Media "8 Then Skate" with LG McDonald

Discussion in 'Leaguegaming American Hockey League (LGAHL)' started by MrMalice25, Apr 1, 2017.

  1. MrMalice25

    MrMalice25 Well-Known Member

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    My special guest on this segment of 8 Then Skate really needs no introduction.
    He is one of the mastermind's behind the awesomeness that is LG.
    If @Tris10 is the Father of LG, than my guest @LG McDonald would be the Mother.
    Brodie allowed me to ask him a few questions that I have always been curious about when it comes to both himself, the league, and some of the inner workings.

    So as always, sit back, relax, and enjoy.

    [​IMG]





    Gamertag- LG McDonald
    [​IMG] <- Cool kids follow him on Twitch.
    [​IMG] <- Cooler kids follow on Twitter.
    Age- 28
    Location- Petawawa ON
    Current Team- Tuscan Roadrunners :team618:

    Favorite NHL Team- Pittsburgh Penguins:team78:



    1) Malice- When exactly did you join LG? Were you here from the beginning? How did you get promoted to Commissioner?

    Brodie- I joined LG just under four years ago when the my old League VHL merged into the current LGHL.

    VHL and LG were rival leagues for many years on Xbox whereby LG had the better website and tools but only 500ish players. VHL however was the largest and more competitive league having close to 2500 players but an awful website.

    In the 14th season of VHL the relationship between the community and site admin turned dark. We ultimately lead to the community wanting to relocate to better spot and get a fresh start.

    Luckily Tris and I live about four hours apart in real life and after months of discussions and debate we agreed to meet in person to finalize the merger and come to terms on a partnership.


    My rise to Commissioner began a long time ago. I joined VHL in Season 6(2010) and players on a team with @DarthForsberg . Darth was an owner known for his rulebook knowledge. He was later groomed and took over Commissioner from @PHJ314 which opened up an opportunity for me hold a position of BOG. I was BOG for only one season before making my way up to Deputy Commissioner. For a few seasons I was #2 to @Hadji (whom now is my #1 on the PSN League) until Hadji was promoted to site admin allowing me to step up into the commissioner's role.

    I've been the Commissioner of the LGHL since season 17 and if you could my VHL time I've held this role nearly seven years. I took a season off due to health issues in S13 but luckily returned to help the transition from VHL to LG along side many other key members of this community.



    2) Malice- How much time (blood, sweat, tears) do you spend on average a week dealing with LG as commissioner?

    Brodie- My daily routine is basically checking my PMs 3/4 times daily or practically whenever I eat. I'm also pretty good to answer PMs live as I get them if I'm not busy. Normal days are between 40-60 PMs daily on the site but mainly things addressed by my staff.

    The leagues staff structure is one emulated off my career in the fire service. I have a strong sense and appreciation of chain of command and truly believe based on experience that people are the most successful when given guidance, expectations and a goal to accomplish. Which is why I believe the structure of the staff has allowed LG to grow and stand out against many other leagues who try and do what we do here.

    Each league is set up to have a director and then BOG. The directors role so to ensure the day to day tasks are handled and that the bog are on top of their work. The directors are also the guys who I spent the most time working with as we talk several times a day to ensure their questions and concerns can be addressed.

    This structure has completely removed me from the complaint process which I truly enjoy way more. Many moons ago we had a Players Association whom handled appeals and public education. Those roles faded away as the communities lack of interest fade from those roles as well. It also became a pissing match at times whereby the PA sometimes would grant appeals on legitimate bans to spite the BOG which causes internal issues. Therefore all appeals are handled via me. I personally feel I have been pretty fair and I truly hold no personal bias against anyone. This league is my hobby and is something I am extremely proud of therefore my ability to make decisions I feel is second to none.

    All in all between reviewing all six management offices several times a day, making public addresses, video updates, reviewing current info posts, following my PMs on Skype, GroupMe, Facebook, LG as well as Xbox I spend upwards to 45-50 hours a week dedicated to LG. It truly has become a major staple in my life and I my daily routines as habits. Tris and I often spend hours daily innovating and discussing the future while reflecting on where we have come from and what we started. We truly have the best business relationship I think that benefits LG.



    3) Malice- Can you explain who authored the LG rulebook? Was it one person or a collaborative effort? Has it evolved much in LG's history?

    Brodie- The rulebook has been around longer than I have and have endured many changes.

    It was original written by RunWtDevil and Ricochet when VHL began its beta seasons during NHL 09.

    When I was promoted to Commissioner sometime during NHL 11 the rules had not changed or been adapted at all!

    I believe what allowed me to gain popularity and respect was when implemented the ability to have our owners and managers become more involved with rule changes and offseason discussions.

    I've already believed that many minds are greater than one. Therefore still to this day I engage my staff and managers as often as possible to evaluate our league and address issues we uncover each season. I truly believe having an adaptive rule book is what slows LG to continue to offer the most competitive environment possible without sacrificing our simulation aspect.

    The old saying "imitation is the greatest form of flattery" plays true as recently a banana league was caught copy and pasting our exact rules as they began their own hockey experience.



    4) Malice- How about in general just talk about what you enjoy most about being commissioner of LG and what you are most excited about? And also what you dislike most about being commissioner of LG?

    Brodie- I enjoy the daily interactions with players and managers. This league has evolved so much in the time I've been the commissioner it's amazing!

    We truly have a community buy in that supports a similation hockey leagues as well as shares a desire for a competitive environment wxih our E-Sports league will bring in. That community has allowed us to grow and change for the best for us all.

    I'm excited for our Esports branding and some new site improvements come into affect as well. I am looking forward to hopefully being able to offer the NHL community of LG a bit more to play for than what we have experienced in the past few years of NHL.

    Dislikes aren't many to be honest. I don't take a lot of this personal and I respect the time and dedication other put into this league. I'm not the only guy on the site volunteering countless hours to make this all work. Sometimes we deal with pretty upset people whom cross the line and forget that we have a job to do and this is only a video game. But those days aren't nearly as often anymore.

    Finally I truly feel blessed and lucky to have the support of a community this size which has given me the opportunity to be part of the game changers. I feel that gives us a LG a voice that we deserve as the largest and most competitive hockey community on there



    5) Malice- What do you enjoy doing when you're not taking care of business with LG?

    Brodie- I'm a pretty involved in my career. I've been in the fire service for eight years not between two different departments.

    I've learned a ton of skills on LG that has helped my career progress quickly. I'm part of a training committee therefore I spend a lot of time with newer firefighter's whom are trying to learn new skills and such.

    My career has allowed me a ton of time off. So I spent a fair amount of time at the rink playing hockey.

    When it comes to the gaming aspect NHL has been a staple for so many years but do enjoy a good mmo or shooter. BF1 has been a refreshing change from the frustrating bounces of HUT LOL.

    I've always grown up with a big back yard with a huge deck and gazebo. I do spend my summers building and working on my house to turn into the best stay-cation possibly. The goal this year is finish my outdoor kitchen and gazebo this summer.



    6) Malice- We are coming into the last week of the regular season, how about giving us 1 pick from the each Conference in your league that you really feel have a chance to make a serious run at the Calder Cup?

    Brodie- Being in the AHL this season there has been some strong teams and strong divisions.

    The one western division opposite of my own has been super strong all season and I believe are 1/2 in the league right now.

    Cleveland is a deadly all season and is three strong lines deep.

    Rockford is right there right them and I believe the winner of that series will probably win the league.

    On the east side Hershey got off to a strong start, cooled off a bit but seem to be back in the mix. It's hard to pick a true winner when I see any of the eight playoff WANs capable if winning a seven game series.



    7) Malice- You and Tris seem to be the key people at the top of the totem pole at LG that keep things running smoothly, however would you like to name a few other people behind the scenes that you feel might not get the recognition they deserve making LG what it is?

    Brodie- The Xbox league has so much success due to consistency.

    @Tiddus and @xX Z3NO Xx have been here for a long time and have helped stability the AHL and CHL respectively.

    The AHL has been supper competitive for many seasons to the point it rivals our NHL for #1 league players want to play in.

    Watching the CHL grow to where it is today I contribute to a lot of the hard work and dedication Zeno has put in. When he was hired on I had a lot of dreams and expectations as to where I wanted the CHL to go. He has been able to meet and exceed all of those.

    This season having @ByMercyAndGrace and @Winston Payne added in as directors for the CHL and NHL has also been a huge success. It has allowed us to mentor and bring two active, intelligence and dedicated members and put them into a role where they can be extremely successful.

    Our BoG staff normally has slight changes each season. We have had some die hards around for awhile that offer a ton of experience, helping us grow and helping us get the new guys in and trained quickly.

    Overall the staff and the major key to success. I tend to reap the benefits of LG being so successful. But realistically I'm only responsible for the structure we run within and some of the key ideas as we move forward. Each member of staff is a key member cog in the wheel that makes this league go around. Without them we don't have what we have today.



    8) Malice- And for my closing question, are you able to take as many vacations as Tris? Does he at least let you carry his bags and/or chauffeur for him on his luxurious vacations taken on the LG dime? :D

    Brodie- I make a few road trips to Pittsburgh each year to see the pens play. I'm down in Panama right now actually lol

    But in all seriousness I'm not as luck I don't get to spend the ban buyout surplus on vacations lol

    Honorable mention- @Tris10

    [​IMG]

    And there you have it folks.
    As always I would like to thank @LG McDonald for taking his time to answer my questions.


    Feel free to show the post some love, or hate.
    And until next time, we'll see you on the ice.

    LG is Love, LG is Life,

    -MrMalice25

    P.S.- To anyone that might be interested in being interviewed and shedding some light to the community about yourself, feel free to inbox me on LG.
     
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2017
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