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.

Verification: pizza

Quote:2. 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. An LAP team that was disappointed in a S63 finals loss is back again to face a TBB team that has been hungry for their chance in the entire FHM era. Who are you taking as a winner and why?
Obviously I am part of the procastinator special squad, but if I had chosen pre-final I would have said LA. I think they've been a contender the last few years and have shown they were on the cusp, whereas Tampa really hadn't shown the goods yet despite a very strong team for a while now, somewhat similar to the Maple Leafs.

c. L.A.’s D pair of Kierkegaard and Kahnwald are maintaining a shocking 2 more GF/60 than GA/60, despite playing more than 21 minutes a game including PK time. If you’re Tampa Bay how do you get around these two? Hope to outlast them in endurance, or look to more depth scoring?
I think if you're Tampa Bay trying to gameplan for a couple of the top d-men in the league you need to just find a way to get them off their game. It's pretty hard to completely nullify top pairing defenseman as there's a reason why they're top pairing defenseman. But you need to make things difficult for them any way you can, whether it's finishing your check or just giving them less time and space.

d. TBB’s roster has racked up many more shot blocks (294) than LAP has (188). Do you see this as a good thing? Is this an iron willed team that’s willing to lay down their bodies to get the job done, or do you think it paints a picture of a team that can’t maintain possession and has to find another way to keep the puck out. Maybe a bit of both?
While some teams are just genuinely good at shot blocking and use it as a big part of their gameplan, I think when you are consistently out-blocking your opponent there is definitely some concern in terms of possession metrics. If you are always putting up more blocks than you're probably spending more time in your own zone than on offense.

Quote:7. 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.

Milestone Claim

Quote:17. Written, 3 TPE, A Few Of Your Favourite Things (150 words min.)
Last season I asked why you chose your IIHF country, and this is somewhat similar but I’m specifically asking for non-hockey reasons now. What are some of your favourite things about the country your player is from? Are there special sights? Cities? Maybe it’s food? All of the above? Do a little research on the country and tell me what you like!

There was a number of reasons Noel ended up choosing Czechia as his adopted country for IIHF. For one, Czechia loves their beer, and so does Noel. He actually co-owns a brewery in Baltimore with his best friend and they’ve had that since his second season in the SHL, so the beer scene in Czechia was definitely up his alley. He’d also visited a number of times with his parents while growing up, so it had a lot of familiarity to him. He’d always loved the architecture and the scenery as a child, especially all of the different castles (fun fact that I mentioned in last seasons Championship Week, Czechia is actually one of the densest countries in the world when it comes to Castles with over 1000). Not to mention that the people there are super friendly, and they all love hockey! Plus the Czech GM made the best pitch of all IIHF squads, so that was a plus too.

Quote:18. 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! Were the playoffs as you expected this year, or were there some surprises? Did anything stand out to you about this season’s final series?

I actually didn’t pay much attention to the playoffs this season as I’ve had a lot of things going on in real life as alluded to in the final question. Plus we were out fairly early this season losing in 5 to Atlanta in the first round. I would say that looking back at it now, Tampa finally making some noise and reaching the final while beating two strong teams in Buffalo and Atlanta was a little surprising. The West went fairly predictably I think, although I probably wouldn’t have expected San Fran to be swept, or for Winnipeg to take Chicago as close as they did.

Quote:23. Written, 2 TPE, How Are You? (100 words min.)
Instead of asking you about other people this season, I figured I’d ask about you! How are you feeling? Take a couple of minutes to write about what’s going on in your life and how you’re feeling lately. I think taking the time to write things down helps me appreciate or understand them better, so maybe this could help you! Or you can just rant about your cat annoying you for 100 words and collect 2 TPE. I guess that works too.

This one is an easy choice for me since a lot has happened the last few days so I can just pound out 100 words easy. My girlfriend and I actually closed on our first house on Thursday. We've been spending the weekend moving in and also cleaning up our old apartment to get it ready for the walkthrough. Things have been pretty hectic in that sense and I haven't spent much time with the SHL despite being traded during the weekend as well. I also went golfing yesterday and got absolutely obliterated drunk, so that was a nice little distraction from all the chaos.