I'm glad to be back in the SHL after a nice break and really enjoying it again so far. That being said, parity died in the SHL the day that Hamilton broke STHS. STHS has its flaws (will find no argument from me there), but it did add a weird sense of authenticity into the seasons and the playoffs. Did the good teams still tend to beat the bad? Yes. Did the good teams tend to make the playoffs? Yes. But teams that were on the bubble or just sneaking into the playoffs could actually make some noise, but that just isn't the reality in the SHL now. I have no belief that a 8 seed in the SHL could win the Cup the way that LAK did in the NHL. Heck, I don't even think an 8 seed would ever come back from 3-1 down against one of the best teams in regular season history the way Florida did against Boston, much less shellack a top 5 team in Toronto in the next round. The NHL belief that well if we just get in, anything can happen? The exact opposite is the case in the SHL. Sneak in as an 8 seed and be happy that you're there because you certainly aren't making it out of the round.