Task 1

Well, lucky for Kristaps Ball he was going to be in Tampa anyways as the star defenseman for the Tampa Bay Barracuda is actually playing in the championship. He will attend all games and gets seats even better than front row seats, he is playing in the game, which most other players in the league have never done in their careers! Kristaps will not waste his opportunity to spend on Eggy's bill, as every season he loves to run up the bill. This season will be on drinks, which is kinda what he does every season but this season its different because he is playing in the cup, so these are celebration drinks! Of course, since I am playing in my first cup I will be getting tickets for all my family from Latvia to come and watch me in the Tampa games, and they will get the best of the best treatment, as whatever they want, I (more like Eggy) will pay for!

Task 2:

It would be weird if Kristaps Ball of the Tampa Bay Barracuda wasn't rooting for the Tampa Bay Barracuda, so he obviously is rooting for the Cuda. They went through a really tough east with great teams such as Buffalo and Toronto, yet they prevailed and made it to the final. They have great talent like Kristaps Ball, Flacko Lagerfield, and Benjamin Blue that will 100% be great for them in the finals. Calgary ain't not slouch though, as they have great players like goalie Kata Vilde and the ageless wonder Mike Izzy. It's going to be a great series, and I would love if the Cuda win!

Task 3:

I think the playoff format is actually really good so far, I love how the seeding works and how it all works, however one change I would make is to make the playoffs a 1 game showcase. The team with the better record gets home ice of course, but make it 1 game to help speed up the playoffs. Teams that don't have to play in the wild card earned the right to skip it, and they shouldn't have to wait days and days for their series. Having the wildcard done in one day helps get the playoffs moving faster and gets the other teams playing quicker. It also creates a lot of hype, anticipation, drama, and more emotions to be shown. A winner take all game for the wild card would be even better if it has a PBP for it, to add to the intensity and drama. I think the 1 game wild card would be a great change, as it works in the MLB playoffs really well and I think it would be just as great for the SHL playoffs.

Task 8:

I would 100% bet on Kristaps Ball to win an award in the future, and even this season! Out of all the awards for him to win, it would easily be the Scott Stevens Award for best defenseman, which he has already won once beforehand. As the number 1 defenseman for the Tampa Bay Barracuda, he gets great playing time on all playing types like 5v5, Power Play, and Penalty Kill, and in the past he has put up excellent numbers. Along with that, he has great teammates to help get him the points needed to get him nominated and in a position to win the Stevens again. So lookout for another Stevens for Ball!

Task 14:

As much as I love my goalie Benjamin Blue for the Tampa Bay Barracuda, goalie Kata Vilde for the Calgary Dragons played an amazing series and really helped backstop the Dragons to the cup after being down 3 games to none in the series. While he had a really bad first two games of the series, allowing lots of goals to the Tampa Bay Barracuda, he really stepped it up in the games afterwards. If it wasn't for his immaculate play and saves, there is no way the Dragons even get to a game 7, let alone win it, which is why he is my vote for MVP.

Task 13:

A:

While I love my fellow Tampa Bay Barracuda teammate Gunnar Soderberg, Mike Izzy of the Calgary Dragons has a ton of playoff experience that you will struggle to find anywhere else in the league, and I think he will continue to be red hot through these finals. Gunnar may also be, but Izzy has the playoff experience that makes me side with him.

B:

Kata Vilde of the Calgary Dragons and Benjamin Blue of my Tampa Bay Barracuda are probably the top 2 goalies in the league currently, which is funny as they are from the same draft class, but I feel Blue and the Barracuda have the advantage in net as Blue has been better for longer, winning more awards than Vilde has in the past and is known to be a brick wall in the playoffs, so I will side with the Cuda having the advantage in net in the finals.

C:

While both teams have the talent to make it really high scoring, they also have great defensive talent and talent in goal to keep it low scoring, so I feel it will be a mix of the two. The two teams seem to be really evenly matched on paper, so I don't think any team will run away with the series and I expect all games to be close, whether it be close high scoring or a close low scoring game.

D:

My favorite player name in this series comes from the great Tampa Bay Barracuda and it is also my player, Kristaps Ball. I love the mix between a Latvian name, where Kristaps is from and represents in IIHF, and an American last name, Ball, that was taken from the Ball family starring the great Lavar. It's a great mix and I love it, which is why it's my favorite name.

E:

Jepox, JSS, you know I love you both, but I will never pass down an offer of cookies, even if it is from the opponent. While this may be my stomach talking as I am currently starving, cookies are always practically impossible to turn down unless they are oatmeal raisin cookies, fuck those. But I will always love and choose cookies.