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Wasty · 11-08-2019, 09:27 AM

Code:
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

Well I'm definitely not rooting for the Calgary Dragons. It's quite known how much I hate the Calgary Dragons. From the time of becoming a GM in S15 I've been one of the biggest rivals of the Calgary Dragons and they have won over 5 Challenge Cups in that time. Since the time I started GMing I've won 1. So I'm definitely rooting for the Barracuda to win the cup, but that's not saying I'm a praying Tampa wins either because their organization's last win was S18 and mine was S17 so I definitely don't want to see them break that streak either. So I'm just hoping I wake up one day and find us back in the wildcard round and we're up on Calgary 3-1.
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4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Alternate Reality: Physicists and other smarties believe that this reality is just one of infinite realities existing alongside this one in parallel. Take us over to one of those realities in which everything is the same but these S50 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in this reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?[/size

We begin at the beginning sim of the Wild Card Round. The Panthers vs. the Calgary Dragons. The Dragons quickly jump to a 2-0 lead and steal Game 4 to bounce back from a Game 3 loss. Game 5 brings the Panthers good luck in OT and Game Six in Hollywood gives the Panthers momentum to win Game 6 and shock the Dragons in Game 7 to play the Pride. The Rage beat the North Stars in 5 cause Toronto should want to lose but got screwed in the real version. Next round Steelhawks beat Buffalo 4-2, Barracuda and Rage battle to the death with the Barracuda winning in 7 and Edmonton Blizzard fall to the Specters 4-3 as well. Moving on to the Battle of CA, Pride vs. Panthers and Panthers for the fun of it shit stomp the Pride cause it should happen, 4-0 Sweep-a-thon and SoCal wins this round easily. Panthers and Specter battle in the West and Panthers win in 5 allowing the Specters to win at home to let them feel good. Steelhawks and 'Cuda battle but 'Cuda win 4-2 to face the Panthers in the finals. Led by Mauldin, Winter and Cannellini on the top line and Knox Booth putting in ludicrous numbers, the Panthers steam roll the Barracuda 4-0 to break the worst drought in the SHL... then I wake up in a pool of ...well I'll finish this here.

237 Words

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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

For Max Mauldin he finished S50 as the team's leading scorer with 52 points but there's very much more room to improve. As the team's top center and one of the leaders in the locker room one of the areas of improvement must be in his overall foot speed. Max is a big guy at 6'5" 225 pounds and while he's a quick skater, he's not up to the par of the elite in the league and over the offseason, Max will be working with some of private coaches in order to improve his skating skills and get his game on the level of eliteness. One area where Max wants to improve on but it's one of his hardest area to get developed in is Checking. While practice and work in the weight room helps, the attribute of checking is much a in game with experience because of the ebbs and flows of the game, Checking needs to be refined during the regular season when games provide better visual views.
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8. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

Kristaps Ball will win the Stevens Trophy. He's the Barracuda leading scorer as a defenseman and ended the season with 56 points which was the best for a defenseman by 6 points over Tig Murphy. Now you're asking me Points aren't what makes a defenseman good! and while that's true, Kristaps had 79 Shot Blocks which is the best defensive stat you can get in the SHL through the sim. Ball registered 5th best in the league and 6 more than Murphy had. However some would say the best candidate overall for the Stevens should be Rex Kirkby, but THEY'RE WRONG! Tampa's Kristaps Ball will and should win the Stevens Trophy.
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9. Graphics, 3 TPE
Your team is looking to put a new mural outside the locker room. Design what the mural will look like and be sure to represent your team and city!

[Image: LsiYjFc.png]

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10. Graphic, 2 TPE
Simple and straightforward - make a promotional poster for the S50 CC Finals. Must include at least one player render and the logos and names of both teams. Option A: make a good graphic. Option B: make a shitty graphic. Either will receive TPE.

[Image: BWSqTvo.png]

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15. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer - SEND ANSWER IN PM TO "PT DIRECTOR" (tagged below)
A. As defined by draft class, who is the oldest player in this series?
B. What is the name of the Calgary Dragons' Arena?
C. Name 3 previous names of the Tampa Bay Barracuda franchise
D. From these two teams, which player had the most PIMs in the S50 regular season? (Look, I'll even give you a link to the index right below this code box. When I posted the link directly, it auto-corrected the colon + slash into a partial frown face; it looks funny and the link still works so i'm leaving it)
SENT

#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

/ MINNESOTA MONARCHS

Weretarantula · 11-08-2019, 09:31 AM

This is gonna be such a homer post my god haha
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

So obviously Eggy forgot we were are playing in the finals together, and I get this weird invitation to the games in my mailbox. Eggy has a great memory because he only came around once before for one of my parties, he tends to be a little shy in the locker room, so him remembering my address to begin with was impressive. Anyway, I had a great idea to donate them to a homeless shelter. I was sure they could find someone who would love to go, and I insisted that they had to be someone that was homeless. Upon arrival they would be outfitted with as much Calgary merch as possible, taken out to every restaurant they wanted and put up wherever they liked. I recommended the 5 star hotels near the arena. Told them to make it like a month long booking or something. It would all be paid for. So while I personally won't be attending through those tickets, someone deserving will.

2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)

After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

I'm obviously rooting for the Dragons. I can't believe you even asked me that how could you. I'm going to have to play my heart out because there's this young gun that has come up in the standings recently and knocked me out of the top right winger spot. Not too happy about that as you can imagine. Our top line has had some amazing chemistry this off season, and I hope it can continue going into this final stretch. Kata will hopefully shut the door for us nicely, and maybe Blue will have one too many Eastern conference victory celebration drinks and turn up with a hangover.

3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

Are there any changes to the playoff format you'd like to see implemented? More wild cards? Move to a single-elimination to bring about even more chaos? 999-game series to minimize chaos? Be creative!

I say bring all the teams in. Then take them all out again. Then shake them all about. We'll call it the hokey pokey playoffs. How it will work is everyone gets lottery assigned an opponent. All teams then have one series against that opponent. Whoever wins moves onto the next round and the loser is eliminated. You've cut the pool in half, so now you have to lottery again. Stats don't matter. Points don't matter. This is about mayhem. Lottery it up again and assign each team their new rival. Continue until there is only one team left. The Victor. OR SO THEY THOUGHT. When you take the teams out you have to shake them all about right? So whenever anyone gets eliminated they get added to the pile of losers. Once every single other team is eliminated and only one is left standing, we lottery all the teams one final time to determine the opponent for the Champions. They play one final series to become the Undisputed Champion. Imagine being eliminated first round and coming back through a gigantic wildcard lottery and winning the whole cup. It would be mental!

6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

Who's the best player that you have witnessed in the SHL never to make it to the Challenge Cup finals? Or what player that hasn't made it to the finals is most deserving and why? Were they close? Was theirs a story of hearbreak? Is there still hope in the future? (150+ words)

I'm going to go with Mikhail Lokitonov. So many individual awards, but he has played on a bad team for so long now. He finally has some good team mates that are helping him in the run up to the cup, but whether he will ever get there remains to be seen. It will definitely be a tragic story if he never manages to get there. If the players he has drafted manage to stay active, he will definitely get a chance, but there have been so many busts over the years, it's brutal to witness. A player that decorated never actually even getting the opportunity to get their hands on the cup is a shame. Mika definitely is trying to help that not become a reality though. The top line should probably just play like 50 minutes a game and maybe he will have a chance then. But I guess only time will tell if he doesn't make it.

12. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

Izzy gonna be the main man for Calgary this finals series. Just like he has been the whole time already. CalgaWE got that steamroller running hot and we don't plan on ceasing production anytime soon. I'm backing him up on the wing like it ain't no thing baby. Gonna show that punk Soderberg who the real deal is and that fool gonna stop in his tracks mad quick.

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

Calgary got the advantage in between the pipes. Kata been rocking them since before the dawn of time and ain't gonna stop any time soon. It's crazy how nimble that Nimblerod really is. His highlight reel is full of ridiculous saves. I haven't even seen Blue's but I'm sure it's no where near as impressive as what Vilde's is.

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

I'm hoping us Dragons can just continue on and push through our opponents like we have so far this season. I would say it's going to be high scoring, but I honestly can't tell as to whether that's going to be a one sided affair or not. They have been able to make short work of some of their opponents, so it's hard to tell whether that will apply to us as well.

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

I'm pretty partial to old Shooter McGavin. Was a great character on the golf course, even better on the ice. His finger gun celebration is just unmatched by anyone else in the league. It truly is a great name. I don't know any respectable parent that would give their child the name Shooter, but that's a whole different story right there.

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

Gotta go with the hour long session with Jepox. It's so easy! I get to see the opposing team tactics you know, like how they have their plans laid out. What kind of tactical positions they get into. How much endurance they have on the play. Whether or not the length of their stick changes the way that they perform in crucial situations. How much snow they put on the goalie, and how much can he take. All these and more.

mstuk41 · 11-08-2019, 09:46 AM

Code:
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

As a member of the Calgary Dragons, it is pretty safe to say that I am rooting for the Dragons to take home the cup. It's been quite an up and down season, which is why it is such a big surprise that we made it to the finals going 12-1. Shocked really that the Dragons have been so dominate. I kinda wish we had a few losses to get them out of the system, since Simon T is so fickle. I think it is going to be an great series, since both teams have strong defensive backstops, and both goalies are hot coming into the series.

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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

With Mike Izzy getting up there in age, regression really fucking sucks, the Dragons are going to be needing someone to step up as their #1 center, so that Izzy, can stave off regression as long as possible by using his faceoff TPE for his yearly regression. This is where Nicky Pedersen Jr. steps in. After starting out my career on the wing, I've transitioned to center to help out our team that had a huge hole in the middle after the SHL expansion took place. Now with Izzy so deep in regression, i've made it a priority to bump up my faceoff and strength this offseason, to help with winning in the faceoff dot, something I feel that goes unnoticed in the league, but is vital for a team to have success. Win possesion of the puck, and you're going to have an opportunity to get more shots. Hopefully I can carry the torch that has passed down from some amazing Dragons players. Esa Anrikkanen to Randleman to Joe K to Izzy.

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8. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

The best player on the Dragons is their goalie, Kata Vilde. He is our backbone, we go wherever he takes us. He has the ability to take over the game, and I think he will win Mike Honcho Trophy, Goalie who allows the fewest goals in the season, John McBride Trophy for the Best Goalie, and eventually the Ron Mexico Trophy for the League MVP. Vilde works so hard, and always is putting team first, so its my hope that we are able to put together a defensive effort that would aid Vilde in becoming the super star that I believe that he is.

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13. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

Mike Izzy - he has been so amazing during the playoffs, there is no way that he is going to be held back from winning the championship. After getting a taste in S47, the Dragons are hungry and their Captain and leader, will not let them fail, it's Mike's will that drives the Dragons towards this championship.

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

Kata Vilde - my goalie. He is so good, and has always had such bad luck with the Sim. I really think that we are going to see Kata take off and start to win some hardware. Hopefully the first is a cup, then focus on winning the individual awards in the future.

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

I believe it will be a mix, with some blowouts, but more low scoring games. It can go either way, with both teams, playing so well, and their goalies playing at the top of their games. At the end of the day this will determine the winner of the series, when it comes to the playoffs, no matter how stacked a team may be, it comes down to how well the goalie plays.

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

I've know Esa since I was 5 years old, and have had the pleasure of having him make me delicious Chicken Parm sandwiches throughout high school. He makes an amazing chicken parm, so there isn't any doubt in my mind that this is by far the best option that is on the table.

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14. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min)
Welp, you waited until the last day to grind out your CW and the CC finals are longggggggg over by now. congrats to [TEAM], woo! Reflecting back on the series, who gets your vote for series MVP? Make the case why this player deserves it over any other.

Michael "The Augment" Izzy. Dude, look at his statistics for the playoffs. 32 Points! 16 Goals, 16 Assists in 20 games. Thats just mind boggling. Izzy carried our team thru the first three rounds of the playoffs. Then once we fell down 3 games to Zero in the finals, he again stepped up, along with Kata Vilde, to fight and crawl back into the series, and eventually bring the championship back to Calgary. To go along with all those points, Izzy contributed, 3 Game winning Goals, and 2 game tying goals. Pretty amazing run from Izzy. First Ballot Hall of Famer.

15. PM Sent

Slowpoke · 11-08-2019, 10:11 AM

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

Last season I had ties to one of the teams, this season, I have ties to some of the players. As a Russian, it’s a tough choice as I have comrades on both sides. I would choose to go to game 1 in Tampa Bay. That way no matter what, I am not there for a series clinching game. Supporting all four of my friends is going to be hard. I’ll probably end up making one of those weird half and half jerseys with a O’Koivu-Volkova and O’Koivu jersey. In the end I will probably end up rooting for the toughest team out there. I’ll definitely be drinking as much of the vodka as possible there and cheering as loud as I can.
You know what, maybe I won’t do any of that. Maybe I’ll just go in my own jersey and boo both teams. I think that might be the best approach.

2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

This is a pretty simple answer and it is Tampa Bay. There are a few reasons why I am rooting for them. One of the reasons is that there are more Russians on the team, and I have more connections there. The second, and probably biggest reason, is because I think this is the beginning of a dynasty. Tampa Bay is very young, and it isn’t just anyone young player on the roster either. Its players with a history of success in the league who are only just now having their break out year. I think that this year is the beginning of a very long series of successful playoff runs for this core. I expect to see them deep into the playoffs and in the finals for many seasons to come. As long as this team can stay together I see them becoming the kings and queens of the division.

3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Are there any changes to the playoff format you'd like to see implemented? More wild cards? Move to a single-elimination to bring about even more chaos? 999-game series to minimize chaos? Be creative!

I really dislike the wild card round. It adds games to an already long playoff period where most of the league doesn’t really pay attention. I get that we want people to feel included, but not at the risk of making it more painful for the rest of the league. Another thing I would like to see is a best of 7 series between non-playoff teams for draft spots. I am not sure how this would work logistically with teams trading picks and getting ready for the draft, but stick with me. I would like to see the two lowest teams play a best of seven series for the #1 pick, with the loser taking the #2, then the next two teams for the #3 and #4. This could get more interesting as the lowest team may end up playing a team farther up the standing because of who owns the pick. This could really make for some interesting series and potential huge upsets.

5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Due to some controversial calls during the playoffs, the league is looking at updating the current rules(icing, offside, etc) What new rule or change to a room would you implement to better the game?

I have always felt that the league is too soft. One of the things I would like to see is the removal of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. This would force teams to become more physical. In an instance where a team is being bullied, in the current state that player may be removed for going to far and then you don’t need to worry about it. If we remove the penalty it will force teams to address this other player or they will continue to be pushed around. Skill players would need to learn to defend themselves, and GMs would need to address this by bringing in players who can regulate the game. This would allow players to have a more varied skill set and get away from the current state. Tough players would become a hot commodity and having a different skillset from the rest of the league would no longer make you a liability to a team.

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

Piotr Horvat is defensively gifted. He is big bodied, fearless, and doesn’t back down from anyone. The downside is that he isn’t very good at generating anything in terms of offense. Horvat has been spending time working on his stretch passing and position skills. It wasn’t too much of a stretch for him to use those defensive skills like strength and body positioning to start to improve his offensive game. The idea was pitch by his coaches, and Horvat was a little worried at first but so far the transition and training has been going really well. Being able to not only knock people off of the puck, but to gain possession, and then keep it, and then eventually get it to people who can do something with it has been the big goal this offseason. Horvat isn’t going to score a ton of goals, and isn’t going to spend much time on the PP, but to give his team faith in his abilities to generate chances has been a big relief for him this offseason.

***golden_apricot*** · 11-08-2019, 10:22 AM

1. I for sure am going to Tampa. Why would anyone want to go to CGY over the beached of Tampa. I might spend more time on the beaches hanging with the girls than actually watching the games. After being eliminated twice in two days I also might need to go on a bender for a few days or two so lets get that out of the way for the first two games and then watch the games as the series switches over to the west. Tampa also has some great clubs I can go to and try and out drink all of the bros there with my good buddy @”Ferda” as we take over this city more than that actual team there. If the commish is paying who cares how much we drink. Screw being an ambassador for the league. People want to watch people having fun and damnit that is what I am going to do.

2. I am rooting for the Dragons. Can never cheer for the TBB after they traded the pick that ultimately ended up being where I was selected. Obviously their management does not understand the value of the pick they gave up so they probably don’t value the players on their team either. Calgary skipped over me but at least they didn’t trade away a chance at having me on their roster. Also TBB allowed me to score my first SHL point on them in the post season so they likely are not that good anyways. LETS GO DRAGONS baby I am all in.

3. Okay lets get rid of this wild card bullshit what are we doing taking 10 teams in the playoffs, like really. This is almost as bad as the damn NHL having an odd number of teams. Either do it right or don’t do it at all. If you want to have the wild card, fine but do it baseball style where it’s a one game playoff between 4 and 5 in the conference. The same can be said for the J. Shorten the playoffs a bit and get to the real fun IIHF sooner, like who cares about the SHL playoffs when half the teams are not even competitive. This is basically a shootyhoops league where you know that only a few teams have a shot and the rest are hot garbage. Also why have a best of 7 series? Lets make it best of 15 for fun and to take out some of the randomness in the final round. Like seriously what are we doing…

8. the best player in the SHL to never make it to an SHL final is probably Gabe Johnson. This due tried really hard to be an okay player but still finds time to suck up and down the ice. Ya he had an okay playoff run this season but what good came of it? He couldn’t get over the hump. Maybe if he was playing with the legend Samuel Michaud on the blue line in the last few games things could have ended differently for him but the coaches though he would only be a hindrance to Sam in his old age. As leagues throughout the world make moves to younger and faster players, who knows if Mr. Johnson will ever be able to make an impact in the Challenge Cup finals. It might not be that far of a stretch to say he was a bust when taken at #2 in the draft. Hamilton could have and should have done better with that pick in hindsight.

12. B. Oh this has got to go to my boy Blue. Let us be honest with this one, Blue is on his typical on year this season so it will be a challenge for anyone to out perform him this season and I don’t think that Vilde is going to be able to do it. I hope Blue does not perform well because I don’t like TB but being honest he is really good.

C. Calgary will win all games 1-0 and end the series in 4 games. TBB will fail to record a shot in all games and Ben will record over 40 saves in each game and take home the MVP in the lowest scoring challenge cup final of all time. It will be a close one but not many goals will be scored

15. sent to @PT Director

Alex Mack · 11-08-2019, 11:26 AM

Task #1 Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

I would choose Calgary, it's a great city with a good night life and has a red light district of the best prostitutes in Canada. Now don't get me wrong I don't need to pay for it, I get more than enough on my own, but when top notch poon is available on someone else's dime, you can bet I'm going to take advantage of it. I would run up Eggy's tab by hiring the hottest women of the night to accompany me back to my hotel suite. I'd hire 6 or 7, that's usually enough to satisfy me. I'd order full room service of the best food and drink for all of us, a dozen bottles of champagne and have one hell of a party. If the women could keep up with me I would tip them heavily in the morning before making them clean up the room, bathe me and then send them on their way. It would be the best experience of their lives all thanks to Eggy.

Task # 7 Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

Oliver Klozoff has a very strong game, on the ice and in the bedroom, I don’t need any improvements in the bedroom, I’m already a superstar there. On the ice I could improve a few places, I’m still young so there’s always room for improvement in all facets of my game. My Defense is pretty good already so I think the one area of my game I would focus on improving is scoring. I have no problem scoring with the ladies, in fact it’s becoming a problem how much I score off the ice, but on the ice I could score more goals to benefit my team. This would probably also benefit me with the ladies because chicks dig goals. So Klozoff will be working on scoring goals in the future. I will do this by working in the off-season on my shot and spending extra time training on the ice so I can be a star player for my team.

Task #9 Graphic, 3 TPE
[Image: 9-Graphic.jpg]

Task # 13 Written, up to 5 TPE

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

Has to be Mike Izzy, his skills are superior to anyone in the game today. I’ve seen him dominate first hand and it’s really something to behold. He knows how to perform on the biggest stage and I expect him to dominate the challenge cup finals. He's the leader of Calgary for a reason and would be my choice.

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

Kata Vilde is a great person and the league’s best goalie. He has an advantage over anyone in net. He will rise to the occasion and not be denied. He’s a superstar and will shine bright in the finals. Benjamin Blue is good too, but he’s no Kata Vilde. I feel Calgary has the advantage in net thanks to Kata Vilde.

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

I think it will be a high scoring series, both teams have very skilled players who are capable of scoring. Izzy and Lagerfield are two of the best guys in the league. Both teams have good defense also but scoring is what matters. I also think it will be competitive, nobody will run away with it, both teams are good and capable of winning the cup so it should be a very competitive series.

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

No question I would take a chicken parm sandwich from Esa. His parms are legendary, large and made with quality ingredients, but I know he doesn’t like to part with them. It may be hard to get one from him but when you do you can bet your sisters sweet ass it’s going to be the best chicken parm sandwich you ever had.

Task 15, Trivia Sent to PT Director

***JKortesi81*** · 11-08-2019, 11:31 AM

Task 2 (2 TPE) – I think it’s pretty obvious that Joe K will be rooting hard for the Calgary Dragons in the Challenge Cup Finals. I was drafted there in S31, I spent most of my career there through S44. Along the way I won 3 Cups with the Dragons, and I also won the League MVP trophy as well. Esa is a good friend of mine, and I’m still in the Dragons locker room, just with the alumni tag. I have a lot good friends over there, and I’m always going to be rooting for them, even they do have some stupid sim blessings going on this season from Simon T and they decimated my Specters. (113)

Task 3 (3 TPE, 5 Total) – The playoffs themselves just feel “off” to me ever since we implemented the 4v5 matchup to allow 10 teams to make the playoffs each season. I know that was largely because of the expansion teams, and it seemed silly to have half of the league sitting around doing nothing for a few weeks. I think if we’re going to have to find a way to keep people invested, maybe we have a quick 1 game elimination tournament for who gets the 5th seed in each conference. Have 5v8 and 6v7 for the morning sim, and the finals in the evening. The winner of that gets to be the 5th seed in the playoffs in each conference, and then make the 4v5 matchup a best of 5. The idea of having the 4v5 matchup was to prevent people from being bored, but teams that miss the playoffs have to wait even longer before they get to do anything again, so that’s lame. And honestly, I don’t think the 5th seed that gets in really ever does much. I could be wrong on that though. (183)

Task 4 (3 TPE, 8 Total) – In this alternate universe, the SHL would get the Challenge Cup Finals that everyone actually wanted: the New Orleans Specters vs the Buffalo Stampede, round 2. In S46, New Orleans and Buffalo had a fantastic finals, going all the way to Game 7 when Buffalo took it. Since that time, New Orleans and Buffalo have traded barbs on the forums and haven’t been the best of friends. At one point it was the hot rivalry on the site, even though Calgary and Buffalo have since decided to make things a little too personal. I would’ve went with this finals matchup, but I don’t want to live in even an alternate universe where those two play each other and make the site just so very toxic for some time. In this scenario, the Specters would finally fulfill their destiny as the best expansion team ever in SHL history (still are anyway), and take home the Cup over Buffalo in 7 games. We’d need an alternate universe S51 rubber match the next season. (171)

Task 15 (3 TPE, 11 Total) – PM’d to PT DIRECTOR

Task 12 – (5 TPE, 16 Total):

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?
Mike Izzy has been a fantastic SHLer and is a future Hall of Famer, he’s been here multiple times and he knows what it takes to win. This guy is currently shooting a RIDICULOUS 25% in the playoffs, and is still hitting everything that moves. He’s ON FIRE, and there’s no way that Soderberg can hope to keep up with this legend. (62)

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

While it’s been an “on” year for Blue, as he tends to alternate good and bad years, Kata Vilde is just out of this world this playoffs. Vilde sports a 12 – 1 record through 3 series, including sweeps of San Francisco AND New Orleans. He has a 93.1 save percentage and is only allowing two goals a game. He’s got better numbers than Blue and it’s against stronger competition. Calgary definitely has the advantage. (74)

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

I think we’re going to see a lot of one goal games, mostly of the 3-2 or 2-1 variety. I do think the Dragons are just going to dominate puck possession and shots, but Blue will do his best to keep Tampa close in every game. I don’t think Tampa can really keep up in the scoring department, and that’s BEFORE they have to try to get pucks past the brick wall that is Playoff Vilde. (76)

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

My favorite name in the series is Kata Vilde, because of a reason that I’m not entirely sure a lot of people know or remember. Vilde is a Swedish goaltender, but his name in Swedish actually means Randy Savage. That’s right, Vilde is named after the Macho Man and, to me, that’s fucking awesome. (54)

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

The Answer is very easily a chicken parm Sandwich from Esa. The Parm King has long been known as Chicken Parm Royalty, AND its my favorite meal as well. On top of it all, Esa has been my friend for 3 years at this point, and it’d be an honor to share the hallowed parm alongside him. (57)

ACapitalChicago · 11-08-2019, 01:40 PM

2. (2) Calgary, without a doubt. There is no hesitation in my mind that I want Calgary to take home the Challenge Cup. Calgary has overcome play ins and played an amazing double sweep over both San Francisco and New Orleans to make their way to the finals. These guys have heart, they have guts, they have it all. They are pumped going into the finals and can't wait for it to start. All of the hardships, the snarky quips, everything they've faced won't stop them and their path to the CC. The big Parm is ready to rock it for the Dragons.

3. (3, 5 total) Every game within playoffs should be PBP, everything from play in to final game of the Challenge Cup. Considering how everyone wants TPE and how there is never enough games to go around, I think this system allows numerous people to get the ever desired TPE from PBPs. In addition, every game feels that much more impactful now. Every moment is recorded, every goal gets analyzed while spamming F5, making this change enables people to get more notoriety and entertainment, and gives playoffs that extra oomph that they so deserve. The Challenge Cup is so special that every step of the way to the finals and the finals themselves could be elaborated upon in new and special ways by the authors of these PBPs. We already have so many creative people on the site, each should get their own individual and scheduled chance to bring some magic into playoffs for the teams!

8. (2, 7 total) I've already written a bit about this, but I certainly think that Mike Izzy is the most likely to win a regular season individual award in a future season. I think they'd win league MVP or an award for best goal scorer of the league, because Izzy has already shown the drive and potential to earn such great accolades. The amazing pure power of this goal scorer has helped lead Calgary to the finals, and shows no signs of stopping. The dedication by Mike Izzy drives others to insanity and will only continue to make sure that Calgary demolishes all in its path as they impose their will.

1. (3, 10 total) This was an embarrassing time for Joseph Weston, even before the thought of attending the CC Finals entered his mind. So focused on training and practicing for the Four Star Cup Finals, Weston had checking his email and phone calls way out of his focus. By the time he got off the ice for a breather, there were many a "RE:RE:RE:RE: ASAP RESPONSE NEEDED, CC FINALS?" in the inbox of Weston. Weston wasn't able to get a response in until most of the details had already been solidified by the Commissioner. At this point Weston was thrilled to see games 3 and 4 in Calgary, and proudly cheer on the team he knew he'd be a part of in the future. Ordering many a chicken parm on Eggy's tab, Weston would enjoy a wonderful night of hockey and parm. Calgary is a fantastic city with amazing players and teammates, it would be Weston's honor to be present for such a game, if he could find time to not continue practicing on the ice.

5. (3, 13 total) The newest rule that Weston would like to see implemented to better the game and the league as a whole, is that video reviews for offsides must only occur with three rewatches of the incident. One of the play at normal speed, the next at half, and then one more at normal speed. If the play is not definitively able to be overturned at this point, then why bother wasting more time reviewing it at half, quarter, 1/10th even speed? Clearly only blatant infractions should result in overturning a call, especially if the play had no direct impact on the game as a whole. This is not to propose a "let them play" mindset, but instead requests that the refs not allow minor and minuscule moments that had no bearing on the play drastically alter the momentum of a game. The inclusion of video review by Simon is a nice touch, but god how it slows the game down to a crawl is infuriating.

7. (3, 16 total) Weston is on the ice at all hours of the day. There are no breaks for him, he doesn't stop, there can be no excuses given when the games are played. He puts his heart out there on the ice, and makes sure to shore up all aspects of his play. Weston has been working on specifically his ability to bring his physical play to bear. Last season Weston had an unusually high amount of hits that matched his shot count for most of the season. While that amount of hits has since declined, Weston wants to make sure the threat of physicality keeps the play going for Weston and the Kraken. From there Weston can start to work on making sure that his shots start going into the net, and increasing the volume of shots taken respectively. It's all a grind for Weston, but no time on the ice is wasted improving every aspect he can. Weston is willing to do whatever it takes for the Kraken to win.

S66 Damian Littleton

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*thiefofcheese* · 11-08-2019, 02:27 PM

Code:
VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

This is a no brainer – Tampa all the way. First off, I don’t fly commercial, so gonna need that SHL jet. Upon arrival in Tampa we’ll have the car pick us up and take me St. Pete because only schmucks stay in Tampa proper. After settling into my suite, I’ll head over to the casino and play some blackjack on Eggy’s account. I absolutely suck at it, but it’s all good, not my money anyway and I’m sure I’ll have a great time. It isn’t economical to take the jet from Anaheim to Tampa for a short stay, so I’ll spend a bit of time over at Universal Studios, Epcot, and Disney. But I also don’t do lines. Fortunately, they all offer VIP services where we are walked from ride to ride with no wait. Pedestrians must wait in lines and get this “Speed Pass” stuff, I don’t mess with that. I’m a hockey player. Then we’ll eventually make it to the games and completely rock the box.

(168 words + 3 TPE)

Code:
After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

Calgary is one of the SHL dynasties and it is always great to see them raise the cup. Calgary has been a wrecking ball this post season only showing a single loss in 3 rounds so will be a serious force to be reckoned with. However, I think that Tampa has a real strong opportunity and was part of a recent controversial trade including some fellow Russians that I am a big fan of. So, I’m going to root for Tampa to take this one in 6 games (which is also how the won the two previous rounds). It’s always good to see some of the younger teams get some success and I think this is Tampa’s time.

(118 words +2 TPE)

Code:
Are there any changes to the playoff format you'd like to see implemented? More wild cards? Move to a single-elimination to bring about even more chaos? 999-game series to minimize chaos? Be creative!

I actually really like the current way that SHL does seeding to make sure that a stacked conference wont lead to the two best teams meeting early in the series. I do not think we should add any real substantial changes and would like to actively vote against any additional wild card games. And Simon has a mind of his own so less than a best of 7 round would add unnecessary unpredictability into the process and wont help anything out at all. Change for the sake of change is rarely ever a good thing and while some people suggest some pretty radical changes I don’t think I see a large downside to the current method. You know the old saying, “if it aint broke don’t fix it”. And that’s exactly where I stand with the playoff structure. Leave it alone and lets address some of the other weaknesses in the SHL process and if something here becomes a problem we can cross that bridge.

(165 words +3 TPE)

Code:
Alternate Reality: Physicists and other smarties believe that this reality is just one of infinite realities existing alongside this one in parallel. Take us over to one of those realities in which everything is the same but these S50 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in this reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?

Oooh this could get really interesting. If we can run with the theory that there are infinite alternate realities where there are infinite scenarios playing out we could really go out on a limb here and go straight up 4th grade fantasy scenario. I’m gonna say that Ivan Maximus was called up to Texas in S50 and found himself playing in the finals Game 7 OT against Chicago with everything on the line. After a bad turnover in our defensive end Chicago took a wide open shot that was miraculously saved by our goalie. This sets up 2 on 1 odd man rush to the other end where Ivan and Nick Connolly make a break for it. Nick brings the puck across the blueline and fakes the slapshot causing the solo defender to slide for the block. He then makes an amazing finesse pass to Ivan who is able to beat the Chicago goalie and nail in the winning goal to finish off his hat trick for the night. The crowd goes wild, the team celebrates, and a drunken summer ensues.

(181 words +3 TPE)

Code:
Due to some controversial calls during the playoffs, the league is looking at updating the current rules(icing, offside, etc) What new rule or change to a room would you implement to better the game?

TBD

Code:
15. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max

Sent
(Assuming +3 TPE)

CFJ · 11-08-2019, 02:59 PM

1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

If I weren't playing in the Challenge Cup Finals I would probably pick Games 1 and 2 in Tampa. Mainly because I picked an Albertian team last time in Edmonton so this time since one of the teams is in a pretty warm all season spot in Tampa, I would take it to be honest. In terms of running up Commissioner Eggy's tab it would be a lot of money spent on a lot of clothes, suits, memorabilia and souvenirs from the city of Tampa, as well as the penthouse suite at the richest hotel in Tampa. Most of my time will be spent on the beach so I won't be in that penthouse unless during the night where I'll probably holding big parties after each game with other celebrities that live in the state of celebrity as for the 50th Challenge Cup in the SHL's storied history between the Tampa Bay Barracuda and the Calgary Dragons.

(157 Words)

2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

It's pretty elementary for me as it would the Calgary Dragons, bias or no bias. I wasn't a fan of the Seattle Riot when they relocated to Tampa Bay to the Tampa Bay Barracuda. Like I really wonder what was the reasoning behind it, there was nothing wrong with the name or the franchise in that matter. It's not like a Portland situation where relocating the franchise was a necessity as the franchise name was tarnished and there was no way of restoring the name in any way. And also Zach Evans thinking of having a Bullet Club iteration was a really bad idea in his opinion and the Dragons Bullet Club are in a position to mangle him like they did with Joe K in the last series.

(129 Words)

3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Are there any changes to the playoff format you'd like to see implemented? More wild cards? Move to a single-elimination to bring about even more chaos? 999-game series to minimize chaos? Be creative!

There's nothing really I would change drastically just in the little bit details of the playoff format. For the Wild Card matchup I would make it a single elimination game just like how the MLB does it with the two WildCard teams that qualify for the playoffs and then for the next round I would make it to a 5 game series as supposed to the traditional 7 games. I feel in a 5 game series it would be a more closer series and more high intensity between those two teams. And I get why the SHL like to prefer a 7 game series over a shorter styled series as it would generate more TV Money and more general income for the league, but from logical sense a 5 game series after a single elimination game as it would have a more interesting look to the league and it would create it's own drama as supposed to the traditional format.

(160 Words)

7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
As competition ramps up for the playoffs, players (both those still in and those eliminated) work extra hard to improve areas of their game that are lacking. What one area of your game do you really needs to focus on improving and how will this benefit the team?

I think my discipline is an area that I could work on as there's points of the game that I would take a penalty and being a part of the Penalty Kill it's a burden on the team as they would have to ice someone who's not used to playing on the Penalty Kill that often and most of the time that would backfire on us. Even though in the last series and in the Challenge Cup I will be in more a limited role. I look in my official rookie season with the Calgary Dragons is to limit the Penalty Minutes as last season in the SMJHL I had just over 60 minutes in the box and that won't cut in the SHL as the Dragons next year will look to me help on the Penalty Kill more then over with the expected roster turnover to happen in the upcoming offseason.

(152 Words)

8. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

From the Calgary Dragons I would take a bet on Atlas Rush winning the scoring title or the Jeff Dar Award for the best two way forward in the league. The Dragons Bullet Club member has got the call up alongside Prince Devitt from the SMJHL after the Four Star Cup runs came to a bitter sweet end with their respective teams, but with his time with the Halifax Raiders he was apart of the big 3 with Esa Parmborg and Cody as they were a high powered offence that can run up the score on any given night during the SMJHL Season.

(103 Words)

15. Sent, 3 TPE

Thanks to prettyburn, TML, Carpy, JNH, Jepox, Engi, Karey, Flappy, Skolpadder, Mook, DollarAndADream, Smirnov and Toe for the sigs.

Code:
Crossfit's First Career SHL Goal, 4. Manhattan Rage , Crossfit Jesus 1 (Pedro Sarantez, Nucky Toohoots) at 5:51

Code:
Devitt's First Career SHL Goal, 5. Calgary Dragons , Prince Devitt 1 (Barry Batsbak 21, Mike Izzy 14) at 10:43

fever95 · 11-08-2019, 03:22 PM

Code:
9. Graphics, 3 TPE

Your team is looking to put a new mural outside the locker room. Design what the mural will look like and be sure to represent your team and city!

Code:
10. Graphic, 2 TPE

Simple and straightforward - make a promotional poster for the S50 CC Finals. Must include at least one player render and the logos and names of both teams. Option A: make a good graphic. Option B: make a shitty graphic. Either will receive TPE.

Code:
13. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

A. It is tough to determine which of these superstars will be more dominant in the Challenge Cup Finals but I am going to go with Tampa Bay's Gunnar Soderberg. Mike Izzy has been a dominant force in the league for a very long time and has to be getting slower and less effective. Soderberg on the other hand is young and hungry to make a name for himself in the league. With that being said, Gunnar will be full of energy and I see him having a more dominant finals than the legend known as Mike Izzy.

B. The two goaltenders between the pipes for their respective teams are two of the best in the SHL game today and either could be a game changer for their team, whether it be for better or for worse. At the end of the day, they are both of the same age and aging veterans in the crease but I think the Barracuda's Benjamin Blue will give Tampa Bay the advantage in net. Despite a slightly lower save percentage heading to the finals, Blue has faced quite a bit more shots than Vilde in one less game played and has been a big reason for Tampa Bay making it to the finals.

C. In this edition of the Challenge Cup Finals, I expect to see some games that are very close and tightly contested as well as some games that are high scoring and one team running up the score on the other. As far as the series goes, I do not see a possibility of one team running away with it and disposing of their opponent quickly. I expect to see a very tight series that will go the full seven games and wouldn't be surprised to see that game go to overtime with the eventual Challenge Cup Champions being crowned via a mistake from their opponent after a very tiring series and a goal from the dirty area on the ice as a result of gritty play, rather than a beautiful set up for a beautiful goal.

D. My favourite player name in this series would have to be Tampa Bay's Gunnar Soderberg. For me, this player name just flows off the tongue naturally and sounds like a real player name. Soderberg is a Swedish born player so this name also makes sense to me. The name Gunnar to me, makes me think of a speedy forward who likes to "run and gun". A player who has a very quick acceleration and has no trouble putting pucks in the back of the net.

E. I am not a fan of chicken parm sandwiches so Esa can keep those for someone else haha and the same goes for the custom feet pic from JSS and the stick and puck session from Jepox. I however, do like cookies very much so I would choose a tray of cookies from c00kies, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies would be my choice for those cookies. I can guarantee you that if I were given those cookies, they would not last long.

Code:
15. Graphic, 3 TPE - The Procrastinator Special!

Welp, you waited until the last day to grind out your CW and you also like doing graphics instead of writing. That's cool, too! Create a Series Recap broadcast graphic - the contents can be whatever you want, but your graphic must list both teams and at least 3 stats for each.

Code:
15. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer - SEND ANSWER IN PM TO "PT DIRECTOR" (tagged below)

A. As defined by draft class, who is the oldest player in this series?

B. What is the name of the Calgary Dragons' Arena?

C. Name 3 previous names of the Tampa Bay Barracuda franchise

D. From these two teams, which player had the most PIMs in the S50 regular season? (Look, I'll even give you a link to the index right below this code box. When I posted the link directly, it auto-corrected the colon + slash into a partial frown face; it looks funny and the link still works so i'm leaving it)

**Important**: Send the answers to username "PT Director" with the subject of the message titled “S50 CW" - Do not send it to my personal account; those will not be graded. Do not post the answers in here; you will not get credit for the task.

PM Sent.

karlssens · 11-08-2019, 03:50 PM

2 - 2TPE - I have nothing but respect for the Calgary Dragons franchise, but as a long time member of the Blizzard I am conditioned to hate them and side against them at every chance possible so I'll be siding with the surprising Tampa Bay Barracuda. Not only are they our provincial rival, but we've had the [un]fortunate luck of matching up with them almost every post-season and the track record ain't great. While Edmonton was able to overcome the Dragons in game 7 and go on to win the Challenge Cup last season, the scale is still tipped in favor of Calgary as of late. A cup victory in S50 would definitely suggest that as well.

3 - 3TPE - I'm going to go against the grain here and say I actually like what the SHL has done with the playoff format post expansion (gasp). While it is a little slow if you're not participating in the wild card series it makes round 2 just that much sweeter when it finally kicks off. One change we could visit is reducing the wild card series to a best of 5 similar to baseball. It wouldn't make a huge difference, but it would shave off a day or two before the next round started. I'd be hesitant to go as far as single game elimination given the sheer randomness that is mr Simon T. I'd rather sooner see the removal of the wild card round all together before single elimination play. We have 16 teams, so while 8 making the playoffs is still acceptable it would bump out half the league instead of the 6 we currently have now. It would make things a little easier (and faster) but at the cost of losing participation it's something that may not be worth visiting.

8 - 2 TPE - I'll take one from each. Kata Vilde, the goaltender for the Calgary Dragons, has quietly put together a strong career thus far. He has yet to win a goaltending award, but his name is always there and he's even received several nominations. It would be criminal to see him retire without some individual hardware at this point. From Tampa there are a number of young stars poised to lock up some individual hardware, but one name that I think is ready to take the next step is Matt Kholin. The line 1 center is often overshadowed by the performance of his top winger Flacko Lagerfield, but one of these seasons I think Kholin will drive the ship and lock up an MVP.

12A - 1TPE - No offense to the breakout performance by Gunnar, but this is the Izzy show. The veteran dragon has been a dominant force in this league for YEARS and it's no surprise he's leading the Dragons to a surprising appearance in the S50 finals. I anticipate Izzy will not only protect his post-season point lead, but build upon it putting himself out of reach of any Barracuda, Soderberg included.
12B - 1TPE - While I did throw high praise on Vilde in a previous task this one belongs to Benjamin Blue. 2nd in save percentage during the regular season, he's managed to find an even higher level, increasing his save percentage to a sparkling 0.922, the best in the post-season. Vilde has a very impressive 2.00GAA after 3 rounds to Blue's 2.71 after 2 rounds but the consistency from regular season to post-season displayed by Blue gives Tampa the edge in goaltending.
12C - 1TPE - Given the state of the goaltending in this one I want to say it will be a low scoring defensive battle, but both teams have some incredibly gifted offensive weapons so I'll lean in favor of a high scoring fast paced finals. Last year we saw the Edmonton Blizzard sweep the New England Wolfpack for a quick and relatively low key finals, but I have a feeling this one will go the distance. Barracuda in 7.
12D - 1TPE - There are number of awesome names that incite intimidation, but the goofy names seem to be the ones that stick out to me. One name in particular is Shooter McGavin. Once an illustrious golf pro, his career took a turn for the worse when he went up against the unorthodox Happy Gilmore. It's nice to see him land on his feet in the SHL, making a solid contribution the western conference champion Calgary Dragons.
12E - 1TPE - Jeez I hope no one picks 3. I'm going to lock in a tray of cookies from c00kies. You didn't specify so I'm going to assume it's a delicious assortment of cookies. I'm talking white chocolate and macadamia nut, double chocolate chunk, hell maybe even one of the those pumpkin pie flavored ones I've seen from time to time.

13 - 2 TPE - A bit of a double edged sword here, but I'm going to go with Kata Vilde. After getting lit up for 16 goals in the first 3 games, including 13 in the first two, he did a complete 180 posting back to back wins in the next 3 games allowing only 3 goals, one in each game. It was a return to the goalie we saw in the first 3 rounds that compiled a sexy 12-1 record and a sparkling 2.00 GAA. Going in to game 7 you knew he and the Dragons had to be the favorite trying to complete the illusive reverse sweep, and although he did allow 3 goals against in that game, it was enough to help him team secure the win.

15 - 3TPE - Sent.

***luke*** · 11-08-2019, 04:13 PM

Code:

Code:
5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Due to some controversial calls during the playoffs, the league is looking at updating the current rules(icing, offside, etc) What new rule or change to a room would you implement to better the game?

One of the thigns I would like to see in the SHL now is a new rule for helmets. As the game keeps on getting faster and fast, it has come to a point where we need more protection in our helmets. The technology is out there to keep our heads safe, so I would like to see a rule in place to enforce the new helmets in the SHL. In order to keep everyone safe. There will be a time that someone will end up in the boards and be crumpled for a long time. That wont be a realitiy if the new helmet rule gets put into place. Along with that thread, like the lower leagues (NHL) we need to make a rule that if the helmet comes off then they need to exit the ice if they arent apart of the play. We dont need a major injury because this isnt enforced

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6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)
Who's the best player that you have witnessed in the SHL never to make it to the Challenge Cup finals? Or what player that hasn't made it to the finals is most deserving and why? Were they close? Was theirs a story of hearbreak? Is there still hope in the future? (150+ words)

The best player i have witness play, and never made it to the SHL finals, would right now be miakial Lokitonov, and the amazing couple seasons he has made. Going 4 times over 20 goals, three times over 60 points, and once over 50 points in the last 4 seasons is an amazing level of sucess he has on Toronto. Unfortunately, Mikail does not have the players around him to get him there, as 1 player doesnt carry the whole team on his back (although he has tried very hard). Even having a good forward in Mika only allows that first line to exceed even more, as Lokitonov carried him to the rookie of the year trophy, getting over 60 points as a forward. he has the star power by himself to drag Toronto to the playoffs and beating Manhattan, but after that the better teams are able to beat them down.

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8. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)
Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

It would be Otis B. Driftwood winning the Defenseman of the year award. In the last 3 seasons Otis has gotten over 40 points a season and this season it was no different. Otis gets a good amount of SB, as well as a lot of hits as a defemseman too.Otis playes on all types of situations, like Power play and the penalty kill. I think he will get the award as he will get over 15 goals, and over 30 assists, being one of the best, if no the best points by a defenseman next season in order to win the award

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12. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?
I think that Mike Izzy will be the most dominant. When you think of a the best two way forward in the league right now, you think of Mike Izzy, slinging his hits and his schlong everywhere he goes. If Calgary didnt have mike izzy, the augment himself, they wouldnt be in the finals.

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?
I would say Vilde has the advantage in net, because he has been the hotter goalie throughout the post season. In 13 games, Kata won 12 of them, having a .931 SV% along with it. Though not to say blue has been bad, he has a .922 SV% which is great as well.

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?
This is most definitely will be a low scoring series when you have 2 hot goalies. Kata Vilde is a monster of a goalie, having an amazing post season, getting over a .920 SV% on top of having a great defense core behind him. Going over to TBB where every other season benjamin blue gets hot, and this is one of those seasons so we will see.

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)
My favorite player name would be Rainbow Dash for the obvious reasons. On 2 teams with mostly normal names, like mike izzy, or Flacko Langerfield, Rainbow Dash is one of the wackiest names out there. First of all it is a name of a pony from a cartoon TV show about ponies, it also makes even more sense when you find out its from the commissioner of the league itself.

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox
I would definetly do a custom feet pic from JSS. You know, when you talk to JSS and think, hmmm, what do I want from this Greek God you might think you want to see his chiseled abs or his jaw line, but for me? I would love to get some custom feet pictures from JSS. I want it to be customized to my likings so I would like to get his feet in little costumes and walk down a runway on his toes. Dress his feet up like a little fairy princess, or a pirate with an eye patch above his big toe is something I am all for it. @JSS

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15. Casual Member Special, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer - SEND ANSWER IN PM TO "PT DIRECTOR" (tagged below)
A. As defined by draft class, who is the oldest player in this series?
B. What is the name of the Calgary Dragons' Arena?
C. Name 3 previous names of the Tampa Bay Barracuda franchise
D. From these two teams, which player had the most PIMs in the S50 regular season? (Look, I'll even give you a link to the index right below this code box. When I posted the link directly, it auto-corrected the colon + slash into a partial frown face; it looks funny and the link still works so i'm leaving it)

DONE

RaginCajun · 11-08-2019, 04:18 PM

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1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min)

VIP Status babyyyyyyyy - your player has been invited to attend one of the first homestands of the CC finals as a VIP guest - all expenses paid, front row seats, any hotel you want - and it's all on the Commissioner's dime! Are you going to Games 1 and 2 in Tampa or Games 3 and 4 in Calgary? Why are you picking there? And what are you going to do in that city to run up Eggy's tab?? (This is the same prompt as last year but we've got different cities! be creative! Don't re-use what was written last season)

Games 3 and 4 in Calgary. Alexei having been drafted there is exited to see what his team can do even though he is busy with his own finals with the Carolina Kraken. That and Alexei wants to test the amenities of The Big Parm especially the wide variety of parms that he could possibly sample. Alexei more than anything wants to emerge himself into the culture in Calgary hockey and what better way than to see the team that drafted him lead the way in the SHL Finals? As to what he is going to do to rack up Eggy’s account? That is easy Alexei already has pulled out thousands of dollars in singles and has attached them via strings to parms and will throw them after every Calgary goal. Alexei is going to make it rain parms and singles. That and Alexei is going to sample the finest, most expensive bottles of vodka he can find anywhere in Canada.

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2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)

After a slow start to the regular season, the Dragons have surged of late and have rallied around the #CalgaWe notion of togetherness. On the other side, the Barracuda battled through a difficult East and are led by a very strong young core. Which team are you personally rooting for to take home the Challenge Cup and why?

Easily the Dragons. Not only because they drafted me, but it is a great group of guys. Like the Montreal/Carolina locker room the Calgary locker room has been warm and inviting. It is a great group of guys who are extremely supportive of each other and have some great sense of humor. There is no competition. I am sure the Barracuda locker room is great but I can only go by what I know and Calgary is a great team with people like Esa, Izzy, Slappy, and my boy Weston it is a great group of people and they have been absolutely on fire this season. 2 back to back sweeps speak for themselves.

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8. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min)

Which player from Calgary or Tampa Bay would you bet on to win a regular season individual award in a future season? What player and what award? What makes you think they'll live up to their potential and take home the hardware?

Mike Izzy easily. He is a dominant force both on the ice and in the locker room and could easily be league MVP. Honestly, I think most of the Calgary locker room could be eligible for an award, but Izzy puts up numbers, is a solid, stabilizing force in the locker room, and is a great guy. With his dominant physical presence and his ability to put up insane numbers especially when clutch time kicks in proves that Calgary has a great force in Izzy. It will definitely be a sad day when he retires and the presence will be missed on the ice and in the locker room but at this point he is still proving that he has great game and will continue to show the league what he has every single game.

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12. Written, up to 5 TPE Pick up to 5 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.

A. Each team enters these finals with a red hot superstar - longtime league legend Mike Izzy for Calgary and surprise breakout star Gunnar Soderberg for Tampa Bay. Which of these players will have a more dominant finals?

B. Kata Vilde and Benjamin Blue are two of the best goaltenders in the league - which team has the advantage in net?

C. Do you expect this to be a high-scoring series or a low-scoring series? A mix? Do you think it'll be competitive or will one team run away with it?

D. What's your favorite player NAME on either team? why? (note: not who's your favorite player. which player name)

E. If you could choose any one of the following four options, which would you pick? 1. A chicken parm sandwich from Esa 2. A tray of cookies from c00kies 3. A custom feet pic from JSS 4. An hour long stick and puck session with Jepox

A. Absolute it will be Izzy not to snub Gunnar, but I must go with my guy Izzy. He has proven time and again to provide the firepower and physicality that makes Calgary a dominant force and it will be no different this time. In Izzy We Trust, and you should too.

B. I must go with Benjamin Blue he was otherworldly this season. 2nd in the league with a save percentage of 0.919, third in the season for Goals against average with 2.63. 1st in the league for shutouts for 6 and 2nd in wins at 27. The numbers don’t lie Blue was dominant this season.

C. I think it might be very lopsided in favor of Calgary. With back to back sweeps they are the team to beat even though Tamp Bay is the higher seeded team I just am not sure if they are going to be able to compete with the Dragons in their prime and firing on all cylinders. Will likely be a low scoring affair in favor of Calgary.

D. Esa Parmborg. I like parms, parms are delicious beautiful sauce, delicious chicken…wait what were we talking about? Oh yeah parms they you got your meatball parm, eggplant parm…I mean you can almost make a parm out of anything. Anyways yeah that name makes me hungry. For Tampa I must go with Flacko Lagerfield. I don’t know why I just like saying Flacko. Flacko, Flacko, Flacko. It is great.

E. Easily a chicken parm from Esa. He is a great guy to talk to about any subject and who the hell is going to turn down a free parm? I mean it is a glorious sandwich and it is delicious, and you better be eating one right now while reading this. Capisce?

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