Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

I would say that I had an average season but now that I'm entering the twilight of my career and have to battle huge regression losses each off-season, I guess that is the new norm that I kinda have to get used to and accept at this point. The year started relatively slow for my player but I picked up my game as the season went along and put up quite a lot of points late in the year - sadly I couldn't carry my torrid pace from the tail end of the regular season into the playoffs, where my whole line didn't perform to the standard we set for ourselves. It does kind of hurt to not be the franchise player that I used to be any more but that means that it's time to move into more of an elder statesman role at this point and leave the place in the spotlight to other, younger player, support them along the way and help them reach their potential.

Quote:3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Over the offseason your player is getting involved in some charitable causes. What is your player/team doing around the community/for charity this offseason?

The last few years have been a wake-up call for a lot of people and my player is no different. We have seen democracy as well as the concept of truth itself come under attack from both within and the outside, all the while the planet is dying due to the inaction of humanity in regards to climate change. So while visiting children in hospitals or serving food in a homeless shelter are great causes that make for great photo ops, my player is trying to get involved in some bigger picture issues to help promote change that makes the world as a whole a better place. This includes pro-democracy causes both at home and around the world, organisations that support the work of independent journalists and free-thinkers as well as grassroots groups who had already started picking up steam pushing the climate issue onto everyones agenda until Covid hit, which stifled the effort somewhat.

Quote:5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?

I would say there are two ways to answer this question, the one where you go for the teams that actually performed the best and at a consistent level all year, and the one where you go for the team that impressed you the most for whatever reason. If I went for the first approach then I would have to say Buffalo or Edmonton and I would probably lean Buffalo just because they didn't run into conflict with the rules while doing so. I think I would favor the second approach though and go with the Winnipeg Jets who had a meh regular season but then impressed a lot of people in the playoffs, resoundingly beating the favorite LA Panthers in the first round of the playoffs and then moving on to posing a huge challenge to the stacked Hamilton Steelhawks on their way to the finals, which I guess is the closest you can get to a surprise upset nowadays in the FHM era.

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
SHL-NHL comparisons. With the NHL season kicking off again, what are some team or player comparisons between SHL and NHL? Pick one (or more) comparison(s) and explain why it works (e.g., Monkey D Luffy is the Connor McDavid of the SHL because xyz, or the Chicago Syndiacte are the Nashville Predators of the SHL because xyz, or nour is the Gary Bettman of the SHL because xyz).

Michael Scarn is the Taylor Hall of the SHL because he signed a one-year deal as a Free Agent with the team that put him in the best position to pad his individual stats, to get him in a prime position to negotiate a multi-year deal afterwards. Only slight difference that this team in the SHL were the Hamilton Steelhawks who are perennialy good whereas in the NHL it was the Buffalo Sabres who... are not.
Knox Booth is the Ryan Miller of the SHL, more specifically the Ryan Miller of the Buffalo era. Being one of the best goalies in the league playing on an average team that for some reason and despite his great performances never managed to go deep in the playoffs, but still staying loyal to them and giving his best. Also Ryan Miller ended up in the LA area after he left Buffalo (via trade by the way and not because he signed elsewhere), which makes for a nice connection as well.

Quote:12. 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.
a. The season series between these two teams was tied 3-3. Do you think either team has an advantage in this series or do you see it as a true toss up?
b. Each of these teams boasts a very strong first powerplay unit - which team has the special teams advantage in this series?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
d. Would you rather get a lap dance from Hugh Jazz, have a staring contest with Luke Atmey (velv's old player), reach for objects on high shelves with Dale Miller, or play League with Parker Smeb?

a. Well we know the winner now, but honestly I would have given the edge to Hamilton before the series due to their proven track record when it comes to winning big, and because they have both the skill and the ruthlessness to extract every little bit of performances out of the engine.
c. The Syndicate branding is fine but the Steelhawks are just an all-time classic that never gets old. The team name might be a bit ridiculous when you actually think about it but the color scheme, the logo and the teams history are just incredible and have stood the test of time with really only just minimal changes.

Quote:15. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is 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.

Raisin