1. Written, 3 TPE, Ups and Downs (150 words min.)
So this was a tough season for everyone in the SHL. Dealing with trolls online, horrible PR from product endorsements, and on top of that all some minor identity fraud to add to the pile. Are these the worst things to happen to your player this season, or did something unimaginably horrible happen? On the flip side, were there any bright spots hidden in the countless nuisances and problems? What good things on and off the ice happened this season for you?

Those were the worst. Especially the PR chaos regarding a specific product endorsement caused a lot of trouble for me personally. I believed in the product, but sometimes you just get it wrong. I had to twist and turn to make things right. Luckily it's in the past now.

Outside of hockey, some good things have happened. I'm in the best shape of my life. That might not mean much as I'm still a young man, but I have been able to practice a lot without any injuries. That has not always been the case with me. It's not fun to exercise and go hard when something is hurting.

In other news. I finally got a bigger apartment in Latvia! I spend a lot of time here during the off-season as the IIHF coaches like to organize the first training camp in Latvia. I joined early this year. Not having to live in a hotel is massive. This apartment feels like home to me now. (165)

3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Freaky Friday.. or Monday. Tuesday? Anyhow, I think the finals will be over by Friday barring some kind of Re-sim :grimace: Anyways, I forgot the plot of the movie but there's something about a fortune cookie and now you're in your mom's body! But actually, it's the body of an SHL player, one from Chicago or Buffalo! (If you are on Buffalo or Chicago, you can't be yourself, pick a teammate or opponent). Now that you are them and they are you, what do you do during the big game? Play amazing and turn a scrub into a superstar? Play like a bum and try to help the other team win? Oggle yourself in the mirror? The world is so exciting in a new body...

I would like to be Boris Poroshenko from Chicago. He is a beast in the hitting game. He is a physical player and he plays the game hard, I have always enjoyed players like that. I would keep doing more or less the same things as Boris does. I would keep hitting everything and anything that moves. I would target the Buffalo star players and hopefully get them off their comfort zone. I would take a run at them every single shift. If that does not work and/or Chicago is losing, I would pick a wildcard from my book of tricks. Late in the game that is already lost, I would run Buffalo's goalie over.

That will hopefully cause chaos that will carry on to the next game. That is a cheap move, but in my opinion, you need to do everything that it takes to win. I have never played in the finals, so getting to do something like that as Poroshenko would be a great experience, and I would get some valuable information on what happens. (178)

6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?

I'm expecting Team USA to have a solid tournament again. Last time they won ten out of twelve round-robin games. They scored the most goals in those games as well, so they have the firepower and quality to do something similar again. Switzerland also won ten games out of twelve, but they did not have an as flashy offensive game, but they also let in only 28 goals. That was the shared lowest with Team USA. Would not surprise me if those two meet in the finals.

What comes to players, van der Heijden scored 48 goals and 99 points in the SHL this year. I'm predicting him to have a strong tournament for Team Switzerland. In defense, Nicholas Owens had the most goals with 23. He was one of three defenders who broke the magical 20 goal mark this year. He will without a doubt want to impress with Team Japan. Elizabeth Doyle had the most wins with 40, can she carry Team Ireland to more wins than two? I think so. (173)

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
We're at a point in the SHL where a good chunk of the playerbase played back in the STHS era, and a good chunk has known nothing but FHM. If you're in the latter part of the league you must have heard the horror stories... so: Let's make a hypothetical.

Players who played in both eras: What would have happened if we just had one sim engine? Posture how your career would have gone if we stayed in STHS (sans exploits). Or what if you had created in FHM the whole time? Would things have gone better or worse?

For you FHM babies: What if we were still in Simon T land? Would your career be where it is now? Or would randomness have stunted the dynasties you may or may not have been part of?

I can't remember if my glorious S56 player played in STHS or not, but if STHS was still a thing - not much would change in terms of where I'm at now.

On the ice, I would, of course, focus on different things. I would not have as many aspects and points into my game as I have now. In STHS, the game was rather simple and strict. The players did not have that much room to try different things, and what seemed to bring in the success was well established, or there were strong believes at least, so there was no real need to go outside of those lines.

In my opinion, randomness belongs to sports. If we look at the teams that succeed in the league now, more or less the same teams year after year, right? Or feels like it. Of course, it was the ''same'' in STHS as the better teams had the betters players. Despite the good builds and everything else, you still needed to have enough quality players in your team to be up there year after year.

In other words, I would still be a free agent. I'm not good enough to play in SHL yet. The sim engine would not change that, but I would be a different player depending on the sim engine. That much is true. (220)

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 salt special: Do these teams deserve to be here? Or were they gifted a trip to the finals through puck luck and bullshittery?
Buffalo is the luckiest team not only in SHL but in the whole world of sports. It's a crime against humanity that someone so lucky wastes their luck on sports instead of doing something good for humanity. We should send Buffalo to space to find a new planet with more resources that we could use. Buffalo would land on the new planet almost immediately. They are that lucky. Chicago on the other hand deserves their spot in the finals as they fought hard for it. Buffalo just showed up and relied on their luck. (90)


b. Buffalo has been here many times in the past 20 seasons, this is only the second (I think I'm too lazy to check) time for Chicago. Which is more impressive? The continued dominance of Buffalo? Or the solid couple of runs Chicago has made despite the team only being 15 seasons old?
Continued dominance, because teams go through rebuilds and players get older. You need to keep finding solid players with later picks and from free agency in order to keep dominating. I don't know how well Buffalo has drafted or has it been mostly with trades that they have kept their dominance level up for so long, but someone should stop them. I hope Chicago can do that. (67)

c. Everyone's a critic: Nitpick one thing about either team's logo, jersey, rink design, goal horn, or general site demeanor. I don't like the Chicago Syndicate brand. The guy in the suit and hat reminds me about the mafia, which can't be ideal for marketing purposes as those mafia organizations caused a lot of harm. Part of the history, sure, but if you want to follow the history route - why not pick the ''other side''? Chicago Brave or Chicago Behind The Bars? Give some love to those who fought against the mafia. (73)


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.

Verification word: Tree

16. slash's secret bonus prompt SHHHHHH. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Luke let you keep the money you stole from him in the heist, and won't tell the authorities. But you have to take him on a wonderful date using the money. How does your evening go? What dining and activities do you have in store for good ol' Lukey boy?

I will have a car get Luke and bring him into my place. I have made Luke lovely meat and pasta dinner. When I say I made it - some guy I hired made it. We will eat that. I will ask Luke about his day and in return, I will tell him about my day. Or when I say will tell about my day - some guy I hired will tell Luke about my day.  After we have eaten, we will watch a movie of some sort. I know Luke is a big fan of romantic comedies, so we will watch whatever Luke wants. When I say we will watch - some guy I hired will watch a movie with Luke. After the movie is over, the car will take Luke back to his place.

Pretty normal date, but obviously the money brings some unique elements. (140)

= 16 TPE