2000s Star Controversy

The 2000s Star Controversy was a high-profile corruption scandal involving the Valorian Hockey Federation, representatives of the Boston Spirits, and voting members in the process of awarding the 2000s star.

The controversy arose when reports came out that representatives of the Boston Spirits had been using blackmail, bribery, and extortion to influence the vote to award the decade's star in their favor, over the Providence Doves. The VHF were also accused of favoritism towards the Spirits, who were the much larger franchise in terms of both money and fans, and thus generated far more revenue for the VHF.

Ultimately, the star was awarded in controversial fashion to the Boston Spirits. Widespread protesting of the VHF and the Spirits ensued, however the VHF remained steadfast in its decision. In early 2012, the VHF issued a statement declaring that, although the widespread protests had pushed them to internally reconsider the award, they had found that the Spirits had rightfully earned their second star, and the body would no longer entertain any motions to forfeit it.

Background

The decade of the 2000s began with four consecutive titles from the Providence Doves, including a domineering Double-winning, 50+ season in 2003. Their championship streak was broken by the Boston Spirits, who defeated the Doves in the finals in 2004, however the Doves responded by winning yet another Double in 2005. The pair met in the finals for the fifth time in seven years in 2006, with the Spirits coming out on top for the second time. Both the Doves and the Spirits were eliminated in the semi-finals of the 2007 playoffs, however Boston finished the decade in the most dominant fashion possible, completing back-to-back Doubles in 2008 and 2009.

Thus, over the length of the decade, the Doves, who, at first, seemed certain to win the decade's star, were slowly caught up to by the Spirits. By the end of it, the two teams had very similar stats: the Doves had 5 league titles, 3 Coupes Balbuzard, 2 Doubles, 4 league shields, and a 50+ Season; the Spirits had 4 league titles, 4 Coupes Balbuzard, 2 Doubles, 4 league shields, and 2 50+ Seasons.

The 2000s had proven to be the most dominant decade in VHF history on a year-by-year basis. Whereas no team had ever completed the Double (winning both the league title and the Coupe Balbuzard in the same campaign), by the end of the decade in 2009, the Double had been completed four times, with an additional two instances of a team nearly completing it, but instead achieving a "1.9" (winning the league title but losing the Coupe Balbuzard final).

Initial Debate

Initial debate over which team deserved the star centered around each team's achievements throughout the decade, which were very similar. The Doves were widely regarded as the frontrunners to win the star, as they had been the clear favorites up until the final game of the decade, the 2009 Coupe Balbuzard final (sometimes referred to as the "Game of the Century"), in which the Spirits defeated the Bandits to win their second consecutive Double. It was only after this game that the battle for the star became a toss-up; had the Spirits not won that game, it is widely agreed the Doves would have almost certainly won the star.

As debate continued without a clear answer, some began shifting to less statistic-oriented answers. Emotional arguments were raised that the Doves should win the star because the Spirits were far more likely to challenge for the star again in the future. The Doves, being a far smaller team, had an exceptional chance at winning a once-in-a-generation award, whilst the Spirits had challenged for every star since the founding of the VHL. These arguments were shot down as being based solely on feelings, and not on desert, however they still influenced public opinion to a certain extent.

Controversy

A few months before the announcement was scheduled, a report featured on The Providence Journal, Providence's local newspaper, accused the Spirits of using bribery and blackmail to influence the vote in their favor. The report claimed that, as the Doves seemed the favorites to win the star, the Spirits had aimed to use their superior resources and influence to convince the VHF to award them the star.

The report immediately caught fire, circulating the nation and putting the Spirits and the VHF in the spotlight. A number of anonymous VHF officials and voting members came out accusing the Spirits of having requested contact to discuss "business affairs" in the weeks prior. The Spirits vehemently denied these accusations, claiming them to be merely defamation. Some whistleblowers later recanted or altered their claims, while others doubled down on them, painting a confusing picture of the situation.

The Doves themselves were quick to respond to the allegations, taking an aggressive stance against the Spirits. Doves head coach Emmanuel Bernardi in particular took a famously inflammatory tone.

Fallout

When the award was given to Boston at the end-of-decade award ceremony, the head coach for the Providence Doves was seen storming out of the venue, followed for the next few minutes by several prominent players and figures, both from the Doves and not. After the announcement, widespread protests of the VHF and its competitions, as well as the Spirits' participation in these competitions, were organized. Some boycotted the entire 2010 season, refusing to watch or attend any games. This saw a noticeable drop in viewing and revenue over the next few years.

The question of whether it was the Spirits or the Doves who deserved the star more continues to spark debate to this day. A number of prominent pundits and head coaches have voiced their opinion that the Doves should have won the star, while a number of others maintain the Spirits was the correct choice.

The launch of new Boston Spirits jerseys and merchandise featuring two stars above the crest was met with counter-merchandise of Spirits jerseys with a star crossed out, as well as Doves jerseys with a star added. The Spirits launched several lawsuits against companies distributing such merchandise, effectively managing to remove them from circulation after a few years. The efficacity with which the Spirits were able to do so has raised some questions as to the level of influence the team has on Boston and Valoria.

Despite a fall in profits and vocal discontent from many, the VHF has remained resolute in its decision. In early 2012, the VHF released a statement clarifying that the demonstrations and boycotts had led them to internally review the Spirits' and Doves' decade performances, and had even entertained the idea of calling the voting members together once more and holding a second vote to re-award the star. They said that they concluded, however, by dismissing the idea, finding that the Spirits were indeed the deserving winners of the 2000s star. They also declared that an impartial vote had rightly occurred, that the decision was now final, and that they would not entertain any further motions to revoke the Spirits' second star. The statement arose questions from fans and pundits alike, who objected in that the VHF had no authority to conduct such an investigation or come to such a conclusion.

To date, the Spirits retain their second star.

Perspectives

To date, a number of players, managers, pundits, and alike, unaffiliated with either the Spirits or the Doves, have voiced their opinions on which team was the deserving victor of the decade's star.

Jules Lundsford, manager of the Sailors 1993–2009: "It didn't surprise me one bit that [the Spirits] won. Even as their arch-rivals, I have to admit they were the deserving winners of that star. We didn't do enough throughout the decade to stop them from winning it, and neither did Providence."

Victor Béringer, 2004 Golden Puck winner, Sailors captain: "There's no doubt in my mind the Doves should've won it. They broke the Double barrier. They dominated on the ice like no other team had before or since. Playing against them at that time was a nightmare. The Spirits never came close to that, even in '08, '09."