Jussi Mutou wakes up in his hometown of Kyoto, Japan. But he doesn’t grab his hockey gear. This isn’t the Jussi we know and love. This is the Jussi of an alternate universe. This is the Jussi of Earth X! On Earth X, Jussi never found his grandfathers hockey stick in Finland. He never went overseas to be one of the greatest SMJHL players in history. He never captained the Colorado Raptors to their first Four Star cup in 50 seasons. He never helped turn the Montreal Patriotes around. So what happened to him in this universe?
On the fateful day where he was meant to be getting on a plane to Finland, Jussi Mutou found himself attacked by masked criminals. They called themselves The Claw. They were terrorizing Kyoto and the outskirts for decades and Jussi found himself at their mercy.
After being attacked, Jussi was tossed into a vat of chemical waste, not dissimilar to what happened to the Joker. But whereas Joker’s bad traits got amplified, Jussi’s good traits did as well.
This incident turned him into a hero of great power. He found himself able to create constructs of light using his mind. He would use these constructs to fight crime as the superhero “Holo-Man”! Also granted enhanced speed, durability, and strength, Mutou would go on to defeat The Claw once and for all…. Or did he?
As a player for the Baltimore Platoon in the modern era, there’s no other player you could say is a hero for the team higher than M’Baku Olubori, the current captain and franchise icon. Baku really represents what it is to be a Platoon player, he has been a leader on the ice and in the locker room from being a young upstart J player, out of Nigeria of all places, to cementing himself in the Baltimore teams plans going forward. He exploded onto the scene with Baltimore, winning the Ryan Jesster award for Best SHL Rookie, and has gone from strength to strength ever since. He has had immense longevity and still continues to put in the big minutes, even as he starts to wind down towards retirement. His commitment is never in question and he pushes his linemates to better versions of themselves. M’Baku is a true Platoon hero. So it sucks that he will be moving for next season!
Written Option 2
For Prpich, I've never seen him as necessarily a leader on the team, so in my mind wouldn't be a hero to the team in the locker room. If he could be seen as a leader or hero to the team it would be by example on the ice. I see him as being the type of player who works hard at all times on the ice. Whether that is in practice, or in a game. Short handed, digging the puck out along the boards, or battling in front of the net. This hard work has paid off in the regular season. He hasn't been a bad player in playoffs, but he hasn't been quite as good in the playoffs as he has been in the regular season. This might hurt his case as a hero in the eyes of some. Narratively, I attribute this to the level of intensity he normally plays with. He can't elevate his game for playoffs because he always turned up to 11. That coupled with being a player nearing the end of his career, I think he's seen as a hero of the recent past.
By day, RDNH plays hockey, scores the goals and hits the boards. By night, he transforms into Dino-Nugget Man! Made entirely of suspect chicken and/or pink goo, with a mediocre breadcrumb-based crust, Dino-Nugget Man saves the day with aplomb (and a plum sauce). Superpowers include being yummy as hell, multiplying his body up to 15 times (a regular serving size), a really loud rawr, and being able to recite the entirety of Jurassic Park verbatim. Secure that his identity is completely a secret and could in no way be traced back to the budding Carolina Kraken hockey star that features Dino-Nugget in his name, the tasty hero turns up the heat to 425 against his arch-nemesis, A Well-Balanced Meal!! Destroying the world with micronutrients, a Well-Balanced Meal terrorizes young children with despicable food items like broccoli, carrots and radishes! But never fear, for Dino-Nugget Man has found his new sidekick: Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce! With their powers of elite cuisine combined, the children of the world are saved having a well-rounded diet!
If you are a dropout fan or a fan of gamechanger, then maybe this will make sense. Actually it wasnt gamechanger but make some noise. There is a guy called Jacob Wysocky and his prompt was to be his alter ego, Jacob Ice-Hockey. Which is a great pun and so I think that would be my superhero name. I think it would be fun to just kinda be a normal guy but also be a superhero that somehow uses hockey to do the thing. Like I guess you can fight crime on skates and with a hockey stick. That could definitely work. It wouldnt be the best way, but I guess it is doable as a thing. And I guess a hockey stick could be a weapon of sorts, it basically is like a big swingable thing so I guess you could stop some crime, as long as they happened within distance of an ice hockey rink or at least ice in general. I guess in a very cold place that could work.
A hero in sports is often described as a player who performs when the pressure is at its highest. This could be from a game winning goal in a close game, a game tying goal, a game saving defensive play or of course for our goalies out there a game saving… save! But this is only the visual aspects of being a hero on the ice. What else makes a hero on the ice or behind closed doors in the locker room. Is your player a hero for their team? Is there another player you’d consider your team’s hero?
A hero can be many things, but probably the biggest quality of a hero is the idea of sacrifice for the greater good. Someone who goes out on the ice and is there to defend and throw their body for their team every game. In the game of hockey, there is no bigger hero than the person who sits in front of the net doing the one thing that no one else on the ice can do, save pucks from going behind them. Goaltenders train to become walls so that the other 5 players on the ice can skate freely knowing that there is someone who is always at the back. A bad goalie is what can really keep a team from progressing into true hockey stardom. A team can have the best skaters, but every skater gets tired and cant be on the ice for the full game. We have had many net minders for the knights, but each one is a hero to our organization and I hope it stays that way.
Quote:In an alternate world, your player is a hockey-themed superhero!! What is their hero name? What are their hockey-themed superpowers? Do they have supervillains? If so, are they from another SHL team? What are their villains’ names and powers? Feel free to describe an encounter between your player and their villain!
McLovin needs no introduction, he's well known across all circles, but when its revealed that McLovin leads a double life as Puckman, the masses go crazy. Who is this hockey goalie mask wearing defender of the helpless on black ice? Those who can't shovel without getting a heart attack? And those on bald tires on snowy roads.... Puckman. He throws down pucks under bald tires, he melts the ice, and uses an oversized hockey stick to clear driveways
The supervillan? Roquefort... an annoying ass mouse who pees in the snow turning it yellow, leaves mouse droppings all over the sidewalks before they ice over, and eats the wires in peoples snowblowers leading to their inability to clear their driveways and walkways.
A tragedy in the making, someday soon, Cotswald, the Rataturdie, will meet his end at the hands of the beloved Puckman, with a slapshot to the gut, most hope this day comes sooner, rather than later.
A hero on and off the ice is one of the greatest assets a team can have. Besides being a clutch performer and going the extra mile to help the team win, a hero motivates their teammates and holds them accountable. A hero will not only be heard on the ice, but they will also make themselves heard off the ice. It could be as simple as coaching the rookie in the locker room on proper diet or how they handle fan interactions. A hero will make sure everyone gets their time in the spotlight while also not taking in credit for their own achievement. Luca is not the hero of the Specters, while he strives to be the one of the team leaders, he recognizes that the hero of the New Orleans Specters is Captain Blade Hunter. He brings his A game everyday for the team and is a positive motivator in the locker room.
I think sometimes heroes are made simply by existing in the spotlight for an extended period of time. You think about kids growing up in SHL Winnipeg, they saw the great teams of the late S60s and S70s compete each season for Challenge Cups. With all the key moments that happened in those runs, there are a number of heroes. I would like to think that Beck has an accumulation of moments that would label him as a hometown hero. He was there for those successful years, but is also still there on the team now. Some of those kids growing up in the S60s saw him play and now are maybe playing with him or against him. The aura of experience and nostalgia that surrounds him can surely lend to the image of a "hero." I think those players in SHL history who have stuck around the same franchise for over 1000 games all have some level of 'hometown hero' attached to them.
Credit to enigmatic, Merica, tweedledunn, and jaypc8237 for sigs
As captain of the Tampa Bay Barracuda it is my job to be an influential figure on and off the ice. Whether it is making that extra physical play or coaching in the locker room or during practice it is something that I am born to do. I would sacrifice my own performance to make someone else or the team play better. I have a defensive focus in my game and leave the goal scoring up to my team mates.
Off the ice I take extra time with the (mostly) rookie players to make them feel comfortable on the ice and deal with the pressure that comes along when it is playoff time. Playoffs are a special season within a season with a lot more pressure and more hectic arenas. So helping them out dealing with that is something that helps the team greatly.