03-27-2021, 07:12 PM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 04:14 PM by Toivo.)
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
Immune to penalties offsides, and icing is a bit more overpowered compared to 6 skaters on the ice at a time. A 6-to-5-man advantage is good, but it is not game breaking, teams are able to defend against that all the time. However, teams do not have experience with playing against teams with total immunity. The team with immunity could do whatever they want. A breakout happens? Trip the guy. Run into the goalie and not worry about goalie interreference. This would break the game and give the team with home ice advantage the guaranteed series win. Not sure if the non-immune team would be able to play a whole series after all the brutal hits and head targeting.
6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?
Switzerland is going to have a good tournament this off-season. I have been calling for the Swiss to win it all for a the past few seasons, but I think they are now primed for sure. They have immense talent and have matured into a strong team with deadly offense and well rounded throughout the lines and pairings. It will be a battle, but this tournament will put Switzerland on the map of the international hockey community. It will be interesting to see what aging forward Anthony Archer is capable of. This could be one of his final IIHF tournaments and so he might have something to prove so that the IIHF community remembers him. What better way to be remembered than by contributing to a tournament championship. It will be great for the country if we can win the championship since it will motivate young Swiss to stick with hockey instead of venturing off to other sports. Bet on the Swiss and you will be good this off-season.
12. 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.
a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this?
Hamilton will have home ice advantage. Buffalo will need to win a game on the road to win the series. If they can do this in one of the first games they play in Hamilton, it will be good news for them. Winning on the road will be more important for Buffalo than Hamilton. The sooner they do, the better. Cutting the series down from best of 7 to best of 5 and then best of 3 is ideal. (80 words) c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
I like Hamilton’s branding better. I think Buffalo Stampede is a fine name, but I do not like the logo. I like some of the logos that try to give the illusion of being 3d. The Steelhawks does this a bit by having the hawk over the shield. I’d say they are pretty equal in terms of location due to their proximity. (62 words)
15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645
16. Written, 3 TPE
I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit.
Jepox and Eggy are the two users I still frequently talk to that go back 4+ years now. Jepox gets the nod here because he's active and we record podcasts together. They may be crappy podcasts, but they are fun to make.
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
The fact that Head office continue to let the playoff format play out like it does. The new sim engine has really killed a lot of the randomness hockey can bring and here we are again with 3 of the 4 final teams being great lake teams and the Steelhawks in the Finals AGAIN for like what? The 6th season in a row? Bash STHS all you want, but at least there was a little intrigue now and again. I’m still surprised that this is allowed to happen and they can’t figure out a better structure or work around to make the playoff system better/ more robust than it currently is structured as. I feel like Divisions need to just be consolidated into teams of 8 if it would help the sim structure the playoffs better, or just do a flat 16 team playoffs. Not only would it keep the entire sit engaged more, but maybe we see a bit more craziness than the mundane samey stuff we keep seeing every season. (172 words)
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
Easily the 6 skaters on the ice at all times. You could essentially play more soccer like strategies for offense and defense making options for the team more robust. Plus if recent events of the NHL are any indication, the refs will just game manage anyways and deem it ‘unfair’ to give the other team infractions thus making them maybe take 1 penalty max per game making the advantage hardly worth it. 6 Players could essentially allow you to have a floater in the neutral zone at all times. Have your defense always pinch to keep the puck in while having a player literally float at center ice to always stop the break aways or any rush to be properly defended no matter the circumstances. Sure it would clog the ice up more, but really if you keep the player mostly back out of the scrums and play, it would still allow you the space you need to move, but have the team play much more aggressively as you have someone on the ice to watch over your backs. Plus they wouldn’t be highly taxed and be able to essentially rest during the play. (194 words)
5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
The Texas Renegades. Once again you have the ‘new and improved’ sim engine showing us how shallow it really is. Not to say I don’t agree Texas had the ‘easier’ conference to play in which allowed them to take home the presidents trophy, but to field a team which seems that dominate and then barely struggle to make any noise (thankfully what seemed like a sweep didn’t come to pass) seems a little off as we have the same teams repeat appearances in the finals season after season. Really makes me sad for some of those rebuilding and bubble teams that need to pray they can reach top end TPE and stay there with contracts or else we will be having this repeat over and over. (126 words)
a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this?
b. Hamilton was 3rd in the league in GF this season. Buffalo was 2nd in GA. This begs the age old question: what will win out, a great defense or a great offense? Why?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
a.) Line Matching. With the way FHM seems to work, is that total skill level (TPE) matters quite a bit, but if you can counter the posted lines with the right combo of player types you can sneak in and steal some games from the opponents. The issue? I feel like Hamilton has ALL the testers and will immediately re counter within minutes. (62 words)
b.) Offense in the world of FHM. Texas tried to play a more defensive game to reel in Hamiltons offense, but with enough shots you will win out. Sure we see teams goalies go beast mode and steal a game here and there, but not consistently over a lot of games. So offense in this world wins championships (57 words)
c.) Buffalo hands down. The Steelhawks – well hawk is the least intimidating mascot logo I have ever seen. It looks almost sad really with the short and sloped beak, like it has some sort of deformity from birth. The colour combo is decent but the logo has just like never been right. Where as Buffalos has been on point since day one and continues to be a classic (67 words)
16. Written, 3 TPE
I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit.
@puolivalmiste – Texas GM
I feel like he is totally un appreciated in the league and the GM circle over and over again. I’ve heard people claim that Dankoa built this Texas team solely and he just inherited the team which is insane. He puts in such a stupid amount of work behind the scenes it’s nuts. Sure lots of GM’s test, but I feel like he treats it like a legit 2nd job. Sure lets not take away what Dankoa did, but give some credit where credit is due. Texas will more than likely finish the top of the West now for 3+ seasons and through it all, I doubt they win GM of the year once. How do you finish 1st in the league and not win it? Give the man some love.
03-27-2021, 08:31 PM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 09:42 PM by boom.)
Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
The most surprising part of the season, at least to some people, would have to be how well the Edmonton Blizzard performed this season. Faced with the massive cap fine, I think a lot of people expected the Blizzard to struggle with a rookie Peter Ramsey in net and with a bottom defensive pair consisting of IFA Kalevi Karhunen and aging legend Tor Tuck. Despite this, Edmonton came close to winning the division and almost knocked off the Hamilton Steelhawks coming from behind. The whole team really came together taking discount deals to keep the entire core together even with the $12.5 million in dead cap. Big parts of this have to be FR Finn-Rhys continuing his elevation into one of the best defensemen in the league, Barrett Blackwood having an incredible season, Tony Pepperoni aging incredibly well, and a cast of young rookies continuing their development. In the playoffs, Tor Tuck turned back the clock about ten years and had a near PPG playoff run. Edmonton is going to be dangerous in the next couple seasons with their full cap availability restored.
Quote:2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
Definitely the "no penalties" option. Even playing against six players, the option to utilize stretch passes, quick breakouts and tic-tac-toe passes to the front of the net will set up a lot of chances for your team. And when in doubt, the option to simply trip, hook, or otherwise mug the opposing players whenever they get any offensive zone time means life will be easy for the goaltenders. When you get hemmed in your end and need a change, flip the puck over the glass for an easy rest! Goalies, play the puck outside the trapezoid to your heart's content. We're bringing back the Dead Puck Era in the SHL.
Quote:3. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Which players, if any, do you see as locks for the Hall of Fame? As in, if they're career ended today they're in. Anyone on the cusp? Anyone on the right track, but still needs to put up a few more great seasons?
The player that is either already a Hall of Fame lock or just barely needs to play a little more to get in is Edmonton's Tony Pepperoni. He owns the Blizzard's all-time points record with 744 in 732 games for the only SHL team he's ever played for, just barely needs more goals and assists to take the franchise career records in those stats as well, and has put up six straight PPG seasons and eight total PPG campaigns. It's a case where you can look at a player simply by how much he means to a franchise and easily get him into the Hall, and that's before even getting into his individual and team hardware: two Cups, IIHF gold, silver and bronze, three 1st Team All-Star appearances, the Sarmad Khan, the Ron Mexico, and the Sergei Karpotsov. Pepperoni simply has had such a long career of sustained excellence for one team that he'll easily make the Hall of Fame as one of Edmonton's all-time greats.
Quote:5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
The best SMJHL team not to make the finals was probably the Kelowna Knights. Cracks started to appear when the plucky underdog Vancouver Whalers, who finished 48 points behind them in the regular season, came within a period of eliminating them in the second round, and then they just got blown out by Quebec in the semifinal. Kynwyl Pearce had an incredible 43-goal performance in the regular season to lead the league in that regard by a mile, and in net Damien Vertigo had an incredible 11 shutouts as the Knights' starter. With a lot of their core coming from the S57 draft with Vancouver's picks as well as trading almost their entire future to the Anaheim Outlaws for capped players, this was their best shot to get a title.
Prompt 16: Write something nice about someone for 3 TPE
I've thanked the two of them enough times, but shout-out to Barrett Blackwood and Jon Forty-One for carrying my streaky ass to a 60-point season, and thanks to Keygan and TommySalami for giving me the role and deployment to help me get my big breakout season, and to the whole Edmonton Blizzard organization for being the best group of people in the SHL. Looking to the junior side, I gotta shout out my co-GM Dextaria for handling a ton of the FHM work this season and helping us get to within one period of knocking off one of the best teams in SMJHL history, Pythonic for doing test simming at the last second on the fly and almost pulling us through, and everyone in Vancouver who was a part of our awesome playoff runs over the past 4 seasons.
03-27-2021, 09:21 PM(This post was last modified: 04-02-2021, 09:27 PM by spooked.)
Code:
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
I would like to think that the most surprising part of the season was likely the fact of how successful the Toronto North Stars were. People thought they might squeak into the playoffs potentially, but they came out and had a great season in a tough division and can look back on the season with pride. That being said, my most personal surprise was that the Minnesota Monarchs made a good run to try to get into the playoffs. Despite having some solid core pieces, the Monarch’s were not too positive that they would be in contention this season to make it into the post season. In fact, I personally looked upon the season as another building year and had low hopes of really being the race. Somehow, we stayed into content all the way to the last sim with a huge battle between a trio of midfield teams. I am looking forward to the next couple of seasons which should continue to have some good battles. 167w
+3 TPE
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2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
In the world of simulation hockey, I can only pick the choice of being immune from penalties/offsides/icing. There are a couple very obvious reasons for taking that choice. Namely being able to physically abuse your opponent for the entire game and knock out any key players on their lineup if injuries were turned on. But even if they aren’t being able to hook, and trip, without penalty is easily worth another man on the ice as long as you can keep one person on the ice down at all times, if not more than one. There is also a huge hole in this argument in that one penalty is too many men, which you wouldn’t get if you couldn’t take penalties, so its basically deciding between 6 players on the ice or your whole bench on the ice if you wanted. Pretty easy choice when you look at it that way, right? I do not see a world where the 6 skater option is better, especially in a simulation! 169w
+2 TPE
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4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If you're sitting at home watching the Finals: What do you plan on doing differently next season to help your team reach the promised land? If you're playing in the Finals: Is there anything different you plan on doing next season to continue your team's success?
This season my focus was to be as stable as a younger-than-average rookie can be. I put a lot of focus on just trying to keep up physically with the league, but was not always successful. I can say I did much better than I very much expected to, but with the season ending in a close disappointment, missing the playoffs on the last sim of the regular season, I cannot help but wonder if it was my player’s inexperience and lack of talent that held the team back. With that said, next season I plan to do much of the same with the hope of being able to also be more impactful going forward. I hope that this season will be able to see me become stable in our own zone to the point where I can become an option to have some time up the ice as well. It is nice to be sheltered as young player, but it is also nice to get a bit of time on the positive side of the rink! 177w
+3 TPE
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6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?
I think this season’s IIHF tournament is going to be a bit of a random one like can be seen usually. There are always a good handful of teams with the potential to win it. The tournament can always feel a bit random with player roster coming together in the offseason for what always ends up being a fun one to watch. I think this season we can see some strong performances by USA, Canada, Germany, and so on. Like I said there are a number of good teams at every IIHF tournament, and it is always quite difficult to pick which ones will come out on top of each other. I am hopeful that Switzerland will be able to make a good showing in my debut season in the tournament as well, so I will make a hopeful prediction that we will take gold with my player scoring the medal winning goal, like all good rookies always do. 159w
+3 TPE
Code:
15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645
SMJHL Milestones (for senddowns): TBD
12. 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.
a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this?
b. Hamilton was 3rd in the league in GF this season. Buffalo was 2nd in GA. This begs the age old question: what will win out, a great defense or a great offense? Why?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
d. It's all come down to this: game seven overtime. Which four players are you sending out to win the game for you. This is in a fantasy sense, so feel free to mix and match from both teams.
a.
Despite Buffalo being quite a ways back during the season, they can spend the time focusing on how to mitigate the top offensive lines of the Steelhawks. Buffalo has a rather unique opportunity in this series to run lines and strategy in a way that they would avoid during the season as they are playing one of the few teams they would struggle against. They can play a defensive game rather than being forced to go offensive like they may against some weaker teams. 80+w
b.
I think Hamilton will win the finals, they have a little bit of an edge in terms of pedigree in my opinion, and they have the edge in nearly all aspects. If the teams were slightly closer together during the season I think this choice would be much harder, but I think Hamilton could not be where they are without also having a great blueline to fall back on. 69w
c.
The Buffalo branding is without a doubt the better of the two. Although they do lose some points for going straight for the Buffalo brand, it has always been a solid team from having fairly unique colors and a very stable logo, where as I have seen Hamilton be a little less static with their branding in my time. 59w
03-27-2021, 09:23 PM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 08:33 PM by dogwoodmaple.)
Code:
16. Written, 3 TPE
I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit.
Where would the league be without AgentSmith? Not only is he one of the big streamers, but his attitude and general positivity are invaluable. He has been an integral part of getting me interested in the league and has been phenomenal in both the Maine and Sweden locker rooms. He was instantly one of the users I gravitated towards and do my best to never miss one of his streams. While we may not be on the same SHL team going forward, I'll always root for Bjerg and wish his team well in all their endeavors. Plus, how can you not love the marbles king?
(105 words)
Code:
5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
It's gotta be the Kelowna Knights. They were an absolute force the entire season and have one of the top MVP candidates with Kynwyl Pearce. They finished the regular season with the most points (109) and the only franchise to cross the triple-digit line. Even more impressive was their defense this season. They allowed the fewest goals this year with 134 and had an absurdly low 10 losses on the season. Whether it was their efficiency, their multitude of playmakers on the ice, or top-level goaltending, there was simply nothing this Kelowna team did not do well. I was shocked when they did not make it to the finals, but sometimes it's not about skill, talent, or overall team ability. Lady luck comes for us all at some point and she knocked the legs out of the Knights this postseason.
(140 words)
Code:
4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
If you're sitting at home watching the Finals: What do you plan on doing differently next season to help your team reach the promised land? If you're playing in the Finals: Is there anything different you plan on doing next season to continue your team's success?
It's incredibly tough sitting at home this postseason, but I know that better things are on the horizon for the Maine Timber. The number one thing I'm planning on doing this offseason to make sure I don't feel this level of disappointment again is to work every single day in the gym to be as physically fit as possible. Not only will this help my stamina for those grueling back to backs that we have all too often, but also the speed of my slapshot, my agility on the ice, and the all-important strength when I'm battling for the puck. I have a lot of confidence that we'll bounce back in a huge way not only due to my upcoming workout regimen, but because we return so much talent this coming season. We've made it a point of emphasis to get our bodies and minds right this offseason and I truly believe that will pay huge dividends for us. I've got big aspirations when it comes to my eventual SHL career with Hamilton, but winning the title with Maine would be the icing on my entire sim league career.
(189 words)
Code:
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
I think the biggest surprise this season was the Texas Renegades not making the finals. They were incredible this season from start to finish and fielded some of the best overall players in the league. They led the league in points with 109 and had a crazy .826 winning percentage. And when you talk about balance, that's something this Texas team had in spades. They had four players with at least 65 points and perhaps the best overall goalie in the league with White Goodman. On defense, they were no less stacked. Bjorn Leppanen and Joseph Fantobens are a dynamic duo on defense and had a combined 257 hits on the season. A lot of teams had high-level star power, from Hamilton and Toronto, to Buffalo, but when it comes to balance top to bottom on the roster, there isn't a team that stacks up with Texas. That's why their inability to make the finals is the number one thing that stands out to me as the biggest surprise. It can be easy to shut down one or two players in a series, but almost impossible to shut down an entire handful of elite playmakers. And for some reason, it just didn't happen for Texas this postseason. No doubt that they'll be back soon, though.
(215 words)
Code:
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
Give me the six skaters all day long. While the other team might be able to get away with penalties, we would be virtually unstoppable on both sides of the ice. We would neutralize their advantage with constant puck possession on offense and eliminate their advantage on defense thanks to our supreme positioning. Just think about how common power play goals are in the league - that's what we're looking at when we lace 'em up with six on the ice. Plus, if the other team gets too aggressive and tries some cheap shots on our players, we'll still have an advantage to keep them on their heels and light up the goal siren. There's a decent chance we never even give up possession based on our quick-thinking passes and perfect positioning with our extra player on the ice. We might give up some goals thanks to the no-offsides rule, but we'll be scoring so often it won't matter.
(158 words)
Code:
Code:
15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645
SMJHL Milestones (for senddowns): TBD
03-27-2021, 09:24 PM(This post was last modified: 03-28-2021, 10:44 AM by Kraagenskul.)
1) For me it was two things: First, Vancouver was slated to be a bit better by most pundits, had a rough start but climbed up to .500 and looked like they might even move up two or three more spots with their current play. Then the wheels fell off and the team stumbled, badly. They were lucky to get home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs and that paid off. The first surprising thing ended up being Vancouver taking a three to two game lead over their intraprovincial archival and regular season powerhouse Kelowna Knights. They actually took the lead in game 7, but Kelowna scored the last two goals of the game to win and advance to the third round... where the second surprise happened. While everyone expected Quebec to give the Knights a challenge, I don't think anyone saw the Knights taking the first game and then losing four straight to get bounced out of the playoffs.
(162 words, 3 TPE, 3 Total)
2) I am going with option 2 because my team can go no penalties, meaning I can play with all 20 players on the ice. Hell the coaches can go out there as well! And since there is no offsides I can plant them anywhere I want on the ice. Five players in front of each net, eight in the neutral zone, two goalies in the net. Oh wait, you are saying that having more than 5 skaters is the one thing I cannot do because it violates the spirit of this exercise? I am still taking that option, because I can literally assign a player to shove the team's opposing goalie into the corner and keep him there. Sure, my team will be 6 on 4, but we can ice the puck wily-nily and I bet we put more pucks in an empty net than they do with their fancy six on fours.
(153 words, 2 TPE, 5 Total)
4) I ended up at home after a series where we took the first place team to seven games and was pretty bummed out to get so close. That was my last game as a Whaler, so I need to look to my next team, the Baltimore Platoon. While I have taken a somewhat balanced approached to my player in order to better assist the Whalers, I plan on working almost exclusively on my defense for my new home. By concentrating on those traits I can quickly help my team, especially in games where we have the lead or when we are shorthanded. I don't expect to see the light behind the other team's goalie go off as much when I am out on the ice, but I expect to see our light even less. I will working on my stamina, shot blocking, hitting, and defensive positioning. While passing is sometimes considered an offensive stat, it is applicable on defense as well and I will be paying extra attention to that as well.
(172 words, 3 TPE, 8 Total)
5) The Kelowna Knights dominated the regular season and were the only team that broke a hundred points, taking the top spot in the SMJHL by 11 points! They were second in goals for and first in goals against along with the biggest goal differential in the league. They had the second best scorer in the league with Kynwyl Pearce, and while they didn't quite dominate the rest of the scoring charts this was more because the scoring was so spread out. Their goalkeeper, Damien Vertigo, was lights out with a .923 save percentage and ELEVEN shutouts in 48 games. Even the backup goalie put up a pair of shut outs. I think everyone expected to see them in the final.
(117 words, 2 TPE, 10 Total)
12C) Buffalo and Hamilton are both hockey hotbeds and have been for over a hundred years. The Stampede have a leg up on the name as it flows with the city's name while Hamilton's is somewhat generic. I also give Buffalo a slight edge on the team's logo. The Steelhawks' logo is great but I find the Buffalo one somehow simple but effective. As for colors, I am going with Hamilton. They blue, white and yellow are great, albeit a bit confusing because the logo has no yellow in it. The Stampedes' green and yellow just doesn't appeal to me as much. The Steelhawks also take the alternate jersey win with their stylish black over the too yellow Buffalo sweater. Lastly, the shoulder logo would be a tie for me. I cannot chose one, I like them both!
(137 words, 1 TPE, 11 Total)
15) Milestones:
DEFENSE Goals -> 10 or more (7) Assists -> 21 or more (17) Points -> 33 or more (24) +/- -> +21 or higher (-10) Penalty Minutes -> 18 or fewer (22) Shots on goal -> 141 or more (122) Hits -> 57 or more (119) Takeaways -> 20 or more (32) Shots Blocked -> 71 or more (122) Fights Won -> 1 or more (0) Powerplay Points -> 5 or more (5)
(3 TPE, 14 Total)
16) I want to say thank you to the GMs of Vancouver, Boom and Dex. I am glad they stuck with me for the full four seasons, and were both so patient and helpful as I was a newbie to the league. I'd also like to make a shoutout to Koopa, Petrov, and Kobo, my teammates for all 4 years. It has been fun as hell, especially winning it all in my second season and I will miss playing alongside you all. I promise to come visit, mainly with my shoulder into your chest since we are now on opposing teams!
(2 TPE, 16 Total)
Okay, this is actually a question that I feel would be fascinating and hard to decide for most people, but for me, this is the easiest choice I would ever make. It may be because I haven't played or really watched hockey before, but if you are immune from penalties, then you should absolutely choose that perk. Sure, the other team gets another skater, but like, it's 5 on 6 which is basically a power play. You are in the finals, so you probably have a great power play team. plus, if you just have a couple guys skating around wreaking havoc on the entire other team, you're gonna end up with a two on two like 95% of the time anyway. It's just a no brainer to me. (129 words)
Code:
Option 4: written, 3 TPE (150 minimum)
Honestly, I think that the best thing I can do to help my team get better for next season is just to get more involved with things around the league. I have had a league job but had to step down due to some recurring issues irl, and I have written an article in the past, but so far I've been only buying weekly trainings when I have the money and not really spending anything else trying to earn money to buy equipment. I don't know why, honestly, partly though I would imagine because I haven't really been putting as much time in to SHL as I have ISFL and PBE and so I know less about the league. However, I have been doing all of my PTs and all of the predictions and three vs threes that have ben available and have been in the WPG war room for a while now, so I think that in order for me to hep WPF continue to make the playoffs the easiest thing for me to do would be continue to contribute in the best way that I can and then also get a league job or write some media. (199)
Code:
Option 12: written, 1 TPE each (50 minimum each)
a) To give themselves a leg up over Hamilton in the finals, they really should do nothing more than play smart hockey. If they can take smart shots, not just throw the puck at the net, and if they can make sure to stay away from penalties, then they should be good to go for the duration of the series. (59) b) This says that Hamilton was the 3rd highest goal-scoring team in the league, and that Buffalo was allowed the second-most goals. If that is the case, then in this scenario I don't think there's any way in hell that the best defense is more important. I don't know where Buffalo was in terms of goals scored, but if they aren't number one, then they are in some deep shit if they don't pull their defense together for this series. (79) c) So, the brandings I honestly have to say that I enjoy Hamilton's more. I don't think that there's necessarily anything wrong with Buffalo's branding, but the coloration just reminds me of the Packers, and I don't really like that. The name is quite clever, but when you see Hamilton's subtle yet well matched colors and the name Steelhawks, which is better than the Stampede any day of the week, this is a no brainer for me for sure. (78) d) I really don't know many players from either team, so I'm just gonna choose based on people I know, and let me tell you what Buffalo is stacked in that regard. Evok, Elizabeth Doyle, is on the Stampede, and she is one of the coolest people in sim leagues. Lime, Steve Harrington, is on Buffalo, and I drafted him to the Otters in the ISFL and he has been a gem for the team. Zombiewolf, Jaska Seppala, of the Stampede is the updater head, and as the ISFL updater head I think I could commiserate. Lastly, fish is on Buffalo, Aron Hernandvic, and he's a pretty cool dude as well. (110)
Code:
Option 16: written, 3 TPE
I don't want to write about one person here, I want to write about all the people in the league that have helped me enjoy it. Firstly, Jeff for convincing me to recreate and getting Tig to pick me up for the Falcons. Then, Noka and Jayhawk for getting me active again by taking me in the most recent SMJHL expansion draft. After that, ml002 for picking me in the third round as an overager, and then trading me to Kez and co in Winnipeg, where I've greatly enjoyed my time and have been proud to have been a member of the inaugural Aurora team. I hopefully will be able to stay an Aurora for life, but if I am ever traded I will know that it will be to help the team overall. Gabe, Joe, fish, grum, evok, sloth, LPLL, Paq, and there are so many others that have helped me enjoy the league that I just can't think of off the top of my head. Thanks to each and every one of you.
(PHI): 66 GP | 39 G | 52 A | 91 P | +42 | 277sog | 14.08sh% | 19 ppp | 71 hits | 64 blks | 65 pim
GP | 98 G | 204 A | 302 P | +213 | 958 sog | 10.23 sh% | 44 ppp | 491 hits | 493 blks | 215 PIM
03-28-2021, 12:02 AM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 03:03 AM by Rotti.)
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) 3 TPE
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
on some level, I kind of wish we had a remix this season for the finals. While I'm on Hamilton, and wish we could make the finals every season, it gets some-what repetitive every season having the same teams in the mix. With Chicago finally being overtaken by Toronto, and SFP somehow managing a playoff appearance, it feels like the teams are passing the torches all across the SHL. The most surprising to me was Chicago missing the playoffs to Toronto. I knew Toronto would overtake Chicago eventually, but this season was sooner than I thought it would be. The Great Lakes are truely the 4 best teams in the league, which is pretty crazy. Another surprise to me was the emergence of Yngve Simonsson on San Francisco. He was really good this season, and for a team that was not expected to have any good players at all, a rookie taking over and leading the team is quite impressive. This kid should be special for a bunch of years to come, just like Rotticus Scott (haha he was bad this season).
2. Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why? 6 TPE
I am absolutely choosing 6 men on the ice at a time. Could you imagine the Steelhawks with Elijah Jones, Aaron Wilson, Michael Scarn, Theo Morgan, Hugh Jazz, and Samuel Michaud on the ice at the same time? Holy crap that'd be unstoppable. Especially if the other team only has 5 guys out there trying to keep up. I think Buffalo would choose being immune to any whistles, and maybe just keep Luffey in the O zone the entire game waiting to snipe whatever poor goalie has to deal with that. I don't know which one would be more Over powered, probably the 6 man unit.
12. 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.
a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this?
b. Hamilton was 3rd in the league in GF this season. Buffalo was 2nd in GA. This begs the age old question: what will win out, a great defense or a great offense? Why?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
d. It's all come down to this: game seven overtime. Which four players are you sending out to win the game for you. This is in a fantasy sense, so feel free to mix and match from both teams. 10 TPE
a. Buffalo acquiring Dick Clapper for sure gives them a leg up. They really didn't have to leverage their future for him either, because bottom feeders keep giving them 1st round picks! I think it makes them equal, not better, but for sure gives their odds a boost going into the series. I think this series is going to be won by inches, so maybe thats the inch they need.
b. Normally I'd say a good defense wins, but from what I've seen in terms of FHM, I think the offensive team gets the edge. Goaltending is going to be a wash as it always is between two good teams, its just going to come down to PDO and puck luck this series. No ifs ands or buts, I think this one is going 7 more than likely. Game 7 ot? oh boy oh boy.
c. Hamilton has the best branding in the league. Jerseys are drippy, nickname is the best "Hammy", steelhawks are a cool name and you can so go birds when rooting for the team. Can't beat that, especially the dark blue and gold jerseys are really clean, black alternates really complete the jersey lineup. I like Buffalo's branding, but I'm not the biggest fan of the green and yellow color scheme.
d. Hammy is sending Wilson, Scarn, and Jazz. Buff is sending Clapper, Luffey, and Wang. Feel like this would be maybe the best 3v3 matchup in the league, with every player being a slam dunk star at their position. Could you imagine if game 7 actually came down to this? Especially with Jobin and Doyle in net, that would be a crazy sequence.
15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE 13 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645
SMJHL Milestones (for senddowns): TBD
16. I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit. 16 TPE
@nour @"luketd" you are both greats commissioners and I appreciate the work you do to improve our league.
03-28-2021, 01:02 AM(This post was last modified: 03-30-2021, 11:41 PM by leafs1997.)
2. +2 TPE
If given these options, I'm choosing option A and giving my team to play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice. This clearly gives us an advantage, essentially being on a powerplay all game long. Now, let's take a look at why the other option isn't as good. The other team can get away with any penalties/offsides/icings all game. For penalties, I think having the extra skater ready to spring on a breakaway while the other team is caught up in playing dirty gives us the advantage anyways. Offsides and icings? Same thing. If they really want to keep a player cherry picking all game, we can afford to keep a man back to cover while STILL having the man advantage. They'll only want to kill off time via icing immunity if they get the lead. I think we likely won't give up leads while with the man advantage anyways. So, overall....I'll take the 6on5.
4. +3 TPE
We aren't in the SMJHL Finals sadly! Though we, the Kelowna Knights, had ourselves quite the regular season, we fell short of making the Finals. We finished the regular season having finished a clean 11 points above the #2 across the league, accumulating 109 points on the season. That's a solid .826 win %! Our goals for were 2nd best in the league while out goals against was the best! Vlastislav Malik did quite well as well, finishing with 51 points, improving upon the 33 points from S57. I delivered in all departments with 24 goals, 27 assists, +25, 159 shots on goal, 109 hits, and a 64 GR. What went wrong? I dropped from a .77 points % in the regular season to a mere .5 points % in the playoffs, finishing with 6 points in 12 games (we had a bye). I also finished -2 on the playoffs, so clearly we got outscored while on the ice, which shouldn't be happening as a top 6 line. My shooting % dropped from ~15% to ~11% and got a grand total of 0, yes 0, powerplay points. What do I need to improve on to get my team to the Finals next season? Show up in playoffs!
5. +2 TPE
Well...this is gonna be biased. You guessed it! The Kelowna Knights were the best team this season to NOT make the Finals. We finished 1st in the Western Conference and overall SMJHL with an outstanding 109 points. That's a clean 11 points above the #2 team, QCC, whom we lost to right before the Finals. That's a solid .826 win %. We had the 2nd best offense and the best defense. We had a bye in the 1st round, BARELY pulled off the comeback against the Whalers and then got beat by QCC. Nothing to be ashamed of to be fair, but sad nonetheless. We'll be back next season! I feel like I say that every season....
12. +3 TPE
a) The Hamilton Steelhawks may have finished 13 points above the Buffalo Stampede, but if there's anything that Buffalo should focus on to get a leg up, its their ability to shut down opposing offenses. During the regular season, Buffalo finished with the 2nd best defense, only allowing 134 goals against in 66 games. Hamilton let in 35 goals more than them. If Buffalo can shut down Hamilton's defense and score some big goals, they have the edge!
b) I guess my above write-up gives it away, but I think Buffalo's defense will win out. That is, IF they're able to score some big goals and steal some games. Sure, defense wins games. But ain't nobody winning without scoring a goal or two. Shut the opposition down and time those goals well, you've got yourself a W.
d) Since I'm saying Buffalo will win, let's go with an all-Buffalo lineup. 4on4 OT, we're trying to score a goal but having someone capable of playing defense is a plus. Let's go with Aron Hernadivic. His 19 assists lead the team in playoffs. Hopefully he can set up the winner. Jaska Seppala has a 20% shooting % so let's ride the hot hand. Matt Kholin is also a threat to score, currently leading his team with 9 goals. For a dman to join these 3, let's go with Nicholas Owens. His 73 DGR is 2nd best on the team AND he's got the most points for dmen on the team. These guys can get it done!
16. +3 TPE
With @Katth stepping down as KEL GM, I've gotta give the guy some love. It was a honor to be drafted by him, a pleasure to play for him, and very informational to learn from him after joining the KEL FO. Best of luck to him with everything IRL! I'll be waiting in I.1 for ya . When talking about the KEL FO, congratz to @Naosu, the new KEL GM! I'm sure it'll be quite an easy transition since he's already such a steadying presence in our LR! @trashae on the other hand.....I can't seem to get away from this guy! But maybe I don't wanna :D. And as always, lots of love (sometimes it might seem like hate LOL) to all the guys that are also HD/SHL, like @Titan, @Roamus, @Snoopdogg, @Tylar, @Pythonic, @RedCapeDiver . U guys make this stuff hella fun. Except for Titan and Pythonic tbh. Sad.
03-28-2021, 03:41 AM(This post was last modified: 03-28-2021, 03:46 AM by Keven.)
Code:
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
The most surprising part of the SHL season was definitely watching the Toronto North Stars rise up as a strong team in the great lakes division and qualify for the playoffs for the first time in the FHM era. By doing this, they were able to knock Chicago out of the playoffs after they won the Challenge Cup just one short season ago. Although Chicago certainly didn't become a bad team in any way, finishing 6th overall, Toronto rising a full 14 points compared last season means we were forced to witness a season where San Francisco, a team with 46 points, made the playoffs over the previous cup winners with 88. Although this whole situation probably wasn't a surpise anyone who knows about the playoff format, just the information that Chicago didn't qualify this year after winning the cup last year is probably somewhat of a shock to anyone hearing the facts for the first time.
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2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
As the home team I would definitely choose to have 6 skaters on the ice at a time. Sure the other team is immune to penalties, but they're always down a player anyways. Also, if my team is worried about a player spending too much time over the blue line in front of our net, we already have an extra player to stay back and play more defensively. This basically negates the offside and icing advantage at the cost of one player and we'll still end up having more players in the offensive end. An entire extra player at all times is just too much of a flexible and powerful advantage to pass by.
Code:
5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Which SHL or SMJHL team was the best team to not make the finals this season and why?
I could almost copy-paste my answer from last year and replace Quebec City with Kelowna. It's almost poetic how closely the two seasons have looked for the first seed team in the SMJHL the past two seasons. The S58 Kelowna Knights had a dominant .826 win % this season, and a full 11 points more than the second place Citadelles. They had the clear advantage going into the semi-final matchup, but the Citadelles were somehow able to win in 5 games despite losing the regular season series two games to four. The Knights find themselves in a similar situation as Quebec was in last season, being the clearly better team in the regular season, but falling short to the second seed in the semis.
Code:
12. 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.
a. Hamilton finished 13 points above Buffalo in the standings this season. What is one thing that Buffalo can do to give themselves a leg up despite this?
b. Hamilton was 3rd in the league in GF this season. Buffalo was 2nd in GA. This begs the age old question: what will win out, a great defense or a great offense? Why?
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
d. It's all come down to this: game seven overtime. Which four players are you sending out to win the game for you. This is in a fantasy sense, so feel free to mix and match from both teams.
b. To take some inspiration from the junior league this season, the series between the Citadelles and the Knights showed that although a strong defense is good for the regular season, a good offense can win a playoff series. I suspect that offense will win out in this case as well since no matter how well Buffalo can keep pucks out of the net, they'll inevitably let some through and won't have enough offense of their own to make up the difference.
c. I think that Buffalo's branding is superior to Hamilton's. The interesting contrast of green and yellow that isn't used too frequenly for team colours is more eye-catching than the blues and greys of Hamilton. Although Steelhawks is a great name, the logical connection of Buffalo being the home town of the Stampede means that Buffalo has the edge on this side of branding as well.
d. There's no question that the better goaltender to send out for the 3 on 3 is Elizabeth Doyle. Although Jobin is fantastic in net, Doyle's career stats are too reliably good to pass up. The defenseman to send is Samuel Michaud since he's one of the best on either team and the forwards to send are definitely Theo Morgan and Bobby Sharp since both of them are adept in both scoring and assisting.
Code:
15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 16 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645
SMJHL Milestones (for senddowns): TBD
I loved this as a mPT when hotdog did it last season, so I'd like to bring it back as a permanent fixture. After all, we could all use a little positivity every now and then. Say something nice about another member or members, no word limit.
There are obviously many people who put a lot of work into making the site as fantastic as it is and I want to take this opportunity to say that YOU are one of the best of them! That's right, if you are the one reading this right now, whether that be because you're one of the PT graders making sure I've followed the rules correctly or if you're just a normal site member reading this for fun, I'm letting you know that you're one of the reasons why this site is so great. Without an engaged community we would be nothing, so thanks for playing a role in the site that has given me so much enjoyment. You're awesome!
03-28-2021, 04:07 AM(This post was last modified: 04-03-2021, 04:12 PM by st4rface.)
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words minimum)
This season was interesting for sure. I would say that it's obvious that these teams are in finals, but there are some interesting and unexpected facts we just saw this season. For example, Barracuda was a Play-Offs team all the time, but ended up last in Eastern Conference. Stampede's Finals apperance are a little surprise aswell. Buffalo Stampede is a great team and I play for them, but we were in the middle of our conference for entire season, but now we're in Finals. Surprised, but happy! Interesting to see Panthers back in Play-Offs picture aswell. Weird to see Rage out of TOP 4 of Eastern Conference. Renegades dominating the entire league and still not making Finals is really surprising aswell. They're looking like a great regular season team right now which don't have experience for Play-Offs, like Milwaukee Bucks in NBA. Long story short - it was interesting regular season and more interesting Play-Offs. However - not so surprising season, but still some surprises. [163 words]
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words minimum)
We have pretty cool story line, because Steelhawks versus Stampede is already decade long rivalry, but alright. Both of these options are pretty fantasy type and it's pretty impossible, plus, I wouldn't like it, but... I guess - second option is better. First option would just have a feeling that you are in team training with no goalie and playing with an empty net. Second is pretty risky, because there are almost no rules, but I think it's more interesting. In my opinion - having a regular game is still better, but if I have to choose one - it's option B for me at this moment and I think it would be more interesting. That's only my opinion! [116 words]
4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words minimum)
My player plays for Buffalo Stampede. Stampede is pretty solid franchise with great history. It always plays solid and GM are always doing everything to make team good. We made Finals this season, but we lost it: 1-4 versus Hamilton Steelhawks. Of course, it's cool to make Finals, but we had to win them. Won't lie - after first game it looked promising, because we won, but next games were pretty bad. We couldn't score over 2 goals in a game and let's be honest... it's hard to win a hockey game with just scoring two goals. So, I think that it's obvious that we need to improve our offense next season. As I said - it's cool to make Finals, but we gotta focus and win them aswell. We're still on the rise, so we have to win a title before re-building phase hits. We're doing good, but we can do better for sure. I just hope Stampede will resign me after contract ends, because this team is great and I would love to keep playing for them. [177 words]
5. Written, 2 TPE (100 words minimum)
Finals was quick, right? Well, however - I think that Texas Renegades should've made Finals. This is second season when they are dominant all regular season and choke in Play-Offs. They need to get over edge of lacking confidence. They need to have a good Play-Offs run to make a history and bring home that trophy or at least make Finals. I think they might have a good chance to make it next season. They have to do it somehow soon if they don't want to run in to re-building phase with no Finals appearances. SMJHL? I might be bias, because I played for Colorado Raptors in SMJHL, but I still have to say - Raptors. They deserve to make Finals finally. [120 words]
6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words minimum)
IIHF is always interesting to watch, because it's always different. It's rare to see same nations getting medals each off season over and over. However, I think that Ireland will win it this time again. They're pretty stacked and I think they are favourites. USA and Japan might fight for silver. Sweden, Canada and United Kingdom might go for bronze, but my final prediction is - gold for Ireland, silver for USA and bronze for Canada. I guess, it's pretty obvious list, but that's my prediction. I hope that Finland will surprise everyone and get some medals, but it won't be easy. I don't think that there will be many surprises this time. Plus, I don't want to predict any individual statistics or achievements, because that's almost impossible to do. Winning team will have IIHF's leader in points - that's for sure. Best goalie might be from Ireland and best defender from Finland. Won't name any spectacular players - just nations! [158 words]
03-28-2021, 07:21 AM(This post was last modified: 03-28-2021, 07:21 AM by retuperkele.)
Task #1 - 3 TPE
Well no, to nobodys wonder we see familiar faces in the form of Hamilton and Buffalo who have managed to build themselves a strong squad. One of the two surprises this season was certainly the Toronto North Stars fairytale. For a team to finish 46-14-3 for 98 points in season 58 after having a mediocre score last season, 34-26-6 in season 57, among teams like Buffalo, Hamilton, Chicago or even Manhattan, is pretty damn impressive. Toronto really found their groove during the regular season, but come playoffs their groove was simply lost. Toronto faced San Francisco in their first round of playoffs, dropping 3 games against one of the weakest teams in the league right now, but managed to clinch everything home in game 7 to face Manhattan in the next round, which they took home with clean 4-1 series win. They almost shocked the world in semifinals as they forced Buffalo to game 7 after being down 3-1 in the series, but Toronto fell flat, losing the game and series both 4-3 – so I would say that this was a damn impressive run for a team thats been mediocre for past seasons.
Task #2 - 2 TPE
Given the opportunity to choose between two very strong perks to have in a hockey game, I would definitely be forced to pick to play with 6 skaters at all time. To have that extra player on the ice compared to your opponent opens up so many opportunities involving tactics, its unimaginable. Imagine having a tank goon in front of your opponents goaltender at all times while 5 other skaters work it out. Some may say that having the extra player makes it too tight for the players, but its not like we are going to run out of ice or anything. The extra skater just provides way too much to skip on
Task #5 - 2 TPE
Well, this one is pretty damn obvious. Texas Renegades were simply the best team to not reach the finals this season. I bet they would have if they would not have faced Hamilton’s dynasty in the semifinals. Renegades had very great success in the regular season, posting 54 wins to take down Presidents Trophy to themselves by a very clear margin. Texas’ rookies provided themselves very worthy, Edward Williams and Adam Scianna bloomed this season as well as playing his first season in the SHL, Theo Kondos also managed to make a name for himself. Come next season I think Texas will maintain the current spot in the league,
Task #7 - 3 TPE
Combining the best players from two different franchises is never easy, you dont know how people play together and how their chemistry adds up. Disregarding all of this, my ultimate combined line features A Jobin in the goal. I really believe Hamilton’s stacked up forwards are not the only reason why they are insanely succesful. For defense, Samuel Michaud and Augustus Wang star the pair, to nobodys wonder. Both of these players are their team’s star defenders without question. Both Michaud and Wang are very capable of providing strong blueline support to their forwards as well as keep their own end of the ice clean. Forward trio starts with two Hamilton representatives, Aaron Wilson and Elijah Jones, and ends up with Buffalo’s Bobby Sharp. Aaron Wilson has been outshadowed by both Michael Scarn and Elijah Jones over the few seasons, but is still really capable forward. Speaking of Elijah Jones, he is solely the best goalscorer out of these two teams. Bobby Sharp completes the trio by being the most trustworthy playmaking center in the league.
03-28-2021, 11:30 AM(This post was last modified: 03-28-2021, 01:43 PM by The__Y-man__100.)
Code:
1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
While these two teams are no strangers to the Cup finals, we did see some very interesting things this season. Looking back, what do you feel was the most surprising part of the season?
My jaw was to the floor when I found out that the Syndicate did not make the playoffs this year. While the cup hangover is a myth that some people believe in, it's one thing to lose in the first round, but to not even have the ability to defend your in the playoffs is a sad reality. IWe all knew their division was stacked going into S58, but I don't think anyone saw this coming. It was an all out war this year, and Toronto turned a lot of heads this year. That being said, it also really sucks for Chicago to finish fourth in the eastern conference and miss out. It will be interesting to see if the league makes any changes to address for this in the future. Chicago is still a stacked team and they have a ton of great picks this draft thanks to some beauty trades. I wonder if due to this we will see a playoff reformat of some sort going forward.
Code:
2. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
Oh no, the head honchos of the league are worried that there aren't enough story lines for the finals! Therefore they're changing the rules for the finals. The home team will get to choose to either a) play the whole game with 6 skaters on the ice at a time or b) be immune from penalties/offsides/icing. Whatever the home team chooses, the visitors get the other perk. Which one are you choosing, given the choice and why?
I feel that Option B would benefit me most since I am a power forward. Imagine totally obliterating a guy and he gets the penalty since I have immunity! While there are no injuries in the SHL, it feels nice knowing i can sack someone legally and now have a breakaway. Hell, why stop there. I might as well just bull charge the goalie (because what is interference) and score 100 goals this season! Not to mention with no offsides my old ass can just park itself in front of the net 24/7 and all my team would have to do is dump the puck to me. I could get use to that kind of life.
Code:
4. Success Next Season - 3 TPE
If you're sitting at home watching the Finals: What do you plan on doing differently next season to help your team reach the promised land? If you're playing in the Finals: Is there anything different you plan on doing next season to continue your team's success?
I am getting old, honestly the best thing I can do is keep up with regression for as long as I can. It is very painful to say but Boris' career is almost over an I can probably stay at the 1500 range for another 2 season and then it is time to become a washed up 3rd liner. You know part of me considered taking performance enhancing drugs as I am not ready to walk away from everything, but at the same time I the side effects are wild and my old body probably wouldn't be able to handle it. Maybe I start meditating more going forward to improve my on ice thinking. I mean finding inner peace would have to make me a better player right? If that's the case then maybe my power forward days are over and I'd be more beneficial as something else. But crunching guys on the ice is all I know, so we will have to see if I decide to take that route.
Code:
6. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
What's your prediction for this season's IIHF tournament? Which teams do you expect to do well (or not well)? Which players?
So Latvia is still not quite at the elite level yet. We still have a few unbanked builds on our roster that will hinder us a bit, but we are now set up with a fantastic mix of old and younger players. Mats marner (1200) and Mack daddy (975), will provide great support to our strong starting cast along with breakout player coming in a 1120 tpe. I have made it my mission to rebuild Latvia's name in the international community and while we have come a long way since S53, the work here is still not done. Raivo Helminen will also reach 1000 tpe next tournament (S59) and then the top 3 lines will all be 1000+ tpe guys. ourr defense is coming along nicely with the development of Balzams and Goodname. While Nat and Claude have a few more seasons in the tank, I am hoping by the time they hang up the skates Valdis Vējonis and Artūrs Tumovs will be ready to continue the dominance the old duo started
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. When talking about the KEL FO, congratz to @Naosu, the new KEL GM! I'm sure it'll be quite an easy transition since he's already such a steadying presence in our LR! @trashae on the other hand.....I can't seem to get away from this guy! But maybe I don't wanna :D. And as always, lots of love (sometimes it might seem like hate LOL) to all the guys that are also HD/SHL, like @Titan, @Roamus, @Snoopdogg, @Tylar, @Pythonic, @RedCapeDiver . U guys make this stuff hella fun. Except for Titan and Pythonic tbh. Sad.
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