Quote: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?

Gunnar had some ups and downs just like everybody else, including that weird situation where somebody bought a bunch of turtles under his name, but for the most part, this year was actually pretty great for him. On the ice, he had the best regular season of his career, beating his previous personal best by eight points, and Chicago made it to the finals for only the second time. Regardless of what happens in the finals, though, off the ice things have been going really well for him. He came back from an injury, and even though that was very difficult, he worked extremely hard and is very proud of how far he's come since that time. He got a new agent, who has been very helpful for him. And maybe the biggest thing that happened to him off the ice this season was finally getting things sorted out with the person he loves, and finally realizing that they both felt the same way about each other and actually getting together instead of pining like oblivious dumbasses.

Quote: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...

Waking up in somebody else's body would make Gunnar incredibly uncomfortable but for the sake of the argument, we are going to say that he wakes up as Corey Kennedy. Gunnar would immediately realize that he was given this opportunity for a reason, and that reason would be to remind Corey's body how to score goals. He would immediately go and start doing some shooting drills, in the hopes that he would be able to create some new muscle memory somehow so when Gunnar eventually inevitably goes back to his own body, maybe Corey will remember how to shoot the puck at the actual net instead of five or ten feet on either side of it. Unfortunately, spending any amount of time in Corey's body would probably give Gunnar the mistaken impression that he too is invincible and has bones made of steel, so upon returning to his own body he would probably try and dive in front of a bunch of slap shots and end up getting several teeth knocked out.

Quote:5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
We're adding 2 teams to the SMJHL this season. Do you think we should keep the current SMJHL playoff format of everyone makes it? Or is it time to just take the best 8 or 12 teams and let em duke it out? Defend your stance.

As a J GM I have already weighed in on this topic, but I am happy to rehash my thoughts here for the masses. I think it's alright to have not everyone make the playoffs for now, while we're at this odd number of teams - I infinitely prefer that to rushing a four-team expansion, so I'm glad that was the decision that was made. In the future, though, obviously provided that the numbers support the addition of two more expansion teams (I do think we'll get there eventually), I'd like to see it go back to everyone making the playoffs. Sure, the chances of an upset are pretty slim in FHM, but I agree with others who have pointed out that the SMJHL is a development league meant to get people interested in the site and keep them invested, and I think the more we allow people to participate in things in those early days, the more likely they are to stick around.

Quote: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?

Hey, it's time for me to talk about Sweden again! Last year we were pretty disappointed to be eliminated in the quarterfinals, and we are hoping to do a lot better than that this year, and I believe we can do it (and I'm not just saying that because I'm the person setting the lines and all). We have an incredibly strong squad of super talented players and I really believe we've got what it takes to win it all if we can figure out that magical combination. We have Jimmy Wagner joining us via transfer this year to add to our already-impressive top two lines, we have several people hitting their peak this year, and we have an extremely promising crop of youngsters lining up for our WJC team, too. I am extremely impressed by our team and I am very hopeful that we will be able to go pretty far in this year's tournament.

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 salt special: Do these teams deserve to be here? Or were they gifted a trip to the finals through puck luck and bullshittery?

I think both of these teams definitely deserve to be here - you can say what you want about Chicago having an “easier” route to the final because we had to play Calgary, but if you’ve been paying attention, you’d see that we actually have not played very well against Calgary in the regular season, so it’s very rewarding to have been able to get past that personal demon (look Gunnar is still mad about S50 okay) and make it to the final. And Buffalo is also a very good hockey team and got past Hamilton, who looked a little more human in the playoffs this year than they have in the past.

Quote:d. Who is the best player to play for either team? Is it a current player? Retired? Traded? Make your case.

Martijn Westbroek continues to be one of the most dominant players in this league despite being several seasons into regression. He makes me embarrassed that I am the same draft class as he is but am nowhere near the hockey player he is. We played on the same line this season and I don't think it's coincidence at all that I had the best year of my career points-wise this year; he's the kind of person who makes other players around him better.

Quote:17. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.

Claiming 3 TPE for milestones