Login

ErM · 04-19-2018, 05:37 PM

After Tor Tuck spoke to the media regarding future destinations he spent some serious time with his teammates on the Edmonton Blizzard, more specifically, with the Edmonton Blizzard strength and conditioning staff who just about killed Tor Tuck in extra drills after practice for the last week. Though of course, these have nothing to do with him speaking to the media about locker room politics.

Now that the delay is over and the anticipation has gone up, then down, and then back up, wondering where the rankings would fall, Tor Tuck is back to finish his piece. So, we have done a piece and a ranking on nine teams, which means there are five remaining for those of you counting at home. The remaining ranks will be completed soon but those of you who are not keeping track the remaining teams to be ranked are: The New England Wolfpack, The Edmonton Blizzard, The Calgary Dragons, The Buffalo Stampede, and The Toronto North Stars. Where will they fall on the list? Stay tuned to find out.

<div align="center">
[Image: 2dba1yh.png]

5. Toronto North Stars
[Image: 2dba1yh.png]

There were a lot of teams that could have taken this spot of the remaining top 5 and the next few teams are all pretty close in the rankings. However, The Toronto North Stars get the nod here. This is another team that is heavily driven by a few key players on the roster that make it a destination that Tor Tuck would be happy to join. Most notably here is his brother, Tommy Tuck, who has made a splash since joining the league but had his dashed hopes of joining Tor Tuck when the Blizzard passed on him after trading for a goal keeper. Luuk Kraaijkamp is another player that Tor Tuck has had some good times with, but has not been lucky enough to share a locker room with. A move to Toronto and a North Stars jersey would make a lot of connections Tor Tuck has been eyeing for years. Carter Manning is another solid player that Tor Tuck has a good relationship with. Lastly, while Tor Tuck does not have a lot of hands on experience with Chris York, it has become clear to Tor Tuck that Mr. York is a passionate general manager that cares about his team, which makes the destination all the more desirable.

[Image: mrrdk5.png]

4. New England Wolfpack
[Image: mrrdk5.png]

The New England Wolfpack is another team that might surprise people on the rankings, but is coming up high on Tor Tuckâ€™s list of desirable destinations because of a few strong personalities. Oisin Fletcher is a huge draw to Tor Tuck as they have spent some time in the off season working together to hone their craft and shoot the shit. Fletcher has also played a key role in helping Tor Tuck get work lined up for jobs outside of the sport ranging from endorsement deals to talk show gigs. Playing alongside Fletcher would be a blast that Tor Tuck and Oisin have not been able to make happen yet and is unlikely to ever come to fruition in Edmonton. The city of Edmonton and Oisin Fletcher had a disagreement regarding a parking ticket years ago and neither side has ever really let it go, so the bad blood there is probably going to stick around long after Tor Tuck hangs up his skates. The other strengths of this team are another pair of dynamic general managers that Tor Tuck would be happy to play for. Jasper Clayton and Toivo Kosonen have shown to be focused and charismatic managers in all of Tor Tuckâ€™s interactions with him and that has instilled confidence that they would run a right ship in New England. On the flip side, Tor Tuck has some bad blood of his own in New England and while he has no desire to call out the parties in this format, it is something that would possibly push him elsewhere depending on how things looked at the time, but that is a bridge he is willing to cross when it comes to it.

[Image: ekj2pv.png]

3. Buffalo Stampede
[Image: ekj2pv.png]

Perhaps the most surprising team and rank position on this list comes from the Buffalo Stampede who come in ranked number three. The Buffalo Stampede are a draw for Tor Tuck for a few different reasons. First, he sees them as an underdog and would happy to be part of their resurgence. It is easy to move to a powerhouse and continue greatness, but there is a lot more excitement involved in bringing a fan base from the edge of despair to the top of the pile. That is something Tor Tuck was hoping to do with his time in Edmonton on the Blizzard, and those same motivations would be there for the Buffalo fans and team. Furthermore, there are some solid players on the Buffalo Stampede that Tor Tuck knows he would enjoy sharing a locker room with. Kevin Hamilton and Dermot Lavelle go way back with Tor Tuck and the three of them could really stir some stuff up in the league and have a lot of fun doing it. Alexis Metzler has also done some work with Tor Tuck off of the ice and Tor Tuck thoroughly enjoyed working with Alexis and is confident that would translate well onto the ice. This is a team that Tor Tuck could see a place where he would stick around for awhile.

[Image: 4jun10.png]

2. Calgary Dragons
[Image: 4jun10.png]

While the last team was a big shocker to the league, the next team should be a no brainer for everyone who has paid attention to Tor Tuck since he announced he would play professionally in the Simulation Hockey League. The Calgary Dragons come in at a very well situated number two. The Calgary Dragons have been the place Tor Tuck entered the league hoping to play for and that is not something that simply disappears when a player finds a new home. The Calgary roster is stacked with people that Tor Tuck enjoys bull shitting with. Roman Augustus has been around as long as Tor Tuck was in the league and helped him early on to become the player he is today. Louie Garrett shares a lot of commonalities with Tor Tuck and the two would undoubtedly have a blast tearing up the ice in Calgary. Mike Izzy and Dani Forsberg have been complete bros in every interaction that Tor Tuck has had with them and he is confident that would continue. Michael Boychuk and Tor Tuck have a long history and the two had some good times back in the day, Tor Tuck does not see that changing if the two shared a roster. Then there is Joe Kurczewski who is a guy that Tor Tuck considers to be one of the best players in the league. Tor has an extremely large amount of respect for Joe and would have a hell of a time playing on the same squad as a living legend like Joe. As if the roster could even get in better the Calgary Dragons are held together by arguably the best general manger in the league, Esa Anrikkanen. Esa Anrikkanen is the one that got Tor Tuck playing hockey at a young age and has always been around as a mentor and a friend that Tor Tuck holds in the highest regard. As long as Esa Anrikkanen is managing the roster Calgary will likely be Tor Tuckâ€™s home away from home. The team is built around great players and is always in contention to make a run for a championship, I do not know what else a player could ask for.

[Image: EDMB1.png]

1. Edmonton Blizzard
[Image: EDMB1.png]

Finally, we come to the top ranked team here. The Edmonton Blizzard managed to retake the crown before the ink dried on this media piece. When Tor Tuck was drafted to Edmonton there may have been some disappointment that is was not Calgary, but he was happy to play for a team that was willing to move up the draft and spend some capital to bring him into the locker room (we will not mention the move to take a certain guy a few picks before Tor Tuck who has since left the sport completelyâ€¦). When Tor Tuck was drafted by Chisling and Karlssens he had the goal of bringing Edmonton back to relevance and hoisting the cup in an Edmonton Blizzard jersey. While the team has improved and should be a tough team to beat for anybody in the league; they still have not been able to call themselves champions. This is not a goal that Tor Tuck is ready to give up on yet. Obviously there may have been some tension in the locker room after a slow start for the team and Connor Tannerâ€™s constant â€œspontaneousâ€ tickle fights, but after the last dispute nearly came to blows things boiled over and Tor Tuck and the rest of the Edmonton Blizzard players seem to have made amends. Perhaps it was just a minor dispute being blown out of proportion by the media, or maybe it was a player just using hyperbole to try to make quick buck, perhaps it was a real issue that was resolved after the Edmonton Blizzard secured their playoff spot. They do say winning solves everything. It will be interesting to see where things end up for the Edmonton Blizzard and for Tor Tuck as things progressâ€¦but for now it looks like Tor Tuck is not going anywhere. Tor Tuck has said that he has a great relationship with his teammates and his general managers and he is happy to share a locker room with so many great players. This season is not over and for now Tor Tuck is all board the Edmonton hype train to an underdog championship. We will see what happens.

</div>