07-22-2024, 08:32 PM(This post was last modified: 07-28-2024, 10:31 PM by enigmatic. Edited 1 time in total.)
1. Verification Word (3)
9. (1)
Montréal has been in a rebuild for a while now and all their first overalls and their early picks will hopefully soon start to blossom. The next couple seasons will be critical for them and I think it will soon be a matter of winning it all or losing all their players and having to start again. I guess Toronto and Tampa are ahead of them but it has to get better for the Patriotes soon, right?
12. (4)
With how the "preseason" has been going, it seems we can expect some big surprises in this season's tournament. Latvia hasn't been a powerful nation for quite some time now and have the best record of every team with 6 wins and only one loss. They had some really convincing wins, notably against Canada, who's always considered a powerhouse in the IIHF. Canada isn't the only nation who's had a disappointing start to their tournament; we got used to seeing the United States and Finland high in the rankings and now they sit comfortably in the middle of the pack. It's not catastrophic by any means and, again, it's only preseason, but it's surprising to see those teams below the likes of Latvia. The USA have been on the struggle bus for a few seasons now it's true but they always have great rosters so it's always a surprise to see them underperform like that.
As far as France is concerned, I guess I don't have much expectation. We acquired a lot of young talent but it will take time for us to be in our prime and I'm not sure this season will be it. We're third to last in the preseason but last time, we did great and still didn't win any medals so maybe starting off weak is the secret for us to do better when it counts.
07-22-2024, 08:54 PM(This post was last modified: 07-22-2024, 10:44 PM by bjkman. Edited 6 times in total.)
1. CW Trivia = 3 TPE
Bosh
14. Looks like New England won Season 77! Who won and why? What could the other team have done differently to change the result? What was your favorite part of the series? = 1 TPE
In game 7, the New England Wolfpack came out on top over the Texas Renegades who were looking to be back on top after 15 seasons. New England proved themselves as the dynasty of the decade after winning their 3rd championship over 7 seasons. Texas was winning the series 3-1, but after losing 3 straight; the championship was awarded to the Wolfpack; it took the Wolfpack 7 games to make it to the championship series when they took down Buffalo. IT would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Buffalo had faced off against Texas instead.
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3. Ivan Lacksamus is once again leading his team in points and has already tied Aaron Wilson’s record for career playoffs points at 242. While they are not the only one in New England to be producing points, do you think Texas should worry about Lacksamus who seems completely unaffected by their age? = 1 TPE
Ivan Lacksamus is the reason that New England has been the powerhouse champion it has been over the last decade or so of the SHL, when you have someone who is destined to pass a record for career playoff points they should always be a danger to the other team, he's been one of the best players in the league for a while, and while that record will be his; the rest of the team certainly helped them make it to the championship series and everyone can be a threat.
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4. Hodor and Seamus O'Slapahan have both been important parts of their teams offensive but they also have a noticeable lead in blocked shots in the playoffs. We know that one goal can change the game so each block is one puck on goal less to worry about, but can one person do it all or should the rest of their teams follow their example and start focusing more on blocking shots? = 1 TPE
When you have two players that are far and above the rest of their team in a specific stat, it's almost unnecessary for the rest of the team to even focus on that part of the game; while you always want the team to be great at all facets of the game, it never hurts to have someone who is better than the rest of the team at something. This allows to rest of the team to work on other game mechanics.
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5. Olof Karsikko stands miles ahead of the league these playoffs in goals saved above average at 19.76 while Anthony Dionne is actually in the negatives at -0.90. Do you think Texas is at a major goalie disadvantage? Why or why not? = 1 TPE
When you look directly at goals saved above average stat line, then absolutely Texas is at a disadvantage; but that isn't the only stat you should look at; for example, Dionne has allowed fewer goals over the playoffs and has faced far fewer shots and played fewer games, this means they could be less tired than Karosikko
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6. This time it is not one on one. Who will win in a fight between a group of renegades or pack of wolves? How does the fight go? = 1 TPE
If you've seen the movie "The Grey", you know how dangerous a pack of wolves can be. Even if you get away for a while, they will always keep chasing you; the only thing that can turn the tides is if you take down the alpha of the pack early. Sorry, but the wolves have got this battle easy.
5. Karsikko has been playing lights out all season, and Dionne has been quite average. The playoffs has seen this trend continue. I do think NE has a big advantage between the pipes, and could be a big reason they have a chance at winning the series. Goalie difference can be a thing for a reason, many teams can ride a hot goalie to a trophy, and New England can do that this year. 73 words
8. I can never really understand how New England keeps making their way into the finals. They seem to be a team that just needs to make the playoffs, then they have this extra gear that just propels them to exceed expectations. Texas is the new kid on the block. They have been steadily improving over the last few seasons and this seems like the culmination of some hard work and improved play. Saying all that, experience seems to matter a little too much come playoffs, and New England has that by a mile. Together with Texas being my division rival, there is no way I am picking them to win. New England takes it! 114 words
11. I am pretty sure I peaked about 3 seasons ago. Won the BOJO, made the all star game, just a great season. Since then I have gained TPE and experience, but somehow I am just not putting up the numbers I was in that magical season. I think part of the reason is that the team around me is all getting better as well, which is great! This just means I have less personal glory as my entire team is sharing in that glory. This is fine by me. Regression is not hitting that hard yet, and who knows, maybe lowering my TPE will bring back my former award winning capabilities. 111 words
3. Ivan Lacksamus is once again leading his team in points and has already tied Aaron Wilson’s record for career playoffs points at 242. While they are not the only one in New England to be producing points, do you think Texas should worry about Lacksamus who seems completely unaffected by their age?
There's a saying, "legends never die" and that seems to be true for Ivan Lacksamus. If he really is true that coming into this series that Lacksamus is tied with Aaron Wilson's record then you really have to be concerned about him. We are talking about a player that has won several Cups already and now has a chance to break a points record on top of winning another Cup. Yeah I think Texas needs to monitor him very carefully.
6. This time it is not one on one. Who will win in a fight between a group of renegades or pack of wolves? How does the fight go?
Even though I've been part of a wolfpack before, I think the clear answer is the renegades. The wolves have an edge in speed and agility but the renegades probably have the edge in strength. Plus at the end of the day we all know the renegades are going to have their firearms on them and that they are not going to fight honorably.
Rest In Peace Dangel
1st SHL Goal - S52 Game 1 vs Tampa 3. New England Wolfpack , Jakub Bruchevski 1 (Eko Van Otter 1, Delver Fudgeson 2) at 8:10
Whikadoodle Registered
S23, S45 Challenge Cup Champion
8. Written, 50 to 200+ words. New Challenger Arises
New England has been one of the top teams in the league for all of the 70s, winning two cups during their four finals appearances. While Texas has not had finals appearance since they won the Cup in S62. Based on regular season standings you could think that Texas comes in with the advantage but last time New England went to the finals after they finished regular season at 9th they won the cup and in general they have lot more experience from the finals. Do you think that New England can take advantage of their experience or is this just another series with clean slate for both teams? Who you got? Who wins the Challenge Cup? Why?
If I know anything about this sport and this league, the most important thing that you can have in the SHL finals is experience. Have you been here before? What was it like? Are you prepared? Do you know what it takes to win it all? Talent can get you far, sure. But do you have any winners on your squad? Do you know the physical toll it takes on each and every individual player in that locker room to be the last team standing and to hoist that beautiful challenge cup trophy? There's a reason we engrave the names of our champions on it, because they had to sweat and bleed for the privilege. Experience tells us what we need to do to be able to accomplish our wildest dreams. New England has playoff experience in spades. They have always been relevant in recent years. They have pushed for greatness despite the odds. Would you really discount the team that's been here before? In my opinion, this league is theirs until proven otherwise. Sure, Texas is talented and sceappy. But I'll put my chips on the blue chip horse each and every time. If I know anything about this sport and this league, the most important thing that you can have in the SHL finals is experience. Have you been here before? What was it like? Are you prepared? Do you know what it takes to win it all? Talent can get you far, sure. But do you have any winners on your squad? Do you know the physical toll it takes on each and every individual player in that locker room to be the last team standing and to hoist that beautiful challenge cup trophy? There's a reason we engrave the names of our champions on it, because they had to sweat and bleed for the privilege. Experience tells us what we need to do to be able to accomplish our wildest dreams. New England has playoff experience in spades. They have always been relevant in recent years. They have pushed for greatness despite the odds. Would you really discount the team that's been here before? In my opinion, this league is theirs until proven otherwise. Sure, Texas is talented and sceappy. But I'll put my chips on the blue chip horse each and every time.
(205 words, 4 TPE)
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13. Written, 50 to 200+ words. National Rivalry
Which team do you see as your main rival in either IIHF or WJC? Maybe it is the closest neighboring country or someone who you have met in the playoffs countless times? Or maybe your team got split for WJC and you now have eternal hatred for the other team or the other way around, did your teams get merged and you want to show to your old partners in IIHF why they were bringing you down? Do you think that most of your team agrees with your pick or is it for more personal reasons?
Sweden, being the nation that has accomplished so much success on the national stage, surely has a lot of haters. Federations that wish they had as stacked of a trophy case as we do. Nations who wish they were as athleticly gifted as our players. And teams who wish they had the camaraderie and poise of the Swedes. Sure I could go on about all these teams who despite us. But as a true Swede, there's only one federation that gets my blood boiling, and that's the Fins. Boy do I hate the Fins. Sure, many folks don't see the difference between our cultures and our people. But we couldn't be more different! When they zig, we zag! We say sardine, and they say it like sardine! We are so different.
Or are we? Maybe my hatred of this team comes from the fact that we are in fact very similar. They understand the long days and long nights of scandanavia. They gave viking blood just like we do. Maybe I am just jealous when they win - if they can win, why can't we? I am so sorry for this frivolous rivalry my friends. My neighbors. I have decided that now we are no longer rivals but best friends. Let us eat and drink and play hockey and show all of those other Federations that they cannot match what the Swedes and Fins bring to the table.
(237 words, 4 TPE)
karlssens Registered
S28, S45, S49 Challenge Cup Champion
Posts:4,027 Threads: 182 Joined: May 2015 Reputation:73
Discord: karl#3942
Pronouns: He/Him
Player: Oskar Scholz
1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
verification word = karl [3 TPE]
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9. Written, 50 to 200+ words. One Step Closer
After long last Minnesota managed to make their way to second round, but were not able to push further just yet. Since switching to FHM we have had multiple teams that have won the cup but there are still quite few teams that haven't been able to make it all the way. Baltimore, Calgary, Manhattan, Minnesota, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Toronto have not won the Challenge Cup during the FHM era, some have been close, but which one you think will be the next one to win and why do you pick them over the others?
Glad this prompt dropped this season. San Francisco just won it's first cup in it's existence and would've certainly been on this list, but thankfully we vanquished the beast last season and can breathe a sigh of relief. As for the names still remaining I would've said Baltimore right off the hop seeing as they just won the president's trophy recently and were in the finals against us just 2 playoffs ago, but they regressed in season 77 and finished behind several of the other names on this list. I still would have them as my most likely choice in spite of the step backwards, but I think Minnesota has proven this season they can compete and I could see them hoisting the cup in the near future as well. Montreal, Manhattan and Calgary still appear to be in the early to mid stages of their respective rebuilds so it could be some time still until we see them compete, but that's the cycle of things in the SHL and they could certainly make a splash before some of the other names here. [183 words - 3 TPE]
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11. Written, 50 to 200+ words. One Season Closer to Retirement
One season behind all of us. How did your player perform compared to your expectations? What do you expect from next season? Are you being hit by regression so hard that anything close to this season's performance would be a win in your books? Or maybe you are reaching your peak, in either of the leagues and hope to compete for some awards?
After an absolutely unreal performance in season 76 Oskar came back down to earth in season 77. The challenge cup winner, 1st team all star and Richan trophy winner was a top 3 fantasy selection going in to season 77 and while he wasn't bad by any stretch he definitely failed to meet the lofty expectations. Finishing just shy of 100 points he was sufficiently productive and he managed to once again set a new personal best in hit totals which is another aspect of his game he likes to focus on, but he didn't meet his expectations in terms of defensive metrics, specifically turnovers. When Oskar entered the league he had dreams of being a strong two way forward and in the discussion for the Dar each year, but so far he has yet to make any noise in that discussion. Season 78 will be Oskar's first taste of regression as he now enters the back nine of his career. Will season 76 be his peak, or does Oskar have another level hidden away? [175 words - 3 TPE]
Roquefort Cotswold puts another notch in his belt. With his sophomore season done with, it is time to reflect on the past. In S77 Roquefort followed up on his respectable S77 season with a near identical performance. Despite some minor improvements to his personal attributes (and a year of experience) his stats mostly stayed the same. This was likely due to his advancement within the Detroit Falcons lines, playing against much better offensive competition. With reasonable stats across the board, Roque once again proved himself to be a well rounded defenseman. He may not stand out in any particular stat box, but he sure stands out in our hearts. He now looks forward to the next season, finally able to uncap his hoarde of banked TPE. With these new upgrades he looks to elevate his game to the next level, hopefully being one of the reasons the Falcons will win another trophy. Clearly top of the class by experience, Roquefort has solidified himself as one of the premier defenders of the juniors. He greatly looks forward to the upcoming seasons and the prospect of eventually moving up into the big leagues. It would be great to finally compete for some awards, but either way Roquefort is happy to be where he is at. Skree.
15. Graphic, 3 TPE, Together Forever
Create an image that shows at least 4 members of either finalist celebrating with the Challenge Cup.
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16. Graphic, 3 TPE, Other Side Of The Coin
Some of the championship merch needs to be ready when the last game of the finals end and thus there is often merch for the losing team too that
needs to vanish. Create an image that shows at least three people wearing championship clothing of the losing teams from past 5 or so seasons.
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18. Graphic, 3 TPE - The Procrastinator Special!
Congratulations, graphics-master procrastinator! Much like the written-word-loving procrastinator, you too have a special task! Create a
post-series splash screen detailing the outcome of the series, or highlighting the player that you think should be playoff MVP. Include at least
3 stats!
07-23-2024, 10:09 PM(This post was last modified: 07-23-2024, 10:15 PM by Lime. Edited 2 times in total.)
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1. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1.5 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.
lime
Code:
9. Written, 50 to 200+ words. One Step Closer
After long last Minnesota managed to make their way to second round, but were not able to push further just yet. Since switching to FHM we have had multiple teams that have won the cup but there are still quite few teams that haven't been able to make it all the way. Baltimore, Calgary, Manhattan, Minnesota, Montreal, Tampa Bay and Toronto have not won the Challenge Cup during the FHM era, some have been close, but which one you think will be the next one to win and why do you pick them over the others?
I feel like looking at the standings that Minnesota would be the choice with how far they have climbed up to 6, but that franchise is cursed so I can't say it's gonna be them. Another team that has been steadily climbing the standings coming out of a rebuild and that I've personally played for is Toronto. I think they have good management and they will be with the big dogs soon making some cup runs.
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11. Written, 50 to 200+ words. One Season Closer to Retirement
One season behind all of us. How did your player perform compared to your expectations? What do you expect from next season? Are you being hit by regression so hard that anything close to this season's performance would be a win in your books? Or maybe you are reaching your peak, in either of the leagues and hope to compete for some awards?
Steve Harrington actually ended up doing ok this season. There was a really rough start, but he ended up with 43 points, 21 of which were goals. My goal is to hit 40 points every season to keep on pace for taking the points record in about more seasons. It's getting harder and harder to justify the old man sticking around and if he drop below that threshold it might strain the reasonability of said goal. The good thing is that regression can't push me back much further than I already am if I keep steadily earning and it seems like there's always at least one team with an open spot so as long as those points keep coming it should be fine. My secondary goal is to hit 1000 assists which may be possible, but not if a lot of my points are goals. So I almost kinda want more assists than goals? I could eclipse 600 goals but I think there's very real competition that is going to beat me to it. So let's say I generously hope for a solid 45 point season that is like 15/30 goals assists. And maybe a Jeff Dar nomination? Haha nah I'm just kidding. Unless?
6 TPE From Written, 2 from Trivia (Lee-way if I have an answer wrong)
1. CW TRIVIA - 3 TPE
Verification Word: zeigz
2. Lasse Zeigler and Nathan Cormier each come into these finals tied for the most assists in these playoffs at 21. Who do you think will have more impact as a playmaker in this series?
This is one of the most biased opinions you will probably see in this Championship week (Probably other than Nathan Cormier himself) but Lasse Zeigler is the supreme playmaker. He is one of the best passers in this league that can put the puck in the perfect place at the perfect time to benefit everybody working with him on his team, but also to counteract the opposing players. Picking out the nooks and crannies of his game to the deepest level, you can see how ever pass he makes is with superb precision, and can fool everyone where he will be putting the puck, even his team mates sometimes. Some say that he has always had this talent, dating back to his SMJHL Four Star Cup years, but in Minnesota he never had the opportunity to break out. Since he has come to Texas, playing alongside star players like Marton Deihm and Chris Valentine, he has really been able to break out from his 'Rookie Shell' and has made a notice in the league as he almost cracked 100 points this past season, let alone being a top point scorer in the playoffs this season. It is too early in his career to speculate now, but he looks to have a prosperous career that could bring him tons of fame.
(220 Words) - 4 TPE
5. Olof Karsikko stands miles ahead of the league these playoffs in goals saved above average at 19.76 while Anthony Dionne is actually in the negatives at -0.90. Do you think Texas is at a major goalie disadvantage? Why or why not?
It is odd, as you look at Anthony Dionne who has over 1800 TPE, plays very underwhelming for his TPE around a good team, while New England has Olof, and there isn't much else to say. Just over 700 TPE, he still is one of the best goalies around for some odd reason... FHM just must love him. But overall, no. With how hot Olof has been in the playoffs now and seasons past, he plays like a 2k goaltender, and it will be a very even goalie match if Anthony Dionne plays up to his potential, putting them on the same level.
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