No offense to the great city of Calgary but if I am going on an all expenses paid trip it is going to be to Tampa. A warm climate, not far from the beach, plenty of hot chicks wearing bathing suits (I don’t care that it is November, this is my dream and in my dream it is warm enough for them to wear bathing suits year round), what more could I ask for? To run up Eggy’s tab I am going to hit up every club within 50 miles of the city and start raining money on anyone and everyone. Then, once I have sufficiently recovered enough from the revelry, I am going to sell my front row seats and have Eggy pay for me to be the in the luxury box with @CementHands, @Flareon, @Citizen of Adraa and of course, my boy @slothfacekilla. We are going to get straight up lit on 4Lokos and probably cause such a disturbance that we get thrown out of the arena… but hey, what happens in Tampa stays in Tampa.


Honestly, I know that as an Edmonton guy I should loathe Calgary, but I really like Mike Izzy and I don’t want to root against him. But I also actually like some of the Tampa guys so I don’t want to root against them either. How about I just root for the guys that I think are great instead? Mike Izzy is just a class act and Esa Parmborg (@Steelhead77) and Atlas Rush (@Rublic) are two former teammates who I love to death and are some great dudes. For Tampa, two of the reasons I am even in this league are on that team in @Jepox and @Noble and I can’t help but root for those guys. They are absolutely genuine in their passion for hockey (and lacrosse) and I owe them a lot for introducing me to such a great group of people here on the site.


I would love to see several changes, although I will be the first to admit that I have done absolutely zero research on the feasibility of my suggestions, nor have I seen if anyone even agrees with me, so take EVERYTHING I put here with a rather large grain of salt.

First, to absolutely maximize chaos and make it a best of 501 or 999 game series like reference above. I actually think that would be a pretty great and fun idea. Just throw away the PBPs all together and throw away some of the chance that is SimonT with a7-game series and clearly show who is the best. I think my expanding to a 501 or 999 game sim you can decrease the level that chance plays and show who the best team is more clearly (or show how truly close the teams actually are). Just a wild ass thought but I actually like it. The issue with doing that however would be the playoff stats would be all out of whack.

Second, the play-by-plays can be fun, but they also make the playoffs even more brutally long for the teams that have been knocked out. I know it might be asking too much but maybe we can actually have two PBPs per day (day and night) like the schedule suggests and move the Finals along.


The area I absolutely need to improve upon is my defense. I am a defenseman for god-sakes and, while I am ok at the position, I am not great. All too often I disappear when the team really needs me in the tough games. At least that is what I think. I do not think I am being too hard on myself by saying that taking stupid penalties, not hitting and being physical enough and not throwing my body on the line blocking shots is NOT the way to go for a defenseman trying to become a stud (lots of negatives but you get the point). I absolutely need to work on my defensive presence and remember that points are great but without defense you can’t win championships (fuck all these double negatives but you still get the picture). If I improve my defense (what out updater for my next update where I unbank a bunch) I think more good things will follow and I will be able to actually help, not hinder, Edmonton back to the Finals.


I have no doubt in my mind that Atlas Rush @Rublic is a future Hall of Famer in the making. He is a checking god that does not mind doing the dirty work on the boards and stealing extra chances from his gritty style of play. He is an absolutely grinder who just makes things happen and more importantly makes everyone around him better. Atlas leads by example in every facet of his game and is without a doubt going to win some individual hardware in his future. I personally will see to it that he is recognized, if not by the SHL awards committee then by the Center for Hockey Players that Know the Value of Other Hockey Players (CHPKVOHP) with the Best Player that Doesn’t Score All the Points but Plays Super Tough Trophy. He is absolutely a stud on the ice and a greater person off it.


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