TASK SIX: Create three questions, one for each of three different players in the Challenge Cup and tag them. Playing in the Challenge Cup? Feel free to answer questions for your task or ask three of your own.

I GUESS I'LL ASK THE QUESTIONS HERE

<a href='index.php?showuser=19' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Jesster</a>
You've won a cup with Calgary before, back in the older days. What will the difference be between winning a cup with Calgary, and possibly winning one with Toronto?

<a href='index.php?showuser=1833' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-3'>Cynthia</a>
Do you feel like this moment with the North Stars will be the ultimate icing on the cake if you win the Challenge Cup, and will this help solidify your player as a bonafide Hall of Famer?

<a href='index.php?showuser=2264' rel='nofollow' alt='profile link' class='user-tagged mgroup-10'>ToeDragon84</a>
There were a portion of people this season believing that the Jets wouldn't even make the playoffs, and just miss out. What do you have to say about the people who doubted Winnipeg this season, and will it be sweeter if a Challenge Cup is won?

TASK ONE: Pick either of the teams currently in the finals. Which game of theirs in the playoffs was the most important/crucial in them getting to this point this season? Must be at least 150 words and include either two statistics or some (reasonable) justification of narrative justifying your choice.

Toronto's quest to the Challenge Cup will be filled with 'What if's' through the course of the series. The biggest one will be 'What if New England were more in form and have made the playoffs? Would they have steamrolled through?'. That question will always be brought up, considering the talent that New England has on their team already. However, this isn't about what if's or what could have beens.
Toronto's quest to the Challenge Cup started with the Minnesota Chiefs, a quite regular name when you think of 'SHL Playoffs'. The biggest moment for them in that round was the convincing 4-1 win they had in Game 4 of the series. Already 2-1 down in the process, this started a chain reaction. Toronto would end up winning the next three games, and winning the series against the Chiefs, then winning the first three games in the West Kendall series, ultimately winning six games in a row. Outscoring their opponent 21-8 in the span of those six games, Toronto almost seemed unstoppable in that Eastern Conference. I truly feel like if that six game winning streak did not happen, we could have possibly had a different Eastern representative in the Challenge Cup finals.


TASK TWO: Who is your choice for the unsung hero of the S37 playoffs up to this point? Must be at least 150 words and include at least two statistics in support.

When you think of the Winnipeg Jets this season, the most common names you find in the bunch are Luke Fleming, Jason Visser, Max Weber, Big Manious and VLAD McZerhl. I think a lot of us were surprised to see Don Pellegrino's performance for the club. Finishing 3rd in scoring for the team (11-12-23p), Pellegrino stepped up from being Winnipeg's token 6th forward, to being one of the biggest playoff performers this season. He was one of three players on the team that posted over 15% shooting accuracy, proving that he has a good chance hitting the back of the net with his shots (19.3%). Another big stat, that some people might pass over, was the fact that in 18 games played, he did not spend any of that time in the penalty box. 0 penalty minutes, especially in the heat of the playoffs, shows the discipline needed to play in big-time situations. Given that he's played in 12 full SHL seasons, this may be the moment of Don Pellegrino's career.

TASK FOUR: Who is the favorite and who is the underdog of this series? Are they almost even, or is there a big skill difference between the two teams? Must be at least 150 words and include at least three statistics in support.

The Winnipeg Jets, alone, have 8 players that are over 1000 TPE (Manious, McZehrl, Fleming, Pellegrino, Berger, Visser, Evans, Weber), and a good chunk of them are in the 1300-1400 range. Toronto, on the other hand, had 5 (Eriksson, Wert, Malkin, York, Rhys), with a lot of them flirting between 1000 and 1100. On paper, that would mean a considerable advantage to Winnipeg, despite the higher TPE group needing to spend more on their abilities.
Meanwhile, on the side of the game, Winnipeg had an up and down playoff road, sweeping Texas, then struggling to get to 7 with Seattle. Toronto had a slightly easier road to the final, winning in 6 against Minnesota, then winning in 5 against West Kendall, showing some proof that you don't need the big attribute numbers to perform.
With all of that being said, however, I think the North Stars still had the slight disadvantage, given that the Jets had the heavier fire power from their front lines ahead of Toronto's. Looking at their first line alone, Winnipeg's top line of Bearss-Visser-McZehrl is extremely intimidating (57-60-63 points respectively), compared to Toronto's top line of Eriksson-Jester-York (55-43-41 points). While Toronto's top line still looked great, you have to admit that you believed that Winnipeg's high power offense would give Mark Harter a tough time in goal (Their biggest example coming in Game 6 of the finals, where they lit up for 6 goals).