Quote:1. 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.

Slimer

Quote:2. Written, 3 TPE, Back In My Day (150 words min.)
The SHL has been around for the sim-time equivalent of 63 years now! That’s a lot of time for things to change. What was the league like 62 years ago in season one? Did nobody wear helmets? Were players allowed to smoke on the ice? Plenty would have changed in over six decades!

I am pretty sure back in season one everything was in black and white, even games shown on TV. There was total segregation, not by race, creed, sex or gender but no aliens or alien overlords or possible spies with names like Name Redacted or Firstname Lastname. Just normal people. Of course they smoked on the ice, they smoked off the ice too. It was illegal to play the game of SHL Hockey without some form of tobacco in your mouth. Helmets? Who needs em. Heck I even heard they found a bullet proof vest in the SHL Hall of Fame that belonged to a player. The game was that rough. Also I heard rumors that there was beer in the squirt bottles, not some fancy schmancy sports drink, beer and whisky only. Thankfully times have changed and alien overlords can enjoy the game that we love right along side with us. Though I guarantee at least some players still have whisky or beer in their squirt bottles.

Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE, Extinction Event (150 words min.)
Rumour has it that millions of years before the SHL began, there was a pre-historic “Dino Hockey League” that dominated the global sports market before a meteor wiped out most life on the planet. Describe that ancient league. Maybe name a couple of teams or players, tell me about how the Dino league’s rules differed from our current ones? This one is pretty loose, just have fun with it!

Dino Hockey League still exists in some form, the Colorado Raptors are the legacy team of one of the DHL's most fearsome teams. The Pangea Pterodactyls. There were six original teams other than the PPs, the Grand Rapids Raptors, the La Brea Tigers, the Florida Megalodons, The Jurassic Rex and the Texas Trikes. As the temps in the Jurassic were too high to support ice in the known Dino hot spots that we know of they played a game of hockey known to us today as street ball. They played their game primarily on the hardened former lava flows which served as a primitive asphalt and used turtle shells or rocks as a puck. Checking was allowed of course but came with the threat of injuries, especially against teams like the Trikes (Triceratops) and the Rex (T-Rex). The Pterodactyls had a dive bomb maneuver where they would drop the puck directly into the net though that was discontinued as it was impossible to check or otherwise strip the puck from them.

Quote:6. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. Los Angeles has been riding their top players for almost a full minute more of ice time than Hamilton has theirs. If you were a coach, do you buy into this strategy? Do you let your top guys leave it all out there every night or aim for the most balanced attack possible?
b. Guy O'Shea and Evangelos Giannopoulos have been absolute block machines for Hamilton in the playoffs with 109 between them. If you’re looking for offense in this series, how do you get around these two defensemen?
d. The starting goalies for these teams, Olof Karsikko and A Jobin have been nearly unbeatable up to this point with a 0.937 and a 0.927 SV% respectively. If you’re a player on the other team, how would you get inside their heads so that you can put the puck in the net?

A. When you're playing for the challenge cup its almost a slap in the face to say the top guys don't leave it all out on the ice. Of course its good time management to balance the attack but only if you're playing from an advantage. Otherwise, you are out there grinding it until the horn sounds.

B. When you're playing against great two way defensemen like the ones mentioned the word of the day is shutdown. Separate them as much as possible and shut them down either against the boards or roll third line grinders out to keep them away from the play and off the major shooting points.

D. Playing against world class goalies like them you have to keep them on their toes by forcing them to have double vision and eyes behind their mask. A constant barrage of shots doesn't work against them, you need to play to their weakness, screening and quick puck movement, roving behind nets and to the blind spot.

Quote:11a. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Congratulations, procrastinator! Through your terrible time management skills, you’ve unlocked a special task! [TEAM] has won it all! Was it an exciting final, or predictable? Did anything surprise you about the outcome? What players performed above or below what was expected of them?

Honestly I said what I felt needed to be said in the parity thread some time ago. No, I am not surprised Hamilton won and yes that disappoints me to the point I am just incredibly tired by all of this. I didn't even want to do the CW because what's the point anymore? No, the outcome didn't surprise me and no player from Hamilton surprised me. Honestly, pick any player from Hamilton and say they surprised you and you're lying bar none. I am happy to see HO making the moves to fix this so come find me next season and see if there is any change in my mood on this.

Quote:12. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 12 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.

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Post your claim in the milestones thread for tpe earned per stat, and then link that post in your CW submission. This is done because the person who grades CW will be a different person than double-checks milestones.

+2 TPE