Alexander Ovechkin
The draft lottery saw general manager Brian Pittman receive the first overall pick. As it was the first ever draft in the FGHL, it was certain that it would be a fight for Alexander Ovechkin, one that Pittman was likely to have won by winning the lottery. To nobody's surprise, Pittman would select the Russian superstar, giving Springfield arguably the best player in the world. Pittman and the Springfield Hell's Satans were poised to be one of the most threatening teams in the league coming out the draft, and expectations were high.
Just Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin would come out of the gates on fire. After a small delay in the game to extinguish the flames, Ovechkin would put up points that no other player in the league could equal. Totaling a massive nine points in just three games, it seemed that Ovechkin and Springfield would be unstoppable. However, high hopes quickly turned into confusion, as Springfield failed to claim first place in spite of Ovechkin's massive production.
Reports began to pour in. Numerous explanations were given, but one was most accepted: Pittman had drafted only Alexander Ovechkin, believing that was all that he needed. Remarkably, Ovechkin had been able to keep Springfield alive singlehandedly, playing every position in every game. However, while it kept Springfield out of the basement, it wasn't enough to propel them to the top.
Not Alexander Ovechkin
In November, the rumours that Pittman had drafted only Alexander Ovechkin were proven false. Pittman had come to the media with the truth. His explaining as to why Ovechkin was playing alone every night was as follows:
"We here at the Springfield Hell's Satans organization maintain strict standards for our roster players. Those standards are known as "Alexander Ovechkin". We have benched the likes of Bobby Ryan, Ryan Getzlaf, and everybody else because they are simply not Ovechkin enough."-Brian Pittman, General Manager of the Springfield Hell's Satans
Of course, in addition to benching every forward and defenseman because they could not keep up the same 2.5 point per game pace that Ovechkin was at the time, both of Springfield's goalies were out of the picture as well. Cam Ward had suffered a laceration on his leg, and even then, before that he was struggling. Ray Emery had picked a fight with what was believed to be a large bear just outside Springfield and was brutally mauled, ending his season; it was later found out that the bear was actually Devyn Gagnon, general manager of the Hamilton Tigers, who was enraged after Emery devoured his pet cockroach. Things were not looking good for Springfield under Pittman's rule.
Support for Alexander Ovechkin
Tired of the criticism he was receiving for his Ovechkin-only policies, Pittman accepted an offer from Carl Newton, general manager of the Kansas City Archangels. At the time, Newton was battling for first place against Julien Bergeron's Missanabie Bears. Newton promised that he would land Pittman an 'Ovechkin-caliber player' if he agreed to help him stab Bergeron in the back. Unfortunately, Pittman did not want to resort to murder, so talked Newton into accepting a deal that involved only screwing over Bergeron in a trade deal.
The deal was made quickly, as Newton convinced Bergeron to accept a trade which would send the Bear's Roberto Luongo and a January Free Agent Pick to Pittman for Cam Ward and a December Free Agent Pick. Pittman unloaded an injured goalie who was having an off-year for a superstar goalie, while picking up a free agent pick that would later be used to sign another Ovechkin-caliber player in Henrik Sedin. The trade would later become known as the Missanabie Slaughter, and would contribute to the fall of the Missanabie Bears from first place.
Trading Alexander Ovechkin
Unfortunately, the Missanabie Slaughter wasn't enough to save Springfield from the near-basement of the league. Although things were looking up for Pittman in his quest to load his roster with Ovechkin clones, he still needed more; but the fact of the matter was that it was too late, he could only rebuild for next season. Once again, Newton contacted him. Having disposed of Missanabie through several underhanded trades, Newton was now being faced with a rejuvenated Hanmer Velocity squad; he had to make a deal to make a leap ahead, and sought out Pittman for help in doing so.
The trade that followed would ultimately become known as the Turning Point, as it has since become known for giving Newton and Kansas City the championship. Having decided that Alexander Ovechkin could be more Alexander Ovechkin and just needed a change of environment for a while to attain that level of play, Pittman sent him along with Ryan Getzlaf to Kansas City in the first ever rental deal in the FGHL. A rental deal is characterized by a stipulation that the players involved return to their original roster at a set period, in this case, at the end of the season. Springfield would temporarily receive Dany Heatley and Anze Kopitar to balance out the cap, as well as a January Free Agent Pick that would not have to be returned. The pick would be used to sign a cheap rookie star in Matt Duchene.
Although the Turning Point trade with Newton would obviously serve Kansas City in the short-term, the acquisition of Duchene by Pittman with the pick he received would likely prove to be a very valuable asset to Springfield in the long-term.
No Temporary Alexander Ovechkin
Immediately after the Turning Point trade, Pittman began to suffer from Ovechkin withdrawals. With the insanity caused by this mental state, Pittman brutally assaulted Shea Weber. Using electric shock therapy, Pittman attempted to force Shea Weber to become Alexander Ovechkin in personality and belief. It did not work, and due to the mental anguish caused to Weber in the process, he had to be dismissed from the team permanently. Pittman would regain control of himself, and sign Tyler Myers to replace Weber.
The Return of Alexander Ovechkin
A stipulation within the Turning Point trade was that if Ovechkin or Getzlaf became injured at any point throughout the season for a period of five games or more, the trade could be reversed with exception of the January Free Agent Pick involved. Since Getzlaf had been injured, Newton chose to reverse the trade on April 8th. This marked Ovechkin's return to the Springfield roster.
Things had changed massively since the start of the season for Springfield. The team's roster had been shaken up extensively by Pittman. The new roster consists now of talented players such as Patrick Marleau, Henrik Sedin, and Roberto Luongo. In addition to these players, Pittman also sought out rookie gems, and acquired promising young players in Matt Duchene, Tyler Myers, and Jimmy Howard. If Springfield's superstars can remain healthy, and if their rookies can develop properly, Springfield should be a force to be reckoned with in the 2010-2011 season.
However, one question remains: Who will Pittman draft now that Alexander Ovechkin is off the market? Is Pittman capable of drafting anyone not named Alexander Ovechkin in the first round? Rumours say that Pittman is contemplating dropping Alexander Ovechkin during the expansion drop period, with hopes of being able to draft him again in the first round. We will see what happens, with time.
Final Standings (2009-2010 Season):
| Team | Points |
| Kansas City Archangels | 1148 |
| Hanmer Velocity | 1144 |
| Hamilton Tigers | 1108 |
| Missanabie Bears | 1089 |
| Springfield Hell's Satans | 992 |
| Zaza Dancers | 798 |
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