CURRENT GM - CAPN DAVE (Dave Moore)
- with the Duteau Cup- Le Coup Duteau.
In the Leafs Extensive Hall of Awards

 How I joined the FHL

       I am one of the lucky GMs in the FHL to have landed my favorite NHL team in the FHL - but it almost did not happen that way.  I had spent 2 years listening to Tony Goudie - then GM of Winnipeg, talking over beers in the campus bar at Memorial University of Newfoundland, about the foibles and follies of the FHL.
He had been an early entry in the FHL and had drawn the Jets.  Many discussions had come up concerning Tony's colorful slant on things and his secret desire to move the FHL team  from the city where the NHL counterpart played. After about the 8th or 9th beverage, the talk would range from topics such as some of the bizarre trade offers to  Tony's own thoughts concerning the team name to the Jets logo.

      The major point of fascination for me in all of this was the great efforts to give owners an experience that came far closer to an actual managerial experience, than the normal simple stats based league was offering. To be honest, the FHL was likely the main reason that I purchased a computer when I did - rather than waiting an extra year to get a better machine.
      I asked Tony to put in my name on Jon Barrett's waiting list, and within a few weeks, I had learned that The DALLAS Stars franchise had become open.  Excited, I wrote Jon that same day, and soon had gotten an email from him telling me that I could join the FHL as Dallas GM. Somehow, during the process of introducing myself to the league, I managed to make it known that I was a fan of the NHL Leafs, and to my shock and delight David Orchard had sent me an offer to swap franchises. Since that day, I've been the happy owner of the FHL Leafs!  My early adjustment to the league was not without bumps.

      At the time, the auction process was much more competitive in terms of the strategies involved in making the last bid on a player. I had lost a few players to other teams in the auction, as we all do from time to time. There were loose conditions for token compensation at the time, and I (hopped-up on the bluster of other GM's emails) took the idea of compensation for lost free agents beyond the scope of what was intended.

Poor Dave Wong really thought that I was a real "hot-head" when I began making my demands for compensation for some player he'd signed away from me. It was probably the only time in all these years that I've seen Wonger flustered in his emails - as he tried to explain the reality of the Free Agent process.

Since that bumpy start, I've enjoyed moderate success, and was thrilled to have made the play-off in my first year. The FHL is a great league and certainly, a great part of my life. It makes hockey even more enjoyable to follow and has brought me many happy memories.

 
"The good Life!"

 About Capn Dave

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Home Town: St. John's Newfoundland
Current Home (Live): Mount Pearl Newfoundland
Favorite NHL Team: Toronto Maple Leafs
Favorite NHL Player Now: Alex Mogilny
Favorite Player Retired: Wendel Clark, Dave Keon, Tiger Williams
Favorite historical figure: Odysseus / Francis Bacon

Three things that I hate:

Flying - Though I enjoy chances to travel.
The increasing difficulty in getting a quorum for pub crawls or hockey games.
People who don't signal when changing lanes because of cell phone habit.

Things that I love:

Spicy Food Especially Indian/Thai cusine.
People who love life and show it with flair and a laugh or two.
Road trips - sunny days and little adventures!
A thick dark frothy drink and a room full of singing drunks!
My wife - of Course!

Hobbies: Cartooning; fantasy sports; wife, family & pets(more of a life than a hobby); Reading Sci Fi and Science Fact. Japanese Anime', Superman comics, lots of movies, cooking, painting, looking for new beaches to visit. All sorts of music! Board games; Risk, Monopoly ,Age of Empires & similar games for PC, and following the NHL & AHL Leafs plus the CFL ARGOS and NFL Packers/Bills/Cowboys/Patriots/Colts.

My dream job/position in the NHL would be....
Were it not for all the flying, I'd loved to have been a defenceman - more of a player than manager....with the flying in mind, likely OWNER of the Leafs - I could never be fired that way!

If I were to adopt a motto for myself for my self/family/team to use, it
would likely be something like this:

"Getting older may not be much fun, but it sure beats the alternative!" or "Happy memories and good friends are the only true currency in life."

"Flipping the bunny"

       Born in St. John's Newfoundland  in the early 1960's, I grew to become a Leaf Fan about age 4, when my father ( a Hab's Fan) watched Hockey Night in Canada one night and suggested that I cheer for the team playing his Habs.  A black and white screen with both teams wearing darkish uniforms was my first exposure to the game, and I've loved it ever since.  Dad and I argued hockey for many years, and I grew to follow the game more closely than he had time for.
       I played organized hockey from age 9 to age 20 and after that, tried to manage a few pick-up games each year. I played Forward and Defense, but in later years found that hitting, passing and positional play were my strengths and  learned all that I could about the game. Always just as happy to set up a good goal as to make the big play on my own.

       Around age 12 - I got the old Face-Off Board game, which I still own, and learned to appreciate the thrills of managing a team that way.

      I coached  minor hockey in the mid 1990's. (Ottawa GM Doug Lewis was my assistant for two years)
 I also was an  assistant coach with a high-school team in 1987, and enjoyed the scrimmages with the best that school had to offer.  I  never pursued a competitive hockey career, but wonder some times if I might have done so if I had spent more time on my game and less time on the beer.   
 

 Coaching Record 

Past FHL Toronto GMs

David Orchard