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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?


My favorite part of CW where I write every season about how Chicago and New Orleans would meet in the finals for a hype expansion match with Chicago winning in a game 7 of course. In recent seasons this has actually been possible since both teams were pretty competitive but this season there wasn't ever a chance with Chicago being in the playoffs and New Orleans being out in the first round, so instead i'll write about reality i predicted which almost nearly happened anyways. In the east nothing will change as Hamilton will beat Buffalo easily and have a decently close series with New England but still win to make the finals. In the west Los Angeles and Edmonton will meet in the conference finals but instead of getting bamboozled in multiple OT's Los Angeles would win the series closely and go on to lose to Hamilton in the finals.


2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?

While I believe the free redistribution will make things closer between the top teams i don't expect much to change regarding who the top teams are, In the west just like this season I expect all of Los Angeles New Orleans, Edmonton, Calgary and San Francisco to be fighting it out,if I had to pick who'd miss out on playoffs i'd probably go with San Francisco again.  I also think Texas will be improved but will it be enough to move up in the standings im not sure. In the east i expect New England, Buffalo and Hamilton to be the top dogs again but this time i think New England and Buffalo will be much more competitive with Hamilton, especially Buffalo. At the bottom I expect Tampa Bay will be worse but thats kind of hard to picture with how bad they already were this season and as a result maybe Toronto will move up a spot in the standings.

5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?

In the end I think IIHF ended up going back to the 2 groups but no crossover, regardless I'd still predict Team Canada to win IIHF as stacked teams are received much more kindly in FHM compared to STHS and Canada has many elite players and players with good builds compared to other teams. I'd expect USA to also be pretty dominant along with Czechia, not exactly sure the state of Germany, Ireland and Great Britain but i'd expect them to be pretty good too. As for my team, Team Japan I think we can do some damage and make the medal rounds as I don't think we're the worst team but I'd be surprised if we won it all, I'd expect teams like Latvia, Finland and Russia to struggle. It's also still a Bo1 however though so anything still could happen even if major upsets are less likely now in FHM.

13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.

a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?

My choice for the best player in these CC finals is Tony Pepperoni, TPE wise he probably is the best forward in the finals although i'm not 100% sure, but individually he's had some great seasons recently and will probably continue to have some more in the future, also Pepperoni tastes good.


b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?

Based on physical skills I believe Hamilton has the edge in the series as based on certain players and teams success I believe balance and strength will be more useful than speed and acceleration. Although early on in the season i would've been surprised to have said that and would've sided with speed.

c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
My finals fantasy team would be

F Flacko Lagerfield
F Aaron Wilson
F Tony Pepperoni
D Gabriel Johnson
D Tig Murphy

I think the chemistry and synergy the Hamilton players have together as they dominated the league is too much to pass on and theyre all good players individual too, as for Pepperoni he's also so good that he's worth including, although now that I think about it is this like fantasy team to score fantasy points or who i'd put out on the ice.

d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?

I actually like snow a lot, all nice and fluffy and I also like cold weather better than hot usually. But what I don't like is when the snow freezes and hardens or it rains and then its just ice and slush everywhere, that's when snow sucks and becomes a problem and dangerous.

16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
@O4L