1 - Trivia - 3 TPE

Juke

3. Written, 3 TPE, Haven’t I Seen This Before? (150 words min.)
Despite being the 8th and 10th ranked regular season teams in the league, our finalists from Winnipeg and New England represent two of the most dominant teams over the past several seasons. What do you think is the secret to their success? What can other teams learn from them? Which one is more likely to be back again next year?

I think the secret to their success is that you should ignore the regular season. Anyone with two brain cells to rub together could have told you that these two teams were much better than their regular season records suggested and it was more than reasonable to assume that they'd be able to gone on an absolute run to the finals. Did I predict that in my SHL Predictions? No. Did I claim to have two brain cells to rub together? No. I think they're both likely to be back next year because they're still within good compete windows and I'm sure they'll have some strong additions coming this offseason to continue to shore it up. If you wanted to learn from them, just be better. Be an elite hockey team. Look in the mirror and think about being an elite hockey team. Also don't draft bad. Also trade for firsts. Then draft well and trade for more firsts. Then sign some FAs and trade for top players.

5. Written, 3 TPE, Upset City (150 words min)
An impressive string of upsets took place this season, especially in the West with San Francisco’s Cinderella run. Which upset series impressed you most, why, and what in that series sticks out most in your memory? For the purposes of this task, any series won by the lower seed is an upset.

I think the upset that impressed me the most was Winnipeg squeaking by Chicago in their series. Chicago looked dangerous all year, and was the much better team on paper and on ice. I think that's just the nature of hockey though where no matter how outmatched the Aurora were, they were able to find a way to get it done at the end of the day. Good teams do that. Chicago carried play the entire series, Chicago had the better scoring chances, but sometimes the puck just doesn't go your way and that's something as a player and a fan that you have to be prepared for. I think it took the league by surprise too given how Chicago has more cups in recent memory than Winnipeg, but sometimes you have to expect the unexpected. Look for Chicago to be a big contender again this season in a big get right spot. They won't be upset again by Winnipeg this season, I'll tell you that much.