TASK ONE: We ask y’all a lot about who you THINK will win the finals for different reasons. Let’s change it up a bit. Who do you WANT to win the finals, and why? Must be at least 150 words.

This is a tough one. I really don’t know anybody on either roster (until someone corrects me and I look like an idiot) so I can’t really base my decision on that. Neither team has won it in a while, so I can’t say it’s based on being bored of the banner or not. So, what does that leave me with? Team colors, that’s what. LAP has this one won already then. I really think a banner with teal and orange will make the site pop when I first log in. The colors will draw my eyes up almost every time I log in. As much as I love the old red, white, and blue, this site is striving to be an inclusive environment and I would hate for anyone to feel that they aren’t welcome here. So, a LAP wins this based on better colors for attractiveness and inclusiveness. Yay.

TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S40 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

I am going to say that there isn’t a single unsung hero, but a group of them. The Panther’s collection of rookies has been outstanding this post-season. Normally you would see teams try to protect their young players by limiting their ice time and putting them on the lower lines and pairings. Not this season. The Panthers have seven total rookies on their roster, that alone is amazing that they have gotten this far. Yes, four of them play a very limited role, each playing under 5 min/game; however, they do have three who have been making an impact. Joshua Woodcroft, James Johnson, and Kamo Gronkjaer have each been doing more than their part. Those three are each playing north of 18 min/game. Woodcroft is currently playing on the second line, Gronkjaer on the 3rd pairing, and Johnson is holding his own on the top pairing, playing against the toughest opposition. Even if LAP doesn’t win it all, things are really looking bright for their future.

TASK SIX: During this season's Stanley Cup finals, we saw some pretty wild pre-game ceremonies and introductions to the games. What kind of performances do you think the two teams in the Challenge Cup/Four Star Cup finals might put on before their games? In at least 150 words, describe one of the finals pre-game ceremonies and what kind of craziness you think may have occurred.

This is a another tough one. We have the Panthers, which is a simple concept, versus the Platoon, a group of soldiers. The idea of a Platoon is great, bringing it into reality is a different story. The easiest thing I could think of is opening with a wild Panther on the ice. Its hunting something, but we don’t know what. Then BANG the panther drops dead and a group of soldiers come out, plant a WKP flag and celebrate. One way to spice this up would be to bring in Charlie Sheen to play one of the soldiers. This could back fire however, if Sheen mistakes the panther for a tiger, he may attempt to harvest the blood. In order to avoid the death of a mascot this might not be the best of ideas. I think the real show would be watching a Panther mascot try to get off the ice before a Charlie Sheen in ice skate tried to cut him open and drain his blood.