S75 All Star Week

S75 All Star Week Due: Sunday, March 31st @ 11:59 PM PST

KlusteR
Registered
Posting Freak

#214

03-31-2024, 03:18 PM

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1. Milestones, up to 3 TPE.

Milestones are folded in with All-Star Week.

Link your Milestone claim as task 1 for up to 3 TPE towards your 8 total.

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

Milestones Claim

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2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Shiny Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 topics related to the All Star Game to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.

a. Before last players are picked Edmonton is the only team that has 4 players selected for the game. Among those only defensive pairing from a single team Isaac Forty-One and Emil Egli. They both were traded to new teams this offseason. Would you let them play one more time with each other or would you highlight them with their new teammates Dirty Boots and Brandan Laroux who also made it to the game?

In the past, I have advocated for separating already established pairings, may it be on offence or defence. After all, the All-Star Game is a once-in-a-season opportunity to showcase the league's best players, and seeing them play with the same people as they did for 66+ games can get a bit tiresome. However, for this one time, I would defend these players' right to play with one another for the last time, as they were traded away to different teams in the off-season. It would be a fitting tribute to send off Edmonton's domination of the Pacific division for the past 10 seasons.

(110 words)

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b. Inferno and Panthers got to send two forwards each, Shōyō Hinata and Binko Koivu from Atlanta and Adam Prpich and Derek Martin from Los Angeles. Would you let them show of their chemistry and potentially dominate the game by letting them play on the same line or is All-Star game prime opportunity for them to show their creativity and skill even when playing with other top players?

And we're right back to my normal stance on this topic, since these players are still going to be playing with one another - I would absolutely break up those pairings in order to give them new line mates for the duration of the All-Star Weekend. Especially in the case of Binko Koivu and Shoyo Hinata - we have seen for half a decade now how well they play together, so much so that they seemingly can read each other's minds when on the ice. It's time to let them show what they can do with other top players in their conference.

(104 words)

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e. Why should YOUR player have made the all star game, and why should you be the last man in? (If your player did make the all star game, tell us why they were picked.)

As much as I want to toot my own horn and show some swagger, the dark reality is that All-Star Games are not intended for defensive-minded wingers that work on the counter-attack more than they score points aplenty. As the next-to-last scoring forward on a middle-of-the-pack team, I wouldn't have a second look in the league's eyes. However, I hope that my defensive play will someday be noticed by the Awards' Committee for a Jeff Dar trophy... That would be as good as any All-Star Game nomination in my eyes.

(101 words)

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3. Written, 3 TPE, The Teammate One (150 words min.)

Tell me about your teammate who made the all star game! Who are they, why were they an obvious choice to make the All Star roster, and what do you expect from them this ASG? (If more than one of your teammates made the game, pick one of those players other than yourself. If you are the only player on your team selected for the all star game so far, write about your team's candidate for last man in instead.)

I have sung the praises of my old junior teammate and now captain, Viktor Hargreeves, enough times in past seasons, that I want to highlight another teammate of mine that is appearing in their second consecutive All-Star Game this season, and that is standout offensive dynamo Willow Söderberg-Snooks. Willow is only one year older than I am, but she has already established herself as a premier offensive defense(wo)man in the league, getting close to the PPG mark for the second consecutive season. As someone that has played with her quite a few times over the years, as her defensive pair is usually assigned to playing with my line, I have nothing but great words for Willow - she seamlessly supports my countless counter-attacks in a game, usually arriving as the 3rd man on the rush (usually ahead of Dominik Winters) to establish our presence in the offensive zone. Her pristine passing and anticipation of defensive deployment has helped our line amass a ton of 5v5 goals, and it helps her tremendously when she is tasked to spearhead our first powerplay unit. She's entirely deserving of her nomination, and I foresee a Scott Stevens Award in her near future.

(204 words)