Any SHL player knows that for a good number of seasons now, when making predictions at the beginning of a season, the Philadelphia Forge have been a strong pick for those hoping to gain some long sought after TPE. This is because of their strength. This is because of their tenacity. This is because the team has been so strong, and they've consistently been at the top of the standings for longer than most young children have been born. This begs the question: "Do the Forge players actually know how a forge works?"

For the readers that have not had an alternate life as a blacksmith, or for those who have not played an MMO where they roleplayed as a blacksmith, you may not understand how it works. For simplicity's sake, a piece of metal is heated up in a furnace, and then hit with a hammer on an anvil to shape it into the desired form. A skilled blacksmith could make a sword, a dagger, or any number of metal based objects. The sky's the limit for these artisans when they work their craft. There is a crucial step at the end of this process, however, when a blacksmith needs to change the heated metal from a malleable slab to a firm, hardened relic. The way they do this is simple: they just dip the metal into some water to cool it down.

So for our beloved hockey team in Philadelphia, how does this process impact them? Well, the main issue is that they aren't following this process at all! At the beginning it seemed alright. They heated up when they drafted a solid young core, and they continued to refine themselves until they became a contender. And so far, we've just been there. I had to go back to Season 68 to find the first most recent season that the Forge didn't end up at least top 5 in the standings.

Hello, Philadelphia? You know you're supposed to cool off at some point, right? We know you have a fantastic one-two punch down the middle in Cale Salad and Tony Soprano. We know your top line defenseman, Nathaniel Barca and Red Kirkby have been blessed with silky-smooth skating, and excellent poise on the blue line. But at some point, you have to give these other teams a chance!

Normally, it would be fine for a team to stick to the top of the standings. It would show the skill of the players, as well as the eyes of the coaches and GMs to be able to create a team that can be utilized to their best abilities. This is the SHL, however! Teams must remain true to their namesake, for that's the whole point of team branding!

Everyone has heard about teams like Seattle, Minnesota, and Chicago. The Argonauts have missed the playoffs for years, citing that they've been away sailing on an epic journey. The Monarchs have been subjugating peasants. And the rumors point to the Syndicate being involved in the recent mass hallucinations where players and fans witness games, only to have them be "re-simmed" later, likely in some ultimate coverup that would be fitting of a name like the Chicago Syndicate.

Other teams are following their namesakes too, so why can't the Forge? Do the players not actually know how a forge works? Perhaps when they were drafted, they weren't told about the full blacksmithing process. We can't really fault them, if that is the case, but as it is, we have no evidence of that. We have no evidence of any reason why this team would be doing this. We can only assume that it is because they're so focused on shallow objectives like "winning," and "making the fans happy," but it could be anything.

And I know you're probably thinking, "Erm, mister writer, forge can also be a verb, like 'they are forging amazing hockey', so technically you're wrong." It's true. When watching Forge hockey, one cannot but look in awe at the technical skill and fancy tactics that the team has. But really maybe that isn't important either. Maybe it isn't the hockey, the stats, or the history of a team that matters.

Any long term SHL player would agree with the above statement. It isn't about the stats. It's about the people we meet. It's about the friends we make. Any SHL player knows it's all about the bonds that we've forged in our hearts.


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