TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which player had to overcome the most adversity to get where they are at now? What did they have to endure before finally getting their crack at the Cup? Must be 150 words and include two specific situations that player experienced en-route to the Cup finals, whether this season or at some point during their career.

Even though he has already won a cup, Windsor has had to endure a couple of different situations to get back to the cup finals. First, after winning a cup with Texas and then being eliminated last season, he had to endure the offseason turmoil in Texas in which they lost several first round picks and the GMs player getting suspended for the season. This caused him and Allen to get traded to the Rage in a mega deal which helped to pave the Rage’s way not only to getting back to the playoffs, but to the finals. The second situation was being down 3 games to 0 to the Chiefs in the conference finals and being a key component to a massive 4 game comeback sending the Rage to the finals. In 14 games, Windsor has 11 points and is the second highest scoring defensemen on the team. He is also a +3 while playing on the first line. In not only the 4 game comeback, but in the series as a whole, the Rage did not allow the Chiefs to score more than 3 goals in any game.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S38 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

Calgary has a lot of stars on their team from Kurczewski to Mack to Gagner to Esa, but the one person that gets overlooked sometimes is Boychuk. He plays nearly 25 minutes per game, is on Calgary’s first line, plays on the power play, plays on the penalty kill and faces off against the other team’s best players every night. He is second on the team in scoring with 2 goals and 13 assists for 15 points. His assists lead the Dragons as well. He has put up a +11 rating in 11 games so far and has only taken two penalties. He has only given 13 hits as he is not overly physical, but has blocked 25 shots so far in the post season. He is also the perfect role model for the younger players like Augustus because he is a strong presence in the locker room and knows what it takes to win as he is a previous cup champion as well.



TASK FOUR: What rookies or young players are looking to make a name for themselves during the Finals? How have they contributed to the team on the way to the Finals? Must be at least 150 words, and include two statistics.

Roman Augustus is a rookie blue liner for the Calgary Flames who has played in all 11 games on the second line during the playoffs and has averaged nearly 22 minutes per game which shows the confidence they have in him and his abilities during the playoffs. Although he doesn’t have any goals yet on just 7 shots taken, he does have 8 assists. He has not played on the power play but is a key penalty killer and for a rookie in the playoffs, Calgary is showing their trust in him. He doesn’t put his team in a bad situation as he has only taken 3 penalties but is a -2 in those 11 games so there is a little room for improvement in his 5 on 5 game. He has dished out 15 hits so far and blocked 14 shots so he isn’t afraid to give up his body for his team. Overall, he has been a key contributor to Calgary’s 8-3 record by not scoring but by doing the little things that help teams with championships.



TASK SIX: You’re the coach of a team in the finals. What changes would you make to the roster, lines or strategies of the team to give the team a better chance at winning the series? Must be at least 150 words.

I think the adjustment I would make to Calgary would be a slight adjustment to the defensive pairings in order to reduce their goals against which currently sits at 3.00 per game compared to 2.2 for the Rage. I would put Boychuk and Augustus together since Boychuk is more defensive minded and Augustus is more offensive. They compliment each other in other ways too as Boychuk is a better passer, skater and checker while Augustus handles the puck better. Then I would put O’reilly and Creller on the second line together since one is defensive minded and Creller is offensive. Creller brings a little more physical presence than O’Reilly does but O’Reilly can pass and handle the puck better. The third line would be two defensive minded players in Laflamme and Goody Jr. Neither will bring much hitting or offense to the table but can skate, pass and handle the puck well and can match up against the other teams first or second lines.