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Task - TPE (max 16)
#17 - 3 - Done
#14 - 5 - Done
#7 - 2 - Done
#4 - 3 - Done
#1 - 3 - Done

Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
This reality is just one of infinite realities existing alongside this one in parallel. Take us over to one of those realities in which everything is the same but these S52 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?

My alternate reality is very close to the current reality. The regular season standings would remain the same except that the New England Wolfpack would sneak in ahead of the Toronto North Stars.

In the East:
Round 1: Buffalo defeats the Wolfpack in 5 to set up a matchup against the Steelhawks.
Round 2: The Rage gets crushed by the high scoring Syndicate. Buffalo’s run is cut short in 7 games by the trigger-happy Steelhawks:
Round 3: The Steelhawks sneak by the Syndicate in OT to reach a second consecutive cup final.

In the West:
Round 1: Calgary ruins the Panthers’s hopes once more in a 6 game affair. The Panthers’s offense forgets how to hockey
Round 2: Blizzard is too strong for the Specters to compete. It’s a 4-game sweep. The Dragons with games 1 & 2 only to be crushed 4-2 by the Pride.
Round 3: Familiar foes face off again in the conference final. The Pride is just too deep for the Blizzard this year. San Francisco get to the cup finals.

Finals:
Do you believe in miracles? Chris Partridge plays out of his mind in Game 7 of the cup finals to win it 1-0 in OT. Cleo Green scores the cup winning goal to give the Californian franchise it’s first cup. The ghosts of the Portland Admirals are finally put to rest.
(227 words)

Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
The Most Generic Prompt of All Time - what is your player looking forward to in the offseason? What are they planning on doing? Training? Relaxing? Testing free agency? Whatever it is, let us know!

After being eliminated in the 2nd round of the SMJHL playoffs, Luca Del Vecchio was immensely disappointed with himself. What was supposed to be a championship contending team, struggled all season with penalties and special teams and never showed it’s true potential. Furthermore, Luca had to share the net with Cilian Kavanagh; and although the two netminders got along well, goaltenders are very selfish human beings. The net wasn’t big enough for both of them.
It was much to his surprise that the West Kendall Platoon contacted him this off-season telling him he would be called up to defend the nets in Miami. With the ageing Beaujeaux Biscuit in net, the time was ripe to bring in the future sooner rather than later.
It was with the mindset of being physically and mentally ready for his rookie season that Luca went into the off-season determined to be the best he can be. Vacations could wait. Now was the time to go all out training. (164 words)

Quote:Code:
7. Written, 1-2 TPE
Our poetry theme this season is a limerick! Write 1 SHL-themed limerick for 1 TPE or 2 SHL-themed limericks for 2 TPE.

There once was a GM on the Rage
Who had troubles acting his age
He thought he was witty
By acting like Gritty
We locked him up in a cage.


Before they turned into the Pride
Portland it was but it died
They loved to trade
The rookies weren’t paid.
Admirals took the site for a ride.

Quote:14. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
1. Head GMs JayWhy and Grapehead have been GMing for a while, whereas Co GMs Luketd and DaftRaincloud are newer to management - which team's front office staff (including coaches) do you think will provide a strategic edge (lol as if such a thing exists in STHS) in this series?
2. Manhattan has been rocking a pretty evenly-distributed ice time for forwards (35-33-32) whereas San Francisco is going a bit more top-heavy (40-40-15). Which approach do you think is better for a fierce Challenge Cup series?
3. The Rage and the Pride have, in my opinion at least, two of the best logos in the entire SHL. Which team's logo do you like more and why?
4. What is your favorite player name on either of these two teams and why? (not favorite player/user, just focusing on their player name)
5. Would you rather: (a) a chainsaw lesson with JayWhy, (b) a private Gritty meet-and-greet for you and Luke, © an all-you-can-eat grape buffet experience with Grapehead, or (d) an hour session where DaftRaincloud shows you everything from his internet history?

1. I think that luketd, with his GMing experience from managing the Vancouver Whalers, gives the front office staff of the Manhattan rage an advantage. Luke has won at the SMJHL level and has produced significant analysis media of anything related to SimonT. Removing the randomness of STHS, I would give the Rage the edge solely based on his analytics work.  (60 words)

2. Both teams got to the finals rocking their own style of time distribution. Depth is always the key in playoffs and the Rage would certainly hold an advantage in that aspect if they are able to roll 3 lines constantly versus the 2 from the Pride. But there is no day to day fatigue, so this point is moot. (59 words)

3. I’m going to be honest here, I’m not a fan of either logos. I can certainly appreciate the bull on the Rage’s logo, and I get the whole gold-purple royal Pride colour scheme, but I cannot choose either of them. I guess if you put a gun against my head and told me to choose, I would go with the Rage’s logo based off the color scheme. (67 words)

4. Not going to lie, I really love the name Ray Bork from the San Francisco Pride. Not only is it an allusion to the great Ray Bourque, but the word ‘bork’ is a way to hear a dog bark. It is a very derpy sounding name and a great play on word. This to me, distinguishes the name from other funny names as it is less in your face. (69 words)

5. Luke and I get along well from our SMJHL days as GMs and he knows my hate of Gritty. So especially for that reason, I would choose a private Gritty meet-and-greet so I can beat the hell out of that damned mascot. The orange monster looks like the meth-addicted cousin to Youppi and is overall a poor copy of him. People aren’t laughing with Gritty @luketd , they’re laughing at him. (71 words)

Quote:17. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer - SEND ANSWER IN PM TO "PT DIRECTOR" (tagged below)
A. As determined by draft class, which rostered player is the oldest player in this series?
B. Name TWO players who have played for both the Pride and the Rage.
C. Among ACTIVE PLAYERS, who has the most points scored in Pride franchise history?
D. Who was recently selected as the #1 player in Rage franchise history as part of their Top 50 in 50 series unveiled this season?

**Important**: Send the answers to username "PT Director" with the subject of the message titled “S52 CW" - Do not send it to my personal account; those will not be graded. Do not post the answers in here; you will not get credit for the task.

Sent.