Victor Helstrom

Quote:2. Written, 3 TPE, GM stands for Great Man (150 words min.)
There have been some good and some bad GMs in SHL history. (Mostly bad) Pick a GM you think was outstanding and explain why you think they were one of the better GMs in SHL history. Point to trades/signings/trophy wins/locker rooms to support your claim.

I think Infidel deserves a mention here for the work he's put in as the GM in Montreal in his short time there. They fumbled hard right out the gate under previous management with the expansion and were very much directionless until infidel stepped in. He set a plan in motion and started making moves to better the teams future very quickly. in just a short season he has cultivated an LR many would want to be a part of and he's well on the right path to making a strong shl roster. It will be very interesting to see if he can keep up this strong momentum as the seasons progress and their focus is less on drafting and acquiring SHL ready talent. these are different skills and he's proven great at one, time will tell with the other. I think he also has a great co gm in brick and together, they are not only a great group of people but a strong braintrust that should be able to leave a lasting legacy

Quote:6. Written, up to 4 TPE - Grab Bag: Pick up to 4 Challenge Cup related topics to write about! Each topic is worth 1 TPE. Each answer must be 50+ words.
a. What is worth more to you, a cup win in the FHM era or the STHS era?
b. Be honest, would we have seen the same final 4 as last year (Chicago, Texas, Hamilton, Buffalo) had BUF/HAM and TEX/CHI not run into each other in the second round?
c. Hamilton has a population of roughly 5 people. Where would you relocate the franchise?
d. Who is the best player to NOT make the final in the past 2 years?

a) definitely FHM era. While the cup wins in sths were definitely nice, don't get me wrong, they weren't all merited. there was a lot of randomness in sths and you could easily win a cup without really deserving it. in FHM, while it's maybe not random enough, at least you truly need to work for your cups. It will feel great when we finally break that slump.

b) I think it's very likely, with the odd hiccup that Baltimore and Buffalo would be a great series. While they would be tough to beat, I think it's possible with our team and that we could have easily been in the final 4 regardless of who we played in the previous rounds. that said, I think the west was pretty set to be Chicago and texas if they didn't have to play each other. moving forward though, LAP definitely poses a legitimate threat.

c)lets relocate to iqualuit where there is a population of only 3 people. the team would have more polar bear fans than human fans. actually that's a great idea, lets name them the iqualuit polar bears. it even follows a similar monicre as the Hamilton Steelhawks name and can easily use similar colours.

d) I think Ethan Duncan is probably the best player to not reach the final. He really exemplifies what an all around superstar can be in the league; there's really nothing he can't do. he leads the charge on offense and is the first player back on defense. and no matter what, he can put the team on his back on a whim and turn the tide of a game.

Quote:11a. Written, 2 TPE - The Procrastinator Special! (100 words min.)
Welp, you waited until the last day to grind out your CW and the CC finals are longggggggg over by now. congrats to [TEAM], woo! Was it an exciting final, or predictable? Is one team the clear winner?

Honestly I think we can all safely say that the result we got was not the most anticipated result. Texas took down Hamilton and brought the cup out west. Despite their win, I don't think there was a clear winner heading into this series. tests showed that it was very tight one way or the other and that either team had a chance to bring int home. at first, it did look like hamilton was gonna win it all yet again as they took a commanding series lead. but texas came back with 2 wins in a row to solidify the championship and bring down the juggernaught.