Simulation Hockey League

@PT Director
https/simulationhockey.com/games/shl/S50/Season/SHL-ProTeamScoring.html

Additional Information:
THIS PT IS FOR SHL PLAYERS AND SEND DOWNS. IT IS NOT FOR SMJHL ROOKIES.

One (1) welfare claim from either PBE or the NSFL will be accepted for 3 TPE! *if you’re claiming welfare and have a different username on the affiliates site then you need to state that in your post to get credit.*

Deadline: Thursday, November 14th, 10pm Eastern Time

Please feel free to PM me with any questions or concerns.
Note: Posts with malicious intent will not be graded.

Wooo! I love it when Eggie is footing the bill for my night of debauchery. Where to begin? Well to start with, Lil Manius is definitely going partying in Tampa. There is no way he is going to freeze his ass off in Calgary.  Lil’ would have to attend the first game of the series just so he could get cheap press and then have a night of partying on the town and if he did not remember anything. So what? It is the first series. Manius would be staying at the Le Meridien Tampa, located in the heart of downtown.  Lil’ would begin his night with some fine dining at Maritana Grille where he would proceed to get engorged with lobster and venison.  Then off to the game and try to some press. After the game, it off to the bars Manius would head to the Yard of Ale to put back a yard or two, then he would head to Gaspar's Grotto and then he see where the night took him.
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I would love to make some changes to the playoffs, as I cannot stand the current format. If it were up to me, I would eliminate the wild card round. I do not think this round add any excitement for the league other than fifth seed player. I feel the regular season performance should carry more weight by making it a little tougher to make the playoffs. I do not think the fifth seed has any place in the playoffs. I believe that if you are going to the playoffs, you should be in the upper 50% of the regular season standings.  That is why I would like to change the playoffs and lose the wild card round. Limited to the top 50% of the teams or go all in and have the top six teams make the playoff and let the fifth and sixth seed battle it out to in another playoff round before the wild card. Sorry, I could not be more creative.

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As Lil Manius heads into the off-season he was looking what areas of his game needed improvement for next season to hopefully put the New Orleans Specters over top and bring the challenge Cup to Mardi Gras.  Basically, Lil has max out the bulk of his physical attributes leaving very few areas for improvement. Lil will be taking this offseason to improve his face off skills, as this is still a rusty part of game as he never player center before last season.  Granted he did pretty well his first season as a center and won more than 50% of his face offs although not be much. Therefore, by working on faceoff Manius will be able to improve his play at center and improve the Specters by providing greater puck control coming out of faceoffs. In addition, this improve the center ice control in general for the Specters. In addition, I think I will work on my checking, and that will benefit the Specter by have their opponents on their asses.
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https://www79.zippyshare.com/v/ckRLT0pI/file.html


PMed

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

Weve played Tampa Bay a few times this season and i was really impressed with the teams good young talent. Gunnar Soderberg, Auston Roenick, Matt Kholin are viverant out there.. Klaus and Sawchuk bring a bit more leadership and seasoning to the line up and they have a quartet of young defenders in DuBølk, Evans, Cloutier and O’Koivu who should dominate the blue line in the east for many seasons to come. and of course they boast Flacko Lagerfield who is one of the great current players in the SHL.

But asking any 1 player or game plan to stop the Augment is asking Allot.. especially during an abrasive playoff run where Izzy has forced and pilledged his opponents to the likes of 23 points in just 13 games on a robust 25% shooting pct.. Izzy is a deviant creature on the ice and i dont see that changing in the finals.


B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?



Advantages aside i think its great that Benji Blue and Kata Vilde square off in the finals as these 2 share allot of history together. Blue and Vilde were the first 2 goalies taken in the S41 draft and at the time there was allot of rumblings on which one should have been picked first. Nice to see almost a decade later these 2 are flourishing for there teams and about to take one another on in the SHL's grandest stage.


D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

Has anyone else noticed that there’s a Shooter McGavin ll lurking around on Tampa Bay roster grid? ... while I don’t like to bring up the words ‘foul play’ without due cause... I ask why The Barracuda brought in this 155 tpe Shooter imposter if there wasn’t malice in there hearts??... clearly JSS did this to try and troll the real Shooter McGavin!... luckily our Shooter does not get distracted easily... 


E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

I have no idea why, but i think id be interested in seeing a JSS custom foot pic... does the man have clean cuticles? .. are they flat feet?.. are the nails cut professionaly? ... these are questions that can be answered with a .png. For the record though Cookies made by cookies are absolutley #delicious and you really havnt experienced the SHL until you sit down with Esa and engorge yourself in way to much chicken parm.

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I think that player for me is Robert Phelps who is the team leader and face of the Hamilton Steelhawks. I think Phelps thoroughly deserves a trip to the finals for all hes contributed to that franchise.... drafted in S35 to a team that hadnt been relevant for many seasons the 1OA came in and gave the franchise instant credibility as well as a bonafied stud on the ice which began to move that team in the right direction. Under Drunkenteddy's coaching, Hamilton began to showcase a lineup that competed deep into the playoffs and if Teddy wouldnt have left as GM i have no doubt that Hamilton would have a ring by now. But after his departure the team sunk back and hasnt come up for air until this past season where the franchise (in large part to Phelps and his 55 points) came within 2 games of the challenge cup finals. Hamilton is now on the right track and Id like to see Robert Phelps eventually win a title, he could have left Hamilton and won championships elsewhere, but instead he has stayed loyal to his franchise and that commitment is worthy of some hardware. --> @DrunkenTeddy

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Calgary management will not be happy about this but i have stolen the game 3 opening intro to be played on the Big-Parm videotron which i am posting here! I think this 30 second intro best represents the general feeling in the Calgary clubhouse as this new generation of dragons have spent allot of time together and have truly grown into a community of friends who respect and enjoy one another. BTW were also damn good on the ice!. We got here together, #CalgaWe will try and win it together! ... while its kind of self serving to say im rooting for Calgary, i will say that this late in my career i feel blessed and honoured to take the ice with the these players in that clubhouse.

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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

Mike Izzy’s game has been quite consistent for quite a while now so I wouldn’t say there was anything lacking... but being this deep into regression you can only keep Father time at bay for so long... so this offseason will come with some real decisions for Mike Izzy... the main one being if I should stay at center for 1 more year, a position that I have called home for 10 seasons now. Izzy’s natural spot in the lineup is left wing and as I wind down my career that’s a spot I can move back to and play at a high level as I wouldn’t have to worry about face offs and the added strength needed to play center. I can’t worry about that now as i embark on my 6th challenge Cup appearance.. but it’s something I plan to give real thought too in the offseason.

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**PM sent to PT Director**

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14. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min)
Welp, you waited until the last day to grind out your CW and the CC finals are longggggggg over by now. congrats to [TEAM], woo! Reflecting back on the series, who gets your vote for series MVP? Make the case why this player deserves it over any other.


I don't know who will win the series MVP, but with the series over id like to shout out the Tampa Bay Barrcudas who came in, layed it all out on the line and made this as hard a fought series as can be. its a young bunch but a classy group and they handled themselves great throughout the whole series. JSS has been masterful in building up this group, making moves that needed to be made and coaching his way into the challenge cup. That's a real good group, they all came into the threads and rallied around each other and i have no doubt that this TBB squad will be fishing around the finals for many seasons to come.

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Mike Izzy TPE = 16+

So after last season's successful run in Boston, the commissioner invited Chicago's young trio of Lallo Selman, Corey Kennedy (@SDCore) and Martijn Westbroek (@JNH) on another all expense paid trip to one of the cities in the finals. Once again the choice was really difficult. A trip to another city in the Canadian Bible Belt of Alberta, this time Calgary, or an all expense paid vacation in Florida. Difficult Choice. Anyways we decided to stay at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Tampa and of course we needed the biggest and most expensive Apollo Suite. When we arrived at the lobby we checked in and were given our tickets. Turns out we were actually 3 days early, "unfortunate", I know. We decided to use those days to go visit Disney because why not have Eggy pay another hotel room? On our first Disney day we went to Disney's Magical Kingdom, turns out apart from buying really expensive meals and an excessive amount of useless souvenirs there isn't much spending to do at Disney so to keep running up Eggy's tab we actually gave to the less fortunate by going outside and paying a ticket for our teammate Nick Connolly (@shutdown) who happened to be in line and who we all know would've been too broke to buy his own ticket.


I'm rooting for the Tampa Bay Barracuda to take home the SHL's S50 Challenge Cup. Why? Well let's see we've got a plethora of reasons but mainly because LA Panther defenseman Tony Ford has an ongoing bet with Blizzard forward Julio Tokolosh and Barracuda forward Gunnar Soderberg that the Barracuda wouldn't win a Cup before he does. To see that bet be lost after just one season given how confident he was he would win that bet would be worth any amount of money...actually come to think of it, i might have enough money to um make that happen...right...where did I put JR's discord again?


My best bet to win individual awards in future seasons would be Flacko Lagerfield (@JSS) of the Tampa Bay Barracuda. Lagerfield is one of the most skilled players in the league and although he is coming out of a difficult S50 season, he's one of the league's elite players and he still has at least 4 seasons of prime left. He's already had a 66 point season to his name which saw him clean house at the S48 awards show and it wouldn't be surprising at all to see him repeat that performance in the near future. Expect him to be the kind of player who regularly challenges for the Karpotsov, Mexico, Khan and Dar trophies because when he's on his game he's a top 5 player in the SHL.







I would have to go with a custom feet pic from @JSS for the simple fact that he's a very self conscious person and so that picture would be something extremely rare to own. Imagine the resale value you could get for an extremely rare feet pic of the one and only JSS? That thing's going straight to the foot fetish section of ebay and for the right price I'd even include how to find JSS, I'm sure he'd love some person obsessed with his feet tracking him down and asking for more feet pics.


PM Sent

As I actually Live in the city I play for this is a fantastic opportunity for me to share with the SHL world all the wonderful things to do in the City of Calgary. I would start off my trip by doing a cocktail bar bar hop where we obviously finish off at my bar Pr%f Cocktail Lounge. We will hit up a bunch of fantastic cocktail focused bars all with unique concepts. Like a tableside smoked old fashioned smoked on an ex bourbon barrel. I Would also present everyone exploring Calgary with me their very own bottle of Maker’s Mark which I have personally Created through the Maker’s Mark Private Select Barrel Program( only two of these programs in Canada). After that we will go for a road trip to Banff and play a game of pick up hockey at the Banff Springs Hotel. We will also have the check out the Banff Hot Springs Before heading Back to Calgary for some Axe throwing, Board Games and laser Quest. I will of course show everyone the red mile and all the fantastic restaurants we have in this fantastic city! I would happily host anyone in this wonderful city I call home!



I am obviously personally cheering for the Dragons as I am a member of the dragons both with this player and my best previous player Bronsen Zerchai. The Dragons feels like a family and we have a work hard and never say die attitude which was showcased in our reverse sweep. With the Stoic Leadership from Esa @Steelhead77 and C00kies @c00kies and inclusiveness that trickles down from management and our Wonderful captain Mike Izzy @Mike Izzy . Izzy asks a lot of his team mates but it is always in an effort to improve the individual and the team. Izzy is always coaching even though he isn’t the coach He is Coach Biz for a reason Tampa Bay has an amazing group of young players that should help the Barracuda’s dominate the east for seasons to come!



As for a new rule I would like this rule to be very similar to beerio Cart in which you cannot be declared the winner until you have finished your beer. Basically there will be a replica Champions Cup keg beside each bench. Everyone on the bench will be drinking beer from this replica Champions Cup. Those on the bench must continuously drink from the keg. Because of this it will encourage even line distribution. This can also open a lot of marketing opportunities for beer companies to advertise through our great game. We could even build exclusive partnerships between brands and teams. So both teams have to drink the beer of the home team. We would likely have to add an additional stat to the sim being alcohol tolerance. It would function very similarly to endurance but be focused on Alcohol consumption. Because the Goalies remain on the ice they will have to drink a bottle of spirit each period. This is where the spirit brands can get in on the action and make some exclusive deals… Let’s make this a thing SHL!!!!



The best player to not make it to a Champions Cup final would have to be Mika Kandinsky @Mika_Kandinsky . He might not be the best player yet but after his record breaking rookie seasons there is nowhere to go but up for this budding young superstar. The Leader of the North Stars has a lot a work to do to get his team in a position to compete for the coveted Champions Cup but I have full confidence he can do just that. Kandinsky is a leader both in the locker room and out with a very positive attitude and a strong never give up work ethic. It is one of the reasons he is where he is today. He is showing those aspiring SHL players that anything is possible and you don’t have to wait four season into the SHL to be a useful commodity to their team. I had the pleasure of being line mates with Mika Kandinsky in both the Draft Class Showcase as well as the prospect showcase and even then I saw the unbelievable potential in Mika’s Game. Kandinsky has already made waves in the SHL and will likely be making a whole lot more in the season to come! Kandinsky has a very Bright Future ahead of him and his Toronto North Stars!


The area of my game that I really would like to develop is my puck handling. Atlas Rush Is very good at playing defense and shooting the puck but if he isn’t shooting Rush has a long way to go in developing his abilities with the puck on his stick. Because of Rush’s one dimensional offensive attributes the easiest way to shut down the “Rush” is blocking shots. Atlas Rush has recently been seen working on his deflections and puck possession in the corners while working with the Dragons Coaching team. The Dragon’s coaches have mentioned Rush has really been coming along. It can be a difficult conversation talking to players about their weaknesses but Rush Asked for his weaknesses to be pointed out so he can better develop as an Individual and hopefully develop into a valuable piece that the Dragons can use anywhere in the Lineup depending on the needs of the team. Rush has always been deemed a team first player and one who will leave everything on the ice and give 110%. Look for Rush to hopefully make an impact next season as he will make his rookie debut for the Calgary Dragons!


The Dragon’s benefited from multiple players really stepping up to the call and making a case for the playoff MVP. With that said it can’t go to anyone not named Kata Vilde @BarnabasCollins . The Dragons have a very strong and deep core both at forward and defense they are still relatively young so we had to fall back on our Goaltender more often than we would have liked. This was made extra prevalent when the Tampa Bay Barracuda’s put the nail in the coffin on their third win of the series putting the Dragons in quite the hole. The Team Had a meeting going into game four in which we discussed the importance of making the opposing team play to our system and make them react to us as opposed to them dictating the play. This Strategy worked out quite well as it was clear the Barracuda’s had their wires crossed with assignments in the next three games as the Dragons tied up the Series. The Dragons didn’t let up until the final game in which they went up 4-0 half way through the second period. The Dragons unfortunately got a little ahead of themselves as the Barracuda rallied back to score three in the remaining period and a half. In the end the Dragons Strong commitment to their system prevailed and they are again able to lift the Champions Cup!

simmer claim

FeelsGoodMan

Written, 3 TPE (150 words min) - VIP Status babyyyyyyyy

Well if you're giving me the option over spending a few days in Tampa, compared to Calgary? I hate to say it but it's an easy choice. I've been to Calgary, it's an okay city and it knows how to throw a party or two but you can't convince me that the Great White North is better than the tropics. The first thing I'm doing when I arrive in Tampa is removing the majority of my clothes and going full speedo. I'm taking as many layers off as I can get away, both literally and figuratively. Tampa is going to be a great time regardless of what happens between the two teams, and since I don't have a horse in the race I'm going to spend most of it away from the rink. It is my offseason after all, and the Los Angeles Panthers can hold their heads high with the season they had. I've already spent enough time watching Calgary on the ice, and since I'd rather punch myself in the face than root for Tampa I guess I'll have to boo both, all while being highly intoxicated.

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Written, 2 TPE (100 words min) - After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

I know I said a moment ago that I'm planning to boo both teams, I now have to choose which one I want to boo less. Again, I hate to say it, but it's an easy choice. The team I'll be rooting for when it comes to the finals will be Tampa, and purely for the fact that Calgary was the team that eliminated Los Angeles. I've heard a lot of people in the past say that they don't mind it when the team that beat them, wins the cup, because at least you lost to the champions. I say fuck that. I hope Calgary leaves the ice crying for their Mommies and needing a safe space. Do the right thing Tampa, and end make the dragons extinct again.

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Written, 3 TPE (150 words min) - Alternate Reality

I've been waiting for a question like this ever since the day after I was drafted, and that's the day I was traded from the Toronto North Stars to the Los Angeles Panthers. Now, don't get me wrong, I love being a Panther and I'm damn happy over the fact that LA made the move to get me. But Toronto made a big mistake in letting me go so early and I want them to know that. I want to prove to them that I'm the real deal and I see no greater way of doing that than by closing them out in the finals. So in my parallel universe we see a showdown of the Toronto North Stars and Los Angeles Panthers. The series is hard fought and brutal, with LA getting the edge on Toronto in Game 6. I skate to the handshake line and make my way through the Toronto team, pausing when I reach the General Manager, just so I can give him the "nod." The nod that says it all.

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Written, 3 TPE (150 words min) - Due to some controversial calls during the playoffs, the league is looking at updating the current rules(icing, offside, etc) What new rule or change to a room would you implement to better the game?

Creating a new rule for the game has always been something I've pondered. I find a lot of the time I want to take out rules. When I was younger I wished that the offside didn't exist, and it was only until I got older that I appreciated having the offside in the first place. A rule that I see as being impossible to implement but would be super cool would be allowing a team to select which player on the opposing team that they're facing takes the penalty. So let's say that we were facing off against another team, and our opponent took a penalty and now had to send a player to the box. In normal hockey, the player that causes the penalty would go to the box. In this rule change, the opposing team could choose which player sits out. The great thing about that is you may not always sit out their offensive player, you could choose a defensive player instead that is really good on the penalty kill.

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Written, 3 TPE (150 words min) - As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

For the most part I've done a good job of building up my strengths, but at the moment I have two glaring attributes I have to pay a little more attention to. One of them I have already been busing the past couple of weeks picking at, and that's Skating. I made the mistake of picking Skating as a weakness when I created my goalie, and there's no going back now. I have since come to learn that Skating is a valuable attribute for goalies and I know that there more I raise it, the better I will be. I want to be one of the best and have to create a well balance goalie so that I can give my team a chance every night. Another stat that I will be picking at in the near future is Rebound Control. Unfortunately I made that one of my strengths when I created my build and I've come to learn that it is not one of the most beneficial stats to build up. That being said, it's still important, and I'll continue to bring it up over next season.

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Written, 2 TPE (100 words min) - Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

I feel like it's almost cheating to reference Mike Izzy, but he's a legend and with good reason. Season after season he is effective both on and off the ice for the Dragons and is a first ballot hall of famer in my book. I can say for certain that Mike Izzy's mantle will be filled with awards by the time he is ready to hang up his skates. It does make me wonder how long Izzy will plan to grace the ice of the SHL? But we can see it in every game that he does play, that he's a special player, and it's the special ones who take home the most gold. That Mike Izzy, he's got the Midas touch.

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= 16 TPE

I'm going to Games 3 and 4 in Calgary. I just want to watch them play in Big Parm. Jean-Paul Boivin really respects Mike Izzy and his contributions to the game. As for what I am doing in Calgary, well I'm going to Ranchman’s Cookhouse & Dancehall because why not? Like really why not? Kathy said she wanted to go. She said something like "Maybe we can go square dancing." Next I want to go see a show. Maybe see the orchestra? I heard that's what rich people do, so I should give it a try. Anyone have any good recommendations for the show? Is Mozart still good? Now I'm running low on stuff to do. Can I buy a cowboy hat in Calgary? I think I'll buy one to go with my Halloween costume next year. Oh, I am definitely hitting up the zoo. That seems so fucking lit. I love seeing Pandas.


I mean I think Mike Izzy may get a few awards before he calls it, but regardless, he is a future hall of famer and he could win another Dar. Izzy is synonymous with the ideal Two-Way forward. He is a monster stat wise and he has had so many Jeff Dar Nominations, he could easily win another, even if regression is getting him hard. Should that really matter for his player? Another award? I mean, maybe not, but it does endear you to a lot of people. I do think the window is closing with every passing season, but hell, he made it to the 2000 TPE club and is still a force to be reckoned with despite being drafted in S35. He led this playoffs in goals, was second in assists, and scored a hattrick. The man is a legend.

In this playoffs, the Hamilton Steelhawks are facing against the San Francisco Pride. The Pride after beating the Blizzards, went on to steamroll the Dragons. It was said to be one of the dirtiest series in the modern era; however that doesn't even begin to describe the Steelhawks versus the Barracuda. It all started with some friendly Steelhawk trash talk. By that I mean, it immediately got personal and aggressive. Most of the Barracudas didn't take kindly to this, but John Dubolk really didn't appreciate it. The worst of this was Jax Duggan @SecondSucks22; however Dubolk wasn't really able to get much time with Duggan on the ice, so he decided to bait the lumbering giant. With a dirty hip check on an unsuspecting Dale Miller, Dubolk had Duggan coming off the bench like a worried mother. Then the worry turned to rage. Next thing you know gloves are dropped, sticks are thrown, Jax is shirtless for some reason. The arena is in chaos. There was at least a fight every game till the commissioner stepped in. Steelhawks won the series 4-3. Thus, the Pride v Steelhawks Champion's Cup Final.


I think Jean-Paul Boivin needs to work on every part of his game. I mean he is still in the J's. He has a lot of growth to do. Personally, he probably needs to work on his overall hockey IQ and his passing and shooting. Shooting is his weakness, one he may try to change, and passing has always been his primary focus; however that's for nothing if he can not be in position to utilize it. I mean defense is one of the more important stats in the sim, and JPB is wanting to transition from being the bruiser of his J days. He is growing into a more palatable role for more SHL teams. JPB has spoken on why that is, and claims it is solely for his new family, but it isn't a stretch to say that his impressions from SHL GMs during his pre-draft days didn't get under his skin.





3+2+3+3+3+2=16

Quote:2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)

After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

Without a question, I’m rooting for the Tampa Bay Barracuda. There are several reasons. First, I like @JSS. He’s a good dude and a great coach. I don’t know how he makes STHS not poop itself constantly, but he does. During my brief free agency, his pitch was the only one that really made me question my preconceived thoughts of BUF v. MAN. Second, they have some great humans on that team/in that locker room. @Pris, Jess, @mcgriddleluver, @_MCP, @Jenny… the list goes on. I want success for them Finally, but no less importantly, is that I’m sick of Calgary (as is the entire rest of the league). It takes a lot for me to consistently root for New Orleans, but Esa and co make it easy. Their off-ice scandals notwithstanding, we’re just tired of them hanging around. GO CUDA!

Quote:3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

Are there any changes to the playoff format you'd like to see implemented? More wild cards? Move to a single-elimination to bring about even more chaos? 999-game series to minimize chaos? Be creative!

No, I’m good, actually. The playoff setup is fine as is. I think having the one wildcard series is a good place for the league. If any changes were made, I’d be okay with a 1 v. 4/5 and a 2 v. 3/6 matchup, where winning your division was the only guarantee for a first round bye. Even then, I think the status quo (for once) actually is fine.

I am adamantly against changing the length of playoff series. No one-off games—we have enough nonsense as is. No 999 game series (even though I think that would bring a few more Challenge Cups to Buffalo—there’s no one I rather have planning strategies in that sort of series than @Tomen. If you say someone else, you’re lying to yourself.)

Can I use this as a time to restate my deep and abiding hatred of PBPs? They suck. They are miserable to read for all involved, and now as a GM, I can honestly say these sim schedules are the worst part of things. The PBP schedule always gets effed up—there is no reason that we should have 3-4 games simmed ahead of what the public knows. It’s extremely hard to have to sit on news for several days while your players mire in the unknowing. END ‘EM PLEASE.

Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

Alternate Reality: Physicists and other smarties believe that this reality is just one of infinite realities existing alongside this one in parallel. Take us over to one of those realities in which everything is the same but these S50 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in this reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?

In the reasonable alternate reality, these playoffs would have been epic. First, Manhattan would have earned their redemption by beating Toronto in five games, then battling to eke out an overtime victory over Tampa Bay in Game 7. Alex Winters gets the series winner on a penalty shot (Nik Evans throw a fit and slashed him on a breakaway). Buffalo would fix the evil in the world by sweeping Hamilton, and then going on to the series we all have literally been waiting for since Cassius Darrow made his league debut in S46. In the long awaited (mostly by me and @39alaska39) series, Buffalo defeats Manhattan in 6 games. After going down 3-1, Manhattan pulls starter Peter Larson in favor of the legendary Scottey Crawfling @notorioustig. Crawfling steals a Game 5 win 2-0, before succumbing to the Stampede in Game 6.

Meanwhile in the Western Conference, the Wild Card goes the same, but in the second round the Dragons hit a wall in San Francisco and lose in 6 games. The Pride go on to play the wily old Specters, who dispatched Edmonton in 5 lead by Jimmy Slothface’s @slothfacekilla heroics in games 4 and 5 (back to back game winning goals).

This gives us the finals many have been hoping for: a rematch of the Stampede and the Specters. It goes the full seven games, as players, coaches, and fans lose their shit. Going into Game 7, Joe Kurczewski had been held goalless in the finals, and Aleister Cain was fresh off a 5-2 drubbing in Game 6, led by goals from Viktor Marius, Poopity Scoop, Charles Walker, Monkey D. Luffy, and Hippo Passamus. Game 7 was an event of legendary proportions. Overtime, 3-3. Two more overtimes pass, and the guys are all gassed. Then, the bust himself comes through in the clutch. Monkey D. Luffy @TnlAstatine, largely irrelevant so far in his career, slides a backhander under Cain’s glove. THE STREAK CONTINUES! THE BUFFALO STAMPEDE ARE YOUR S50 CHALLENGE CUP CHAMPIONS.

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

The main area I’ve been working on is my consistency. Last offseason I put a lot of effort working with Leshaun King @King to hone my shot. It’s never something I used regularly in my game, but the coaches showed me on tape that I was at my most effective when I attacked. I put significant effort into upper body and core training, as well as endless shooting drills. King had my shoot at empty beer cans up to 75 feet away to see if I could hit with pin-point accuracy.

In the front half of this season, I showed that aggression and put up some great numbers while the team was also winning games. Over the back half of the year, I felt I lost my game, and the team suffered for it. I’m hoping I can go into S51 focused and able to be a threat every night. I’ve been working on my conditioning with a mix of on- and off-ice cardio training as well as an intense weight lifting routine. At this rate, I might be able to bench Hippo Passamus by next season!

Quote:13.A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals? - 1 TPE

I genuinely hate this, but The Augment @Mike Izzy will have a stronger finals. Why Michael Izzard? Simple—Mike Izzy isn’t a person. He is a robot. Read his forum posts. See the results. The Augment is some sort of advanced intelligence system that is attempting to approach the singularity. It’s not there yet, based on the off color and downright confusing jokes on occasion, but it’s trying. Each season he claws closer to humanity’s demise. 

The future is bright for Gunnar Soderberg, but right now The Augment is king.
 

Quote:13. B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net? - 1 TPE

I give the edge to Benjamin Blue. He was a force of nature in the regular season and has continued to be a strong backstop for the Barracuda. He faced tougher competition so far and Tampa plays a more wide open style that forces him to show off more athleticism than his opponent. He’ll need to be his best for Tampa to win this series.
 

Quote:15. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max 

DONE

A. I think Mike Izzy will have a more dominant series. I think this because Izzy still has an insane amount of TPE and has points in all the important stats now. Give it 1 more season and Gunnar Soderberg might be my choice over Izzy as Soderberg has a chance to be a great player really soon.

B. I believe that the Dragons will have the advantage of having Kata Vilde being in net. Although Benjamin Blue has proven that he is insane in net, it's hard to argue that he has any distinct advantage of Kata Vilde, especially since Vilde has near 300 tpe more than Blue has.

C. I think that this series will be a low-scoring series because of the quality of goaltending we have here. Even though this series has a lot of great skaters that have the ability to puck a lot of pucks in the net, goaltending will take over. I also think that this series will be highly competitive because, like stated before, the goaltending is great, along with 2 great sets of skaters and General Managers that know what they're doing.

D. Although there aren't as many great names in this finals as there have been previously, I think Otis B. Driftwood has to be my favorite name in this series. I say this because when I was a kid at the ocean for the first time, I found a piece of driftwood while swimming and I kept it for like 6 years. (True story)

E. I definitely think I gotta go with a tray of cookies from c00kies. Although a custom feet pic form JSS sounds tempting, I just don't think I could go wrong in getting a tray of cookies. As long as they're either chocolate chip, sugar cookies, or snicker-doodles I'll be happy.



In order to improve my game, I think I need to work on my shooting. This will benefit my team, the Hamilton Steelhawks, because they trust me as a shooter on the first line, a vastly higher role than I expected at the beginning of the season. I also was given lots of time on the first powerplay unit. So, I think working on my shot would be most beneficial to improving my play for the team. On top of that, i think working on my positioning in the offensive zone would help my shooting a lot since I'll be able to find open ice more which will allow Phelps and Wilson to find me open more which will lead to more chances and ultimately more goals. With this upcoming season being a big one for the Hamilton boys, I think it's important that I play my best hockey since the team is trusting me with such a large offensive workload.



In this alternate reality, Manhattan made it into the 2nd round to play Hamilton in a hard battle with lots of Vancouver boys: Luke Thomason, Dale Miller, Aaron Wilson, Jax Duggan, Robert Phelps, William Goose, Barret McCarthy, and Tokek Takshak. The series would go into a game 7 tied at zero going into the 4th overtime. There, Luke Thomason would commit a slashing penalty on Jax Duggan which would knock him out of the game. On the power play, with Aaron on the left side, Phelps in the middle, and myself on the right side, we would connect for a sick passing play and Aaron would tuck it to send Hamilton onto the next round. We would then sweep our way past Calgary to a Champions Cup with S47 Vancouver boys scoring 10 goals each. This run would start the Hamilton dynasty and ensure Robert Phelps lives until S69 where he rides off into the sunset.



I could absolutely see Gunnar Soderberg go on to win the Ron Mexico Trophy for Regular Season MVP. Already at such a young age, Soderberg has broken out to show she's a real star in this league, where she can only get better, especially on a team like Tampa Bay which has potential to make some moves for the next few seasons. I have such high expectations for Soderberg since she was taken in the same S47 draft as I was, where I got to know her and see her work ethic, which is very high for someone her age. The 3rd overall pick will absolutely live up to those expectations.



Sent to PT Director

I gotta go with Tampa here just because the SHL needs some fresh, young faces to lift the Challenge Cup. It's cool to see the powerhouses like Calgary take it all so often, but Tampa's got a great young core that would really be a lot of fun to see win a championship. It's also just an added little bonus that a lot of the people that play there are some of my good friends on the site, and the roster is just chock full of really likable personalities. Not to mention that maybe if I root for Tampa Kalakar can bless the Detroit Falcons with a little bit of extra sim luck.


As a whole the whole system has a big "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" sort of feel, but one change I would make is a change that the NHL actually used to do, and that is having an All-Star Game decide the home ice advantage of the finals. I don't think this is logistically possible in STHS, but I think if it was it would benefit the site as a whole really. The seasons aren't particularly long but there is a bit of a lull at the midway point as some teams are figuring whether they're in or out, some are waiting to hear about the deadline, and it comes to a point where the midway point of checking a text-based sim becomes less than engaging. Having a full blown All-Star Weekend, with the whole site getting involved, as well as attaching playoff significance to it to make people really care about it, would be a welcome breath of fresh air. I know this is only a minor change to the format but I do think, in a sim league where the primary focus is having fun, this would be a really cool change.


In the GOOD reality, Hamilton pulls off the upset after downing Buffalo, pushing Tampa to game 7 and taking the series thanks to the major performances from faces both new and old dotted throughout the roster. The Steelhawks are bustling to be in their first finals appearance in years, filled with anxiety but also excitement surrounded by the team that has gone where no current active Steelhawk has gone before, or recently retired Steelhawk for that matter. Long time veteran Robert Phelps, flanked in the locker room by young gun wingers Aaron Wilson and Dale Miller, relishes in the team's achievement and rallies the team around a final all or nothing push into the finals. The West unfolds similarly to this timeline, painting a perfect movie scenario of the unproven but fiery Steelhawks versus the juggernaut Dragons team that never seems to falter. While some timelines see Hamilton pulling off crazy upsets like sweeps and blowouts, this timeline sees the Hawks and Dragons trading close games and capping off with a Game 7 winner in OT from the Steelhawks' Jean Pierre Gay, and the first Steelhawks title since the S20s.


Anazibf got a very brief taste of playoff hockey in the SHL after his Falcons were eliminated and it was very clear even in those short, limited minutes that he would have to really keenly focus on his hockey IQ if he wants to make any real impact in the SHL. Coming off a fantastic year with the Falcons in the SMJHL where he put up 60 points, he found himself among competition that was faster and smarter than him in every way. To ensure he isn't a liability next season, Skao is dedicated to training this offseason at getting better mentally and reading the game on a much more technical level. He has the offensive prowess, he has the wow factor and the superstar tools, but reading the game , positioning and decision making is going to be the biggest hurdle he has to overcome if he's going to break out into the SHL. If he can, he'll be a force to be reckoned with in the dynamic, high speed and scoring style the Steelhawks are chasing.


Mike Izzy is an eventual lock to take home a Vidrik Onoprienko just due to his incredible dedication to this site and the league. There's very few people on this site who are such a presence in a positive way, whether it be social or contributing to discussion or offering takes that are backed by a long time spent being a member of this site. He's a bit of a polarizing figure but I don't think anyone can disagree that he loves and cares about this site for all its flaws, and has put a dizzying amount of time into making it a fun place to be for a lot of us. If anyone's a lock for a future individual award, its gonna be Izzy for the Onoprienko.


Sent to PT Director

Task 2: 2 TPE

Just after I joined I picked Barracuda to win it all on my first prediction and by that I mean I copied prediction that had them winning both regular season and Challenge Cup because I liked their logo and that has not changed. Dragons dominated their way into Challenge Cup finals and that makes Barracuda seem like a challenger or underdog which I usually prefer when I dont have any real stakes on match or series. Also I feel like I have to root for MCP (and Barracuda) as he has done great job as GM of Vancouver even when outnumbered by one to who knows how many during last series versus Steelhawks in our discord. (116 words)

Task 3: 3 TPE

Just had this though when driving home from work that it would be fun to see how stepladder type of playoffs would work and now we have this question here. I would actually let most (in example, all) of teams into playoffs and just make earlier rounds shorter. This would increase wait times for many teams and players most likely making playoffs less exiting but it would greatly increase value of regular season performance.

So format would play out like this for both conferences:

7th vs 8th, best of 3
winner of above vs 6th, best of 3
winner of above vs 5th, best of 3
winner of above vs 4th, best of 3
winner of above vs 3rd, best of 5
winner of above vs 2nd, best of 5
winner of above vs 1st, best of 7

And then winners from both conferences would play each other in Challenge Cup Finals at regulat best of 7 series.

So minimum number of games from start of playoffs to challenge cup finals would be 18 while as with current system it is 12 and maximum games would be 29, an increase of 8 games to current system. So either we could use third sim every day or cut off 3 first rounds and start with 4th vs 5th and we would have between 12 and 20 games until we reach challenge cup finals which are almost same as with current system. (240 words)

Task 9: 3 TPE



Task 10: 2 TPE


Click to open full size image, I just hope this does not fall between options A and B

Task 12: 3 TPE

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

Calgary hasn't really been challenged yet and so their current goals for is quite high and Tampa Bay isn't too far behind. Both have good defence and thus pretty good goals against but I still expect high to average scoring series that will be pretty even from game to game but will end up as sweep for either team cause I know how unlucky dmills3 can be and he has 5th PBP. (72 words)

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

Well it might not be best name of them all but sure the most notable for me is Maui. Without checking his player profile which I didn't do I have no glue if that is first or last name and from what ever part of world he might hail from. Even as I write this I start to question genre of this player. (63 words)

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

As I'm not huge fan of parm which I assume to mean Parmesan cheese I have to skip Esa's generous offer, I have enough problems with my own feet so I don't need to have picks of others and haven't hold a hockey stick for something like 15 years so taking a lesson would be quite pointless. That leaves me with option 2, Tray of cookies from c00kies and it just happens to be that I actually quite like many unhealthy foods including many kind of cookies, but if they end up being shit I'll just move along and take that sandwich from Esa. (104 words)

Task 15: 3 TPE

PM sent

TPE 16 / 16

Task 1: Vorian Atreides will visit game 1 and 2 in Tampa Bay, apparently there is still an errand that needs to be ran there for Eggy as there are still a lot of unused Tampa Bay Hydras merchandise that the league ordered before they veto’d the location and moved them off to Hartford. Eggy has instructed me to pick up the merch and torch it for good, so that no one ever will see the merch and wish the Barracuda would have been Hydras.  In order to do this, we can’t just easily torch them as that would be too easy. Since we have Eggy’s creditcard we will make a major fireworks show and shoot all merchandise in the air alongside the fireworks. This way the league can atleast enjoy the old Tampa Bay franchise for once. After it’s all set on fire we need to make sure the credit card will be further emptied, so to make this happen, we will repeat the fireworks show again but with Barracuda and Dragons merchandise to stay in the spirit of the finals and no one would buy merch of these teams anyway.
(192 words) - 3 TPE

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Task 2: Rooting for the underdogs here and this should be the Tampa Bay Barracuda. I don’t recall if they have ever won a cup before but I know Calgary certainly did as they are always in the running for the titles. I hope that Tampa Bay will win the cup so that we can get a big party in Florida. As one of the first persons who wanted to put a franchise there (even though it were the Hydras), I do believe this is a city that deserves some success. So for this series I can only say ‘Lets go Barracuda!’ and hope they will be able to slay the Dragons.
(Words: 112) - 2 TPE

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Task 3:  Hockey is always advertised as one of the most roughest sports on earth. So why would there need to be 7 games to battle it out. Why not make it a battle royal? All players from the teams are on the ice for a single game with no rules. Only the team with the last man standing will advance to the next round. Anything is allowed, all you need to make sure is that you will survive. We already have people fighting eachother and smashing the teeth out of their mouths, so why not make this the main event. It’s not like people are visiting hockey games for cuddles and hugs. They want raw action, violent and bloody.
To top it off, the regular season will also just be needed for seeding as I would like all teams to make the playoffs in this format, the bloodier the better right? I would definitely come and watch this playoff format!
(161 Words - 3 TPE)

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Task 8:  Otis B Driftwood of the Calgary Dragons should win a regular season award for best defenseman. If you were ever down with O B D (yeah you know me) then you know this guy is the real deal, he will smash faces, hit bodies around and will even stop the puck with his mouth if that is the shot that needed to be blocked. It’s not for nothing this player has been a fan favourite in fantasy hockey for many seasons. His combination of his defensive play and his physicality is definitely due some more individual hardware as he is the most complete defenseman in this league. Driftwood, you got this!
(Words: 113 – 2 TPE)

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Task 9 - 3 TPE



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Task 15 - 3 TPE (PM sent)


Total: 16/16

Task 1 (3 TPE)
Because I am playing in the Challenge Cup Final I will talk about my family and friends being invited as a VIP to game 3, the first home game of the series at The Big Parm in Calgary. My mom and dad and 2 of my best friends were invited to come to a special box that was arranged for by the SHL commissioner (thanks Eggy!). They were picked up at home by a limo and brought to the arena. My friend said it was the best thing ever, since public transport can get pretty busy around Dragons home games. Before the game the enjoyed a four course gourmet dinner with all invited VIP's. My mom was overwhelmed by everything and was hardly able to eat anything at all. During the game they had free drinks and free chicken parms. My dad said he had three of them during the game, because he eats when he's nervous. After the game there was a short meet and greet with some of the players and they got some autographs, which was pretty cool.

Task 7 (3 TPE)
During the previous off season I worked really hard to improve my face offs. That work has paid of alot and my face off percentage has increased quite a bit. The one area that I am now lacking in, is scoring. While I scored 10 goals in S49 being on the third line, my scoring has dropped a lot now that I play on the second line with two of the best top six forwards in the league. Though my focus and my skills are of best use as a playmaker, but because of playing with such a good linemates I get a ton of scoring opportunities that I have trouble with converting. So in that regard I have to improve this area during the play offs and in the off season that follows. It will be a matter of time that I move to the first line and it can't be that my scoring is as it is now.

Task 8 (2 TPE)
There are actually two players that I want to highlight for a future individual award. Otis B. Driftwood and Kata Vilde. Both of these players are in the prime of their career and are crême de la crême in the SHL, but individual awards are still missing. I guess for both players it's just a matter of time, but because other players have had fluke seasons they missed winning one previously. Kata Vilde has been an amazing netminder throughout his career and Otis B. Driftwood is a force to be reckoned with on the blue line. Both of these players are players you can build your team around and both deserve to win an individual award.

Task 13 (5 TPE)
A. While I really like Gunnar Soderberg, I do really hope for our sake that Mike Izzy will continue his dominance on the ice. He's been an absolute star for us considering his age and he's really keeping us all motivated in the locker room. Though I also hope that not all depends on Mike Izzy this finals. We have to do this as a team.
B. While both have recorded one shutout this season in the playoffs, right now it's absolutely Kata Vilde with a save percentage 0.931% and a solid 2.00 goals against average. Kata Vilde has been an absolute star in net for the Dragons and is together with Mike Izzy one of the main reasons we have reached the finals.
C. While Calgary has swept both of their previous rounds opponents, I think we will see plenty of close but high scoring games. Both teams have a very solid offence and we're in for a treat when it comes to goal scoring I believe. Due to the results of the previous rounds I would say that Calgary has the slight edge.
D. So I can't choose what name I like most from either team, so I'll choose Shooter McGavin since he's on both teams. Though I'm glad we have the first version as he simply rocks. The second version is most likely a Chinese knock off that they got cheap on some black market.
E. Though choice between a chicken parm sandwich or a tray of cookies, but I will pick the chicken parm sandwich. You can wake me up at night for chicken parm, no joke. I often post a photo of the chicken parm my girlfriend makes in our locker room chat to make the other guys jealous. I guess it was faith that I ended up playing with Esa and the Dragons.

Chicken parm rules.

Task 15 (3 TPE)
Message send