TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.


It's pretty easy to create a player that can have a tremendous amount of success in the SHL, as long as you are meticulous in doing every update that can improve your player. Unfortunately for goalies this isn't always the case. While Forwards and Dmen can crack the lineup fairly early in their careers, Goalies have to wait their turn until they get their shot between the pipes. Being a backup in this league really must suck, and I wouldn't blame a backup for going inactive, however, that was not the case with Richard C Hocolate. Sitting behind Calgary legend Hunter Wong for season after season must have been really difficult, but Richard C. ever the professional, kept active, and waited his turn to finally take the place he deserved between the pipes as Calgary's #1 netminder. Besides the fact he had to wait his turn to get the nod, Hocolate also had to hold off a challenge to his backup role from a young upstart in Thaddius Prince. A hot prospect that fell into the category I described above. At the end of the day, Richard C endured both a lengthy stint as backup to a Calgary Legend, all while holding off the young challenge, and took the reigns as Calgary's Backstop for now and the near future.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

Up to this point in the S38 playoffs my choice for unsung hero would have to be: Richard C Hocolate. Calgary's season was a bit of a mess. Starting out the year, the Dragons were horrible from top to bottom. No one more disappointing than Nicholas Pedersen, who to put it bluntly - fucking sucked. But as the season went on, Richard C righted the ship, and led the team into the playoffs as the #4 seed. Up first was the San Fransisco Pride, a heavy favorite to end the dragons season quickly. Richard C.had a different plan, stealing Game 1 in Overtime with an amazing 45 save performance, setting a tone for the series. Had it gone differently, the series would have ended in a very different way. Winning in OT in the playoffs is hard, winning two overtime games is amazing, which is exactly what Richard C did, finishing off the Pride with another stellar performance, putting the team on his back and ending the Presidents Cup winners season.
In the 2nd round Richard C again came up big in Game 2, giving up a single goal in a overtime victory that let the Dragons overcome a 1-0 deficit in the series. Fall down 2-0 and Manhattan could be playing the Jets this week.

TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

The young player that I am looking for to make a name for themselves is Mike Izzy. An enthusiastic and vital member of the Dragons future, Izzy has stepped up this season bringing a gritty physical game, leading the team in hits during the regular season with 192, which was badly missing from a team of aging soft vets. Mike combined with Joe K are the face and future of the Dragons and will make their mark on the finals. Although Mike Izzy has struggled to find the back of the net this post season, his physicality on the ice has opened up space for other Dragons players to create. Leading the team in the playoffs with 61 hits in 17 games Izzy's physical nature has left the mark this post season, and will be a huge part of whatever success the Dragons have in the future. And as one of those aging soft vets, its nice to pass the torch on to an amazing teammate.

TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

What I would do to change the outcome of the series is pretty simple. I would go into the sim and have Richard C Hocolate save more pucks. If only that was possible!! In all honesty though, having played in the SHL for nearly 20 seasons, and for the first time playing like complete crap, I would have played Nicholas Pedersen as little as possible, and given more ice time to players like Joe K and Randy Randleman. coming off a 21 point campaign, with playing a quarter of the year with the two superstars above, Pedersen was awful, and finally found his way on the third line, much deserved demotion. However, the last 10 games of the season, there was a glitter of hope for Old Peds. That ended quickly in the playoffs and the shitty playing continued. If there was a 5th line, that is where Peds should have played. Giving Mike Izzy more playing time could have helped change things, but I doubt it, since the sim is the sim, and randomness seems to always happen.

I've been in the finals 7 times. One finals the winning team won 4 games in OT, and got killed in the other 3. My first cup win saw the dragons go down 3 games to 0, only to come back and win it all. So random. This year was the first time I've ever seen back to back 4-0 shutouts. Crazy random shit, so bench Pedersen. Outcome would have been different.