1. Electric

2b. I’m not sure how much Manhattan really changed in terms of roster coming into this season, but there’s one thing that can make all the difference: mentality. I think if you bring in a winning mentality in each night, a Cinderella type of story is possible for any team. Writing this late though, it’s obvious it wasn’t enough, as Seattle still pulled out the win.

2c. Being late to the game to do this, Manhattan has already lost in the finals. It’s tough to say if the extra four games really made all the difference for this, though. As tight of a schedule as the playoffs are, I don’t think four games really changes that much either way. You do get more time on the ice to develop skills, but you do also get more exhausted, so I think these factors combine and make teams regress to the mean in terms of performance.

3. There’s plenty of great hype songs out there, but I think one that may seem like an unlikely candidate is “Child’s Play” by Drake for a couple of reasons. While the beat itself might not be the most electric one you’ve ever heard to get juiced, the lyrics can get you going. For example, Drake asks the question “why you gotta fight with me at Cheesecake? You know I love to go there.” This is referencing the phenomenal restaurant chain known as The Cheesecake Factory. Already, you’ve gotta feel bad for Drake for having his experience at The Cheesecake Factory ruined. But if you think about the same situation happening to yourself, where you are forced to be in a fight and have your experience eating cheesecake ruined, you’d rightly be upset. Then you’ve just gotta put that anger towards the game, and lay it all out on the ice. When you’ve done that, a 6 point night is light work. Therefore, it is a great hype song.

7. +3 TPE - S67 Milestones

17. There’s plenty of great options for new metals and materials for IIHF medals. I think a clear winner to replace gold would have to be platinum. It’s already considered a “higher metal” in many different competitions that include ratings higher than gold. Plus, it’s nice and shiny (I think), giving it a nice little bonus. Next, to replace silver, I think a pearl medal should be the prize for second place. These should be obtained fresh from a clam just prior to the awards ceremony. If you wanted to get really interesting with it, you could have every second place winner get the pearl out of the clam themselves, and then they could have a little extra food to cook to celebrate! Finally, bronze should become diamond, but since real diamonds are expensive, and could arguably be seen as better than the platinum medals, these will be synthetic and known to be so. (Can you guess where I got my inspiration for these?)

20. Appearance is obviously a crucial factor for judging a leek. The first thing to check for is any sort of blemishes that indicate it’s lost its freshness. Even the smallest sign of rotting is an automatic loss in my professional opinion. Taste is another very important factor afterwards. The tasting process should begin by tasting the leek raw first. Any person who claims to be an expert in leeks, however, should also be able to grill a leek to perfection. This, in my opinion, is what can make or break an award winning leek and the person who grew it. Was too much lemon used? Not enough parmesan? Did the owner of this leek add a new, inspired twist, or did they reach too far in the pursuit of being unique? These are all important questions to ask and consider when tasting these grilled leeks. It’s an intense process to judge leeks, but it can be very rewarding when you come across a masterpiece.

+16 TPE