08-24-2022, 12:18 PM(This post was last modified: 08-28-2022, 04:38 PM by Caleb. Edited 6 times in total.)
Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Caleb
Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, It Gets the People Going! (150 words min.)
There’s been some great Stanley Cup Playoff marketing campaigns over the years. Lots of us probably know the “Because it’s the Cup” series of commercials, for example. Well for the S66 playoffs we’ve really turned on the money faucet and we want YOU to give us the next great playoff ad campaign. Tell me how you’d go about promoting the S66 SHL playoffs in a way that will have people talking about it for years to come.
Here is how I would promote the S66 SHL Finals. First, I would find a channel or a streaming website people use a lot, like Youtube or Netflix. Then, I would write a commercial that hooks the listeners in and really drives them to watch the Finals. This is how the commercial would sound. “From S56 expansion draft buddies, to S66 Cup finals opponents, the Seattle Argonauts and Atlanta Inferno are both looking to earn their first ever Challenge Cup. Atlanta comes into these finals being one of the hottest teams in the league (no pun intended.) They were huge favorites to win the trophy once Los Angeles got swept by, guess who, the Seattle Argonauts. Seattle is coming into these finals with one of the best, if not, the best goalie in the playoffs, in Willie Miller. He is easily carrying the team on his back as they are huge underdogs to win this cup. Who will win? Tune in to find out!”
164 words / +3 TPE
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE, League vs. League (150 words min.)
Could any SMJHL team in history (if they were NOT capped at their usual 350/425 builds) have beaten any SHL team in history a 7 game series? Why or why not? What historical teams do you think are good candidates for this trial? Who do you think is the best team in SMJHL history and the worst team in SHL history? Would the J team have a chance? Make your case!
I think the S65 Detroit Falcons could have easily been able to beat an SHL team in a 7 game series. The Falcons had a record breaking year in the SMJHL, going 59-5-2. That is easily one of the best records we may ever see in the SHL. True dominance by Detroit. Team’s I think the S65 Detroit Falcons could beat in a 7 Game series could be the Edmonton Blizzard, New England Wolfpack, Minnesota Monarchs, and maybe the Hamilton Steelhawks. Yes I know I might sound crazy, but that's how good that team was. Detroit had a ton of star players, with this likes of Holden Steady, Ivan Lacksamus, Evert Jansson, Moritz Seider, Eddie Creller and Mrs. McSaves. That team was so full of fire power, even some of the top players on other teams wouldn’t even be on the Top 6 of that roster. It really makes you think what would've happened if they were in the big leagues.
161 words / +3 TPE
Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE, Secret Weapon (150 words min)
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to gain a competitive edge next season! How is your team going to go the extra mile to get wins next season? Is it a secret training regimen? Sneaky equipment modifications? Booby trapping the visiting teams’ locker room? Anything goes.
The Quebec City Citadelles, are running for a cup currently in the S66 playoffs, but let’s talk about how we can see ourselves [QCC] at a winning pacec next season. Obviously, this is our last real chance at a cup for Quebec, as our core is all S64 players, we will literally be losing all of our defense, our main offensive player, and our starting goalie. These people are the names of Louise St Martin (LSM), Shylo Moxii, Justin Time, Moritz Seider, Rylie Versi, Ben Der, Tres Sombreros II, and Petra Sabor. Honestly, it's gonna be rough next season, but we will find ways to win. We will use trading and free agency to our advantage to build the team a little more, allowing us to stay above .500 and maybe even make a playoff spot. I just really hope everything works in our favor, as we are going to need it.
152 words / +3 TPE
Code:
6. Written, 3 TPE, Curse (150 words min.)
We’ve heard of the “President’s Trophy Curse” in which the top team of the regular season has a very hard time closing the deal in the playoffs and often ends up losing. If you could invent a curse and attach it to any other league event– what would it be and why? No Challenge Cup winner shall ever repeat? Anyone who wins the goal scoring title is doomed to 4% shooting next season? Get creative and give your curse a fun name!
b. You can't talk about Seattle's run without talking about the dominant performance of starting goaltender Willie Miller, who has posted a .935 SV% heading into the finals. If your Atlanta, how do you solve this brick wall? If your Seattle, what do you do to make sure your guy stays hot?
If I am Atlanta, I would try to get bodies to the net to block his vision. Goalies can’t make saves if they don't see the puck. But if Seattle wants to keep up Willie's good play, they might need to block some shots if there is a sticky situation. I would also say make sure Willie is practicing as much as he can.
08-24-2022, 01:01 PM(This post was last modified: 08-25-2022, 01:18 AM by steveoiscool. Edited 5 times in total.)
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max
Verification: sven
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: You can't talk about Seattle's run without talking about the dominant performance of starting goaltender Willie Miller, who has posted a .935 SV% heading into the finals. If your Atlanta, how do you solve this brick wall? If your Seattle, what do you do to make sure your guy stays hot?
I don't think Willie Miller is going to put up stats like this against Atlanta. Atlanta has been scoring at will all season, and their incredible depth will probably be too much for Willie Miller and his defense to handle reliably. Seattle will have to push offensively if they want to give Miller the help he'll need.
4. Written, 3 TPE, League vs. League
The season 61 Vancouver Whalers (whale naysh, as we say) definitely could've beaten this season's Edmonton Blizzard. The award for worst team in the SHL will always belong to the Tampa Bay Barracuda that failed to register a single win (I can't remember which season, but it happened. Source: trust me). However, I feel like this season's Edmonton Blizzard team was actually worse average TPE wise and FHM just finds a way to throw a team that should lose a few bones over the course of a season. The S61 Whalers were absolutely stacked though, sweeping a dominant Berserkers team that would go on to win the next 3 (I believe?) cups after the S61 Whalers roster ultimately fell apart. I think it would be a somewhat close series, but the Whalers then were full of players that had spent 4 seasons building chemistry and earning their way to winning the cup.
5. Written, 3 TPE, Secret Weapon
The Rage had a great season followed by a disappointing postseason, getting swept by the Tampa Bay Barracuda in the first round. Honestly, having a great season but not registering a single win in the postseason kinda sullies the good feelings from the performances in the regular season. So Sven and the Rage have come up with a foolproof plan to get wins next season: they will simply cheat. All water in the visitor's locker room will be laced with laxatives. Referees will be paid off to allow the most egregious penalties. Goalie pads will be larger to allow for easier saves, and we will consistently sneak 6 people onto the ice instead of five. They say that if you aren't cheating you aren't trying, and goddamnit we are going to try real hard next season. We're not satisfied with one win in the postseason either. We're cheating all the way to a cup win.
15. Written, 3 TPE, IICAN See the Future
Great Britain finished first in round robin last season only to have a disappointing first round exit in the playoffs. That's not happening again. Well, half of it's not happening again. Great Britain will finish first in the round robin again, but they're taking home the gold this season. Why, you ask? They're fielding largely the same roster, but with nothing but growth. Very few players in Great Britain are old enough to hit regression and their earning has been top notch. So one more season of growth can only lead to more great outcomes, and with the addition of Makrus "The Tater" Jager, the sky is the limit for the Queen's guard. I hope you guys like goal horns, cause you're going to be hearing them a lot from us. We won't be satisfied with anything less than gold this season and the next few seasons to come. Look for Great Britain to be a powerhouse for the near future.
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
verification: redcarpet
3 TPE
Code:
Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
Code:
b. You can't talk about Seattle's run without talking about the dominant performance of starting goaltender Willie Miller, who has posted a .935 SV% heading into the finals. If your Atlanta, how do you solve this brick wall? If your Seattle, what do you do to make sure your guy stays hot?
First of all, it's spelled "you're" not "your", and I believe the goalie performance depends on the team, not so much on the goalie. Seattle simply needs to continue playing the way they did before, because it's worked (apparently) and Atlanta needs to play with tactics after game 1 I'd say. Since they haven't played each other before in the playoffs, it remains to be seen how dominant Seattle will be in this series.
74 words
1 TPE
Code:
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE, League vs. League (150 words min.)
Could any SMJHL team in history (if they were NOT capped at their usual 350/425 builds) have beaten any SHL team in history a 7 game series? Why or why not? What historical teams do you think are good candidates for this trial? Who do you think is the best team in SMJHL history and the worst team in SHL history? Would the J team have a chance? Make your case!
The worst team in SHL history is relatively easy to figure out and I don't even have to look very long. Which season was that one bad Tampa team again? Season 54, right? They have to be the one representing the SHL here, simply because they haven't won a single game that season. And then I'll pick Newfoundland, any of the seasons where they've won the Cup, doesn't matter which one. There might've been better teams, but I'm going with them anyway. On top of that we're talking historical teams so that means FHM6 in this case which allowed testing. I'm pretty sure the NL GMs would've been able to figure something out. I have no idea what exactly they would've done, but I know they know/knew their way around FHM6 well enough to find a way to beat S54 Tampa. Even if they didn't win every game against Tampa, they should have had a chance hypothetically.
157 words
3 TPE
Code:
Code:
6. Written, 3 TPE, Curse (150 words min.)
We’ve heard of the “President’s Trophy Curse” in which the top team of the regular season has a very hard time closing the deal in the playoffs and often ends up losing. If you could invent a curse and attach it to any other league event– what would it be and why? No Challenge Cup winner shall ever repeat? Anyone who wins the goal scoring title is doomed to 4% shooting next season? Get creative and give your curse a fun name!
Oh, I have a great idea for this. Let's call it the "FHM ex-Great Lakes Curse". Any team in the FHM-era(!) that used to be part of the SHL's Great Lakes division (RIP) and has won the Cup before, won't win it again. That would dramatically raise my team's chances to finally get past Hamilton and Buffalo for once (well, Chicago found another way out). It's not really attached to an event, but to a historical position they were in before the league realigned divisions. If you're not familiar with the Great Lakes, because you're new or simply never paid attention: back in the day when the Great Lakes division existed we had a different playoff format and the top 3 teams out of 4 in this division made the playoffs. No wildcard. Toronto was always screwed. I'm especially referring to S59, Toronto was the 5th best team in the league with 44 wins and missed the playoffs. I'll never not be upset about that.
164 words
3 TPE
Code:
Code:
20. Written, 3 TPE, Jumble Up (150 words min.)
Take your SHL/SMJHL team’s name and enter it into an anagram generator (like this one: https://ingesanagram.com/) and generate a new team name! Choose one of the mixed-up results and tell me why it would be a fun choice for your franchise to rebrand to! Give me some jersey and logo ideas as well!
First option:
Horst Norton Tarots
I have no idea who Horst Norton is, but it must've been some famous player in league history and he was really obsessed with tarot cards. It could also be just some kind of sponsor or brand. In Europe there are teams named after sponsors sometimes. With the name "Tarots" you could create a cool logo with a tarot card or objects used on those (and that totally reminds me of Persona 5 now, but I digress).
Second option:
North Rotator Snots
We do keep the "North" in here from the old name. What's new are the Rotator Snots. I don't even want to know what the logo would look like. A rotator full of snot? Okay, perhaps not the best choice.
Third option:
Toronto Thorn Tsars
We're keeping Toronto this time and this is probably the most serious of the three options I found. Thorn Tsars. That might not be the easiest team name to say out loud, but I can imagine a logo with some kind of evil-looking emperor and thorns around his head and I'm sure you could incorporate thorns nicely into a jersey-design too (similar to the blood I used on the Berserkers jerseys).
203 words
3 TPE
Code:
Code:
22. Written / Graphic, 3 TPE, Animal Rescue (150 words min.)
Your player has been asked to use some of their immense pro-athlete wealth to open up an animal rescue! Lucky for you, the type of animal was not specified, so it’s your call! What kind of animal does your player want to protect and why? Is it something you find cute? Something that actually needs help? Or do you just want a herd of llamas on hand to threaten your enemies with? As a graphic task, show me your player hard at work tending to whatever animals you’ve chosen.
Immense pro-athlete wealth? Check. Animal rescue? Check! Helping cute and endangered animals with lots of pro-athlete money? Big check! When Harry Carpet was asked to open up an animal rescue, he didn't think twice. Of course, the animal of choice was a red panda because seriously, is there any (endangered) animal cuter than a red panda? I don't know about you, but I can't think of any. After different talks with animal rescue organizations and finding out the best way to bring the money exactly to the place where it would help, Carpet even got to meet some of the red pandas in a zoo. The species is endangered and the total population has decreased a lot, so it's important to do something. Obviously, they're cute, but they also shouldn't be kept as pets. Red pandas love snow and cold weather so if they had a favorite sport, it likely would be hockey - if you were looking for a connection.
08-24-2022, 02:27 PM(This post was last modified: 08-24-2022, 02:28 PM by WildfireMicro.)
Task 1
Hope
+3 TPE
Task 2.b
Willie Miller will certainly be a problem for Atlanta to solve, and I think the secret to beating him is to somehow get constant pressure on him. Of course, this is easier said then done, and on the flip side of that the key for Seattle to keep up Willie's performance is to take the pressure off of him and don't make him have to stand on his head as much.
+1 TPE
Task 3
I think one cool thing a commercial advertising the S66 Playoffs could do is to highlight the quick pace of the game and the intense overtimes of the playoffs. You could call the commercial "Everything Changes in an Instant" and have it start like this: a nameless hockey skater is trying his best to skate through various other nameless hockey players trying to get to the goal while his teammate have the puck. He throws a great cross check to one of his opponents then asks for the pass as he heads towards the goal. He is passed the puck and everything pauses as he prefers to shoot his shot.
"Everything Changes in an Instant in this game" a voice over says as various highlights of overtime game winners and goalie saves plays. "You never know who the person behind the net truly is in the heat of the moment" the voice over continues as they unpause as the shot just barely gets past the goalie "but one moment can be the difference between success and failure" the commercial ends with the player being mobbed and hugged by his teammates as the playoffs logo appears.
+3 TPE
Task 5
With Sir Devoir coming up to the Baltimore Platoon, they have fome up with a unique way of training that will suit Devoir's unique Pokémon body and hopefully help the rest of the team as well: VR training! Using Devoir's intelligence as a half psychic type, they link up to his mind and create a virtual hockey rink that all the team can play on and test thier abilities with on various skill tests and challenges. This is great for all of them, because it means they can get better without getting tired or having the risk of injury.
How it works is that Sir Devoir is put into a sleeping chamber and has wires put onto his head with suction attachments on the ends. Then the team puts on VR helmets and they are linked into Devoir's mind who has created a hockey rink for them all to play in. Of course, as good as this is, they still have to do real life training to get used to the pain of that as well.
+3 TPE
Task 6
With the IIHF starting, the players have no idea the terrible curse the winners of the gold medal will have afflicted on them. Years ago, a witch doctor had lost a lot of money on a bet involving the IIHF, and ended up losing his house. Now living out of a van in the woods, he decided to put this curse on the IIHF gold medal: The Retirement Home Curse. Basically, what this curse is that whichever teams captain wins the gold will be forced to retire under bizarre circumstances within two years. The curse started out rather quietly, with the first one to fall under it having to retire due to a lingering injury.
The next curse event would be more crazy, with that captain having to retire after a severe career ending injury on his very next game. Now, it is said that a lot of the teams have player competing to not win the captaincy, and the league itself is doing a lot of research so they can figure out how to break the curse.
08-24-2022, 03:00 PM(This post was last modified: 08-28-2022, 06:16 PM by Z0REM. Edited 1 time in total.)
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
Chill
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. So the two teams only played each other twice early in the season with both games going to Atlanta. While the first game was no contest with most of the stats going the way of Atlanta, the second game saw a much closer game where seattle forced a shootout win by the inferno. With the way Seattle has been playing, it seems like their players have bought into the cup mentality.
b. A mediocre team can ride a hot goalie all the way to the finish line. Now that Seattle has made it to the final game they need to work on making sure their goalie only sees easily blocked shots. Keep his confidence up and play a defensive game to stifle the red hot goal scores of atlanta and you might squeeze out that cup on the miracle run.
c. When a team has depth that means their compatibility is through the roof. Seattle needs to up their physical game. Knock atlanta around and you will break up pass timings. Points on the board doesnt necessarily mean goals in the net. Its the third line that has the most goals. Look to offset your lines. You might be double shifting your top D but make sure they are out there. For atlanta, its business as usual. Make sure the other team cant be too intrusive. Keep the puck moving and seattle guessing.
d.Power play goals are double edged swords. On one hand a goal is a goal, but on the other it requires the other team to create the situation for you. If we take the other prompts and talk about upping seattles physical game and agitation tactics. The more they can get key players off the ice for making mistakes the better off they are. This Atlanta team has given up 25 power plays in the playoffs. Use that energy and get scoring chances.
6. Written, 3 TPE, Curse (150 words min.)
We’ve heard of the “President’s Trophy Curse” in which the top team of the regular season has a very hard time closing the deal in the playoffs and often ends up losing. If you could invent a curse and attach it to any other league event– what would it be and why? No Challenge Cup winner shall ever repeat? Anyone who wins the goal scoring title is doomed to 4% shooting next season? Get creative and give your curse a fun name!
The Expansion Curse. When two teams that joined the league at the same time face off against each other in the finals, be that juniors or majors, the team that did better in the regular season will have an uphill battle regardless of how they did in said regular season. We have a chance to see this twice this season and so we will be able to verify if this curse is true. If Seattle win again the Inferno, and Quebec prevails against St. Louis to battle Nevada, we will see if this curse actually comes to light. We have had several expansion throughout the years here at SHL and each has brought in around two teams to act as natural rivals. Some teams end up being better managed or just have good luck in the draft. What is eternal is the sentiment that the teams are young are tied together in some way. In my thoughts, these are the ultimate showdowns that could possibly happen between any teams out there.
5. Written, 3 TPE, Secret Weapon (150 words min)
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to gain a competitive edge next season! How is your team going to go the extra mile to get wins next season? Is it a secret training regimen? Sneaky equipment modifications? Booby trapping the visiting teams’ locker room? Anything goes.
The team is going to show up late to every single match they are away for. Both to make the fans on the other team angry as well as throw off the opposing players and their rhythm. Have a pre-game ritual? smashed. Have sponsors that like things a different times? Gone. It will force the league to have to make new rules based on timing just because one team is creating such dissonance. Then as soon as the ruling comes down you start showing up every where early. Where before you were throwing games so it looked like you had a .500 win rate, now you start asking players to play at the top of their abilities. Teams that you face will be cowed by the fact that you are facing down strict guidelines set by the league and rise to the glory of the cup. It will be the ultimate intimidation tactic that will sure to give victory to your team.
08-24-2022, 03:07 PM(This post was last modified: 08-25-2022, 02:48 AM by DrunkenTeddy. Edited 5 times in total.)
Code:
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
DT
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE, League vs. League (150 words min.)
Could any SMJHL team in history (if they were NOT capped at their usual 350/425 builds) have beaten any SHL team in history a 7 game series? Why or why not? What historical teams do you think are good candidates for this trial? Who do you think is the best team in SMJHL history and the worst team in SHL history? Would the J team have a chance? Make your case!
Uncapped you could probably cobble together a 500-700 TPE team, maybe with a few 900 TPE players who are ready for the SHL. That sort of team wasn't terrible in STHS days, there were teams that were rebuilding who would play a whole team that would be comparable in average tpe. Modern day SHL with fhm might be a bit different but you do see teams like Minny and Edmonton this season that tanked it aiming for high picks. Edmonton this season had 3 players over 900 TPE, with a roster like that the SMJHL team could in theory get lucky and win a 7 game series, but it seems pretty unlikely. Maybe the Tampa Bay team that went 0 0 and 50 could get beat by a smjhl team, from what I remember that team was absolutely terrible and tanking intentionally to boot. So if you took peak NL vs that version of Tampa, ya I think it's possible, but still unlikely.
Code:
7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 12 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post your claim in the milestones thread for tpe earned per stat, and then link that post in your CW submission. This is done because the person who grades CW will be a different person than double-checks milestones.
13. Graphic, 1 TPE, crAIyon? More like CWaiyon!
In the spirit of the insanely easy ring task that stayed around forever, we can run this one again!. Try using OpenAI’s DALL E Mini (now known as crAIyon) to generate a Challenge Cup related image. It could be a championship ring, your player lifting the cup, a locker room celebration. Go nuts as long as you’re attempting to make it SHL related! The results will be weird, but it’s fun!
LINK: https://www.craiyon.com/
Apparently a hockey player drinking from the cup:
Code:
14. Podcast, 3 or 4 TPE
Record a mini-podcast on any of the below topics!
-The S66 Challenge Cup Series
-The S66 Four Star Cup Series
-An S66 IIHF Preview
-A Breakdown of How Your Favorite Hockey Team’s Off-Season is Going
1 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 8 minutes or 4 TPE for 10 Minutes
2 person Mini-Pod: 3 TPE for 10 Minutes or 4 TPE for 15 Minutes
Post the direct link to your podcast.
Code:
16. Written, 2 TPE, Top Line (100 words min.)
Create the best line you can using real life or SHL hockey players from your player’s home country. Give me 3F, 2D and a G– and a short description of why you chose who you did!
Sarah Burke - Rock Strongo - Kev Kevens
Luc Blouin - Nathan Thomas
Damien Vertigo
Now the sad part about this lineup is the goalie, Vertigo hasn't really improved in a few seasons and has just kept the status quo, not much for choice there right at the moment. The rest of the lineup is primo though. You're looking at an average of 1900 TPE between the 3 F and 2 D. I really just went for high TPE players, not much else to go off of. Blouin felt obvious, my player is at peak and I might as well use him. Thomas is also near peak and is a solid D choice. Strongo, Kevens and Burke have all been solid for team Canada and are easy choices.
3. Written, 3 TPE, It Gets the People Going! (150 words min.)
There’s been some great Stanley Cup Playoff marketing campaigns over the years. Lots of us probably know the “Because it’s the Cup” series of commercials, for example. Well for the S66 playoffs we’ve really turned on the money faucet and we want YOU to give us the next great playoff ad campaign. Tell me how you’d go about promoting the S66 SHL playoffs in a way that will have people talking about it for years to come.
If I were in charge of promoting the season 66 SHL playoffs and had to come up with a slogan, my slogan would be "who knows what is going to happen?!" I would tie it into this being the first season of the new sim engine and the first season of no public test simming, which seems to have led to a tiny bit of surprise in the SHL playoffs for once. I know I did not see the Los Angeles Panthers getting swept in the second round by Seattle. A lot of that had to do with the incredible goaltending of Willie Miller, and I would make sure that highlights of Miller were very prominent across the advertisements because he seems to be the huge star of the playoffs so far with his performances. Having Seattle and Atlanta both in the finals is awesome because I don't think either of them has won a cup yet, so hopefully the season of "randomness" will be enough to bring the fans out to the final games.
175 words
Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE, Secret Weapon (150 words min)
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to gain a competitive edge next season! How is your team going to go the extra mile to get wins next season? Is it a secret training regimen? Sneaky equipment modifications? Booby trapping the visiting teams’ locker room? Anything goes.
I think the Philadelphia Forge's competitive edge is going to start with the new players that we are calling up to the big leagues, including yours truly the goalie BASE PACK. I think an infusion of some youth and new talent can help revitalize a team that has disappointed a bit in the playoffs recently. Koivu, our top prospect, should bring a ton of talent to our forward group and I am hoping that BASE PACK is an adequate backup goaltender in his first season in the SHL. If our new players don't lead us to the promised land, we can probably institute various booby traps around the visitor's locker room and the ice revolving around cheeze wiz from cheesesteaks. They can slip in the gooey cheese and not be able to skate! A genius move if you ask me. Then our players would be free to do whatever they wanted on the ice and I think this would definitely lead to our first playoff series win in franchise history. Should be an exciting season coming up here.
178 words
Code:
6. Written, 3 TPE, Curse (150 words min.)
We’ve heard of the “President’s Trophy Curse” in which the top team of the regular season has a very hard time closing the deal in the playoffs and often ends up losing. If you could invent a curse and attach it to any other league event– what would it be and why? No Challenge Cup winner shall ever repeat? Anyone who wins the goal scoring title is doomed to 4% shooting next season? Get creative and give your curse a fun name!
The SHL curse that I am coming up with is called the "Curse of the Goon" where the team that employs the player with the most penalty minutes in relation to time on ice wins the Challenge Cup that season and the team that employs the player with the least penalty minutes is cursed to finish in last place (with a player playing more total minutes being "worse" in this case if they both have zero PIMs). That way teams would be forced to employ goons and actually root for their players to put up penalty minutes. They would drastically alter the landscape of the SHL because penalties would instantly become a good thing. Players like Goony Tunes would probably get drafted super high in the SHL draft and the league would be pretty weird. Teams would have to encourage their players to at least take some penalties because they would not want to end up as the team with the player with no penalty minutes and be doomed to a last place finish.
174 words
Code:
2. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. I'm not sure many people would have seen this coming. Two teams that joined the league at the same time, both making the finals and competing against each other for their franchise-first cup. So... who do think wins it all? The first time to the Challenge Cup Seattle Argonauts, that have been dismantling higher seeded teams through their entire playoff run? Or the President's Trophy winning Atlanta Inferno that are back with a vengeance after a S64 Challenge Cup defeat?
b. You can't talk about Seattle's run without talking about the dominant performance of starting goaltender Willie Miller, who has posted a .935 SV% heading into the finals. If your Atlanta, how do you solve this brick wall? If your Seattle, what do you do to make sure your guy stays hot?
c. Atlanta's big storyline is their incredible depth. They have eleven players that have logged 10 or more points so far in the playoffs. If you're Seattle, how do you try to contain three lines of unending offensive pressure? If you're Atlanta, how do you ensure everyone is able to continue to contribute against such a stellar defense?
d. Seattle's powerplay has been on fire contributing 14 goals up to this point, which comes out to almost 30% of their goals scored (50G total) in these playoffs. Atlanta on the other hand have managed just 5 power play goals, which is only 5% of their scoring (59G total). In your opinion-- is this a good thing for Seattle, or a good thing for Atlanta? Maybe a good thing for both? Do you think a dynamic team like Seattle that can capitalize on so many of their PP chances will lead to Atlanta playing scared-- worried about what might happen if they enter the box? Do you think a relentless Atlanta team that is so flush with even strength scoring is going to be too much for Seattle to take?
a. Even though the Inferno are leading the series as I write this I think that Seattle will come back and win the Cup this season. They've had a miracle run and I think that their goaltending will be able to carry them to the promised land with two straight wins. I hate to count out the President's Trophy winner but maybe that curse will come into play here as mentioned above in the other prompt.
75 words
b. I think the only way to "solve" Willie Miller is to make sure you have a lot of traffic in front of him so that he cannot cleanly see the shots coming at him. You'll have to set your players to be net front roles so that there is a lot of people crashing the net and creating mayhem. If he can see the shot cleanly he's going to save it he is too good.
75 words
c. Seattle is going to have to try to spread their talent out so that they can always have a player or two on the ice that can counteract the Inferno's great depth. Their best players will have to double shift too probably. The Inferno are just going to have to play a relentless style of hockey to wear down the Argo players so that their depth can shine in the later points of games.
74 words
d. I would say this is a good thing for Atlanta and a bad thing for Seattle. No matter how good or bad you are on special teams you probably aren't going to differ too far from the average in the league, especially in a sim league. So I would think that there's a good chance that Atlanta's luck on the power play increases while Seattle's luck wanes a bit. Seattle struggling at 5 on 5 will make any bad luck tough to overcome.
08-24-2022, 03:42 PM(This post was last modified: 08-25-2022, 07:11 AM by Eynhallow. Edited 5 times in total.)
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
panda
2a. I'm not sure many people would have seen this coming. Two teams that joined the league at the same time, both making the finals and competing against each other for their franchise-first cup. So... who do think wins it all? The first time to the Challenge Cup Seattle Argonauts, that have been dismantling higher seeded teams through their entire playoff run? Or the President's Trophy winning Atlanta Inferno that are back with a vengeance after a S64 Challenge Cup defeat?
It is interesting that these two teams, given their history, are meeting in the finals. There is something to be said about a team that has dominated throughout the regular season and through the preliminary rounds of the playoffs. Considering that they also were in the finals last year, the Inferno would be the odds makers choice in this one. But then there is the team that comes together at just the right time, the starsare aligned and the team chemistry is just right. You can't count out the Argonauts. I think this will be a very entertaining series !
2b. You can't talk about Seattle's run without talking about the dominant performance of starting goaltender Willie Miller, who has posted a .935 SV% heading into the finals. If your Atlanta, how do you solve this brick wall? If your Seattle, what do you do to make sure your guy stays hot?
Goal tenders are a fickle lot. They can blow hot and cold at a moment's notice. Can Willie Miller stay as hot as he has been ? That is a really tough question. However, given his track record, there should be no reason why his stellar performance should not continue. I would just play him as usual, giving him the opportunity of stealing a game or two, If I were Seattle, the only real answer to this type of goaltending is to get as many quality shots to the net as possible. Also, short goal mouth passes and screens will work to an extent.
2c. Atlanta's big storyline is their incredible depth. They have eleven players that have logged 10 or more points so far in the playoffs. If you're Seattle, how do you try to contain three lines of unending offensive pressure? If you're Atlanta, how do you ensure everyone is able to continue to contribute against such a stellar defense?
It is very hard to defend a team like Atlanta that has such incredible depth. Seattle has to play hard defense in the middle of the ice, keeping the shooting lanes clear for their goalies to be able to make saves. Also they must push the offensive thrusts to the outside where the scoring chances are far fewer. In order to keep the pick out of Atlanta's hands, Seattle should play a puck possession game and make the most of the offensive chances that will generate.
2d. Seattle's powerplay has been on fire contributing 14 goals up to this point, which comes out to almost 30% of their goals scored (50G total) in these playoffs. Atlanta on the other hand have managed just 5 power play goals, which is only 5% of their scoring (59G total). In your opinion-- is this a good thing for Seattle, or a good thing for Atlanta? Maybe a good thing for both? Do you think a dynamic team like Seattle that can capitalize on so many of their PP chances will lead to Atlanta playing scared-- worried about what might happen if they enter the box? Do you think a relentless Atlanta team that is so flush with even strength scoring is going to be too much for Seattle to take?
With a power play that is operating at this level for Seattle, the Inferno have to stay out of the box as much as possible. They must not take foolish or selfish penalties. This will cut down on the number of power plays that Seattle has to work with. Having said that, Atlanta has such depth that they may be able to compensate for the Seattle power play success. Also, like goalies, a power play can dry up in a hurry.
7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 12 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
17. Written, 3 TPE, Home Town (150 words min.) In seasons past I’ve asked about your favourite foods or favourite things about your home country, now let’s get even more specific! Where specifically are you from in your country, and what do you like about it? Tell me some fun facts about your players home town and the kinds of places that you liked to go growing up!
Firstly, my player and I hail from different countries. Personally I come from a small town in Northern Ontario, Canada. I have since moved to a medium sized city, but still in Northern Ontario. In our small towns, hockey is king. Most of the small communities have an arena either in the town or close by. Facilities for other sports were quite rare, so just about everyone played hockey. Most time the teams were mixed as there weren't enough kids to make up both a boys and a girls team. I also like the fact that I am close to my summer cottage. I don't have to drive 4+ hours through heavy traffic to get there. I am located on a large lake, so the fishing and boating opportunities are plentiful. So, if it weren't for the abundant mosquitoes and the long winters, there isn't a lot to complain about. Rinky McDangle, my player, comes from Waterford, Ireland. To be honest, I really can't remember why I chose that community other than it was the home of Waterford Crystal and that Ireland did not have a hockey rink at the time. Still don't as far as I can tell.
Anthique SHL GM
Quebecer trying to make goalie TPE matter in Texas
08-24-2022, 04:35 PM(This post was last modified: 08-28-2022, 10:17 PM by Anthique. Edited 1 time in total.)
Code:
3. Written, 3 TPE, It Gets the People Going! (150 words min.)
There’s been some great Stanley Cup Playoff marketing campaigns over the years. Lots of us probably know the “Because it’s the Cup” series of commercials, for example. Well for the S66 playoffs we’ve really turned on the money faucet and we want YOU to give us the next great playoff ad campaign. Tell me how you’d go about promoting the S66 SHL playoffs in a way that will have people talking about it for years to come.
The SHL is the best league, who got the best player and some future good players. Each year, we see some unknown or more younger players who have success so our campaign may be about : Who's the next Hero. In real life, we got some players like Dipietro, Pisani, Bonino and Williams, who got some success in a (or some) playoff run and helped their team reach at least the finals. Each player have a chance to be the next Hero of his team, you don't have to be the best player of your team to have a recognition and drive your team to success. In the media, we can show any player who had a good progression or have the reputation to play well in the playoffs. The regular season is one thing and the playoffs are another. People will talk about who in their team can be the next Hero and be the next Hero.
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE, League vs. League (150 words min.)
Could any SMJHL team in history (if they were NOT capped at their usual 350/425 builds) have beaten any SHL team in history a 7 game series? Why or why not? What historical teams do you think are good candidates for this trial? Who do you think is the best team in SMJHL history and the worst team in SHL history? Would the J team have a chance? Make your case!
I would be surprised if a SMJHL team can win a complete series against a SHL team. A J player won't have the time to get to +1000 TPE like the pro player even if he's not capped. But some team in the SHL has a poor roster and can really be challenged by a J team. It would be interesting to see the best team in the J against the worst one in the SHL. I'm not sure the SHL will win 100% of the time, but I think it will be rare to see the SMJHL team win the serie. For example, Edmonton finished with the less points in the league last year and only have 5 players with more TPE and their goalies are worse than Nevada in the J who finished first. I honestly don't know who will win, but it's will be more tight than we think.
Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE, Secret Weapon (150 words min)
It’s never too early to start thinking about how you’re going to gain a competitive edge next season! How is your team going to go the extra mile to get wins next season? Is it a secret training regimen? Sneaky equipment modifications? Booby trapping the visiting teams’ locker room? Anything goes.
Texas is going to be in a rebuild for the next season, so if we are going to have an edge, it will be because the younger players will bring new techniques, tactics and new ways to train and eat. The evolution in those aspects of the game goes quickly, so you really have to be up to date to stay competitive. We finished in the 15th position so we have room to get better and we need a lot of practice to finish higher next season. We have some players who are deep in the regressing so before some of our prospects can get to the big team, they need to put extra effort in the gym and on the ice to still be able to help the team. They are a valuable presence in the locker room, but they have also to be solid on the ice. We don't need to use some "dark" technics to use against the other teams, but focus on our own.
Code:
7. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 12 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Post your claim in the milestones thread for tpe earned per stat, and then link that post in your CW submission. This is done because the person who grades CW will be a different person than double-checks milestones.
17. Written, 3 TPE, Home Town (150 words min.)
In seasons past I’ve asked about your favourite foods or favourite things about your home country, now let’s get even more specific! Where specifically are you from in your country, and what do you like about it? Tell me some fun facts about your players home town and the kinds of places that you liked to go growing up!
Anthony Dionne is from the city of Québec, like the SMJHL team. The name of their team represent well the history of the city and how we live as French people on our side of the world. That makes us unique, Europeens people like to come here because it's like at home for them (visually it's like we are in Europe) and for the people who never been in Europe they can see it and learn a little bit of French. The Château Frontenac is the most photographed hotel in the world and everyone in Québec knows where it is and learn its history at school. Other than that, we have a new coliseum, the Centre Vidéotron where someday an NHL team will be. Other than physique places, we can go to the beach in summer (still cold though haha) and in the summer we got ice rink everywhere in the city, so you can play hockey almost all winter long. Snow is sometimes a problem, but it got us ice and beautiful landscape so we deal with it.
Code:
23. Written, 2 TPE, Dreams (100 words min.)
Sticking with the “last prompt is just letting people write about themselves” idea, here we go! I’m curious to know what sort of things you hope for in the world! What are your dreams? Maybe that’s a dream job, a dream house, an opportunity for your kids. I don’t know! Whatever you want to write about. What do you hope for in the future?
Too many things haha it's hard to just take a few.
Firstly, I hope that the people and the companies will think more and take responsibility about our impact on our planet. We are the ones destroying it and we have to take action and find new ways using technologies to diminish our impact. We already have some solutions, but some countries resist and it's only a question about money and I don't understand why they don't see beyond that.
More positively, I dream that I can visit all Europe and have at least one month to do so. I've never been there so I would like to take the time to visit more than one. Not all of them obviously, but maybe have the time and the money to go a couple of times per decade maybe?
I will always root for the underdog. I don’t think Seattle has much of a chance to finish off this cinderella playoff run, but bah gawd they have every bit of my support. And who doesn’t love a hot goalie? I feel almost personally attacked as a Habs fan.
Now I’m not sure what Willie is in to these days, but back when I used to play goal it was all about the routine. I guess what I’mm trying to say is I would just do my best not to fuck with him, let him do his thing and make sure he has what he needs close by.
There isn’t a whole hell fo a lot you can do to smother Atlanta’s offense. Just stick to the game plan and capitalize on mistakes, and pray to god that the goalie stays hot. Either that, or go the total scumbag route and wriggle your way under their skin until it throws them off and they start taking sumb penalties. I like that one better.
I mean, not scoring on the power play will never good a good thing, so I guess Seattle takes the edge here. That being said, Atlanta hasn’t had to rely on special teams at all throughout the playoffs, if Seattle’s power play dries up they’re pretty well boned. Even if Willie stays hot they will be battling through low scoring games at best, and that’s exactly where Atlanta is comfortable.
Prompt 3:
Okay, this is going to seem a little unorthodox and probably highly illegal, but hear me out. First, we find a hacker- like Hugh Jackman in Swordfish. This hacker guy, after he finishes off a six pack of Red Bull and licks the Dorito dust from his fingers in going to hack into every smart phone on the planet. Don’t ask me about specifics, that’s why we hired Hugh Jackman. The beauty of this plan is that it starts off slow, maybe Google will suggest the SHL - but that’s weird, I don’t even like hockey. Then maybe while you’re browsing TicTok and Instagram a few hockey reels pop up. Gradually it happens more and more often, you don’t even realize that isn’t normal. Eventually it gets to the point where you kind of like hockey, maybe you start to watch some games on your own. And before you know it every time you click a link during a game a live stream pops up. You can’t get away from it. The SHL has become your entire life. You are one with simulation hockey.
Prompt 4:
I think last seasons Detroit team would have a serious shot at any bottom barrel SHL team. That team was undoubtedly stacked and full of fourth and fifth season J players to the point that the SMJHL All Star team was pretty much Detroit’s starting roster with the acception of one or two players. Ivan Lacksamus lead the entire league in goals and points with teammate Eddie Creller right behind him at the second spot, who also lead the league in power play goals. They held positions one through six in plus/minus in the entire league, and that was pretty well just their forwards.,They even had the highest goal scoring J defender on their team, with four of them rounding out the top ten in points. This team wasn’t just good by SMJHL standards, they were absolutely dominant and would absolutely hold their own against a poor SHL team even with the 425 cap. Don’t @ me.
Prompt 5:
Again, this one is highly illegal but it looks like I have a theme going here so let’s not slow down now. If anything goes then I vote we move straight on to performance enhancing drugs. Now, I know this sounds bad, and violates every kind of code of ethics that exists in sports… *But* what is *everyone* was using them? The SHL is an entertainment league and what would be more entertaining than a bunch of meat heads hopped up on HGH with blades strapped to their feet? Every record would be shattered to smithereens, scoring would be at an all time high, the hits would be bone crushing. Not to mention the donnybrooks, hockey fights would return to glory, and while we’re at it let’s scrap the whole fighting with helmets on rule. No buckets, no gloves, all the drugs. The way hockey was meant to be played. Please know I am not serious about of this.
Caleb![[Image: Caleb_H.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/Caleb_H.gif)
![[Image: steveoiscool.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/steveoiscool.gif)
![[Image: zS2lCMp.png]](https://i.imgur.com/zS2lCMp.png)
![[Image: carpy48.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/carpy48.gif)
![[Image: p1gG0LD.png]](https://i.imgur.com/p1gG0LD.png)
![[Image: DKMMlC3.png]](http://i.imgur.com/DKMMlC3.png)
![[Image: sXDU6JX.png]](https://i.imgur.com/sXDU6JX.png)
![[Image: ctsxTFg.png]](http://i.imgur.com/ctsxTFg.png)
![[Image: 3GX9nYb.png]](https://i.imgur.com/3GX9nYb.png)
![[Image: AfpXX8l.png]](https://i.imgur.com/AfpXX8l.png)
![[Image: wfm-sig.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/m2Vx5pHx/wfm-sig.png)
![[Image: Wf5B9wj.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/PJ2JVp10/Wf5B9wj.png)
![[Image: sig-hlemyzd.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/1129715651569795083/1134813042144718858/sig-hlemyzd.png)
![[Image: 8E70VfU.png]](https://i.imgur.com/8E70VfU.png)
![[Image: image.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/423562851114811394/1039304171880456324/image.png)
![[Image: seamus.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/550759358334631938/1062844711494242447/seamus.png)
![[Image: gXlAFBa.png]](https://i.imgur.com/gXlAFBa.png)
|| ![[Image: 8CbZQAJ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/8CbZQAJ.png)
![[Image: Fh9C72S.png]](https://i.imgur.com/Fh9C72S.png)
![[Image: DrunkenTeddy.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/DrunkenTeddy.gif)
![[Image: CsnVET2.png]](https://i.imgur.com/CsnVET2.png)
| ![[Image: 66818_s.gif]](https://signavatar.com/66818_s.gif)
![[Image: lqfXIpe.jpeg]](https://i.imgur.com/lqfXIpe.jpeg)
![[Image: Rinky-sig.jpg]](https://i.ibb.co/NYKQ5kT/Rinky-sig.jpg)
![[Image: SyiOY8U.png]](http://i.imgur.com/SyiOY8U.png)
![[Image: 5tu6.png]](https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=23/07/5tu6.png)
![[Image: bdzv.jpeg]](https://zupimages.net/viewer.php?id=24/24/bdzv.jpeg)
![[Image: 64012_s.gif]](https://signavatar.com/64012_s.gif)
![[Image: FG1uDPY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/FG1uDPY.png)
![[Image: QAcQptc.png]](https://i.imgur.com/QAcQptc.png)
![[Image: hallsy.png]](https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/567556059145961482/956060038223499294/hallsy.png)
![[Image: gunnarsoderberg.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/gunnarsoderberg.gif)
![[Image: xJXeYmQ.png]](https://i.imgur.com/xJXeYmQ.png)
![[Image: DG0jZcS.png]](https://i.imgur.com/DG0jZcS.png)
![[Image: krash.gif]](https://sig.grumpybumpers.com/host/krash.gif)
![[Image: kLRJavo.png]](https://i.imgur.com/kLRJavo.png)
![[Image: ZjgHcNL.png]](https://i.imgur.com/ZjgHcNL.png)
![[Image: s9JOf1N.png]](https://i.imgur.com/s9JOf1N.png)
![[Image: wW0VNnL.png]](https://i.imgur.com/wW0VNnL.png)
