History of the ATD

[Dreakmur]

Can you document what this migration consisted in for the rest of us? It seemed like a significant event in ATD history, with several people joining hfboards or something like that.

I think seventieslord wanted to expand the Hf draft, so he came to the leafs board and started it there. Once we got hooked, he told us about HF and a bunch of us came over.... me, Johnny, Jarek, leafs forever and I think a few others.

 

[BenchBrawl]

My first main draft was ATD 12, the last one in 2009 before we went to the once per-year format. Got to start with Bobby Orr right from the start - that was fun!

My first overall draft was MLD 11, back when the Minor League Draft was promoted as a way to introduce newbies to this. I remember @seventieslord gave me the hard sell before I joined. He was always the best at getting new people to join these.

Do you come from the Leaf board migration? I guess you're not a Leaf fan but that doesn't mean you weren't there.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I think seventieslord wanted to expand the Hf draft, so he came to the leafs board and started it there. Once we got hooked, he told us about HF and a bunch of us came over.... me, Johnny, Jarek, leafs forever and I think a few others.

Thank you !

 

[overpass]

I started in ATD12. A 32 team draft. My first 4 picks were Hasek-Kharlamov-M. Howe-Fedorov.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I started in ATD12. A 32 team draft. My first 4 picks were Hasek-Kharlamov-M. Howe-Fedorov.

Do you come from the Leafs board?

 

[BenchBrawl]

ATD12 looks like the beginning of an era in ATD history, and a central point of its history, as well as ATD2011, and both occurred within a 2 years span.

 

[ResilientBeast]

Question for everyone: Which ATD was your first one?

So as of now (will update as more people answer):

ATD#1: Leaf Lander
ATD#2:
ATD#3: VanIslander
ATD#4:
ATD#5:
ATD#6:
ATD#7:
ATD#8
ATD#9
ATD#10:
ATD#11:
ATD#12: Johnny Engine, TheDevilMadeMe, Dreakmur, overpass
ATD2010:
ATD2011: tony d, Hawkey Town 18, BenchBrawl
ATD2012:
ATD2013:
ATD2014: ResilientBeast
ATD2015:
ATD2016:
ATD2017: tinyzombies
ATD2018: habsfan18
ATD2019:
ATD2020:
ATD2021: Professor What

This can live here for now, but this and my weird meta stuff will go to the chat thread and evolution of our teams respectively when I do cleanup

 

[BenchBrawl]

This can live here for now, but this and my weird meta stuff will go to the chat thread and evolution of our teams respectively when I do cleanup

You should leave it here, it makes for a good discussion to read when we go back in the threads. This isn't wasted.

It is ATD history.

 

[ImporterExporter]

2014 was my first year.

I had no idea what I was doing then.

 

[BenchBrawl]

2014 was my first year.

I had no idea what I was doing then.

How did you learn about the existence of the draft to join in?

 

[overpass]

Do you come from the Leafs board?

No I didn’t. I was a poster on the History board.

 

[RustyRazor]

So as of now (will update as people answer):

ATD#1:
ATD#2:
ATD#3: VanIslander
ATD#4:
ATD#5:
ATD#6:
ATD#7:
ATD#8
ATD#10:
ATD#11:
ATD#12: Johnny Engine
ATD2010:
ATD2011: tony d, Hawkey Town 18, BenchBrawl
ATD2012:
ATD2013:
ATD2014: ResilientBeast
ATD2015:
ATD2016:
ATD2017:
ATD2018:
ATD2019:
ATD2020:
ATD2021: Professor What

I did a few MLDs around 2011-2014, but last year was my first ATD.

 

[TheDevilMadeMe]

Do you come from the Leaf board migration? I guess you're not a Leaf fan but that doesn't mean you weren't there.

No, he "knew" me from the HOH 2009 top 100 project

 

[BenchBrawl]

I did a few MLDs around 2011-2014, but last year was my first ATD.

Hmm then you should still count for your MLDs. Which one was it exactly, do you remember?

 

[ImporterExporter]

How did you learn about the existence of the draft to join in?

I had lurked for a few years prior. I had been doing fantasy football/baseball/basketball drafts for years prior but stumbled on this forum or whatever the hell it was at the time haha.

I'd have to really dig into old posts but I think I finally showed up one day (2014) and asked to join. Nothing terribly earth shattering.

Though I've learned more about hockey in the last 6+ years than I could ever tell you about any other sport. And it's not even remotely close.

This and HoH are the crown jewels of the forum and the only real reason anyone would want to be here.

 

[RustyRazor]

Hmm then you should still count for your MLDs. Which one was it exactly, do you remember?

Just checked my old PMs, it was 2011.

 

[Professor What]

I had lurked for a few years prior. I had been doing fantasy football/baseball/basketball drafts for years prior but stumbled on this forum or whatever the hell it was at the time haha.

I'd have to really dig into old posts but I think I finally showed up one day (2014) and asked to join. Nothing terribly earth shattering.

Though I've learned more about hockey in the last 6+ years than I could ever tell you about any other sport. And it's not even remotely close.

This and HoH are the crown jewels of the forum and the only real reason anyone would want to be here.

I like what you said about learning so much here, because it's invaluable for that. I live in the southern U.S. -- not known for being a hockey hotbed, obviously. I've known other hockey fans, but I was always easily the smartest guy in the room when it came to hockey discussions with them. Here, I feel a lot more like the village idiot, and I like that. It makes for a better learning environment than trying to self teach.

 

[seventieslord]

Question for everyone: Which ATD was your first one?

So as of now (will update as more people answer):

ATD#1: Leaf Lander
ATD#2:
ATD#3: VanIslander
ATD#4:
ATD#5:
ATD#6:
ATD#7:
ATD#8
ATD#9
ATD#10:
ATD#11:
ATD#12: Johnny Engine, TheDevilMadeMe, Dreakmur, overpass
ATD2010:
ATD2011: tony d, Hawkey Town 18, BenchBrawl, Selfish Man(MLD2011)
ATD2012:
ATD2013:
ATD2014: ResilientBeast, ImporterExporter
ATD2015:
ATD2016:
ATD2017: tinyzombies
ATD2018: habsfan18
ATD2019:
ATD2020:
ATD2021: Professor What

8

 

[Habsfan18]

This is one of the strangest thing about you; member on hfboards since 2003, hockey books collector, yet never around the ATD for 15 years !

To be completely honest, I have no idea why it took me so long to take the plunge. I even followed along for years, lurking in the shadows so to speak. I’ve been a collector and researching hockey history for quite awhile, but really kicked it up a notch starting in 2008 or so. For much of my time on HF I strictly posted on the Habs board. But yeah, for whatever reason I never actually decided to start participating in the ATD draft‘s itself until 2018. I even remember @seventieslord sending me an invite back in 2011 or so.

 

[BenchBrawl]

8

I saw that skimming the lists, you and Sturminator came on at the same time. Only thing I'm uncertain is if some GMs changed usernames, so I can't be 100% sure for everyone.

Will update you onto the list.

 

[BenchBrawl]

To be completely honest, I have no idea why it took me so long to take the plunge. I even followed along for years, lurking in the shadows so to speak. I’ve been a collector and researching hockey history for quite awhile, but really kicked it up a notch starting in 2008 or so. For much of my time on HF I strictly posted on the Habs board. But yeah, for whatever reason I never actually decided to start participating in the ATD draft‘s itself until 2018. I even remember @seventieslord sending me an invite back in 2011 or so.

Imagine if you had joined in 2011; so many years of pure joy missed in the 2010s. That, and some drama lol

Your presence would have changed the entire history. Every single draft order would be different.

 

[Habsfan18]

Imagine if you had joined in 2011; so many years of pure joy missed in the 2010s. That, and some drama lol

Your presence would have changed the entire history. Every single draft order would be different.

I sort of wish I did, because I was hooked pretty quickly once I finally did decide to join. I had a blast, and I came back for 2019, 2020 and now 2021, plus 2 MLD’s and an OPPF. That oppf I’m trying to forget though. Not my finest hour. I wasn’t prepared for that at all and didn’t have much free time, so I sort of winged it and it showed.

But yeah, it sounds like the ATD just isn’t quite what it used to be. At least that’s the feeling I get from others who have participated long-term.

 

[BenchBrawl]

I sort of wish I did, because I was hooked pretty quickly once I finally did decide to join. I had a blast, and I came back for 2019, 2020 and now 2021, plus 2 MLD’s and an OPPF. That oppf I’m trying to forget though. Not my finest hour. I wasn’t prepared for that at all and didn’t have much free time, so I sort of winged it and it showed.

But yeah, it sounds like the ATD just isn’t quite what it used to be. At least that’s the feeling I get from others who have participated long-term.

It's probably true, but history is filled with old people longing for "their day", filled with nostalgia and romanticizing the past.

Back then we were still stuck with the incomplete Google archives and books for research, which is inconvenient. Our research capabilities with newspapers.com and a few other resources are way more powerful.

There was more of a feeling of a "gold rush" back in my beginnings, in that you could more often completely change the perspective on a player. You can still do this, but it's tougher because we cumulatively know more.

There were more people around objectively, but not that many more.

Losing a bunch of vets didn't help.

But I'm optimistic about the future of the ATD.

 

[Claude The Fraud]

Question for everyone: Which ATD was your first one?

So as of now (will update as more people answer):

ATD#1: Leaf Lander
ATD#2:
ATD#3: VanIslander
ATD#4:
ATD#5:
ATD#6:
ATD#7:
ATD#8: seventieslord, Sturminator
ATD#9:
ATD#10:
ATD#11:
ATD#12: Johnny Engine, TheDevilMadeMe, Dreakmur, overpass
ATD2010:
ATD2011: tony d, Hawkey Town 18, BenchBrawl, Selfish Man(MLD2011)
ATD2012:
ATD2013:
ATD2014: ResilientBeast, ImporterExporter
ATD2015:
ATD2016:
ATD2017: tinyzombies
ATD2018: habsfan18
ATD2019:
ATD2020:
ATD2021: Professor What

2018

 

[rmartin65]

I believe 2015. I was a co-GM with @Stoneburg