1. Trivia! (verification word: donut)

11. Chicago is definitely the team that shocked me the most, jumping from 16th to 9th in the standings this season. This is still a young team that was looking to continue finding their identity as a team, and I don't think even they thought they were going to rise as high as they did, so big shoutout to their coaching staff for making the absolute most out of that roster, because that coaching talent is going to carry this team incredibly far as their players reach their full potential. The most shocking thing about their rise is that their prospect system is still LOADED to the brim with elite talent who still need to make the jump to the big leagues (and even then, will still need more time to reach their full potential), so there is really no where to go but up for them. However, I do think they might struggle next season to reach that same level, as their youngins still need time to develop and reach their peaks. But if you're looking at the future and trying to predict who the next three peat team is going to be, Chicago definitely has the talent across their entire roster to be that team. (206 words)

14. Honestly, I'm one hundred percent here for the chaos that single elimination brings to the IIHF (might be biased though since I also got a gold medal on that Norway team last season). I would NEVER want the SHL to transition to that format, the seven game series should live on forever, but I love the best on best tournament being one shot to get it done. It also fits incredibly well with the idea of a "best on best" tournament, because the "best of the the best" should be able to turn it on and keep it on the entire tournament, and grind out a win in every game. Last season, it was my beloved Norway that kept the pedal to the floor, and I'm excited to see if we can do it again! (135 words)