6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
Hockey can be a very serious game. It is extremely physical and people can get hurt so that is one reason, but also the players, coaches, GMs and staff work so hard to attain excellence that the “game” becomes less a game and more a business – serious stuff.
So, to lighten the mood a little for the fans, during intermission in one of the upcoming finals games, Edmonton is introducing slingshot fan bowling. The idea is to take three courageous (or foolish) volunteer fans out of the stadium and they become the bowling ball in a one frame bowling match. But to introduce a bit more “skill” (and fun) into the game, the balls don’t just slide down the ice toward the 4 foot cardboard pins, they are released by a partner in a giant slingshot that stretches from sideboard to sideboard.
If the human ball scores a strike, he or she gets two extra rolls and it is scored just like real bowling. If the human ball scores a spare, he or she gets one more roll.
Good luck!
8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE – Concession Item
So, my idea for a concession idea combines an old favorite and the team nicknames of both teams in the playoffs: Blizzard and Steelhawks.
The old favorite is the venerable snow cone. Who doesn’t love a snow cone while they enjoy the hottest game on ice and it is an obvious choice given the Blizzard’s snow-themed nickname. If you’ve lived in a snowy state – especially one that uses salt to melt that snow – you know that with winter comes rust and lots of it. Do you know what rusts? Steel rusts. So, we’ll have a peppermint candy steelhawk all blotched up with delicious orange flavored chocolate pushed into a lovely Edmonton blue snow cone.
On the side of the cup will be emblazoned – Blizzard rusts Steelhawks! Go Edmonton! And as an added incentive, the person who collects the most snow cone cups will get a jersey autographed by all of the Blizzard players.
13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about!
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
An easy case can be made for the tried and true Tony Pepperoni and his playoff leading 15 assists, but I’m going to go for someone not on the suggested list – Tony’s teammate Barrett Blackwood. Playoffs are all about getting hot and Blackwood leads all players in the finals in goals with 7 and still has 11 total points. Look for Edmonton to win the Cup and Blackwood to take home the MVP prize.
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
Normally I would give the edge to Hamilton as balance, strength and checking seem to be pretty important in this new sim engine – and Hamilton pretty much always knows what the meta is. However, you can’t hit or check what you can’t catch and Edmonton is SO quick that I think it will win out. Plus, I just can’t stomach writing, “Hamilton has the edge”.
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
F – Barrett Blackwood – obvious since I already said he’d be the MVP
F – Tony Pepperoni – also obvious since the vet is scoring points like mad and will be MVP if not Blackwood
F – James Truong – another scoring machine just behind Blackwood in playoff points
D – Tor Tuck – a fine name and a solid 29 hits. Need some muscle supporting Edmonton’s speedy offense
D - Brady McIntyre – best defensive grading in the finals; while Edmonton’s forwards are scoring goals, Brady and Tor will shut down the opposing forwards
G – Tommy Tuck – sizzling 1.48 GAA (better than Kryst’s) and he plays for Edmonton. You don’t think I’m putting a Stealhawk player on my fantasy team, do you?
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
Yes and no. It can be beautiful and I love the way it deadens the clanging sounds of the modern world leaving only birdsong and the soft sound of footfalls as one trudges along. On the other hand, it’s dangerous to drive in (at least on Long Island) and a real pain to shovel to get the cars or the dog out to do his business.
05-07-2020, 11:46 AM(This post was last modified: 05-07-2020, 11:48 AM by Aephino.)
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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
Now that people (probably) know the sim a little bit better, understand how to build in FHM vs Simon, I expect teams with high-TPE players to really capitalize on the redistribution. Of course you have New England up there, with Wagstrom (@StamkosFan) and Kirby having monster TPE. They have been a solid team for seasons and I can see them taking it home next year. I also expect to see S52's champs, the Manhattan Rage, being contenders again. Luke, McCarthy, Jax... they have a number of the top players in the league. The last team that I'll toss in the ring is Buffalo. They have a surprising amount of high-TPE players in Luffy, Scarn, Darrow, Selich, Scoop, Hippo... I like WBF (@WannabeFinn) and if he can help his team maximize line chemistry, that Challenge Cup is his. Out of loyalty I will say that Texas is also a team to watch out for (@dankoa). Now that Goodman is called up, they have the goalie situation locked down. If Kvalheim, Gotze, and Danger can carry them, we're looking at some silverware for us Renes.
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6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
In the spirit of the Parks and Recreation special, they will recreate a classic scene from Leslie Knope's campaign for the first game. After the first period, there will be a special NBA-style dunk contest right on the ice! Now, in Parks and Rec, Pistol Pete was not ready for the slippery ice, but these basketball professionals have been training for weeks, playing solely on ice. This means we are not going to be seeing any injuries! However, as a disclaimer, there will be 10 ambulances waiting on the ice for precautionary measures. But this will be a huge hit! Hockey fans may not know much about basketball, but there are going to be some serious slam dunkaroos happening! We got trampolines, weird mascots, grandmas, superman capes, flying broomsticks, and most of all, BIG DUNKAROOS! These boys will be spinning and flipping and slamming the ball faster than a slapshot by Edward Williams! The S53 Challenge Cup Dunk Contest Special - Game 1 - Be There!
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8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. for written option)
The arenas in Edmonton and Hamilton certainly don't need any gimmicks to get people into the stadium for the series, but the arenas want to make sure they're pulling out all the stops on the big stage. Help the concessions department of one of these two teams develop a new product, with marketing specifically pertaining to this finals series, to be sold at the arena during the finals. Describe the product and the marketing in 150 words or create a promotional poster showing the product, its name, the price, etc.
The Hamilton Steelhawks had a mighty tough time thinking of something special for the fans because they were concentrating a lot on the "hawks" part, thinking they could get their fans replica hawks, or actual hawks, but that seemed like too much of a hassle. That all changed when one of the players, Tig Murphy (@notorioustig), had an idea. Similarly to how people can get themselves drawn by artists, they could have a blacksmith create sculptures of fan's heads! So, for a limited time only, during the home games of the Hamilton Steelhawks, they will have real blacksmiths carving YOUR head into a block of steel! For the low price of $599, YOU can have a sculpture of your head, like a roman emperor, but made out of steel! No matter how weirdly your head is shaped, if you're ugly or attractive, these blacksmiths will cater to your needs! For $399, you can also buy a hawk sculpture made out of steel, but these are in a limited supply! Get them while they're hot, and go Steelhawks!
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
a. My pick for best player is Lagerfield (@JSS). He probably deserves MVP for the regular season, and is one of the main reasons for Hamilton's success this season. He's an incredibly well rounded player, and has one of the highest offensive IQs in the game. He can pass well, is a fast skater, and has extremely fine puckhandling. While he isn't a big hitter, he is immensely strong and can hold his own on the ice.
b. I think Hamilton's balance and strength is far more important than Edmonton's skating. Speed and acceleration can only take you so far, and it can be helpful for quick rushes or breakaways, or even catching up to the attacker, but physicality always comes through in the playoffs. Refs don't call as much, and when things get heated, you need to be able to use your power to take advantage.
c.
F - Flacko Lagerfield. My MVP of the season, just an extremely well rounded winger who has the capability of carrying games.
F - Robert Phelps. Not only was he a top points scorer this season, but he's a veteran. He has the experience and right mentality to win a cup.
F - Tony Pepperoni. Tony is one of the best players in his draft class, a class known for being the best ever. A supreme goal scorer and a good hitter to have on your team.
D - Gabriel Johnson. While Gabe is a known tamperer, he was one of the highest scoring defensemen this season, and is one of the most well rounded players in the league.
D - Karlstrasse Scholz - With a sick name like that, he must be good. Another well rounded powerhouse defender who was a beast in the regular season.
G - Geezus Kryyst. Led the league in wins, had a GAA of 2.11 and a SV% of 0.915. One of the best goalies in the league.
d. Okay so I'm from Maine. I'm no stranger to snow. However, the first snowfall or two is always nice. Especially if you just got a few inches, everything is covered with that white, fluffy powder, you're warm inside drinking hot cocoa... that's the best. BUT when you're in April and getting snow? We have a problem, Mother Nature. A few big snowstorms is fine, but I cannot tolerate snow getting in the way of my freaking life. Get a grip.
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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
05-07-2020, 12:44 PM(This post was last modified: 05-07-2020, 02:20 PM by soulja.)
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
In the alternate reality, the two teams that will be facing each other for the challenge cup will be the Los Angeles Panthers and New England Wolf pack. Unfortunately for these two, in this world, they failed to advance although they were leaders in their respective conference. So its the battle of the large cats vs the large dog. In reality, tigers will kill a wolf just because of their sheer size and speed. Let's see how this series turns out. The first game was won by the panthers, followed by Wolpack. This sequence kept repeating until they arrived at game 7. This will be a deathmatch and the team with more grit and mamba mentality will emerge as the winner. Game begins and both teams play well. Los Angeles Panthers have been on the attack whereas New England has been better defensively. Usually defense wins championship, so let's see if this is the case. Game is tied at 3-3 and 5 minutes left into the third period, Max Mauldin dishes a pass to God McZehrl who gives a one timer to Philip Winter. He shoots but gets robber by the New england Goalie, Johannes Leitner. Game goes into over time, and Max mauldin wins the faceoff, he passes to GOD who takes a slapper and it goes innnn. Unfortunately for the Wolfpack, it hit the skates of Rex Kirby to go in at an angle. Mauldin cries out of happiness and picks up the challenge cup after a long hiatus for the panthers.
2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
The team that will make the biggest jump will probably be Buffalo Stampedes. They recently acquired Matthew Kholin from Tampa Bay Barracuda, and this should provide them with sufficient depth and an elite forward. Matthew Kholin did not have the best season as he was in a weaker team. But i expect him to thrive a lot at Buffalo. This should be an interesting series in the east as they probably have three of the best teams in Hamilton Steelhawks, New England Wolfpack and Buffalo Stampede. Between these three, I expect the Hamilton steelhawks to once again reign victorious. They are the brains of the league when it comes to FHM, and they will be able to exploit all of its advantages. I expect them to have another successful series and be the winner of the east. In the west, it's a lot tougher. There are teams that are equally good such as Los Angeles Panthers, New orlean Specters, Edmonton Blizzard and the Dragons.Any one of these teams can make it to the top as they have the talent. I also expect Winnipeg Jets to make a comeback in the west. They have two of the best young defenders in Adam Barron and Zlatan Ibrahimovic jr. These two should pair up very soon and will be a force to deal with. My guess for the west winner will be the Panthers after a long tough fight.
3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Steelhawks or the Blizzard 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 an individual player point of view, I think Blizzard will have the edge over here. But as a team, Hamilton will win it every day. Hamilton works better as a team as each one of their player complements the other. They also understand FHM better than anyone else. The reason why i believe Blizzard has the edge for individual award is because they have higher tpe players. For example, Blizzard have Tony pepperoni who nearly has 2k in tpe at 1927 vs 1676, which is the highest tpe player in the steelhawks, which belongs to Tig Murphy. As a result, I also believe Tony Pepperoni will have the highest chance of winning an individual award and thoroughly believe he can win the Segei Karpatsov tropy, which is for points leader. The reason why i believe he will achieve it is because he already got 57 points this season, which is the first time using FHM. Now that people understand the sim engine better, i believe he will be more successful next season.
4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Since we have transitioned to FHM, new attributes have started counting for players. One essential attribute is takeaways.Right now, majority of the awards cater towards points. We need to give some love to forwards that play a defensive game.They are the great wall of china that prevents opposition from harming their team. As a result i believe we need an award for best defensive forward. The attributes it should look at are sb, hits, fights won and takeaways. Shot blocks and hits are self explanatory. Fights won will give team momentum and will give them a boost of energy. Proper takeaways can result in a big counter for the team which can lead to a breakaway goal. The scale that should be used is 0.4 for hits, 0.9 for sb, 2 for fights won and 1.5 for takeaways. If we were to judge by the scale i suggested, Collin Gibbles from Minnesota Chiefs would have won it and as a result should be named after him if it was judged based on our current season. Notable stats for why he deserves this award is the mental 181 shot blocks as a forward and 51 takeaways.
5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
IIHF is going to be very exciting especially now that all 14 teams are grouped together. This is essentially going to be survival of the fittest and the bottom tier teams will quickly vanish into thin air. My prediction for IIHF is the following: 1-Britain, 2-Sweden, 3-Germany, 4-Canada, 5-USA, 6-Ireland, 7-Russia, 8- Japan, 9-Latvia, 10-Finland, 11-Norway, 12-Austria, 13-Czechia, 14-Switzerland. The teams that have the best chance of taking home the gold will be Sweden, Britain, USA and Canada. I belong to Sweden and I think we have a good chance of winning gold. We won silver last season losing to Britain. The reason why I believe Sweden has what it takes to claim the gold is that they have one of the best offensive core in Ola Wagstrom, Hippo Passamus, and Gunnar Soderberg. Their weakness is probably defense but with Ibra jr having more than 800 tpe now, they should be good there as well. I think Sweden will once again face Britain in the finals, but will emerge victorious. So Sweden with Gold, Britain with Silver and Canada with Bronze.
13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
I believe Tony Pepperoni is the best player in the championshio finals. He was my pick to win an award and if Blizzard do come out victorious, he will be the mvp of the playoff series. He is the forward with the highest tpe when looking at both teams so that puts him above everyone else stats wise. But the most productive player in the series is phelps. Even after regression, the man is posting amazing numbers. It will be between these two for best player but once again, I think Pepperoni edges him.
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
Hamilton has more knowledge with FHM and just because of that i believe their physicals in balance and strength will give them the advantage. I don't know how but they always do well with the sim. I think phelps is the mastermind behind this and just because of that, I will give it to the Steelhawks.
16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
In an alternate reality, New England won a hard fought series against the Hamilton Steelhawks and advanced to face the Los Angeles Panthers. The difference would’ve been the Blizzard failing to win the first series. The Calgary Dragons have always been able to pull a rabbit out of the hat, and their experience shone through in this alternate reality. Calgary would’ve defeated Edmonton with ease in 5 games, and then been facing a nasty battle with the Los Angeles Panthers. Los Angeles would be well rested and have just swept their series, as New Orleans would’ve been brutally punished, with everyone on their coaching staff and GMing crew suspended, for their cheating and the games where their foul play had an effect would have been replayed. Los Angeles would’ve been the clear victors rather than a narrow seven game win and would be well rested to face Calgary. They would be at their best and make quick work of the Dragons, taking the series in 6 games. Los Angeles and New England would have been a great matchup, one that could have gone either way.
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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Steelhawks or the Blizzard 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?
After the incredible performance Geezus Kryyst has put up this playoffs, often stealing games and being the difference maker, it’s unthinkable that the Steelhawks netminder won’t win the John McBride trophy. It just seems apparent that he is the best goalie in the game today. At the top of his game, possessing invaluable veteran experience, and with tons of TPE to spare, it would be shocking if he didn’t live up to his potential. He encapsulates everything the awards committee is looking for in a star goalie, and like a fine wine, he just keeps getting better with time. He is sure to have many achievements ahead before his career is over.
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5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?
My predictions for the IIHF do not bode well for parity or competition. I expect a dominant run by USA in their group, matches by similar dominance by Canada in the other group. USA should breeze through the medal rounds and may achieve a narrow victory over Canada to get the gold medal. That game could go either way but based on depth, the edge goes to USA. As for Sweden, I think the team is capable of moving on from the group stage and possibly reaching the semi finals. I would not rule a bronze medal out for us, although we do have a few juniors players still as a young team. We would also have other competitors from the same tier of nations such as Great Britain and Germany, who are perhaps a bit more aged; our advantage will be in having strong coaching and a 2K TPE forward on our power play. Wagstrom is the highest TPE forward in the league, and having that kind of star power will hopefully propel our offense to new levels.
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
a. Geezus Kryyst has truly been playing like there’s no tomorrow, and has been the best goalie in the league and this series. With the effort he has been putting in, I don’t see how you can make the case for anyone else being the best player out there. Goalies are often overlooked or taken for granted, but the advantage such a high skilled netminder makes is unfathomable. He has been an invaluable asset and has really mad eyes a difference on the ice, much more than any skater.
b. Being made up of strong two-way forwards has been Hamilton’s play since day one of S53. As wonderful and dazzling as speed can be, strength and grit are what gives an edge in the playoffs. It is what wins the battles in corner, what raises the intensity, what will make Edmonton fear a big hit coming from anyone. Hamilton wears down opponents with their strength, and in my opinion, it is an advantage in the series over Edmonton’s skating prowess.
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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
05-07-2020, 01:34 PM(This post was last modified: 05-11-2020, 05:51 PM by kenvald.)
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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
I believe that the Hamilton Steelhawks will still be at the top of the league, they might not even need to make use of the free redistribution for most of their players. It would not surprise me if they have already figured out the best attribute combinations and have told their players to go with those. But I would also expect see the New England Wolfpack up front, of course. Thanks to their high TPE count and competitive GMs.
It is hard to say if any one team would suddenly become 10 times better than in the current season, but I would think that next season will become more competitive. More teams and players will have figured out how their builds worked, and did not work. And they will take that and make improvements all around. Any team that is not focused on tanking next season will, in my mind, give the top teams from this season a run for their money.
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4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?
I think one award that would be interesting to have would be the award given to the player who contributed the most on his or her team's special units. Ie. the "Special Team's MVP". We can see time on ice for both power play and short handed for each player, averaged out over the entire season. I believe it is also possible to see their total time on ice for power play and short handed in the FHM game.
The award would focus on players that help their team when they need it the most. Both for scoring during power plays, and keeping the puck away while being short handed. The main statistics to focus on would be: "Power Play Points", "Short Handed Points", "Power Play Time On Ice", and "Short Handed Time On Ice".
This season the award would have been awarded to Luke Thomason of the Manhattan Rage. He had stand-out numbers in all mentioned statistics. Of course, the award would then also be named after our first winner.
The Luke Thomason Trophy - Special Team's MVP
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5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?
From what I have heard talking and listening to people that own FHM and have run tests for the international tournaments, it definitely sounds like the United States of America and Canada will be the top two teams. Even without people testing it, it would have been my guess seeing the amount of available talent both nations have. In the end I predict that the United States of America will take home the gold in a close fought final game.
When it comes to my own team, Sweden, I think we will be quite competitive. We have had a strong youth core building up the last couple of seasons and many of them are now in the SHL or uncapping. Anything can happen in the IIHF playoffs thanks to the single elimination game format. But, if I try to be realistic while also being optimistic I could definitely see Sweden take home the bronze. We have the strong players and experienced leadership to medal.
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
A
I'm going to have to go with Tony Pepperoni. He has had an incredibly strong regular season plus what we have seen in the playoffs so far. He is leading the Edmonton Blizzard to in points and is an amazingly creative playmaker in the offensive zone. A truly offensive force to be reckoned with.
B
I'm giving the Hamilton Steelhawks the edge in this series. They have shown us so far, especially in their series against the New England Wolfpack, that strength and stability beats out finesse and speed. Holding on to the puck and being able to out-muscle your opponents is extremely important with the new league system that was introduced this season.
C
F - Tony Pepperoni
Points leader. Playmaker extraordinaire. Tony really stepped up his game this post-season and I would definitely trust him on my team.
F - Aaron Wilson
A multi-purpose center you can trust in any on-ice situation.
F - Flacko Lagerfield
Flacko had a great regular season and kept it going into the post-season.
D - Brady McIntyre
Had him on my fantasy team and that really paid off. So I see no reason to not pick the best available defenseman here as well.
D - Samuel Michaud
I need some physicality on the team and Samuel can provide that.
G - Geezus Kryyst
Somehow kept the puck out of the net against NEW. That says a lot.
D
Do I like snow? Well, yes and no. I like it at a very specific and short time each year. The last two weeks of December, and the first week of January. Ie. around Christmas and New Year's is when I love snow! It does so much to multiply the joyful Christmas feeling and lights up a normally dark time. But outside of that, not a fan.
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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
05-07-2020, 03:11 PM(This post was last modified: 05-13-2020, 11:35 AM by takethehorizon.)
6. Game 1 of the finals. Period 1 ends. 22 midgets run out onto the ice, all wearing regular shoes, not ice skates. 11 midgets in red and the other in blue. Then, out comes 2, 6'6 strong man competitors. 10 midgets line up in a bowling pin order on either side of the ice just in front of the goal. The remaining 2 midgets act as pins as the bigger men hurl them at the 'pins'. The audience then has to guess which side is going to win. They are able to place bets and gamble using their smartphones on a secured platform. Money is on the line and will be sure to attract everyone's attention. The idea is so solid that ESPN picks it up and makes it a national sport. The coin this goofy game as 'Midget Bowling'. The SHL receives all of the credit and spotlight hurling itself past the NHL and into stardom. (157 words)
7. Cillian has already auditioned for an extra on Netflix's hit tv show, Peaky Blinders. Based in Birmingham, UK not far from where Cillian was born he thought this would be a perfect fit. Even though Cillian has not heard back yet our hopes are high. With Season 6 in the works the show will be needing extras so why not a future SHL Irish goaltender? Surely a good looking man in his early 20's like Cillian could be slotted in the show maybe even along side the show's lead Cillian Murphy. Cillian & Cillian? I think we might have something here producers. Let's make it happen. (106 words)
8.
9.
13.
A. This is a tough one, I think I'm going to have to go with Lagerfield who won the scoring race this season. Being an elite passer and scorer is really the ultimate team player and someone you would want on your top line. A quick runner up for me is Tony Pepperoni who is a big body who throws himself around at other guys on the ice and still manages to have the skill to fill the net. (78 words)
B. I would give the edge here to Hamilton. Speed and acceleration are extremely important and I will also give a nod to being physical especially come playoff time. I saw first hand from this season's SMJHL playoffs that being physical in a defensive war will help you win games. The better ratings from Hamilton don't lie and I believe it gives them the edge in the speed and hitting war. (70 words)
C. Flacko Lagerfield, top scorer this season. Tony Pepporoni, ability to score and throw the body around on the ice. Assist machine in Aaron Wilson getting Pepperoni and Lagerfield the puck as he did all season. Karlstrasse Scholz and Murphy who have been huge on their respective teams' blue lines this season and have helped keep the puck out of the net. Geezus Kryyst gets the nod for me in goal posting an outstanding 2.11 GAA and a .915 SAV% this season. (81 words)
D. I do love snow. Snow brings cold whether which means pond hockey. I used to play as a kid with all the other kids in my neighborhood which ultimately helped spark my love for the sport. Used to love sled riding with my younger sisters and making igloo's in the front yard collecting all the snow from the rest of my yard. Unfortunately with this whole global warming crisis occurring we haven't had a good snow in a long time. (80 words)
Did 17/16 because I forgot it was 16 TPE and not 15. Math hard. Gonna claim 16.
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1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
The alternative reality I want to explore is the one where the other teams all won; New Orleans, Calgary, Buffalo, and Manhattan. Out of those two teams in the East I think I'd be inclined to go with the reigning champions despite their mild letdown of a regular season. I think the staff out there could really identify some weaknesses in Buffalo and it's hard to ever count out Luke Thomason in a single game. In the west, I expect Calgary to outmatch the Specters, but only barely. New Orleans beating Los Angeles would have been controversial but a team that could take games off of Los Angeles could definitely hang with Calgary too. I think in the finals we'd see Manhattan edge out Calgary again, for similar reasons as to why they'd take down Buffalo, but the ability of Calgary's goal scoring shouldn't be underestimated by any means and they could pull off the cup run. (157 words)
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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
I expect the East to be a bloodbath, with so many of the league's top players spread between New England, Buffalo, and Manhattan. All three teams have an excellent group of GMs and coaches working hard to figure out how that TPE can all be used as well. Of those, I think Buffalo is the most promising team to contend for the cup next year. Their core is 5 players from the top 3 of seasons 44, 45, and 46, they have a competent goalie coming up in Doyle, and the addition of Kalakar / Matt Kholin gives them 8 total players over 1600 TPE (top 50 or so in the league). That's a stacked roster, and they're definitely at the start of a quality championship window. I think that the title will definitely be from the east next season and if it's not Buffalo, it's because New England took them out on the way to the title. (Also 157 words)
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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Steelhawks or the Blizzard 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?
My money for individual award winner in the next few seasons is Skao Anazibf winning the Aidan Richan Trophy for being the most improved player of a season. Anazibf is a 900+ TPE 4th string center already, with a user that will be in it for the long haul. I expect as we see Robert Phelps dip farther in to regression the young Skao will rise to the occasion on the third line, eventually adding a lot of value as he reaches higher TPE levels and is getting to match up against lower level opponents or tired opponents who have had to deal with the other two high level centers on the roster. (113 words)
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7. Written/Graphic, 2 TPE (100 words min. for written option)
Even though the Panthers fell short this season, the LA influence has been felt around the league and execs in Hollywood are paying more attention to the SHL with the hometown team making waves. If your player could have a cameo in any tv show or movie, what show/movie would they choose? (for the purposes of this PT you may choose a show/movie that already exists just uhhh pretend they re-shoot it with your cameo or something idk).
Jimmy Wagner was actually called on to come out and be on the set of the new Black Panther movie that has some components set in Wakanda. He's been working on his accent off and on this season and is expected to have a few spoken lines in the upcoming Marvel Cinematic Universe film. Chadwick Boseman and Wagner are both apparently really excited to meet each other and Boseman wants to go skating with him some time this summer when Jimmy is in Los Angeles visiting his sister for a few months. The movie doesn't have a release date set. (100 words)
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
a. How can the best player in this series not be Flacko Lagerfield? While he's a bit more one dimensional than other top players in the league, he is above everyone else in one thing that he's looking to do: Score. Points leader and offensive game rating leader in the regular season. If Hamilton wins, it's through him. (57 words)
b. I'd be betraying everything I stood for if I said speed, acceleration, and agility weren't going to come out on top, right? I think that the speed and ability to utilize open space makes for incredibly effective players, and while some semblance of balance in a build will always be good, if you're gonna max one thing, why not pick the one that generates the most chances. (67 words)
c. The ideal fantasy team is obviously the top guys from this season and from the last few seasons: Flacko Lagerfield, Robert Phelps, and Tony Pepperoni all generate points in massive quantities as forwards. Gabriel Johnson was nearly a point per game scorer this season and would be a great offensive defenseman and Troy McClure III would be great at shoring up the defensive side of things. In goal I'd prefer Edmonton though, the 1a/1b combo of Tuck and Spector was very impressive this year with a sub 2.5 GAA. (90 words)
d. Blizzards, snow, and winter time are all amazing. Commuting in the snow is a small price to pay for the joys of cozy evenings, sledding, and ice skating. Snow especially is a critical part of this, between the snowball fights, sledding, catching snowflakes on the tongue, and beauty that it can provide. (52 words)
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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
In the alternate reality that I choose, New Orleans Specters would have held onto their 3-0 lead in game seven of their series against the Los Angeles Panthers, moving on to the next round in the playoffs. The Specters most likely would have been eliminated in the next round by Edmonton since they have an extremely solid team, but New Orleans at least would have advanced to round two with an upset. Maybe in this alternate reality Charlie Serpe would have jumped the glass in full gear and helped the Specters hold onto that lead in game seven. We will say the league somehow allowed this despite punishing Serpe games before. The city of Los Angeles would riot and there would be chaos over New Orleans winning. So I guess this butterfly effect outside of the first round isn't too much. The Challenge Cup would probably still be Edmonton Blizzard versus the Hamilton Steelhawks, but I think there would be a lot more salt in the alternate SHL world if New Orleans had prevailed in that first round.
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177 words
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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
I think the top teams are largely going to be the same in the SHL next season even with everyone getting a free redistribution. It seems like FHM is really all about depth and talent, and you cannot do that without a lot of tpe throughout your team, and higher tpe players up and down each line. So I think you will see teams like the New England Wolfpack stay near the top of the standings because they have done a really great job of building a good core of players with a lot of TPE. Then you have the Hamilton Steelhawks who seem determined to test their way to the new meta builds and get their players all to conform to it, so I imagine they will continue to be good in FHM. So the East seems like it should be pretty stable near the top. I do think Buffalo will probably improve because they have a lot of good players who can probably optimize their builds a bit more, and they also made a good trade to get Kholin. On the West, I think New Orleans is going to have way more depth and optimized lines. Plus I'm lazy so they will be top in the west.
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209 words
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3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which player from the Steelhawks or the Blizzard 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?
I am going to say that Flacko Lagerfield is going to win a regular season individual award in the future season because of some very scientific research by me. I sat here and thought, "Who is the first player's name from each team that pops into my head?" And magically JSS' player jumped in my head, so there you go. He plays on Hamilton, so you know he'll have a bunch of shots and point opportunities. He's had some good success in the past and that was even on teams with a lot less talent than Hamilton has right now. I know he is an older player, so this does hamper my prediction a bit. So hopefully he hangs on for another productive season to win an individual award. Or not, this prediction will not be remembered in a week.
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140 words
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4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?
I am going to come up with the Hamburglar Award for the biggest thief in the SHL. It would obviously be named after the Hamburglar character from McDonalds. This probably is going to overlap with some other awards, like two way forward and defensive defenseman (maybe others too?), but I just liked the name of the award really. It probably also could have a funny trophy. But, it would be awarded to the skater in the SHL who had the most takeaways of anybody. This season the Hamburglar Award would have gone to New England forward Collin Gibbles who lead the league with 51 takeaways in the regular season. He had a bunch of shots blocked as well so it looked like Gibbles had quite the defensive season. I think it would be cool to get more recognition for more defensive play since FHM seems more easy to reward that play. Everyone always wants to get points so this would be a good way to reward someone grabbing possession for their squad on defense.
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174 words
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7. Written/Graphic, 2 TPE (100 words min. for written option)
Even though the Panthers fell short this season, the LA influence has been felt around the league and execs in Hollywood are paying more attention to the SHL with the hometown team making waves. If your player could have a cameo in any tv show or movie, what show/movie would they choose? (for the purposes of this PT you may choose a show/movie that already exists just uhhh pretend they re-shoot it with your cameo or something idk).
Jimmy Slothface would probably make a cameo in a reshot season of Silicon Valley. Slothface is not known for being very bright around the hockey world, and he could play the brother of Nelson Bighetti (or Big Head) and appear in a few episodes in the last season since we see Bighetti's father during the series as well. Bighetti is largely an idiot in the series, so Slothface playing an equally airheaded brother would really be fitting for my player. I'm guessing that Jimmy would not have too big of a role in the show because he would probably have a tough time remembering his lines (but this just makes him even more perfect for the role to be honest). Jimmy has family in California so he could see them when he flies out to film, so that is a big plus for him. He also thinks the show is funny and that him being a bit dumb is funny, so he is on board.
05-07-2020, 04:06 PM(This post was last modified: 05-10-2020, 11:00 PM by boom.)
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
The biggest "what if" scenarios probably involve Los Angeles. Momentum is huge in FHM, and one has to wonder what might have happened had New Orleans not been exposed for cheating the lines, or if Charlie Serpe hadn't been playing with an illegal build for the entire season. And even though the team got through the Specters in a dramatic seven-game series, they were promptly kicked in the face in the second round against the Edmonton Blizzard, losing in double overtime, overtime, triple overtime, and overtime in that order to be swept. If those bounces go the other way and if Tommy Tuck didn't perform as wonderfully as he did in relief, things could have been much different. Hamilton was just a juggernaut these playoffs, so I don't think too much would've changed on the Eastern end. As for the finals, LAP has a better front three of GOD McZehrl, Max Mauldin than Hamilton's players, though the Steelhawks have the better defense and a higher-TPE goalie, so it would be a tossup honestly.
2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
This could be a really really long piece if I really wanted to get into it, so I'll focus on the final four teams from this year. Honestly, I don't really see any of them dropping off too much this year. Starting in the Western Conference, Los Angeles, even through they were screwed first by New Orleans' shenanigans and then by FHM itself in the second round, their defense is still quite young and developing, and players like GOD McZehrl, Max Mauldin and their best player Philipp Winter are still playing at a very high level, bolstered by rising stars Theo Morgan, Elijah Jones and others up front. Los Angeles also still has two young, skilled goalies in Knox Booth and Nolan McMahon to bail them out of tight spots. Edmonton also boasts a pretty young team led by Tony Pepperoni up front, cagey vets in Hercules Rockefeller, Tor Tuck and Brady McIntyre, up-and-coming contributors like Julio Tokolosh and Jon Forty-One among others, and a solid goaltender in Emiko Spector, who will be taking over the full-time starting job with Tommy Tuck retiring. This could create a bit of a setback as these past playoffs showed that Tuck can still shine when the chips are down, but she'll be behind a strong defense to ease the transition. Moving over to the Eastern Conference, the New England Wolfpack are quite interesting for me. Still smarting from being upset in the playoffs by Hamilton in a shockingly quick five-game series, the Wolfpack opted to retool, bringing in Benjamin Blue for an upgrade in goal over Johannes Leitner. Blue brings about 200 extra TPE, which could go a long way in the playoffs. Hamilton should be fairly consistent in my view, as they likely won't shake up much in the offseason after winning the Challenge Cup, but the only question for me is how the increasing declines of Robert Phelps and Sophia Bennett will impact them.
4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?
While the Turd Ferguson award exists to recognize the king of the sin bin, there's not really an award for toughness other than pure penalty minutes. I'm gonna go ahead and suggest the Geoff Moore Trophy, after who I think its inaugural winner would have been. This trophy would focus on hits, blocked shots, time on ice (especially on the power play and penalty kill), and penalty minutes. The first winner, in my opinion, would be Geoff Moore, who split time between the Minnesota Chiefs and West Kendall/Baltimore Platoon this season. Moore was a physical force, with 185 hits, 194 blocked shots, and 84 penalty minutes. Even with the time in the box, Moore still chewed up over 25 minutes a game, including averaging three and a half minutes a game killing penalties and putting up a defensive game rating of 83. An honourable mention goes to Jets defenseman Slip McScruff, who threw 261 hits and blocked 177 shots, but only played 23:45 of ice time with 38 penalty minutes.
6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
Well, given that Edmonton's best player's last name is Pepperoni, and the restaurant chain Pizza 73 is headquartered in Edmonton, it's just natural that they'd sponsor a promo. For Games 3, 4, and potentially 6 of the Challenge Cup Finals, there will be the Tony Pepperoni Pizza Run at the second intermission! Two contestants selected from the stands will race to pick up 20 empty pizza boxes each that have been scattered around the faceoff circles near the Zamboni entrance, and carry them to centre ice to win. The kicker? They'll have to wear oven mitts the whole time, because those pizzas need to be delivered hot and fresh! It's a promotion that will surely feature plenty of slipping and sliding while the contestants try to deliver the pizzas! Both contestants will receive vouchers for free pizza, which will be a great help through this quarantine period, or when people really just don't feel like cooking. The winner will get the best prize of all: an Edmonton Blizzard jersey signed by Tony Pepperoni!
13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
D: I grew up in Alberta, so I'm well-used to snow. I quite enjoy it, as it's just something I've grown up with and am quite used to at this point. When I don't like it is at times when it becomes a blizzard, as it did in my university city in 2019 and 2020. It's just not fun to have to slog through it to get to places. On the bright side, I do get to cackle at my friends who complain about the snow, as they seem to have less experience with it than I do.
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
In an alternate reality, San Francisco wins the President's cup (which we've done before in this reality), wins the Cole Reinhart Trophy (which we've also done before in this reality), and then wins the Challenge Cup (which we can't seem to do in this reality). In the alternate reality, we have a perfect playoff run. We sweep every series, and not only do we sweep, but every game is a shutout, the Pride take zero penalties, and every Pride player on the ice gets at least one point. It's an unprecidented amount of success, but the team stays humble. Who they face in the finals is unimportant since it's almost like the other team didn't show up anyway. And then, after their stunning victory, Leopold Lockhart retires at the top of his game (because in this reality he isn't a useless, sad excuse for a hockey player with a bunch of TPE and nothing to show for it). Wow, alternate realities are fun.
. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?
We'll call this new award the Leopold Flophart Trophy. Get it? Flophart instead of Lockhart because...oh nevermind. Anyway, this award is named after Leopold Lockhart who is the first player to take the award home in season 53. This award is given to the player who was expected to be a great Fantasy pick and then ended up flopping so hard that literally everyone traded him away except for the player's owner (and even that was out of laziness, not loyalty). This player must have over 1700 TPE at the start of the season, must be a highly picked fantasy player, and then must be swapped over and over and over again for a player with less TPE. As the season goes on, this player's performance should only get worse and worse, leading the owner of the player to long for the glories of the past when their player didn't suck so bad using STHS.
6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
Intermission entertainment usually involves the mascot of the home team, but this year, both team's mascots will get in on the fun. That's right, the visiting team's mascot is traveling with the team this year and the first intermission will feature a mascot battle. The Steelhawk's big weird bird will face off against the Blizzard's dog/deer whatever it is in a game of donut hockey were they'll take turns shooting donuts at each other, only the defending mascot has to stop the donut puck with their big mascot mouth. Second intermission will be your typical grab a few members of the crowd and dress them up in sumo suits and make them play a quick game of ball hocky while the mascots try their best to knock them over. High jinks ensue. And then for final intermission, whatever loser got booted off of the voice at some early point in the live shows last year will come out and sing their latest single! No will know who they are. Perfect opportunity for a bathroom break!
8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. for written option)
The arenas in Edmonton and Hamilton certainly don't need any gimmicks to get people into the stadium for the series, but the arenas want to make sure they're pulling out all the stops on the big stage. Help the concessions department of one of these two teams develop a new product, with marketing specifically pertaining to this finals series, to be sold at the arena during the finals. Describe the product and the marketing in 150 words or create a promotional poster showing the product, its name, the price, etc.
It's not the most original idea, in fact it's a complete Dairy Queen rip off and I wouldn't be surprised if they sue, but this year the Blizzard have decided create a Blue Line Blizzard, a delicious ice-cream treat chock full of Blizzard blue food coloring, marshmallows, little chocolate hockey pucks, and little blue sprinkles. The Blizzard's blizzard comes in a 16oz souvineer cup with a picture of the Blizzard's mascot on it and it costs a whopping $12. It's available at 3 of the concession stands located around the arena...you know the ones. The generic ones that serve gross domestic beer like bud light and food like nachos and popcorn and gross looking hotdogs for $8 a pop. The ad campaign promoting the treat is a big poster of the Blizzard's mascot holding one of the Blue Line Blizzards upside down. Not to fear, the concoction is thick enough that the ice cream stays put in the upside down cup! Come to think of it's that's a Dairy Queen rip off too...
13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
I'm pro snow! But then again, I live in Texas and have seen snow a grand total of four times in my whole life, so it's definitely a novelty for me. Usually when it snows here, a couple of inches might stick to the ground overnight so it's pretty to look at in the morning, but it all melts away by like 10am.
16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
05-07-2020, 06:29 PM(This post was last modified: 05-12-2020, 11:03 AM by hotdog.)
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2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With everyone getting a free redistribution this offseason, S54 is quite wide open at the moment. Before those redistributions take place, who would you anticipate being the top team(s) for next season?
I think we'll see a decent amount of consistency with this season, especially in terms of the very top and the very bottom. I expect NEW and HAM to make playoffs again, and I'd bet EDM and LAP are right there in the west as well. I do expect the disparity, especially in the east, to come down a bit. NEW and HAM's rosters are not severely regressing, but I do think some of the other teams will end up being a little bit more competitive, which will cut into the points for those conference leaders a touch as well. Manhattan and Buffalo still have solid rosters, and I'd expect the playoff picture to look roughly the same, with poor chicago left on the outside looking in once more. Tampa will likely be even worse, and Toronto could see some slight improvement but not enough to get them out of the bottom tier. I could see Texas, Minnesota, and Winnipeg being all closer together as well.
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5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?
Indeed, what a well-presented question. I feel like most people think the "dominant" nations in terms of roster size (i.e., United States and Canada) will be leading the charge in IIHF, and I'd have to agree with that prediction. While strength of roster wasn't always a determining factor in STHS, as we well know, the expectation is that it will be in this FHM-run IIHF, and thus the expectations of US and Canada to do well. It'll be especially interesting to see which of the teams in the next tier can make some noise, and that's difficult to assess without fully knowing what that tier is. I'd say Germany should be expected to perform quite well. GB is loaded on defense but not so much on offense, so they're a bit trickier to predict. Without looking at rosters, I feel like there are a few teams who could contend for a bottom-of-the-group spot, including Latvia, Russia, and Japan. Excited to see how it all plays out!
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6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
No bias here but I think the best form of intermission entertainment would be lubed up otter races. You set up a track going all the way around the perimeter of the ice; think like a makeshift bobsled track or something, inflatable or made out of plastic and lined with tarps or something. Next, the entire track gets lubed up so it's super slippery. Then you line up 4 otters (like how baseball stadiums do with mascot races) - you'd have to find some way to distinguish them so fans can pick an otter before the race and watch them slide to glory! Now that I think about it it may be difficult to get the otters to run in a circle, so we may need a floating rack with some fish on it; as long as that rack stays in front of the otters it can be their target, so you bring that rack around in a circle and make them follow it. Also in this world the otters have all consented so it's not animal cruelty and you give them extra fish at the end of the lap!
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
c. If we're going off this previous season, give me Flacko Lagerfield, Tony Pepperoni, and Julio Tokolosh at F, with Karlstrasse Scholtz and Brady McIntyre at D, and Hamilton Goalies in net. This isn't the best possible team in terms of fantasy points, but it successfully avoids having Gabe Johnson on the team, which has to be priority number one, and it has the added benefit of Tokolosh at the forward spot. What we lack in points we'll make up for in heart!
d. Absolutely not, it's terrible and it sucks, and people who like snow are LOSERS. I'm from boston so i've seen plenty of snow - if you've never really seen snow before, I totally get it, and you're allowed to like it. But if you've dealt with snow your whole life and you still claim to like it, that's a no-no imo. Warm is better than cold, dry is better than wet, warm and dry is better than cold and wet, and I don't know how you could argue otherwise.
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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.
Congrats, team, indeed! The blizzard put up more of a fight than I expected, but the Steelhawks were always gonna take this one home. I'd probably pick Kryyst as playoff MVP, if for no other reason than no single skater on Hamilton stood out in the playoffs in terms of on-ice production. Their team system worked pretty well, and though Lagerfield stood out in the regular season, the distribution of points in the finals was much more even. Kryyst was excellent in all three rounds, and I think he's got the strongest case for the Razov trophy. Best Cow On Ice award would probably have to go to Julio Tokolosh though, in my opinion.
05-07-2020, 07:39 PM(This post was last modified: 05-13-2020, 08:49 PM by BDonini.)
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4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
With new tools at our disposal in FHM, we may eventually see some new awards enter the fold. Create a suggestion for a new SHL award. What kind of achievement is the award given for? Who's the award named after? Who would've won the award this season?
For this one I'll go with a suggestion that I actually made myself before stepping down from the awards committee and that would be to keep the Dar the way it's been traditionally, as a power forward award, and add a new award to recognize defensive forwards. The reasoning is simple, with many new stats available in FHM it becomes easier to judge a player's defensive contributions and the award that's historically been more of a power forward award will end up being diluted as players who are good defensively but not necessarily power forwards will be able to be honoured with the Dar now, making it mean less for all the elite power forwards who've won the award in the past.
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6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
I decided to come up with two intermission entertainment ideas, one for each of the arenas in the finals. First we'll do Edmonton. So hear me out, ambush the stands with a huge blizzard of fake snow after the first period, then they get to spend the rest of the intermission digging themselves out so that they can watch the rest of the game. Sounds shitty and that's the point because it should actively reflect how shitty the city itself is. Meanwhile in Hamilton, the idea is to distribute laptops with FHM installed on them so that fans could spend the entire intermission having absolutely no life and doing whatever they can to make the league not enjoyable for everyone else. There's only 20 minutes but if you multiply 20 minutes times all those fans in attendance it should come out to the right number of hours to accomplish that.
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8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. for written option)
The arenas in Edmonton and Hamilton certainly don't need any gimmicks to get people into the stadium for the series, but the arenas want to make sure they're pulling out all the stops on the big stage. Help the concessions department of one of these two teams develop a new product, with marketing specifically pertaining to this finals series, to be sold at the arena during the finals. Describe the product and the marketing in 150 words or create a promotional poster showing the product, its name, the price, etc.
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13. Written, up to 4 TPE Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words to qualify.
a. Who is the best player in this CC finals? Plenty of good candidates: Lagerfield, Phelps, Kryyst, McIntry, Pepperoni, Scholz, etc. Who's your choice for best player and why?
b. Based on player ratings, EDM has the advantage in speed and acceleration and HAM has the advantage in balance and strength. Which team's physical skills will give them the edge in this series?
c. Assemble your ideal fantasy team out of players in this series - F, F, F, D, D, G. Explain your choices.
d. Blizzard... snow... ok debate time - do you like snow? yes or no? why or why not?
a. The answer here's gotta be Flacko Lagerfield easily, the veteran forward was one of the most elite players in the league in his prime and just when people thought his prime was over, he came back and dropped a 71 point season to lead the league in scoring showing that age doesn't matter much when you're truly an elite player.
b. Going to have to go with Hamilton for this one, speed and acceleration are important in today's game but they're not enough on their own and Hamilton have right mix of those those two along with strength and balance to make their players really difficult to knock off the puck, they're really strong in possession because of their physical stats and Edmonton's speed alone may not be enough if they can't figure out how to get Hamilton off the puck.
c.
F - Flacko Lagerfield
F - Tony Pepperoni
F - Aaron Wilson
D - Brady McIntyre
D - Karlstrasse Scholz
G - Hamilton Steelhawks
This forward group has the right mix of skill and physicality ensuring that my fantasy team gets the point production of top level players while also getting valuable points for hits, on defense we have two of the league's best and most well rounded defensemen with two blue liners who can get strong numbers across the board and in goal we have one of the best goalies in the league who plays for a team where he can stack up the wins.
d. Do i like snow? Snow is great for the holiday season, who doesn't love some snow around Christmas and New Years? After January 1st though snow just becomes annoying, long cold months of shovelling snow, digging out cars, reduced parking spots...it really becomes more and more of an annoyance the longer it stays and in Canada sometimes that can be well into March and even April, so yes I like snow but in Canada it gets extremely annoying.
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16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
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 S53 playoffs have unfolded differently. What happened in that reality's playoffs and who's in the Challenge Cup over there?
In another reality, everything is the same, meaning we are all still hockey players, except when New Orleans played some empty lines, the spot on the ice was just empty. Everyone was so confused that they just stood there because they couldn’t figure out why they were shorthanded. Had they not actually put enough guys on the bench? But then, out of nowhere, a savior appeared. Gritty skated in, taking his place in the empty slot on that line, and from there, it was really inevitable that New Orleans made it all the way to the final. Who could stand against the terror of Gritty? None had the courage. This meant that New Orleans made it to the final, although who can say what happens next. Perhaps in this final, Hamilton will thwart Gritty’s reign of terror by coming up with a secret weapon with which to fight him, and they might emerge victorious.
Quote:5. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Just like everything else in S53, IIHF is going to be an exciting mystery for us all! We've seen the introduction of a new format (all 14 teams in one group) and it's bound to be a very exciting tournament. What are your predictions for IIHF this season? What team or teams do you think have the best shot at taking home the gold? How do you think your team will fare?
It’s going to be Sweden all the way! Sweden has gotten stronger over the past few seasons, and even with the switch in sim engine, we have boosted our roster with a lot of new faces and have built up some really key roster depth. Sweden also has superstar Ola Wagstrom and a number of other very talented players from across the league, and I really think we’ve got a shot at going pretty far this year. We came so close last season, and even though we have a whole new sim engine to contend with this year I think we’re also an even stronger team than we were then. We’re also a really young team, so it will be interesting to see whether it all comes together this season or if it takes a little longer for everything to fall into place. Either way, I feel really good about how our national team is shaping up.
Quote:6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Come up with a program of intermission entertainment for one of the games of the finals. What's the between-period on-ice entertainment the fans will enjoy? The goofier the better, go crazy.
For one of the home games in Edmonton, there is going to be outrageous intermission entertainment for BOTH intermissions. At the first intermission, some amazing dogs are going to come out and they are going to have a little race in their little dog booties (so their little feet don’t get too cold). It’s not quite a sled race that the dogs are used to running in (which they love, and also they get a lot of treats afterward, so don’t worry, it’s not cruel or anything). At the second intermission, students from a local middle school are going to come out and perform scenes from their school production of Frozen and the hit sequel, Frozen 2. They will be singing all of the songs you don’t remember from the movies, like “Fixer Upper” and the Weezer version of “Lost In the Woods”. This will be accompanied by a lot of pyrotechnics, including a bunch of the parents of the students running around with sparklers shaped like snowflakes and trying not to fall on the ice.
Quote:7. Written/Graphic, 2 TPE (100 words min. for written option)
Even though the Panthers fell short this season, the LA influence has been felt around the league and execs in Hollywood are paying more attention to the SHL with the hometown team making waves. If your player could have a cameo in any tv show or movie, what show/movie would they choose? (for the purposes of this PT you may choose a show/movie that already exists just uhhh pretend they re-shoot it with your cameo or something idk).
Gunnar has actually already previously had a guest spot on the History Channel original show Vikings, and he would like to make another appearance on the show. It’s going to be hard, because his character was violently killed off in his guest spot before, but Vikings has a history of having characters make reappearances in flashbacks, so hopefully they will be able to work him back in somewhere somehow. Maybe he was more important than his ten second on-screen death implied previously, and everyone watching the show was fooled into thinking he was a meaningless extra. Or maybe he really was just a meaningless extra and they just shot some extra angles of the death that they can use now.
Quote:8. Written/Graphic, 3 TPE (150 words min. for written option)
The arenas in Edmonton and Hamilton certainly don't need any gimmicks to get people into the stadium for the series, but the arenas want to make sure they're pulling out all the stops on the big stage. Help the concessions department of one of these two teams develop a new product, with marketing specifically pertaining to this finals series, to be sold at the arena during the finals. Describe the product and the marketing in 150 words or create a promotional poster showing the product, its name, the price, etc.
After the wild success of the previously mentioned intermission show (the one with the dogs, not the one with the middle schoolers singing Frozen), the concessions stand will be selling a wide variety of dog-themed items (while also going above and beyond to make sure no one actually thinks any dogs were harmed in the making of the product). The most popular of these new concessions is the paw shaped popsicle, made of creamy delicious ice cream and dipped in your choice of outer shell - chocolate, caramel, or white chocolate. Once it is dipped in the shell, it is placed in a cute little sled-shaped paper bowl, and each person is given a little spoon with ears on the end because the popsicle always inevitably melts before you finish eating all of it. The spoon changes colors when it is exposed to cold things, so by the time you’re done with your popsicle, it will be half blue and half white and will display a hidden message “GO HOCKEYS." It will cost twenty-six Canadian dollars.
Quote:16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now 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.
turtlebabies
. : : .
Otrebor13 Graphic Graders
S11 Challenge Cup Champion
Posts:5,385 Threads: 184 Joined: Dec 2011 Reputation:54
Pronouns: Male
Player: Axel Kirby
I’m going to be a little biased here and say that these playoffs could have unfolded very differently. After a long and grueling series with the New Orleans Specters, the Panthers went in to a tough series with a very defensive minded Blizzard team. Could the fatigue have played a part in the outcome of the series? Who knows.
That being said, the Blizzard/Panthers series came down to a game of close bounces. What would have happened if the puck bounced a little different? 4 straight overtime games going in the way of the Blizzard, it was a bitter end to the season. In my reality, the puck bounces differently and the Panthers are off to the finals. I originally had New England coming out of the East, but having Hamilton is just as likely. In my reality, I’m only concerned with the Panthers and don’t really mind who comes out of the East, just give me a shot at that cup.
Task 2
With recent moves, I would have to say New England. I think New England has one of the best teams on paper, and they brought in a better goalie in Blue (while marginal, it is still an upgrade). Considering they were the best team this season, I don’t see much impact with redistribution (if it works, why fix it?). Overall I think redistribution will be used to fine tune some areas of people’s games, but I don’t think there will be anything too drastic which would completely alter the team make up. While it could happen, I would be very surprised if there was any significant changes to a team and their position in the standings strictly due to a player(s)’s redistribution of their TPE. Most teams are testing strategies and will surely have their say in what certain players should do with their builds to ensure bringing the most to production, both individually and as a team.
Task 3
I gotta go with my boy Aaron Wilson. Wilson has been at the top of the league in points for a few seasons now, and has always been a threat. His competitiveness and willingness to improve will make him a threat for many seasons. While it won’t be easy, I think he has the knowledge to make his player very good and have him eventually win a scoring title. He’s been top 5 in scoring for the past 2 seasons I believe, and he’s only a Season 47 draftee. With no regression yet, he’s going to continue to climb his way to the top of the scoring race.
Task 7
I’m not a big TV show watcher, but as someone who is really invested in The Last Dance, I’d say I would have a series revolving around my player. It would be pretty cool to have this kind of series on my ex player Roberto Martucci, in the same style of The Last Dance. Maybe follow the cup run and bringing a first cup to the Steelhawks organization, all the way to the eventual Hall of Fame induction. I think this would probably be a great series, and one I’d love to be a part of. Perfect way to tie it all together with the SHL 10 year anniversary this year.
Task 13
1. This is a bit of a tough one, because I think Tony Pepperoni is the best player in the Challenge Cup Finals. That being said, as someone who went up against the Blizzard in the Western Conference Finals, I think the player who will have the biggest impact will be Brady McIntyre. He’s so strong defensively and keeps his team in games on his own.
2. I’m gonna say Hamilton has the edge here. They are a tough team to play against and not easy to get the puck away from them, which makes them such a good team. I think speed and acceleration are a huge part, but playoff hockey goes the distance and is a grueling challenge, so I give the advantage to the strength and balance side.
3. F: Tony Pepperoni – Probably the player I would say is the best in the series and has been a top SHLer for many seasons
F: Flacko Lagerfield – The man who’s in the conversation to take home SHL MVP, as well as having a tremendous playoff run, there’s no way you can leave him off.
F: Aaron Wilson – Another top SHLer who has consistently improved and become a household name when discussing top SHL players
D: Brady McIntyre – I think he’ll have the biggest impact in this series. Dominant defensively and consistently puts his team on his back
D: Tig Murphy – Another top defenseman who has been a regular contributor at both end of the ice. He’d be the main puck mover and would bring balance on the ice
G: Jeezus Kryyst – He’s been dominant the past couple of seasons, and his playoff performance has been great.
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