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?

This alternate reality is oddly similar to the last alternate reality I wrote about. In this alternate reality, Manhattan doesn't have the absolute best penalty kill in history, and they don't beat Buffalo in 6 games. Instead, Buffalo is able to capitalize on the powerplay, allwoing them to squeak out the series in 7 games, and is instead the one facing SFP. As Buffalo is the best team in the league, they beat the absolute breaks off of SFP, and begin their dynasty. However, this beatdown lasts the full 7 games, allowing prospects on each team to receive some ice time. Additionally, St. Louis beats the absolute breaks off of Anaheim in 4 games winning the 4-Star Cup, allowing myself, Aron Hernadivic, to be called up in time for the SHL Finals to start. Aron goes on to do absolutely nothing cause I'm an 800 TPE scrub, but Buffalo wins the Challenge Cup, allowing myself to have a threesome with both trophies! What a universe. (165 words)

Quote:2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
You're put in charge of making the casino odds on the Cup winner for next season. Whom are you giving the best and the worst odds to, and what's your reasoning?

Realistically, the overwhelming favourite to win the Cup next season should be NEW. With FHM actually rewarding elite players, and NEW having the highest average-TPE roster, as well as adding in Kirkby, they should head into the season with the best odds. However, this is NEW we're talking about, so they're still likely gonna somehow finish behind Toronto in the standings. Other potential favourites should be NOLA, and MAN, as they have fairly balanced rosters throughout the team. Cain should actually be good in FHM, and not slightly worse than goalies with half his TPE, and MAN has a very deep roster on all 3 levels. However, the favourite should be Buffalo. Why, you may ask? Well, why not? Buff is one of the top teams per TPE, has GMs that actually know how to get the best out of their players, and are gonna call up 4 A+ level prospects. That's a tough pill for the league to swallow. (160)

Quote:3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
By now, you're probably familiar with the attributes on FHM, and you likely have some sense of what type of build you're going to be aiming for with your player. What one attribute are you going to focus on most? Of all the attributes in the game, what is your player going to strive to be the absolute best at? Why are you picking that specific attribute above all others?

My player will likely be a mix of Kapanen and Bergeron which is quite the interesting mix, so we will see. I expect for my guy to be able to fly down the wing and punish slow-footed defenders like Kapanen does, while being a dominant two-way presence like Bergeron. With that in mind, I will likely focus and invest heavily on training Aron to become one of the best, fastest skaters in the game like Kapanen, pushing it up to the 18-20 range. This, with monster acceleration, will mean I'll always have a case of the zoomies, and will be able to skrt by everybody whenever I want. I will be the road runner on steroids and/or your cat at 2 AM. (123 words)

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 MAN, JY and LukeTD have the edge over Graphead and DaftRaincloud because LukeTD stands for Luke The Dog, meaning Luke is a dog. A 'dog' refers to someone who is constantly getting after it, which means that Luke won't sleep until he's found the ultimate strategies that lead to Manhattan cruising to an easy series victory. (58)
2. As a Leafs fan in the playoffs, I have been burned one too many times by Mike Babcock riding the third line when down a goal in Game 7 against a huge rival, so I'm gonna say Manhattan's approach is worse, SFPs is better. Ride the top dogs that got u to the playoffs, dont put out ancient patrick marleau types when you need a goal. This one is all SFP. (71)
3. SFPs logo looks like a caricature of a lion you would get at some shitty theme park, so yeah this one is pretty easy. Manhattan's isn't great either, so PT Director we got some things to discuss, but it doesn't look like something you got from Darien Lake. The Rage also have a lot of subtle design references in their logo, so I'm gonna go with Manhattan here. (68)
4. My favourite name, on either the Rage or the Pride, would have to be Scottey Crawfling. Why Scottey Crawfling you may ask? Well, Crawfling sort of resembles crawfish, and crawfish are cool lookin mini lobsters. Also, Crawdaunt the pokemon, is a G, and Crawfling makes me think of that. Hearing his name also brings back the legendary S45 playoffs, when he uh did the dirty on Detroit. That's always a good memory to reflect back on. (76)
5. SIGN ME THE F UP FOR C, Grape is a fun guy, someone who talks every now and then in the Czechia IIHF servers. He seems like he'd be a good person to travel with, and I quite enjoy grapes. Grapes are severely underrated, so going on a trip with a noted grape expert seems like I would learn a lot. not to mention that you can make lots and lots of stuff from grapes, like red wine, white wine, rosee, ice wine and more wine! Wine's a winner!
(89)

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?

Answered

3+3+2+5+3 = 16