6. Which team would your player root for in the finals and why? (117 words, +2 TPE)
Edouard Lavoie would root for his French teammate, Sydney Shaw, and therefore the San Francisco Pride. Lavoie is excited as he has a French teammate on the Tampa Bay Barracuda as well, but since Tampa Bay knocked Lavoie's team out of the playoffs he is still a bit upset and therefore supports the Pride a bit more. More than anything, he is excited to see some exciting hockey and learn as much as he can from the games. Unless he's playing, he always roots for long and drawn out series so that he can learn as much as possible from them, so ultimately he wants to see a long series with San Francisco coming out on top.
“I thought I was a goalie, but STA told me forget being a goalie they make nothing, and no one cares about them. Guess what I was a center all along and I had no idea. Now I am the toast of the town, and I am getting offers from all the GMs and Scouts.”
PBE Affiliate - 3 TPE (Use written parts of the CW please)
Prompt 6 - 2 TPE - 111 Words
I gotta say that Cadmael would be most likely rooting for the San Francisco Pride. Not for any reason other than that he would have placed a bet on them at some point and by doing so would gain monetary incentive for rooting for them. Aside from that, the Pride had the bigger chance and more recent playoff experience. It felt like a sure shot bet on them. Not to say that Tampa Bay didn't have a valid chance at the cup, it would just be an easier bet to place than against the Pride is all. I'm very excited at the prospect at the Pride finally having some tough competition.
02-02-2025, 06:38 PM(This post was last modified: 02-02-2025, 06:42 PM by juke. Edited 1 time in total.)
1. Verification word: tez
+3 TPE
3. If this were the NHL and the Stanley cup playoffs, I would definitely prefer Tampa Bay's model. It is said time and time again that depth scoring and getting contributions out of all 4 (3 in our case) lines is crucial to win a cup. However for the simulation hockey league. I think that I would prefer SFP's approach. At the end of the day, our game is basically just one big formula, so having a player that the formula "likes" and can put up 17 goals in 3 rounds seems unbeatable. I know that players can go on unsustainable hot streaks and come back to reality, but I think I prefer to star power aspect of SFP's production
119 words, +2 TPE
6. Hip Hurts would be a bit torn. On one hand, he thinks dynasties are pretty boring in sports and likes to see unique championship winners as much as possible. But on the other hand, there are a lot of players on SFP that Hurts knows from old family friends who played in the league a while ago, so I think that he would ultimately root for his friends to bring home another cup
73 words, +1 TPE
10. I think regular season still matters. Like the prompt said, this was the best regular season in a decade, that's not an accomplishment to write off. It's hard to win the cup, and if anything, this just gives ATL the confidence that they can be right back among the leaders next season too. I think it's also kind of cool that upsets like this are able to be had in our simulation.
72 words, +1 TPE
14. The finals are over and SFP wins another cup. Game 4 is easily the pivotal moment in this series. It was a goalie battle, with Soonika and Time putting up a .960 and .970. TBB was up 2-1 in the series at this point, and stealing this game to go up 3-1 would've changed the odds dramatically
57 words, + 1 TPE
The San Francisco Pride have the finals for two seasons in a row and have won several cups in the past five seasons. They have shown the SHL what the closest thing to a dynasty has been since some of the great teams during the 50s and 60s. The team is built upon a great core foundation of both forwards and defensemen that have come up together and continued to build chemistry through out the years. This is becoming a blue print for many other teams, by building through the draft the players will not only have the same window to win but to also develop outstanding chemistry and be great teammates. The only down side of this is that if many other teams try to follow the Pride, then the Pride will continue to win for the next few seasons as the other teams are very young while the Pride have established veterans that will continue to out play the younger teams based on skill and chemistry.
(168 words)
13). National Pipeline (2 TPE)
My player’s national team is the United States, which has the best talent of all the SHL nations. My player loves his country and representing them, however he has taken a bigger interest in making sure his SHL career is successful and has not made at much representation for his national team in recent years. As he begins to make a name for himself in the SHL, I believe there will be more national team appearances in his future. With the United States having so much talent, it has made it very competitive for my player to get consistent ice time with the national team and this is something that he wants to change going forward.
(116 words)
Task 5: If I had to pick another country for the finals to be held in, I’d mostly consider thematic appropriateness. There are many countries around the world that the SHL could benefit from playing in, both for awareness and to emphasize the partnership with the IIHF. For this championship series, though, I’d pick Kenya as the best country to play in. That may seem like an odd choice given the climate is counterproductive to hockey, to say the least, but the Pride comes from San Francisco which would similarly have more street hockey than ice rinks. Importantly though, both teams’ mascots can be found in Kenya. Lions are an obvious pick, but the climate which makes things difficult for ice hockey makes Kenyan waters perfect for Barracuda habitats. The conservation of lions would be an amazing effort towards which the SHL could use some of the profits from the championship game as well, considering the Pride’s consistent appearances in the championship finals. (161 words, 3 TPE)
Task 6: James Howlett at this point is rooting for the San Francisco Pride all the way. After having the Calgary Dragons be defeated in the postseason twice by them, the Pride need to keep winning. They need to stay on top of their game so that when the Dragons come for the crown and finally defeat them, it’s all the more impressive. It gives him and his team a goal to work towards, and keeps some of their pride intact to boot. After all, everyone lost to the champs. Doesn’t mean you’re worse for it. If Tampa Bay won, that means the Pride were losing their touch and the Dragons still lost. (111 words, 2 TPE)
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.
reach
Code:
Code:
Written, 50 to 200+ words each. Short Prompts
7. Who you got? Who wins the Challenge Cup or Four Star Cup? Why?
From the start of the season, San Francisco has been the favorite with an absolutely stacked lineup and there's no reason to think that won't continue. Their roster is one of the best of all time and they have lived up to their lofty expectations. Anything less than a cup would be a disappointment for this team and I expect them to pull through with a victory. (69 words, +1 TPE)
Code:
8. Written, 50 to 200+ words. Dynasty in the Making
San Francisco has made the finals for two seasons in a row now and has won the cup twice in the last 5 seasons with a chance to make it 3. What has made San Francisco so successful? Is it immaculate drafting? Coaching? Hard work from each of their players? All of the above? Should teams learn from SFP and emulate what they’ve done to get their time in the limelight?
San Francisco has assembled an incredible team and of course their success over the past few seasons is something every franchise should strive to achieve. A look over their roster before the season should have made it very clear that they are the prohibitive favorites with an absolutely stacked team. Of course having the best team on paper doesn't always equate to championships, so it is equally impressive that they were able to actually deliver by making it to the finals (and ultimately prevailing). Building a team this strong can't really be done by just doing one thing right, it has been a multitude of things that have led to this juggernaut roster. Obviously excellent drafting plays a big role, but trades and free agent signings have also helped assemble this team. There certainly does tend to be a high level of loyalty to the SHL though, so drafting well is probably the most important factor. The Pride put together several great draft classes around the S68-S72 area and the fruits of those picks blossomed into a lineup that now features third liners that would be first liners on other teams. San Francisco has had some seasons where they aren't clear cut favorites and are amongst the strong teams but perhaps not the strongest, but the best testament to their dynasty building is that they have consistently fielded top 3 teams on paper over multiple seasons while their rivals just haven't been able to match their longevity. (252 words +4 TPE)
02-02-2025, 07:47 PM(This post was last modified: 02-02-2025, 07:47 PM by Ferda.)
Quote:10. Written, 50 to 200+ words. The Unexpected
Toronto ended up making it into the playoffs by one point while Atlanta had the best regular season since S71 Winnipeg. Yet in the playoffs Atlanta ended up losing the second round, while Toronto made it to the conference finals. Does regular season success matter in the long run if the team fumbles in the playoffs? Should teams give much importance to the regular season or focus all of their energy to playoffs once their team has secured a spot? Should the league in general regard the regular season results more highly?
Regular season success is great and all, but at the end of the day, if you don’t show up in the playoffs, what does it really mean? Atlanta had an incredible regular season, one of the best since S71 Winnipeg, yet all anyone is going to remember is how they got bounced in the second round. Meanwhile, Toronto barely squeaked into the playoffs, but they caught fire at the right time and made it to the conference finals. That’s the nature of playoff hockey—momentum, timing, and sometimes just pure luck matter way more than regular-season dominance. That being said, the regular season isn’t meaningless. It sets the tone for the team, builds chemistry, and gives players a chance to refine their game before the real grind begins. Securing a high seed should, in theory, give teams an advantage, but when you run into a hot goalie or a team that suddenly finds their stride, none of that matters. Should teams focus less on the regular season once they’ve locked up a spot? Maybe. Managing rest and making sure the team is peaking at the right time is arguably more important than burning out trying to get the President’s Trophy. As for the league itself, regular-season dominance deserves some recognition. Maybe there should be a more prestigious award for the best regular-season team, similar to how European football leagues work. But as long as the playoffs exist in this format, the regular season will always take a backseat to the madness of elimination hockey.
Quote:12. Written, 50 to 200+ words. IIHF Back To Back
IIHF tournament is so short that every point is very important for the seeding for the playoffs. On top of that the playoffs are best of one making upsets more likely than during the league playoffs. Despite all that Canada did win the last two IIHF tournaments. Latvia, Switzerland and Czechia made up the rest of the top 4 for last season. Which of the last season’s top 4 teams you think is most likely to make it to the medal games this season and which is most likely to miss? Why?
Winning back-to-back IIHF tournaments is no small feat, and Team Canada knows just how much every point matters in a short, high-stakes tournament. With the best-of-one playoff format, upsets happen all the time, but Canada has managed to rise above the chaos to claim gold twice in a row. Heading into this season, though, things won’t get any easier. Of the teams that made the top four last season, Latvia stands out as the biggest threat to return to the medal rounds. They’ve been building a strong program, with disciplined defensive play and goaltending that can steal games. If their top players stay hot and they avoid early mistakes, they could easily find themselves competing for a medal again. On the other hand, Switzerland might be the most likely to miss out. While they had a great run last season, their depth isn’t as strong as some of the other teams in the tournament. If their key players don’t deliver or if they run into an early upset, they could struggle to keep up with teams like Czechia or even an improved USA or Sweden squad. That said, anything can happen in a best-of-one format. A single bad bounce, a goalie standing on their head, or a power play clicking at the right time can change everything. Canada will have to stay sharp if they want to go for the three-peat.
9. I think the first sentence of this prompt somewhat answers the question. Depending on how you look at the MVP, obviously a lot of people think of it as best player in the whole league, but I tend to look at it more as the literal "most valuable". What team would be a lot worse without their best player? Not intended to throw shade at TBB, but as mentioned they don't have a huge amount of superstars or high TPE players, so when one player stands out it's a lot more obvious. That one player will appear to be carrying the entire team. In that way, they are the most valuable. (111 words - 2 TPE)
11. Obviously as a Buffalo player, it certainly seems like we got bitten by this, losing in the first round after finishing fourth. Something to take into consideration is that Buffalo made a run at the end of the season that took them from 11th in the standings to 4th, so a part of it probably had to do with momentum and luck that didn't carry over into the playoffs. However, in the end, it doesn't matter. To be the best you have to beat the best. You have to play the team in front of you no matter who that is. A little unlucky, but at the end of the day we didn't take care of business. (117 words - 2 TPE)
6. After being eliminated from the playoffs, my player would be rooting for Tampa Bay. The two main reasons would be to bring the trophy to the Eastern Conference, even if it's not with my own team, and to deny San Francisco the three-peat. Nothing against San Fran but I tend to pull for the underdog and clearly San Fran would be the "favorite". (63 words - 1 TPE).
8 TPE total.
Member of Team Prospects North America - S51 WJC, Team Captain
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: banana
+3 TPE
Code:
9. Written, 50 to 200+ words. Rising Stars
The Tampa Bay Barracuda have never been the top team in terms of average TPE. Yet over the years, we’ve seen many Tampa Bay players perform at MVP levels. From Max Carnage a few seasons ago to Johnny Wagner-Svenson and Jølngüštrâädüvich DuBølk the few seasons before that, TBB definitely is doing something right with their players. How does Tampa Bay bring out the best of their players nearly consistently? Do they do something different than the other teams? Is it just a bit of luck compared to other top teams? Or is there something about the builds of Tampa Bay players that makes them excel better than most?
It definitely is not luck - as science teaches us, when things happen consistently over repeated events, there is no way it is possible for random variance to work like that. Same thing applies in sports - when a team or player is consistently good, there is definitely luck involved. Tampa Bay is just filled with terrific in game coaches and player development coaches behind the scenes. It is why Zedward was itching to play there. Most importantly, they have the right atmosphere and mentality to bring the most out of people. Johnny Wagner-Svenson is a great example of just being the perfect for the team at this time.
100 words
+2 TPE
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10. Written, 50 to 200+ words. The Unexpected
Toronto ended up making it into the playoffs by one point while Atlanta had the best regular season since S71 Winnipeg. Yet in the playoffs Atlanta ended up losing the second round, while Toronto made it to the conference finals. Does regular season success matter in the long run if the team fumbles in the playoffs? Should teams give much importance to the regular season or focus all of their energy to playoffs once their team has secured a spot? Should the league in general regard the regular season results more highly?
Regular season success is important, as it does tend to give teams more confidence in the playoffs. However, I do think teams should not try to peak too early, which sadly appeared to be the case in Atlanta. Meanwhile, Toronto knew to ride their hot form when it mattered, and were able to be quite successful in game management in the playoffs. In general, I would not say the league should give more merit to the regular season, but it is still an achievement in its own right to win the Presidents Trophy, or in general to have a high standing.
100 words
+2 TPE
Code:
11. Written, 50 to 200+ words. Did We Really Win
This seasons we saw something unusual as both conferences featuring a division where winner got arguably harder matchup than the second place team as the wild card from the other division finished with more points than the third place team in their division. How does it make you feel about the playoffs structure? Was it actually even worse for New Orleans and Buffalo to have won their division? Or does it really matter as if you are reaching for the cup likely should be prepared to face any team anyway? How much do you think it benefited Los Angeles and Philadelphia to face opponents out of their own division during first round?
While maybe yes it gave them a better percentage chance in the playoffs, I always say NO - it is not worse to win your division. If a team tries to purposely tank near the end of the regular season just to aim for a certain first round matchup, it shows weakness in mentality. The best teams always want to, and believe, that they can beat any other team.
2. Honestly, I truly believe that the Tampa Bay Barracuda way of spreading the love throughout their team is going to be a lot better than San Fransico Pride’s way of keeping it through one guy scoring with Logan Webb compared to the Tampa Bay Barracuda way of spreading the love. The Spreading the Love is easily going to be much better, because if you double team Logan Webb, in theory (I know it is kind of hard to do that because of the sim), but either which way, you mark Webb with some great defenders etc. it’s going to be hard for the Pride to continue to score when no one else has really stepped up. Tampa Bay has many players that can score and it is harder to shut down the whole team compared to just trying to shut down one guy. So, I think that the Tampa Bay Barracuda have the edge there with being able to spread the puck around.
7. (108 words -> +2 TPE):
I think San Fransisco will win the Challenger Cup because they are a dynasty. In fact, won a three-peak is challenging and really good to have as an accomplishment for a player. I know that is the second time in three seasons that Tampa Bay and San Francisco will face off but I think the Pride will strike again as champions. Even if Tampa Bay wants to seek revenge of s78’s loss, I think San Francisco will still be the better team in the finals with the best chemistry, the best goalies and the best players in TPE. So that’s my take of who wins the Challenge Cup.
2. (75 words -> +1 TPE):
I think Shaw is like a gem in their powerplay line on the playoff run. In fact, pretty much rare that a defenceman scores a lot of goals there but they are just a secret recipe for a success for Shaw. Indeed, they kind of switch the lines to make the defenceman as a ‘’ghost’’ to the opposition team. Like nobody saw a shot from Shaw coming that made the big entertainment for the league.
8. (107 words -> +2 TPE):
San Francisco has the best chemistry and players on the line. In fact, they won’t stop until they will win big as a dynasty with at least 3 championships. They had the greatest players in playoffs for now. I think, in my opinion, it won’t be the last team to get a dynasty. In fact, they are getting a lot of good features that the other SHL teams will try to copy them to create a new dynasty with their own players that they drafted and traded to earn this precious fruit. It’s fun to watch a dynasty like this flourish some new dynasties in the future!
Total: +8 TPE
Total | 262 GP | 98 G | 160 A | 258 PTS S78 | 6 GP | 2 G | 3 A | 5 PTSS79 | 21 GP | 11 G | 11 A | 22 PTSTotal | 0 GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 PTS ----------------------------------------------------------------- GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 PTS GP | 0 G | 0 A | 0 PTS
Prompt 3: 216 Words +4 TPE
I think that the strategy of having one super star score as many goals as possible while having all the other players on the team just feeding them assists is kind of akin to McDavid on the Oilers… which clearly has not paid off, yet at least. It is always important to have a supporting cast who can help score goals as well. One player can not just be out there the entire sixty minutes of ice time, or else they would end up getting injured or collapsing from exhaustion anyway. I know this is not the NHL and FHM can just randomly pick people to be good and people to be not good, and I have zero experience with FHM outside of a few editions ago, but I would much rather personally have a large team of goal scorers versus a team where one player has a ton of goals while all the other players just give them the puck. The more you can share the wealth, the better off the team will be. Especially if the other team knows your entire line up is a threat, instead of just the one line with the person who scores all the goals. When that line isn’t out there, the opposition would know they ain’t gonna score.
Prompt 4: 64 words +1 TPE
I am not a fan of the advanced analytics. I know they have their place in sports and call me a boomer, but I couldn’t care less about a players “farts ripped per day above expected” or whatever the stat is. All I ever hear is “man his analytics are good but he’s getting tore up out there”. I much prefer the eye test.
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S68 - Jarrod Lakemore - C 
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