the open discussion.

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I'd like to second everybody's sentiments in the replies. We couldn't have done any of this without you, Mikey. GG infinity.

Yep, everyone's saying things better than I ever could.

Bud of the Year, never more deserved.

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I'm sorry I haven't been able to post sooner but I still haven't made it back home after the trip. I'm in the midst of a little excursion through Quebec and have been doing a lot of wandering around.

I just want to thank everyone involved with the tournament and ensuring the event was a major success. Mikey, Halifax, smozoma, chaos, Evan, and anyone else I've forgotten involved in the behind the stuff scenes, you all did an amazing job getting us all together for this event.

In short this has been amazing year for me meeting so many great people who share a passion that I have had for the last 22 years. I've been lucky enough to travel to and meet so many people from around the world. We may speak different languages, come from different cultures, and have different values. In the end, we all find a way to come together and communicate through NHL 94. I hope we continue to do so and expand our community even further.

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Hey guys....do you all still use AIM to chat and organize online matches? Haven't played online in several years, however this live tournament activity has sparked my interest...not even sure I know my AIM username let alone password.

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Hey guys....do you all still use AIM to chat and organize online matches? Haven't played online in several years, however this live tournament activity has sparked my interest...not even sure I know my AIM username let alone password.

Yup. Let one of us know your screen name and we can get you into the 94 AIM groups.

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It is so much better reading these forums now that I actually know you guys.

For me the best part of the Tourney was that I felt more like I was hanging out with hockey guys than with video game geeks.

People I am glad I got to know or know better.

Mikey-- Just what I thought a crazy Ice Pilot from Hay River, NWT would be like. Thanks, looking forward to some fishing!

Halifax-- Great Organizer, Cool Dude, You would make a great coach.

KingRaph-- Super talented, humble, helpful, nice bud.

Brutus-- This is a guy you want riding shotgun for ya through hostile territory. When are you coming skiing?

AngryJay93-- West Coast version of Raph. I'll be in touch for more Live events at my place.

KGman-- The Champ! exudes confidence and backs it up with just the right amount of vinegar. great funny bud.

EA-- Class act, boxes and carts for Evan and Mikey showed your unselfishness.

EA's wife girlfriend-- honored to know you. Classy lady. "Raph is red, AJ is white"

Ice-- Super Cool, down to earth guy.

Seth-- I don't know maybe it is that we are both teachers, more likely it is that you are a clown. I loved hanging out with you. Classic!

Buck-- It runs in the family.

Evan-- Quiet cool guy with a big heart.

Alison-- I really enjoyed visiting with you. Thanks for looking out for this country boy.

Smoz-- Super smart, great helpful guy, thanks for teaching a complete non-tech guy how to edit an old video game into even older games.

Jer33-- Great bud who has played in all my 92/93 leagues. Pleasure to meet in person and continue our rivalry. Hockey aficionado.

Witt-- Super chill good bud.

The blonde ref girl-- "Come on Nevada" Sorry I never bought that raffle ticket.

The movie guy who interviewed me-- I enjoyed speaking with you.

The employees at the Roots store next to the HHOF-- Thanks, pure Canadian.

People I wish I had gotten to know better:

Annatar-- Seemed like a class act and his post after reveal it.

CamKneely-- awesome pants dude--no one even noticed my Chris Kyle commerative hat.

chaos-- cool bud.

My tournament:

I had very low expectations of how I would do coming in since I have mostly played 92 and 93 and very little 94.

I was really more of a non-forum guy when it came to skill or experience, almost all my forum activity has been around running 92/93 leagues or how to edit roms. The one league I played in, GDL 12, I came in as a replacement player and went 2-44-2. I came mainly because this is the first and only exposure I have to technology or online stuff. I have no cell phone, I don't do FB, Twitter, Instagram, or whatever. I also had a free airline ticket on Southwest that was about to expire and i like Canada. So really I was curious to see what all you people were really like. I did practice 94 a good bit from June on and even had a 94 tourney at my house AJ came to, but my confidence was still low.

Game 1 I played Steve H who was a last minute replacement. I won the toss and picked HFD/PHI which is one of my favorite match-ups. He took Philly and I won pretty easily 7-4. I don't think he knew about the WT Bug as he left Lindros at center and actually scored a couple goals with him, but I felt bad later that I did not mention it, Steve was a super nice guy and turned out going 3-3 just like me so he either figured it out or was good enough to overcome it. I never found him later to apoligize and ask him if he knew or found out.

Game 2 I got Uncle Seth and knew I was in trouble. He won the toss and picked HFD/WSH so I at least got a team I liked and had just played with plus I got to hear Brass Bonanza if and when I ever scored. I spent most of the game attempting not to have the mercy rule applied which I turned out succeeding in doing plus I got to hear Brass Bonanza 4 times in a 13-4 loss.

Game 3 Next was another non-forum guy Liam C. I won the toss and went with the 86/89 Cup Final match-up of Flames v Canadiens. Liam took Montreal and we played an epic game Patty Roy must have been hot as I dominated play and outshot him 22-6 but could not beat Roy. I trailed 1-0 heading into the third. Gary Suter scored twice in the third on end to end rushes for a 2-1 victory and I had surpassed my goal of winning 1 game.

Game 4 Jer33 was next. I have probably played him more than anyone else online in 92 and 93 and knew he was a good bud. I also knew he played a ton of 94 as he is in just about every 94 league GDL, Blitz, Classic and often fills in for additional classic teams so i knew the cards were stacked against me. I won the toss again went with another of my favorite match-ups San Jose v Tampa Bay. I like and think both teams are fun to play with and especially against each other but I was hoping to get SJ because I like Doug Wilson and also well because I am from out west and like western teams. Jer took the Sharks. It was great back and forth game that Jer turned out winning 6-5. I was bummed but proud at the same time.

Game 5 I was now on the brink of elimination and had to face Canadian Dennis who I knew nothing about except he was Smoz's friend and had played Blitz in the early days so I was thinking I was in trouble. I won the toss and took the 71/73 Finals Match up of Canadiens and BlackHawks. He took Chicago. I probably played the best game of 94 I have ever played in the 4-2 victory. Holy Moley I had won 3 games!

Game 6 I had to face Wittgenstein who again I knew was an experienced online player. I had a nice visit with him before we played as I needed a break and he obliged me. Witt won the toss and picked TOR/BOS. I went with Toronto but it was never really close as Adam Oates scored 5 times and lead the Bruins and Witt to a 7-3 victory.

In the end I got to play 2 of the Stanley Cup rematchs that I wanted MTL/CGY and MTL/CHI winning both. I got to play 2 of my favorite 94 match ups HFD/PHI and TB/SJ. I never got to use my favorite team the Oilers because I was afraid to pick them and that I would have to play against them.

Lastly, as the night was winding down and AJ and KG were playing in the Semi-Finals, I realized what great camaraderie we developed in a short time. AJ was the only guy I personally knew coming in and he was the only other western US dude so I was hoping he would win. I was standing next to him as KG went up 3-0. At the booth next door the SNES guys were getting rowdy chanting about "represent GTA" or something and the guy like slams KG, and AJ scores to make it 3-1. I immediately switched to the other side of the booth and told KG that would not happen again, even though I was for AJ (sorry KG). I stayed there the rest of the night through both of KG's wins over Raph keeping that "GTA represent" guy off KG and he slammed into me numerous times. (Nothing personal GTA guy if you are reading this, I am sure you would have done the same for your boy if GENS guys were bumping him)

Edited by CoachMac
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^ Coach, what you did there at the end, becoming a human blockade, was the very definition of "a stand-up guy". I didn't realize they had already bumped "our" side. It's a huge thing what you did, I saw how often the SNES guys got rowdy (understandable) and the mass of bodies shifted towards us. I think Brutus pointed it out to me, something like "look at Coach holding down the fort". The only line of defense protecting the integrity of the finals games. Very smart and thoughtful maneuver. I don't even know if Raph, KG, and A.J. even realized, being so focused on the task at hand. They would definitely have been bumped again if not for you.

Edited by Uncle Seth
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Yeah, extra fist bump to Coach for the blockade, I didn't even realize that, but much appreciate. You're right in that once the game is in play, I don't notice anything until a stoppage. Someone bumping into me during play would've pissed me off.

I ran into Coach after his first win and was so happy. He exhibited this pure joy, happy to be playing and participating in this great event. Such an easy guy to root for, I was hoping he'd pull the upset out of his group to make it to 16. Glad to read he came so close!

Btw, that was EA's GF, not wife...don't get EA in an tough spot, lol. ;)

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Mikey, you are the man. We should all be thanking you profusely. The fact you even mentioned me of all people in your post shows what a stand-up guy you are.

To have someone combine all of my favourite things - hockey, videogames, and movies into one big thing is unbelievable! And then to hold an event of this scope, and do it so well, is mind-boggling. I am still trying to process that this is all real.

Thank you!

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Huge thanks to Mikey, Hali, Evan and all the other guys who made this happen. It was a blast and it really felt more like a reunion rather than the first time meeting a bunch of internet strangers. It was awesome meeting and getting to hang out with so many of you and I'm really looking forward to having another tournament. I'm so glad this was such a success thanks guys for making it happen!

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Coach thanks again for being the human shield! I was just about to go postal on the GTA represent crew! ....i did give them few shoves and elbows but you came in and descalated the situation., those kids are really lucky to have you as their coach!........AJ is a great person i can see why youd be cheering for him:) i guess the only thing i would change its not having snes and gens finals next to each other :)

Edited by kgman
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