4. Written, 3 TPE, Presidents’ Trophy Curse (150 words min.)
Seattle Argonauts won both the Challenge Cup and Presidents’ Trophy in S68, but no team has won both during the same season since. Yet season 75 Los Angeles Panthers and season 72 Winnipeg Aurora both won the cup after being second best team during the regular season. Do you think that winning regular season has impact on playoffs performance outside of seedings and home advantage? Would you say San Francisco is better of coming into the series with second seed or will Baltimore get more out of their home advantage than any curse could hurt them? 


Winning in the regular season absolutely has an impact on playoff performance. There is a bar for the top team, and they set the gold standard of performance. The teams aforementioned were diamonds built under pressure. Teams who can close out the regular season with the best record and take their momentum into the playoffs and finish the job are commendable. There is a reason it is such a rare occurence. It is difficult to do. Many presidents trophy winning squads crack under pressure and let the weight of the league crash down on them. A 2nd place team can always brush it off, if they're beaten by #1, it's an easier pill to swallow. "Maybe next year" works if you haven't won the presidents trophy. I also think that playoff success mostly has to do with matchups and probability. Some play styles are just not built for the playoffs. Consider the Manhattan Rage - they were an excellent regular season team but did not have the grit and resilience needed for a CHAMPIONSHIP team. 

5. Written, 3 TPE, Haven't I seen this already (150 words min.)
SHL has a playoffs setup that has teams in the same division playing each other for the first two rounds.With only 5 teams in each division it often means that same teams play versus each other season after season. This can lead to good rivalries but also get pretty repetitive. Do you think this is a good structure or would you like to see it changed? Why? You can but don't have to ignore limits of FHM.

I may be in the minority, but I think regardless, the top 2 will be the same. As the old homage goes, you have to beat the best to be the best. There are no easy rolls in the SHL playoffs, so whether you are playing the Montreal Patriotes or the Los Angeles Panthers, you can be beaten, and you are capable of beating them. I think the regular season should count for something, so personally, I'd like to see a 1v8 setup. To be honest, I wouldn't die on this hill, but I just think it creates more diversity, and it benefits teams who have come in the top 3 specifically. It is statistically possible that the 2nd and 3rd seed in the east meet in the first round due to the divisional matchups. This is not something I feel strongly about. To be honest, I'd probably like an NFL style divisional matchup. At least the way the NFL used to be. 7 and 8 seed do NOT qualify, 3rd plays 6th, and 4th plays 5th. 2nd and 1st get a bye, and play the appropriate team based on which seed is lower. That begs the question, has a 7th or 8th seed ever won the challenge cup? 

6. Written, 3 TPE, Next season will be ours (150 words min.)
With only one champion in the SHL and the SMJHL per season, that means the other 34 teams came up just a bit short (or a lot short). Team owners know that fans can get frustrated by shortcomings, so they're always trying to keep optimism high in the fan base. Give an excerpt from an ousted team's owner's press conference at the end of the season focusing on the team's bright future or however they can keep fans' optimism high. 

Hotdog reluctantly steps up to the podium. He is wearing his bright red triple striped ADIDAS tracksuit, gifted to him by Drake. Sweat dripping down his brow, he clears his throat, and takes a swig of LIQUID DEATH (the canned water you see los angeles podcast grifters sip on.. it is different than normal water because it has a skull on the can). A reporter wearing a trenchcoat, and who appears to look like Micool132 with a moustache asks the hotdog "Tough first round exit there big guy.. I'm just wondering, what's next? Which direction are we going in here in Atlanta?". Hotdog is very blunt with this fellow. He states "First, we must acquire some goaltending. I mean, with the acquisition of resources, this is possible. We are thinking about shipping out a few young guys - a few good young guys. But honestly, there are no solutions, there are no answers - we need to get back in camp and run it back. This is a young team, and we're finding our bearings out here. There was a lot of experience on the other side and we just need to keep chipping away. I think we are a few pieces away from really competing". The reporter began to cry and run, Im not sure why but this was not the answer he wanted to hear.

8/8 TPE.