S78 Championship Week

S78 Championship Week Due: Sunday, September 29th @ 11:59 PM PST

karlssens
Registered
S28, S45, S49 Challenge Cup Champion

#180

09-25-2024, 04:10 PM

Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max

verification word = karl

Code:
9. Written, 50 to 200+ words. It Has Been A While

Tampa Bay has potential to end the longest standing cup drought in the league, even longer than what San Francisco ended by winning their first cup in S76, and even if they fall short here they should be in position to be competing for cup for seasons to come. But even as we have seen some droughts end there are still multiple teams that have had to wait for more than 25 seasons by now. Toronto hasn’t won since S35, Minnesota since S39, Baltimore since S47, Calgary since S50 and Manhattan since S52, which of these teams do you think is in best position to end their drought and why?

Despite losing in the finals this season I agree with the question in that the window for Tampa Bay is just opening and they should hopefully have a few more cracks at it before they start to fall off so they would be my front runner to end their long cupless drought. Of the other teams listed above I think Toronto, Calgary and Baltimore have shown the most promise, especially Baltimore having just been to Challenge Cup finals a couple of seasons ago. Minnesota managed to squeak out a playoff series win just last season and have definitely shown flashes of brilliance, but I think they are a step behind those other names right now. That being said that could quickly change if their top players find another level. Unfortunately for them the west is a bit of a log jam with a few heavy hitters at the top like Los Angeles, San Francisco and Texas. Manhattan unfortunately finds itself at the bottom of my list. It's too bad they couldn't convert on one of their trips to the finals in the lates S60's. [184 words, 3 TPE].

Code:
10. Written, 50 to 200+ words. Took Me By Surprise

Pick a one SHL or SMJHL team, that isn’t your own, that did not play as you would have expected at the beginning of the season. Did they do better or worse than you expected? Why you think your expectations were off, can you find an explanation for their performance? Does this change how you view them going into next season?

Oddly enough I would have to say Tampa Bay, but in a good way. Last season they finished 10th in league standings with a decent record of 37-25-4, 78 points and a goal differential of +56. By no means bad, but definitely not contender worthy, which was the case as they were promptly eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by Atlanta in 7 games. They made some moves and their young core gained another year of experience and growth and we knew they'd improve, but I don't think anyone had them pegged to win their division, win the eastern conference and finish 4th in league standings. They finished this season with a stunning record of 45-14-7, 97 points and a goal differential of +115. What's more, it translated in to the playoffs as we can see they made it to the Challenge Cup final this season. A significant improvement after a first round exit just last season. Going in to next season I think many other, including myself, will not be sleeping on the Tampa Bay Barracuda. [179 words, 3 TPE].