01-15-2024, 08:49 AM(This post was last modified: 01-18-2024, 07:52 PM by adamantium. Edited 1 time in total.)
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CW Trivia, 3 TPE
verification word: corncob
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Haven't I Seen This Before?, 3 TPE
Honestly, I think when you really crack open the mechanics of what makes FHM tick, it's not dissimilar to a lot of the things that we say about real hockey teams playing in real hockey leagues. There's something to be said about the intrinsic knowledge of what it takes to win in the post-season that is instilled in teams that consistently get there. You see it all the time in hockey conjecture in real life--"this team has the skill to win, but do they have the longevity that you need in the playoffs?" More often than not in real life, this is due to a ramping up in physicality and a lessening of whistles in the post-season, but within the framework of FHM, I think it's fair to say that the sim obviously takes into account chemistry and likely also takes into account experience. A player that's done it before probably has some sort of hidden value to them that a fresh face in the playoffs just doesn't. In that way, Winnipeg and New England's continued post-season success almost feels like a self-fulfilling prophecy.
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Code:
The Char B1 bis In The Room, Claim for 2 TPE
Montreal showed us that really, my point about the potential intrinsic value of playoff experience might just be true. In the cases of Philly, New England, and Winnipeg, a lot of the pieces shuffle, but every new playoff team has pieces from the previous one building that playoff experience in the young guns. With Montreal though, they didn't just pull the plug, they pulled the plug *hard* and went straight into a scorched earth rebuild. Was that the right move? Hard to say just yet because we may still see Montreal suddenly turn into the 80s Oilers and absolutely obliterate the league. But there's definitely value in keeping the vets around to build chemistry and maybe drag your young guys to any sort of playoff appearance at all... If there *is* an intrinsic post-season experience value at play in this sim, then any experience is better than a full throttle rebuild that robs the entire team of their ability to bounce into positions of success. We'll have to see where Montreal realistically goes from here.
01-15-2024, 09:48 AM(This post was last modified: 01-16-2024, 02:17 PM by Ricer13. Edited 2 times in total.)
1. Trivia - 3 TPE
Verification: Ricer
2.
a) 1 TPE
Honestly, seeing both of these teams here bores me to death. Im going to say that New Englands run has been more impressive though. They upset teams to get where they are and they fully deserve to be here. Winnipeg was better than what their regular season showed. They hit their stride when it mattered most and I fully expected them to be here.
65 Words
b) 1 TPE
New England had the tougher path. Like I said before, Winnipeg underperformed during the regular season and stacks up fine against the top teams in their conference. New England finished similarly in their conference but don’t stack up as evenly with the likes of Buffalo or Philadelphia. It was a much tougher road for them and I’m very impressed they’re here.
62 Words
4. 3 TPE
Montreal definitely pulled the plug too early but that really is a different opinion for any person who looks at this situation. It’s such a tough decision to decide to limp along an aging core, hoping to have one more magical run or whether to cut your losses and start bringing on a new wave of players while you have some veteran presence to show them the way. It takes a savvy GM like the one in Winnipeg to keep a true contender going for as long as they have and maybe Montreal’s GM doesn’t quite have that same savvy demeanour, hence why they decided to go another way.
At the end of the day, with how this is league works, I would have tried maybe one or two more seasons. There’s always a deal to be made or a roster move needed to help spark a miracle run. Why not give your players another chance during their final years.
01-15-2024, 10:01 AM(This post was last modified: 01-15-2024, 07:10 PM by ValorX77. Edited 1 time in total.)
5. Upsets defined these playoffs, none bigger than when the San Fransico Pride took down the top-seeded, president's trophy-winning Edmonton Blizzard. One reason was that Edmonton could not handle San Fransico's offensive attack, as they allowed more than 5 goals in 5 out of the 6 games in the series, which explains the low save percentage by Justin Time. Another reason Edmonton fell in the second round instead of repeating as Challenge Cup champions is the need for and lack of scoring, as they were held to 4 goals or less 5 out of the 6 games played, with the only outlier being an 8-3 rout in game 3. With both of these factors combined, it created a recipe for disaster for Edmonton, as their dreams for repeating as SHL champions were shot down with a massive thud. San Francisco's magical run came to an end after a 5 game series defeat against Winnipeg. (153 words)
01-15-2024, 10:52 AM(This post was last modified: 01-16-2024, 02:08 PM by ViN. Edited 1 time in total.)
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1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Reap
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6. Graphic, 3 TPE, The Climax
Draw the final battle! You can show me the players going head-to-head, you can draw the mascots duking it out, or you can make any kind of hype poster of your choosing.
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12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series?
Yay, the New England Wolfpack have won the cup! Jaxson Reaper may just be a prospect for the Wolfpack, but his excitement couldn't be higher! While at times it wasn't easy, like going to 7 games in the first round, the Wolfpack remained hungry the rest of their playoffs. The Aurora on the other hand, had an easier road to the finals. In just 15 games, they made their way to the finals while the Wolfpack needed another 3 games to get there. I believe those extra few games gave the Wolfpack the confidence they needed to go the whole way. Maybe if the Aurora were just tested a little more, they might have had the same swagger and confidence.
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8/8 TPE
karlssens Registered
S28, S45, S49 Challenge Cup Champion
Posts:4,037 Threads: 182 Joined: May 2015 Reputation:73
Discord: karl#3942
Pronouns: He/Him
Player: Oskar Scholz
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
B - Winnipeg had a much tougher opponent in round 1, but after that I think New England had a much tougher road to the finals. After defeating Toronto in round one they had to knock off the Buffalo Stampede and Philadelphia Forge, both of whom finished 2nd and 3rd in regular season standings. As the number 9 seed they could've lost to either of those opponents and no one would have given them much grief, but they dispatched Buffalo in 5 games and Philadelphia in 6.
C - Perhaps my response in B foreshadowed this a bit, but New England's conference final victory was more impressive than Winnipeg's this season. While the pesky San Francisco Pride certainly brought a degree of uncertainty given their massive upset to Edmonton in round 2, I think either team would take them over the Philadelphia Forge who are a veteran squad with a proven track record of playoff success.
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4. Written, 3 TPE, The Char B1 bis In The Room (150 words min.)
This league was until quite recently dominated by a cabal of four teams. Two of them, Winnipeg and New England, are our finalists. A third, Philadelphia, was a finalist last year. The fourth... was Montreal. Does the success of Winnipeg and New England prove that Montreal pulled the plug too soon and should’ve kept the gang around? Or did at least one of the others just get lucky and Montreal made the better decision, without hindsight? What team-building lessons can we learn from this?
Based on my limited knowledge of the Montreal team, and with the power of hindsight, I think they pulled the plug too soon. While TPE does win, there is a significant degree of chance/luck involved in the sim as seen by San Francisco defeating Edmonton in a best of 7, or Winnipeg and New England reaching the finals yet again despite being the 9th and 10th seeds in the league. Now if I were remove the power of hindsight I can see why they might want to blow it up and avoid several seasons of middling results followed by an eventual tear down. It saves the few seasons of what ifs, which could be runs to finals, or could just be meh seasons. Toss in perhaps a management change or several players voicing their displeasure or reluctance to stay with the team and perhaps the tear down was even more imminent and the management just wanted to get in front of it and get the best possible value for their roster.
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5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
An impressive string of upsets took place this season, especially in the West with San Francisco’s Cinderella run. Which upset series impressed you most, why, and what in that series sticks out most in your memory? For the purposes of this task, any series won by the lower seed is an upset.
Perhaps a bit bias here since I'm a member of that Cinderella team, but I think you'd be hard pressed to find a greater upset than San Francisco defeating Edmonton in the second round of the western conference playoffs. Edmonton finished the regular season as the number 1 seed with an immaculate record of 52-13-1 and a goal differential of +193. San Francisco on the other hand finished with a 31-30-5 record and a goal differential of +24. While that is San Francisco's best result with their current core, it's a far cry from how Edmonton finished. I think if you were to poll 100 people, 99 of them would say Edmonton wins and the one holdout is a die hard Pride fan, or plays for them. Perhaps what was most impressive takeaway from this upset is San Francisco led the series the entire time. They went up 2-0 on the road, lost the first one at home before going up 3-1 after game 4, lost game 5 on the road and then finished it out at home in game 6 to win the series 4-2.
01-15-2024, 12:46 PM(This post was last modified: 01-18-2024, 06:01 PM by By-Tor. Edited 1 time in total.)
1. (+3) Trivia, Verfication word: sadge
3. (+3) The secret to the success of Winnipeg, at least, is the high level of users on the roster. I think we have like 6 current or former members of either HO, as well as a number of former GMs. Almost everyone on the team has had some significant impact on the SHL. Why is this important? It means that the users on the team are always ready to pitch in and help, we have a thriving war room making good decisions on how to best serve the team. Everyone is a part of the success of the team and we have no free-loaders or inactive passengers. Active and engaged users also means a high level of TPE and max earning from everyone on board. Since TPE gain is at its highest, we are able to stay competitive for longer and build excellent chemistry between players. Literally the only blemish on this team is the fact we have been to the finals in 5 of the past 6 years and are 1-4. Why? I honestly don't know.
12. (+2) Well, New England won and Winnipeg lost. Boo. here's a significant stat telling why the outcome ended up like it did: in the first three rounds of the playoffs, Rebecca Montage, our WPG goalie, was 9 goals saved above average. Playing absolutely lights out the entire time. But, for some reason, her GSAA dropped to 0.58 after those 6 finals games. Its like FHM decided that Montagne wasn't the high tpe all-star that she is and decided to make her swiss cheese (Swiss player, too, lol). Maybe New England was really that good, but then you see Karsikko, a worse goalie than Montagne, end up with a 14.65 GSAA by the end? Idk, seems like FHM has it out for us. I hate to complain, but this same pattern has happened four times now, so its not a coincidence.
8/8 TPE
Credit to enigmatic, Merica, tweedledunn, and jaypc8237 for sigs
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
c. Which of the finalists had the more impressive conference finals victory, and why?
B. Finally, upsets. These clearly lacked in the era of the big 4. Honestly, Winnipeg and New England in the finals is not a surprise for me and there weren't in my honest opinion any challenges for either of them in the way to the finals. If I had to choose between the two though, the New England Wolfpacks did have a harder time in their road to the finals. Because of the close game going to seven in the first round against Hamilton and their opponents being more menacing then any of the Aurora's with New England clashing between Buffalo (a former cup winner) and Philadelphia (a former cup winner).
(110 words) + 1TPE
C. Winnipeg went against an Edmonton upsetting, Pride team and New England went against the almost cup winning Philadelphia team. First I thought New England had the more impressive conference finals win, but thinking about it harder, I realized that Edmonton won the cup last season. So now I'm stuck between the two again. But because the Pride won against a cup winning Edmonton team, I think I have to give it to Winnipeg although New England had more games.
(79 words) +1TPE
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3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the league,
our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the most dominant teams over the past several seasons.
What do you think is the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them? Which one is more likely to be back again next year?
The success for both teams is pretty simple honestly. They have top players in the defense and offense, they have complete and promising prospects from great picks even though they always do good in the league. Other teams can learn to be better at keeping star players, predicting great players and stack up on players above 1000TPE, simple enough right? Between the two, I think Winnipeg will last longer. Both teams star players are declining each season, but for Winnipeg, players like Lord Farquaad, Lias Ekholm-Gunnarsson and Mikko Rashford are still in it while compared to the new generation of players that New England has. Plus, the top five players in Winnipeg are all 1800 TPE or above and they are all still surprisingly proving they are the top players of Winnipeg. Although New England has a better prospect pool, it takes some time for them to develop into those top players New England drafted them for. So for the next few seasons with the top players in Winnipeg still standing I think they will succeed more.
(177 words) + 3TPE
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5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
An impressive string of upsets took place this season,
especially in the West with San Francisco’s Cinderella run.
Which upset series impressed you most, why, and what in that series sticks out most in your memory?
For the purposes of this task, any series won by the lower seed is an upset.
Personally, the Edmonton and San Francisco series impressed me the most. On paper especially when seeing how heavily the sim likes good teams, the 14th seed should always lose to the 1st. But the sim gods this time wanted to change things up and gave a gift to the San Francisco Pride's. This was not only the most impressive win, but also the most exciting. Of course the 14th seed winning against a former cup winning team is what impressed me the most. But other than that, the fact that San Francisco countered the offence and defense that Edmonton had really impressed me too. The offence clicked and their defense was great. The series that sticks out the most in my memory is the sweep in the first round against Edmonton. Of course this is just me being bias but I still can't figure out how Minnesota couldn't win a game while the Pride won against them, I really thought we could do well this season but oh well.
01-15-2024, 02:35 PM(This post was last modified: 01-15-2024, 02:35 PM by ShadowFenix.)
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3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the
league, our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the
most dominant teams over the past several seasons. What do you think is
the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them?
Which one is more likely to be back again next year?
The Winnipeg Aurora and New England Wolfpack were teams that fell in regular season standings. Looking at Aurora, they had a 38-24-4 record in the regular season, with a decent GF/GA. Notably, their power play was 24.9%, PK 81.9%. The Wolfpack, on the other hand, was 40-22-4 with a decent GF/GA as well. Their power play was 25.4%, and PK was 79%. So just looking at these teams, they had similar numbers, and decent numbers at that. Their secret was that they took the underdog mentality and mindset into playoffs. Studies have shown that the "power of friendship" effect is much stronger when you come from an average, middling background. Both of these teams know what people think of them, and they like to prove people wrong. Of course, it's not like they're suddenly good in the playoffs. No, they purposely gimp themselves in the regular season, and hide their true power levels.
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5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
An impressive string of upsets took place this season, especially in the
West with San Francisco’s Cinderella run. Which upset series impressed
you most, why, and what in that series sticks out most in your memory?
For the purposes of this task, any series won by the lower seed is an
upset.
I thought San Francisco was going to go all the way. Especially when they beat EDM, who many thought would be the main contenders for the cup. Of course, I also had them winning, so this series stuck out to me because I lost out on that sweet, sweet playoff prediction TPE. So it goes, as they say. Regardless, it was still impressive to see them come out on top, and I was fully on the bandwagon after watching those games. And then they got trounced in the third round by WPG, but we won't talk about that... Particularly notable was that their second line was the ones carrying them through the playoffs. Oska Scholz, Viktor Hargreeves, and Kyle Murray put on a show, and really they were the primary reason SF got so far. Honestly, if the rest of the team had performed on that same level, then the outcome of this playoffs would be wayyyy different. And I guess we'll see that next season in the regular season. It won't just be the underdog story, it'll be the overdog story.
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12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Looks like [TEAM] won Season 74! Who won and why? What could the other
team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite
part of the series?
Congratulations to the New England Wolfpack for winning Season 74! The main thing this team had going for it was depth scoring. The top half of the team contributed to a large amount of their points. If teams like Winnipeg were simply able to outscore them in a best of 7 series, then New England wouldn't have won. I will say my favorite part of the series was game 6 when the Wolfpack won. I was still salty about WPG beating SFP. Regardless, it was a hard fought battle, and the people over at WPG should be happy they got close. Maybe next year they can figure out how to not let the other team score so many goals.
4. Written, 3 TPE, The Char B1 bis In The Room (150 words min.)
Well I cannot say I did follow the SHL when the Montreal were one of the top teams but since I got back the Winnipeg has been top team in terms of TPE only being passed by Edmonton this season, so it should be clear that Winnipeg at least should stay very close to the top. Forge and to an extend New England too still have pretty great team and I don't think anything necessarily needs to change about that. Then again I do feel that Montreal selling out due whatever reasons, like combined aging core and maybe some younger players looking to move elsewhere, most likely was necessary for them if it was looking like they couldn't keep themselves at decent TPE levels as there isn't really point, specially if you are in decline, to keep fighting over middle seeds so I think it served them best to get most they could from their assets and players while they still had some value.
11. Written, 3 TPE, Juniors’ Juniors (150 words min.)
While I might be hyped to see Team Finland play in IIHF each and every season and was bit annoyed by the decision to have combined Nordic team playing in WJC after we (Finland) had won 2 bronzes in 3 seasons. So one player I'm ofcourse looking forward in making their jump to IIHF team is my own which likely is still 2 seasons away as next one will be my last in J and then I need to have my unbanked build for IIHF, but I hopefully should come in at least above 1k. But one other thing that I noticed looking at the roster announcement of the Nordic roster is the fact that 5 of the 6 defensemen are Finns and I know for certain that at least one active Finnish defenceman didn't make the team, these include players such as Jaromir Jagerbomb, Simo Jääskeläinen, Artturi Lappalainen and Kristian Seppanen which leaves me hoping that in 6 to 8 seasons Finland will have incredible defensive core available for them.
12. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
It must be painful for the Winnipeg to lose to New England for the second time in five seasons (even after beating them once too) as they came in with better team on paper and managed to turn the game in their favor in last two games that they were playing their backs against the wall. Though it could have already been over in four if Winnipeg didn't manage to win the game 3 in overtime. I feel that New England scoring with higher accuracy was key to their success as Winnipeg goalies didn't manage to play at the level they should have. I would also point out that compared to the expectations both teams did under perform during regular season still leaving New England with the home advantage with roster that on paper was worse which might have been crucial for the end result of this series.
01-15-2024, 09:04 PM(This post was last modified: 01-15-2024, 09:04 PM by Ferda.)
Quote:2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
b. Upsets were a theme this year - which of our finalists had the more difficult road to the promised land and why?
a. The Winnipeg Aurora's return to the finals is a testament to their resilience. Despite rumors of a dynasty's demise, they've proved the skeptics wrong. The impressive part is their ability to bounce back, demonstrating leadership, skill, and a never-say-die attitude that makes them a formidable force on the ice.
b. The New England Wolfpack had a more challenging road to the finals this year. They faced formidable opponents and unexpected hurdles, proving their mettle by overcoming these obstacles. Their journey to the promised land has been marked by perseverance, grit, and a determined spirit that makes their presence in the finals even more commendable.
Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE, The Char B1 bis In The Room (150 words min.)
This league was until quite recently dominated by a cabal of four teams. Two of them, Winnipeg and New England, are our finalists. A third, Philadelphia, was a finalist last year. The fourth... was Montreal. Does the success of Winnipeg and New England prove that Montreal pulled the plug too soon and should’ve kept the gang around? Or did at least one of the others just get lucky and Montreal made the better decision, without hindsight? What team-building lessons can we learn from this?
The recent prominence of Winnipeg and New England, both finalists, raises questions about Montreal's decision to break from the previous cabal. While it may seem Montreal pulled the plug too soon, success isn't solely determined by recent events. Winnipeg and New England might be shining now, but the dynamic nature of sports makes it tough to predict long-term outcomes. Montreal's decision might have been strategic, focusing on rebuilding for sustained success rather than relying on short-term victories. Team-building in the league is akin to a chess game – strategic moves can pay off in the long run. The lesson here? Success requires a delicate balance of short-term gains and long-term planning. While Winnipeg and New England showcase the potential of sustained excellence, Montreal's decision might prove prescient in the seasons to come. The league teaches us that success is multifaceted, demanding a blend of strategy, timing, and a bit of luck.
Quote:10. Written, 3 TPE, IIHF Underdogs (150 words min.)
Predict an upset for this season’s IIHF tournament, and explain why you think your chosen underdog matches up well against that specific opponent!
Billy Herrington's unexpected transfer from the USA to Canada has set the stage for a seismic shift in the international hockey scene. The IIHF tournament is buzzing with anticipation as Canada, now armed with Billy's skills and charisma, gears up to take on the USA as the ultimate underdog. The upset prediction is clear: Canada is poised to outshine the USA this season. With Billy Herrington in the mix, the Canadian team gains a strategic edge and a game-changer on the ice. His adaptability, leadership, and unique playstyle make him the secret weapon that could catch the USA off guard. The matchup favors Canada because of the newfound synergy Billy brings to the team. His transition from the USA injects fresh energy and unpredictability into the Canadian roster. As the underdog, Canada is ready to turn the tables and prove that, with Billy Herrington leading the charge, they have what it takes to upset the hockey powerhouse that is the USA in the IIHF tournament.
01-16-2024, 12:14 AM(This post was last modified: 01-17-2024, 10:12 PM by vbottas17. Edited 3 times in total.)
+3 TPE 1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Verification word: Pasta
+2 TPE 2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Two old faces are back in the ring, proving reports of the dynasty’s demise were greatly exaggerated! Pick either of our finalists, and tell me what about them impresses you the most!
d. If it ain't broke don't fix it: Who you got? Who wins? Why?
A) The Winnipeg Aurora squad has always been impressive to me ever since for a numer of reasons. The team has established star players, many of whom are among the very best players in the SHL. Seems like a great group of people, players such as Ekholm-Gunnarson, Rashford & O'Neil just to name a few are all legends for the franchise.
B) I would have said the Aurora but I'm pretty sure that's not what happened. I thought that the Aurora had begun to fire on all cylinders after what could be described as a mediocre regular season by the teams lofty standards. With so much star power, it's kind of a surprise that the team hasn't won more championships then they have.
+3 TPE 5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
An impressive string of upsets took place this season, especially in the West with San Francisco’s Cinderella run. Which upset series impressed you most, why, and what in that series sticks out most in your memory? For the purposes of this task, any series won by the lower seed is an upset.
I think that the biggest upset of this post-season, and perhaps the biggest upset in quite some time was the San Francisco Pride's incredible victory over the Edmonton Blizzard. The Blizzard finished season 74 with a remarkable 52 wins and 105 points, paxing the Western Conference by a comfortable 18 points and entering the playoffs as the clear odds on favorite to go all the way. Edmonton finished the season with 381 goals and a remarkable +193 goal differential, more than doubling up on their opponents in finding the net. On the other hand, the San Francisco Pride entered the playoffs only q game over .500 and weren't expected by many to make it past the first round of the playoffs. What transpired may very well go down as one of the biggest upsets in post-season history. It's not like San Francisco was a powerhouse who had a down hear during the regular season. This is an opportunity for the Pride to build on a truly remarkable post-season run and establish themselves as one of the top SHL teams for seasons to come.
01-16-2024, 04:56 AM(This post was last modified: 01-18-2024, 03:19 AM by Katth. Edited 1 time in total.)
1. Trivia - 3 TPE
Katth
2. Grab bag - 2 TPE
B) I think New England definitely had the harder road to the finals having to face off against Buffalo and Philly. Does not take away that both teams had an incredible run to the finals coming both from fifth seed in their respective conference. A surprising final with a uprising outcome. Did not have my money on that.
C) I think the more impressive conference final was New England vs Philly. San Francisco was the seventh seed and Philly the second seed in their respective conference. So New England did an amazing job to beat them when the difference in the regular season between was quite decent all though not that big of a gap.
3. Haven’t I Seen This Before? - 3 TPE
I do not know if Montreal pulled the plug too early, but Montreals window was gone. Montreal was just very unlucky in the playoffs and they deserved better and I am not just saying that because I was part of the team in Montreal. CampinKiller did an amazing job getting a nice band together and we had great regular season results, but we just kept running into New England which topped us every single time. It just happens you know. Montreal also had to sell at that point, because they had no picks and no talent pool left. If they kept going they would have hurt themselves a lot more than they are doing now. It was the right time to start the rebuild. Only time will tell if Montreal is back in the game faster than Winnipeg and New England will when they have to rebuild. But I think CK made the right decision.