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?
To single out the most surprising part of the season for myself, I would tend to say the explosion of two franchises onto the scene (Texas and Toronto). The Renegades for one were the best team point wise in the league and improved their point total from last season by 19 points. While the Stars on the other hand improved by 24 ponts in the standings good for third best overall. But both of these triumphs have been a long time coming as both teams kept getting better and better each season. How about them Pride! Pretty sure almost everyone and their moms placed the San Francisco Pride franchise dead last in the league. But no, and that's where my biggest surprise cimes from, the Pride managed to muster up 46 points in the standings, now it still places them way down the ladder in the standings at 17th overall, but the point gap between themselves and the last overall team (New Orleans Specters) was a grand total of 20 points.
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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?
This is a really funny one, my first and gut feeling tells me to take the immunity which is option "B". Go ahead and play with extra player but by the end of the first period you might not have enough players left on the bench to lineup on the ice. I will exploit this feature and injure as many players as i can or at the very least, scare the "beegibees" out of any players left they will not want to play! Then I will get all the breakaways I please or simply stand next to the opposing net and push the goalie out of the crease. Hey anything goes right?
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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) or Graphic, 3 TPE These are two very storied franchises, what is each team's all-time top 3 forwards, top 2 defensemen, and top goalie? Why did you choose them? For graphics people, make a graphic showing both team's starting lineups and some key stats.
Well lets start out with the Buffalo Stampede, looking at their all time leader board the forward that stands out for me would have to be Viktor Marius. Keep in mind the Stampede file hasn't been updated since June but Marius is tied in first with "single season record" in goals with 28. Is in second place in points with 59 and also in second place when it comes down to his plus minus ration with a +27. One stat that pops out for sure is the hitting department, holds 3 of the top 5 spots with seasons of 223, 223 and 227 hit seasons.
I will choose another player from the Steelhawks franchise this time, seeing that I will no doubt hit the word count and only got one player in! For Hamilton I found the all time scoring leaders and a top the list is legendary Joe McKeil. He played a whopping 1119 games and amassed 867 points in doing so. He is alos the leader in goals and assists no surprise here.
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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?
Yes the 13 points are huge, but not sure if many guys no this, Buffalo came out flat and stale out of the gates to start the season, if re were to remove those 1st 15-20 games I think they are right on par with the mighty Steehawks. So no need to make up excuses for them.
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?
I am torn in this belief because I do think defense wins championships but I am a sucker for that high octane offense. So I guess if i were to coach either team and have their abilities in my corner, my answer is simple, play to your strengths as simple as that!
c. Which of these two teams' brandings do you prefer? Take into account colors, logo, name, location, and anything else you consider relevant.
Wow, this will be difficult but ultimately I have this to say first. Both brands and logos are great, the colors too are awesome, but in the end I have no choice but to go with the home town favorite, no I am not from Hamilton and have never been or at least spent time in the city, but I am a Canadian boy, eh!
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.
Well this will be fun to read around the league. My 5 guys I choose to send out in a crucial game 7 are Aaron Wilson and his 9 game winning goals, Theo Morgan with his 8 game winning goals and the last forward would be Michael Scarn who picked up 7 this season. On defense I send out Augustus Wang and Samuel Michaud, 2 of the best puck movers and also have great sticks to kill opposing plays dead.
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15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 15 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total. SHL Milestones: https://simulationhockey.com/showthread.php?tid=114645 SMJHL Milestones (for senddowns): TBD
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.
Well this not gonna change, want to thank @Briedaqueduc among others for helping me out in the very beginning of my SHL use/player career. Great guy and really helpful.
03-28-2021, 08:23 PM(This post was last modified: 04-01-2021, 04:01 PM by PremierBromanov.)
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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?
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I'm a little bit surprised at the success toronto saw this season, they took a big step forward in their rebuild. Its rough being in the great lakes, but maybe I shouldve paid more attention to them. In fact, just about every rebuilding team surprised me this season. In my mind toronto was a ways out, but I guess i was wrong. Baltimore especially surprised twice this season. Once by losing so much in the beginning and again by winning so much in the end. It was a rough fought playoff push and in the end they found a way. I certainly did not see Krash as the leagues goal leader. I am also surprised by my own performance, netting almost 70 points and doubling my career total in goal, which includes goals from 4 prior seasons. Towards the end of the season I was really hoping to finish higher, but I can take solace in the fact that, despite not taking away scoring awards, I think I'll puck up a handful of MVP nominations and I think my take-aways and give-aways differential speaks to the type of player I've built and the success in that.
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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?
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Just from a fantasy standpoint, i feel like you gotta give it up to Tony Pepperoni. Year after year, this guy puts up big numbers in the league, going on his, i think, 15th professional season. His best years are behind him but I think just a surface level inquiry into his career yields some impressive results. Tony is well recognized by stats crunchers, as luke's League of Accomplished players lists him as 25th best forward of all time. I think that speaks to a hall of fame career. Tony has 550 career games between S45 and S55, and 227 goals and 545 points in that time. But even past regression, Tony has picked up more, with career highs in goals this season and assists last season. He shows no signs of slowing down. I can see him playing effectively for 20 total seasons and I hope that he does. he's a lock for sure.
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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. 57 words
Buffalo has done well every year at drafting some solid talent, the best they can hope for is to utilize that depth and the fighting spirit of a young person. Especially with WBF and Tomen entering the roster pretty soon, they've got the longevity that hamilton simply doesnt have. Its a long con, just wait em out.
b. 69 words
Great offense I guess. Seems like hamilton ran away with the series, FHM fuckery notwithstanding. Typically great defense leads to great offense, and if you're not scoring goals you're not winning, you're just losing slower. I'm a big believer in a solid defensive game with strong backlash. if you can keep the puck out of your net and run circles around the other teams scorers, you'll end up winning.
c. 77 words
I really prefer buffalo's branding all around. Its a little tongue in cheek with the name of the city being buffalo and the logo being a bison, but the name stampede works well I think. The logo can be drab, but I think the colors and simplicity of it do a lot of heavy lifting. its hard to dislike green and yellow so you cant really go wrong there. All they are missing is a goal horn.
d. 70 words
I'm going with Aumy Jr, Rintarou Okabe, Michael Scarn, Theo Morgan, and Aaron Wilson. You've got the classic trio of scoring super stars for hamilton combined with the youthful vigor of Aumy Jr and Okabe. All you gotta do is give a good locker room speech and pass the puck to the blue line so they can move it to the other side of the rink. Its a no brainer.
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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.
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.
Going for the easy TPE but ill make it worth it.
@trella and @hockeyiscool and @MCP_ You guys built this team and have done an excellent job turning an empty LR into great place to hang and talk to people. Every season it seems like we have a fantastic draft. Extra credit to MCP for orchestrating all of this. Time to win some cups
@Fitted2106 I appreciate you bud, you've been there with me since the beginning in carolina. I am so glad I got to play with you in Tampa
@Rangerjase My assistant to the captain, you're always a joy in the locker room and I enjoy seeing your dog. If ever I have to leave, i think we've got leadership on this team to fill the gap.
@DrunkenTeddy It's great having you around, you did tremendous work with the new branding and it looks rad as fuck
To the rest of my cudas, I'm glad you're here. Theres not a single one of you i dislike and you're always great in the LR.
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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?
This was a wild season in the Simulation Hockey League, where we saw a team who was a top 5 team in the league not make the playoffs. We also saw some of the closest races for the playoffs we have seen in a long time. I will still go with the platoff format and the Great Lakes being the most dominate division in the league as the most surprising thing. At some point the Great Lakes is going to have to regress into a more common league, but as of right now, it appears they are still going to have 4 teams fighting for 3 spots and be the top 5-6 teams in the league. With Toronto on the rise and no signs of Hamilton or Buffalo slowing down, it can only mean for more of the same madness. Maybe some day soon, we can expand or change the format. Until then we are going to see an arms race in the Great Lakes.
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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) Buffalo is going to have to capitalize on every mistake that Hamilton can make. Doyle is a better goalie then Jobin and if they want to have a legit chance, they will need this to show. If Hamilton can win the goalie battle, then the series might already be over. Special teams, goalie, and shooting percentage will be the keys to this series.
b) Sadly in the terms of the Franchise Hockey Manager, scoring will be defense every time. Being able to score at an incredible rate is really a big deal. I think a good defense, especially in the case of Buffalo is a lot to do with Doyle. I don't think they will be able to ride that wave through this seasons completely.
c)I think the Buffalo Stampede have the better branding. The color, logo, location, and scheme is more pleasing to my eye. What even is a Steelhawk and why is it not a jet. Are they just the metal flying birds? I don't really understand. Buffalo is also an elite hockey city, so that has to give them more credit.
d)If I had to send out 4 players from these teams in a game 7 overtime situation, the first player on my list would be Monkey D. Luffy. He is an overtime clutch machine. Then it would be Augustus Wang, Guy O'Shea, and probably Aaron Wilson. You have a good mix of scoring, passing, and some good defense to hold the door.
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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.
I would like to thank @JNH @juke @Nhamlet for all the shit they put up with when it comes to me. I know I can drive the boys insane, but they just take it in stride.
Also, @CHICAGO thanks for being awesome teammates. @Newfoundlads, love you boys, thanks for being the best locker room in all sim leagues.
03-28-2021, 10:38 PM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 05:31 PM by roastpuff.)
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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 to me would be the rise of Toronto as part of the Great Lakes teams, and the Tampa Bay/Baltimore battle in the Atlantic. I knew that Toronto was getting better and better over every season, but I did not quite expect them to beat Chicago (and Buffalo for that matter) for a playoff spot in the Great Lakes, as it is the toughest division to get a third seed spot to begin with. The Baltimore Platoon against the Tampa Bay Barracuda race was also exciting, as we got to see what a player having a career year – Karl Krashwagen – and a good goalie in Luca Del Vecchio drag their team to the playoffs over a younger growing team in Tampa Bay. It definitely made the season more interesting to me, but it is too bad the end result ended up being a Buffalo versus Hamilton final as that is boring and ho-hum usual shenanigans in the current era.
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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?
I’m not really sure what I can do different next season in order to help my team – I’m earning as much as I can, I’m completely open to have the GM and coaches deploy me in the optimum role and method to make the best use of my player, and so are most of my teammates. This question is asinine, to be honest, and not really well thought out. As a player, who may or may not have the time to help test sim strategies on FHM or even have knowledge on how to work FHM (which is a black box at the best of times and utterly incomprehensible at others) it should not be up to you to figure out how your team makes it to the playoffs. That is on the shoulders of the management of the team, and the coaching, in order to put your team in the best position that it can be for post-season success.
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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’m going to say for this season it might be the same old same old for the most part, with USA and Canada doing well, but there might be some surprise fallers and contenders. Team Japan has gotten a lot younger, and taken somewhat of a step back TPE-wise to the other teams. Team Ireland lost a few veterans but gained some promising young guys. These two teams might be on a downswing for the next few cycles but will eventually get stronger again. Team Sweden is looking pretty good this season, with the first true log-jam of players trying to get in and play, and might be a dark horse for the medal rounds if they can figure out their strategies going into the match. I think in 3-4 seasons they will have a very strong core oriented around the S50-S55 class, and will be truly a scary force to be reckoned with in the international stage.
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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. Get shots on net against Jobin. Sadly he is the weak link in Hamilton’s team, so if you get shots on him you can get goals past him to get ahead of Hamilton. And then after that you rely on Doyle and the absolutely stifling defense that Buffalo has to shut down the game and hold the lead. (59)
b. To me a great defense will win over a great offense. You just need to outscore the opponent by one goal, and if you can frustrate their offense you have a great chance to get the game in hand and control it. Your offense just has to be good enough to score on the other team’s defense, and that’s easier than keeping the other guys out of your net. (70)
c. Neither. They have boring brands (to me at least) but it might just be because I’ve seen them so often in the playoffs at this point. Yes, we’re familiar with the colour schemes and logos at this point – can we get a new team in here to get some more colour? If I had to choose one maybe I will go Hamilton just because seeing the forums in yellow is not pleasant to the eye. (76)
d. I’m going to send out Elijah Jones, Aaron Wilson, Michael Scarn and Augustus Wang. Let’s go full on offense at this point since this is overtime, and the first goal wins. These are very accomplished players, and the three forwards from Hamilton are better than the Buffalo forward group in my opinion maybe outside of Monkey Luffy, but Wang is a better offensive defenseman than what Hamilton have. (69)
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15. Milestones, up to 3 TPE
New this season, Milestones are folded in with CW. So just link your Milestone claim as task 15 for up to 3 TPE towards your 16 total.
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?
I think its pretty clear that BAP was the best team not to make the finals. first of all, just look at how we ended our season. While our overall record isnt the best, we heated up in a big way down the stretch, going 14-5-1 in our final 20 games of the season. Then in the playoffs, we got the short end of the stick with terrible reffing in our series against Edmonton. we lost each of the first 3 games by one goal, somethign we could have easily made up if the refs werent so CLEARLY biased. If we won that, I think its clear we go to the finals and win it all
Quote: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.
Quote: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.
@Raven is the best because hes pretty cool. even though from what ive seen on the site he is kind of a weeb, which doesnt help his case, he is still the best sonic the hedgehog twitch streamer/geoguessr youtuber I know
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?
There were a couple points in the season that surprised me. The biggest thing was the final southwestern playoff spot. After LAP and TEX, I just kind of assumed that New Orleans would be able to pull out and ride their top defensemen to non-basement finish. Clearly I overestimated their depleted forward core, and underestimated the losses of Cain and Claude, as well as the gain of Antonescue in San Francisco, since they made the playoffs ahead of the Spectres. Another major surprise for me was the emergence of the three rebuilding teams in the Atlantic division. Baltimore specifically, were major surprises for me as I figured they didn't have the top-end talent to take the step ahead of Tampa Bay feat. Fiddler, Fitted, and Ronlain, or ahead of NEW with Eller, Yxskaft, Clapper (partially) and Bruchevski. I wouldn't say there were very many surprises at the top of the league. In the Great Lakes division it was a given that a great team would miss, and I still expected Edmonton to be good despite their cap constraints, though I'm sure there are plenty of fellas eating crow over the expectation they would be hampered due to not being able to splurge on a big free agent.
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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?
Call me biased but I think there are a few Blizzard greats that could retire today and end up in the Hall of Fame. The two players I am thinking of are Tor Tuck and Tony Pepperoni. I admittedly don't know the history of the great Tor Tuck, but I do now they are the oldest player still in the league and are soon approaching retirement. In the pre-FHM era, where they spent most of their career, they accumulated 100 goals, and 500 points in 750 games. That's as a defensemen. Tuck spent almost their entire career with Edmonton, and is apart of multiple cup wins. They should 100% be in the hall of fame. Another name I mentioned is Tony Pepperoni. Pepperoniis the leading all-time Blizzard scoring champion, also has two cups to his name, and is up there in terms of overall league scoring. He leads the prolific S43 class in scoring as far as I know, is accomplished as a co-GM. There isn't a whole lot not to love with Pepperoni. I can't think of a reason either of these two living legends shouldn't be in the hall of fame.
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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?
In the regular season I'm not sure how many things I could really 'do' different. Offensively it is up there with my best junior seasons, and defensively it was still good enough to get the team into the playoffs, thought that required a bit of leaning on the rest of the team. Going into next season I am going to have a concentrated effort dedicated to improving defensive play, as well as physical attributes. Defensively, I'm alright with everything that went on this season, but just like last offseason I feel there is a lack of care put into skating and strength type attributes. One too many time did I see "Axel Foley beat to the corner by [name]" during sims so improving agility, speed, and acceleration are at the top of my list moving forward. When it comes to getting to the finals? There's a lot to improve. Really, offense, defense, skating, I just flatout sucked in the 'loffs this season. It's kind of tough to go through last season against Winnipeg, where I finished T-3rd in team scoring, to then finish T-last in team scoring. I'm not really sure if there any changes I can make beyond just hoping I preform better in-sim, but I am going to earn everything within my power to have the best attributes headed into the playoffs next season. That's my goal.
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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?
I don't think there is anything Buffalo needs to do to get a leg-up on Hamilton. They are much closer than their records would make you believe. In the regular season, Roach and Hernandivic were... struggling, to say the least. And they spent most of the season without deadline-addition Dick Clapper, who is elite in his own right. With their goaltending advantage, and strong offense, as well as top-end defensive talent, they are right there with Hamilton. This series is about as 50/50 as it can get, and at this point it might just come down to coaching and goaltending.
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.
Last time I did this, I gave a shoutout to Overdoo. Since then he called me an alien for a PT? That's a pretty weird ass way to pay someone back so I have two reasons to not go back to praising him this time smh. But he also rocks, and he should know that @overdoo. Other than Overdoo I got some ez choices for who to talk up.
@FuzzSHL you drafted me, you've given me advice, you took a chance on even signing me to get me into Carolina in the first place. Can't thank you enough for being a stand up dude who balled out for a championship as my GM. Wouldn't be here without him.
Zombiewolf. Updaters, baby. I want to brag about making a lot of money here and I don't want Zombo to see that or else he will threaten to cut my pay again, so he ain't tagged. Legit though, dedicated as all hell as my boss and despite the jokes the work he puts in is wild for how many seasons in a row he has to take charge.
I want to avoid shouting out current teammates since that seems so obvious so I'm going to shout-out a technical ex-teammate in @JT3. Before my rookie season I wanted to spent more time in the Edmonton locker room and JT was extremely active and welcoming despite his retirement being on the horizon. Shit, he's still popping in and talking hockey (dirty french fan but he makes up for it elsewhere). Even though we lost him last season and I never truly shared the ice with him, he's still an absolute homie.
03-28-2021, 11:20 PM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 09:59 PM by StamkosFan.)
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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 Great Lakes Division is too stacked, they said. Toronto has improved so much, but with so much competition, they'll be lucky to even make the playoffs, they said. A near miss was to be expected, and certainly, after years of rebuilding, nobody expecting the commanding defeat over the Manhattan Rage. The newly risen team shocked the SHL world by sending the veteran hockey club on another first round exit. Certainly, this was not an outcome that could have been projected at the start of the season. Sure, they aren't the same team they were five seasons ago, but the North Stars hadn't made a name for themselves yet. There isn't much room for new contenders to emerge amongst the giants either, at least nobody thought there was. But Toronto defied the odds and advanced to round 2, something that will certainly energize them next season and encourage them to build on their success. People will take them more seriously next year, that's for sure.
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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?
I think I would choose the immunity to penalties, offsides, and icing. Even if you're down a man, you can just camp a skater or two in the other team's zone and ice the puck down to them as soon as you touch, with no repercussions. You also could cross-check, slash, and hook your opponents as much as you want, making defense a lot easier. Hell, you can get nasty and just start taking runs at their players. Want to bulldoze their goalie? Go for it, what is goalie interference anyways? 6 on 5, as you see in empty net situations, is not that much of an advantage anyways, so the immunity is the clear choice here. The other team would not be ready for our no rules, no holds barred style.
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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 would predict the usual three as your top contenders in IIHF: USA, Great Britain, Canada. Nipping at their heels, following closely behind will be the A tier teams: Sweden, Japan, Czechia. And most of the others will be happy just to sneak in in those final advancement spots. Canada are the favorites, as USA has underperformed the past three years, and you can expect stars on the big teams like Theo Morgan and Jimmy Slothface to come through when it matters most. Sweden's Ola Wagstrom has historically done better in IIHF than he does in the SHL regular season, so we can expect to see him heat up and light the lamp for the blue and yellow. You can also expect Japan's Monkey D. Luffy to be a handful to contain on the ice, fueling a monstrous top line and packing a scoring bunch for the SHL's premier nation from Asia. And you can expect strong goaltending from names like Elizabeth Doyle and Harry Carpet, perhaps shining when their teams otherwise would not.
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13. 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! Reflecting back on the series, who gets your vote for series MVP? Make the case why this player deserves it over any other.
The Hamilton Steelhawks won again, why does this feel like deja vu? The same two teams every damn year...uh, I meant to say congrats. I'm going to give the MVP award to A Jobin, a goalie in the prime of his game who has yet again slammed the door in the face of his opponents and carried the Steelhawks to yet another Cup. All this guy does is win, he makes the big saves when they're needed and he stole some close games out there this season, as he always does. Superb goaltending wins championships, and this is shown to be the case yet again in S58. Lots of people might favor skaters, the ones who racked up the most points or the most goals, but I have to give the love to the goalie; without him, none of the rest of it would matter.
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
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.
@roastpuff You are the best co GM anyone could every ask for, and hiring you has quite possibly been the best decision that I made in my time as Sweden Fed Head. I appreciate your passion and your hard work so much, and it's people like you who will bring IIHF forward.
@Zema I've known you through two players and two years real time now, and you're a cool dude. Looking forward to sharing a fantasy group and cheering on Team Sweden together!
@sköldpaddor You really deserve that captain nomination for Sweden this year, you earned that Challenge Cup last year, and you've just been an awesome person to get to know through the Sweden LR. You might be a vet now but you're still an up-and-coming star to me. Your sigs are awesome by the way, love the one you made for me.
@Inf1d3l My oldest friend on the site, much love. I'll miss McCarthy a lot but I loved being teammates after it was just a pipe dream to play together for most of our careers. Our draft class may have been small, but with guys like you, S44 was memorable despite its small pool.
03-28-2021, 11:33 PM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 10:47 PM by Jepox.)
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?
Personally, the biggest surprise for me is the Texas Renegades winning the presidents trophy. They have been a strong team for a couple seasons now, continuing to take steps forward each year, however this season they took a larger step than ever before. This isn't a short term thing either, they have a strong roster who will continue to compete for the foreseeable future. A close second for biggest surprise is the Chicago Syndicate missing the playoffs only one season after winning the Challenge Cup. However it isn't the number one biggest surprise as that can be more attributed to their division being the toughest in the entire league, and with Toronto finally beginning to reach their peak it just becomes that much hard to compete. Their roster is still fairly strong so they should bounce back, but it's always a surprise to see the champions miss the playoffs completely only a season later. (154 words)
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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?
The Anchorage Armada did make the finals this season, however they were disposed of easily by Quebec City. Anchorage doesn't have to do much however as their roster is young and they're only losing a few players to call-ups. There will be some holes to fill in the draft, namely in the net as goaltender Chimkin Tendy is aging out, but for the most part the Armada are mainly looking to improve within and head into the upcoming season a season older and even stronger. Their blueline will feature three 425 capped defensemen, with the other 3 being at, or close to 350. They are losing a few forwards but look for even bigger contributions from players like Janis Lux, Ville Jurri and Cole Carter. With the right tactical choices, Anchorage will be just as strong as they were last season, probably even stronger and will continue their team success, looking for a third straight finals appearance. (157 words)
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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. If Buffalo wants to have a chance at beating Hamilton this season in the Challenge Cup finals, they will need to look to shut down their high octane offense. They have numerous high TPE forwards who can seemingly put up points at will. If they want any shot at winning this series they have to find a way to shut them down. (62 words)
b. The old saying says the defense wins championships, however in this case I think that offense will win out. Both are strong teams but Hamilton's ability to put the puck in the net even against the best of teams will be key, and for that reason I think they will win the cup over Buffalo. (55 words)
c. I personally prefer the Buffalo Stampede branding to the Hamilton Steelhawks branding. The green and yellow looks great together, and while it does look like slightly like the John Deere branding, Hamilton is just a city I've heard nothing but bad things about. Their silver doesn't even look that great, more like a weird grey and the yellow on their jerseys is just odd given there's none on their logo. (70 words)
d. In a game seven four on four overtime situation where I can pick and choose from both teams, I'm taking Elizabeth Doyle in net for starters. For forwards I would take Elijah Jones, Monkey D. Luffy, and Matt Kholin. I'd opt to go with three forwards who can score in any situation, yet are still defensively responsible enough to help cover in their own end. On defense I'm taking the big man himself, Augustus Wang. He can shutdown anyone thrown against him, but still move the puck himself. There's no doubt in my mind that this team comes away with the win. (102 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.
First off, @Patty is just the best. So helpful and kind and good looking, and such a cute dog as well. Next up, @hotdog and @goldenglutes are the best GMs ever. So helpful and kind and good looking (especially hotdog with his 5head). Of course after that there's the rest of Atlanta. What a great team. Anchorage too, they're a great group and super fun to play with, glad we got a cup together. Last but not least, @Toivo is my best and probably oldest friend from the site, and I'm glad we played together again a few seasons ago at the end of my last player's career.
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 this season was the Baltimore Platoon making the playoffs. At one point this season the Platoon were dead last in the Atlantic. Worst team in the entire conference. This didn’t sit well with the fine people in the Platoon locker room and they absolutely smoked the remainder of their schedule after the mid way point of the year. They gained so much ground in fact that they were fighting for 2nd place in the Atlantic until the final day of the season. The youth of the Platoon all started to produce this year but Karl Krashwagen put that team on his back and had one of the best seasons a goal scorer has ever had in the SHL. No one expected the Platoon to not be in last place in the conference let alone make the playoffs. Baltimore’s push to end the season certainly stands out as one of the most surprising moments in the FHM era of the SHL.
(165)
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?
Having six skaters at a time would be helpful but being able to play with immunity to penalties, offsides, and icing is a god tier perk that you’d be an idiot to pass on. What good is that man advantage when you can toss a goon out on the ice and absolutely murder the opposition? Or what if you just post up a total floater the entire game. You don’t need to worry about offsides or icing, right? Get the puck in your defensive zone and just rip it down the ice. Your floater can just manhandle the goalie for a potential empty net goal and if not he is ready for that all alone chance all the time.
(119)
Quote: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?
In previous years when this kind of question would pop up I’d give the usual answer. I’ll come in training my offensive game a little more and add in when possible on the score sheet. This year I am pulling out all the stops. I made the jump from defender to right wing in the off season and I’ll be doing everything differently next season to help the Platoon. I am going to come into the season probably playing on the second line considering how bad regression is going to hit me this season. I will add some serious depth to our forward line and I plan on hitting a point per game. That is my bold plan for helping the Platoon get even farther next season. Absolutely torch the other team offensively. With the talent surrounding me it shouldn’t be a problem. Maybe I can get the first hat trick of my career.
(154)
Quote: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. Buffalo does not really have to do anything differently to have the leg up. They already made the big adjustment during the season by trading with New England to get Dick Clapper. They got a 2000 TPE player which is a total game changer. All they need to do is to keep following their current game plan that got them to the finals and allow a 2000 TPE beast to do his thing.
(73)
b. I know this is a sim but just like in the real world, defense wins championships. A flashy offense is nice but at the end of the day if you have a top tier defensive group and an outstanding goalie that gets even better in the playoffs you are basically all set. Get a couple greasy goals and then play your defensive game. You can score all the goals you want but if you don’t have the talent to keep the other team off the board what does it matter?
(90)
c. The Buffalo Stampede’s branding blows Hamilton’s out of the water. Hamilton has, in my personal opinion, some of the lamest branding in the SHL and SMJHL. The gray and blue combo does nothing to excite me and what the heck is a steelhawk anyway. Representing Hamilton, an already little known area outside of the SHL they should be doing something to create a more unique brand. Buffalo’s colors are great and unique within the SHL. That logo is top notch as well.
(82)
d. If I’m the coach and I’m sending out four players to seal the deal, I want three offensive dynamos and a reliable defender to hold down the fort in case something happens as an insurance policy. With these two teams my go to group would be: Bobby Sharp, Michael Scarn, Elijah Jones, and Nicholas Owens. Sharp and Scarn are easy picks since they lead both teams in points. I’d choose Jones because he has more blocks than the other leading scorers in Hamilton which helps if the group gets hemmed in their own zone. Owens led both teams in shot blocks and put up 31 points. Reliable choice to anchor the squad.
(112)
Quote: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.
Quote:16. Written, 1 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.
Shoutout to all my fellow Toonzas! The last year has been tough for everyone and we have all had each other’s backs in the locker room. We have all had to deal with stuff and the amount of love and support that we show each other really has been a big reason why I have been able to get through everything. Thank you to everyone in Baltimore.
03-29-2021, 04:57 AM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 05:39 AM by dankoa.)
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 still can't really help but look at any success outside of the ultimate finals result as "window dressing" that is ultimately meaningless and serves only to help people kid themselves into thinking that the league doesn't have very deep running parity issues that are only not more visible in the regular season because of the fortunate coincidence that we see the three or four best teams in the league all play in one division and thus are not able to exploit their dominance as they are in the playoffs, where we are treated to the same finals matchup every season without failure. In the regular season, Toronto and Texas both performed well which some people might have been surprised by but was on the cards with the way that things have gone for them in recent seasons and they are not at the competing stages of rebuilds that have taken a lot of hard work and time to get to where they are. I think some teams like Baltimore winning more games than expected was also a surprise for me too, and the Pride being able to win as many games as they did also wasn't something that I was expecting.
202 words
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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?
With all the studies we've seen into the effects that hockey (and sports like it) can have on the long term health of the athletes, including long term degenerative brain injuries, I would argue that encouraging the sport to be played without any form of penalties or referee intervention is a reckless, dangerous and totally unsafe move. These are the lives of people that we're talking about here, and with some of the tragic stories that have been in the headlines in recent years, encouraging this kind of behaviour is shameful. As such, I would choose to play with 6 skaters on the ice and would hope that the other team would also opt to do this in the interest of player safety, both in the immediacy and in the long run.
132 words
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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?
I think that Andreas Kvalheim is a lock for the Hall of Fame. He's had an incredible career full of awards and high amounts of individual success, the kind of which we haven't seen from many people. I think there's a clear argument that he's the greatest two way forward in the league's history with the number of Dar awards that he's been able to win over the years, more than any other player in the history of the league. I know that he is planning on playing more seasons in the league in the seasons to come so he's going to get the chance to add even more impressive things to his resume, but I think that if he decided to retire tomorrow there'd be no way he misses out on a spot in the Hall of Fame with everything that he's been able to accomplish over the years. A great career,
153 words
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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 hard to go with any team other than the Texas Renegades here for me. We were dominant in the regular season and in a lot of the playoff games we played, until our goalies decided to shit the bed in an important Game 7. We came super close to making it to the finals and lost to the same teams that make it every season which I guess just adds to the disappointment of it all. Toronto also deserve credit for having a great run and looking as good as they did in the games that they played. Hopefully they can break through to the finals soon and give the SHL a different storyline for once.
117 words
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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 believe that Finland are going to have a great season in the IIHF for the simple reason that they have made the decision to name the great Kaarlo Kekkonen as their captain this season. This will be Kaarlo's 9th tournament with Team Finland, and now that he has reached the position of being their highest TPE forward he will have more responsibility to try and carry them past the round robin. With that being said, I think that we are going to be met with the same old story that we are in the SHL itself (starting to notice a bit of a trend across the league here); the big names doing well and the smaller nations not really getting anywhere. Probably going to end up with Canada winning yet another gold, USA being somewhere in the hunt and then some other team getting close but ultimately falling short to the superpowered teams at the top. Weird the way that seems to translate into the international tournament too.
169 words
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
03-29-2021, 07:41 AM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 03:16 PM by UrsinZ.)
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?
First off i wanna say i am deffinetly biased by being a gm of my team so jeah. Well there are some no brainers to me which are: Bobby Lane, Adam Barron, Harry Carpet and Mika Kandinsky. All 4 of them so far had awsome careers! They definetly have to keep up the great play but i definetly believe they have a lot of great seasons ahead of them! Another player i think whom could make it into the hall of fame is Rhys Pritchard. He won a 4 star cup with anaheim and played some insanenly good seasons in anaheim. He hasn't been that long in the shl but considering he currently plays mostly 2nd or 3rd line his scoring is pretty great! And if he get's first line minutes with some more tpe he could definetly see himself some awsome seasons! If he wins 1 or 2 cups and some awards in his career it definetly is a no brainer! And I do think he has it in him to make it!
Quote:8. Graphic, 3 TPE
Design a Challenge Cup championship t-shirt for one of the teams in the finals. (A four-star cup t-shirt for the SMJHL is ok as well.) Hey maybe if your design is good enough it'll make it to the merch store!
Quote:9. Graphic, 3 TPE
Create a magazine cover that highlights either a player in the finals or a standout player from the regular season.
Quote:12)
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?
Well you can't say a team needs just one of these two things to be a contender. There definetly has to be some of both. But in my opinion a great defense definetly is better then a great offense. What does it help you score a ton of goals but not being able to keep the opponent away from your net! But a great defense can slow down a great offense pretty good which lowers the offenses value hard!
Quote: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.
I mean this is a no brainer! @ml002 thanks to you for all the patience with me and also the awsome time so far as an incredible gm! @Carpy48 thanks for always reading my texts and overall being a great person to talk to! I really enjoy our conversations! @honkerrs you got left out the last time so i felt like you deserved this one! First of you are awsome! Helping wherever you can and just awsome to chat with! Even if it isnt about anything shl specific you always like to talk and blaber around! Even tough you beat me hard in fantasy i really like you! :D Well and thank you @Keenan for doing a great job as a pt head i really liked those so far, keep up the great work! Also shout out to any person who knows me you are great but it would take to long to @ everyone
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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?
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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?
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7. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.) or Graphic, 3 TPE
These are two very storied franchises, what is each team's all-time top 3 forwards, top 2 defensemen, and top goalie? Why did you choose them? For graphics people, make a graphic showing both team's starting lineups and some key stats.
Buffalo:
Center - Viktor Marius @karey : 790GP 294G 345A.
This man anchored the top line of Buffalo during its start to glory. No stranger to throwing his body in harm's way. Viktor was always a team-first player and this is what lead him to his success and being loved by the people around him. He was the 1st-line center when the first cup was brought home and he set the tone for the coming seasons!
Wing 1 - Monkey D. Luffy @TnlAstatine: 532GP 253G 307A.
Although Luffy is still Active there's no question he will go down as one of the best in Buffalo's history. He's the current captain and shows how it's done on the ice. He's always a contender för the most points in the league and shows up when it's the most critical. He's got two cups under his belt and an overtime game 7 GWG. Without Luffy Buffalo wouldn't be near where they are today.
Wing 2 - Bobby Sharp @Nerio: 582GP 192G 326A.
Another Active Player that keeps getting better with each season. Bobby is another team-first player that's finally getting the points he deserves. He's been a center on both 1st and 2nd lines throughout his career and never once backed away from the role he was given. He's the silent workhorse who gets things done without complaints. 2 Challange cups under his belt and certainly more to come.
Defense 1 - Alexis Metzler @Avakael: 1050GP 154G 543A.
Mr. Buffalo, the forever Captain and the player with the longest career in Buffalo history. He went through it all, from the Buffalo dark era where making playoffs was a big win to the golden era of getting the first Challenge Cup in the team History. He's was the backbone of the team for the longest period of time and he was perfect for it.
Defense 2 - Charles Walker @Zombiewolf 900GP 141G 326A.
Charles "Wheelchair" Walker the forever wingman to Alexis Metzler and damn did they perform magic together. While Metzler might have been the more offensively minded Walker had no issues cleaning up in his zone.
He might not have gotten the same accolades as Metzler but the truth to the matter is that Buffalo wouldn't be anywhere close to where they are today without him setting the precedent for how an excellent defenseman should act.
Goalie - Cedric Robinson @grok - 374GP 207W 22SO 2.5GAA 91.17SV%
Cedric Robinson has had the shortest tenure of all the mentioned players in this list, but don't let that take away from his accomplishments. In his rookie season, he won the Challange Cup with stellar numbers to back it instilling confidence in his team that lasts to this day. He was also a great teammate and set the tone multiple times for what was expected of the team.
Runner ups:
Center 2 - Matt Kholin
Wing 3 - Hippo Passamus
Defense 3 - Alexander Selich
Goalie 2 - Elizabeth Doyle
Sorry Hamilton but I think I would do you a disservice to take out best-of-team for you guys since I'd base it on points and stats purely. Hope this is OK with reviewers.
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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.
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
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.
03-29-2021, 08:21 AM(This post was last modified: 04-04-2021, 09:49 PM by Jobin.)
Code:
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 Simulation Hockey League hall of fame is an honor bestowed upon only the greatest of players. Those destined to win cups, win awards, the best of the best by a country mile. While there are several players on both teams that could fit the bill, there is one that stands out above the rest. Clearly that player is..... myself, A Jobin. I can hear the laughing from here and I get it. My entire career I've been told that I have been carried by super teams. that I had nothing to do with the two challenge cups, the one four star, the world juniors championship gold, the SMJHL playoff MVP, the 2 SMJHL All-Star nods and the 3 All-SMJHL teams that I earned/was on. Maybe all of you are right and I'm a mediocre goalie being shined up by better players around me. I like to think I've earned it all and will continue proving my worth. That's a lot in 6 seasons, let's see where this goes.
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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. There is nothing that Buffalo can do to give themselves an advantage against Hamilton. We are too good. We are too skilled. We beat the President's Trophy winners and there is no stopping us now. Hopefully this wasn't the huge jinx that it seems to be. Don't blame me if we lose.
b. I am going to take this as a personal attack. What is this supposed to mean? That I'm no good? That Big Dvok is so much better than I am? Because if so, you're correct and I have no defense (heh) for this. Offense will win out because I believe it will.
c. I think I like Buffalo's logo slightly better, but I'm a sucker for blue and gold (Let's Go Blues.) Usually I cannot stand circle logos, but for whatever reason, Buffalo's has my approval. It's just the lemon lime color scheme that I can't stand, and the fact that their jerseys have four stripes. Three is pushing it, but four is unnecessary.
d. I'm sending me out, heh. But for real, I have to send the big boys out. You know who I'm talking about, the four Hawks over two-thousand. Hugh Jazz, he'll be the only defenseman out there, but he'll be able to shut down anything by himself. That leaves room for the three forward I know can get the job done, Theo Morgan, Aaron Wilson, and Elijah Jones. With these four on the ice, winning isn't an option, it's a certainty.
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
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.
@Rangerjase @leviadan @TheSparkyDee Thanks for making every day on this site enjoyable. Whether it's just shooting the shit or playing games, you guys are my core and make this fake hockey stuff more fun than I ever thought it could be.
03-29-2021, 09:19 AM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 09:56 AM by takethehorizon.)
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?
Both perks, the 6 man on ice at all times and the no penalties/offsides/icing are both amazing to have. However the better perk and the one I would select as a GM of one of the Finals teams is the no penalties/offsides/icing. You can basically have a skater cherry-picking the entire time since there is no offsides. With that however you will be down a skater. No worries though because if you run into trouble your team can simply ice the puck, slash, trip or maul the puck carrier with no consequence and get out of the jam. On the other hand, the extra attacker all game is good but the no offsides/icing/penalties is just too OP.
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?
Unfortunately, Cillian Kavanagh and the rest of the Texas Renegades organization is watching the Finals matchup between Buffalo and Hamilton from home this season. After a great run, a Presidents Trophy and a tough game 7 loss in the conference finals, Texas' historic season has come to an end. Overall I think Texas did many things that inevitably gave them the boost they needed for this amazing run this season. Goaltending was strong, we had great depth scoring and the defensive was solid, helping keep pucks out of the net. As for my player, Kavanagh there are a few things I would like to work on in the offseason. Getting my player's blocker and glove to 19/20 is going to be key for me. It hurts every time I see my player get beat to the blocker or glove side. I improved rebounds and low shots this past season and noticed a huge improvement. Texas will be back again next season and Kavanagh will be ready for another stellar season in the crease.
Word Count: 174
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?
This answer is clear as day to all fans and the organization itself; The Texas Renegades. President Trophy winners were an absolute juggernaut heading into the S58 playoffs. Hamilton played great in the Conference Finals which ultimately lead to Texas' demise. "The goaltending needs to be better" - Everyone. The 1A/1B goalie tandem which was amazing all season seemed to have met it's match against a high powered offense in Hamilton. Goodman and Kavanagh both struggled, giving up way too many goals to make it to the next round. Goodman and Kavanagh each had their moments of promise stealing a game however the Steelhawks offense was too much too overcome. Texas will be back next season having sniffed the Finals birth this season they'll be ready to do what it takes to go the distance in S59.
Word Count: 137
Code:
8. Graphic, 3 TPE
Design a Challenge Cup championship t-shirt for one of the teams in the finals. (A four-star cup t-shirt for the SMJHL is ok as well.) Hey maybe if your design is good enough it'll make it to the merch store!
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
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.
Wasty needs to come back to making sexy sigs so I have something to drool over when I login to the forums. Miss his creative PS artwork. Following you on Youtube buddy, avid watcher of DynastyCentral Sports. Enjoyed your recent pack opening.
+2 + 3 + 2 + 3 + 3 + 3 = 16/16 TPE
Recipient of the Mike Honcho Award for Lowest Goal Against Average
03-29-2021, 09:42 AM(This post was last modified: 03-29-2021, 03:17 PM by 3lewsers.)
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
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 would choose 6 skaters without a doubt. I am used to playing within the normal hockey rules regarding offsides and icing, etc, so that wouldn't bother me. But having basically a full 60-minute power play is a no brainer. The only perk I see on the other side is having no offsides. A skater or two could easily cherry pick in the offensive zone if they wanted. But if our team has 6 skaters on the ice, I would combat that by simply having on of our skaters sit back to cut off any long passes. Sure, having no penalties for cross checking and causing bodily injury have a slight benefit, it pales in comparison to that extra skater.
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.
I love the positivity that @TheBigSandeenie brings to Newfoundland. He is extremely supportive of his teammates and as a fellow S57, he always makes me feel special.
I am honored to be his teammate, and I wish everyone would have the opportunity to see how he conducts himself. A professional with a great work ethic, and an excellent disposition.
Cheers, Matty.
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.
a. Buffalo's goaltender Elizabeth Doyle had the better goals against compared to Hamilton's Jobin. She needs to continue that trend in the finals if Buffalo hopes to win the cup. She also had a better save percentage. This series is going to rest on her shoulders. Short of an offensive explosion from her Buffalo team, Doyle is the key to the series.
b. I expect offense to win this battle and Hamilton to hoist the trophy. To combat that, Buffalo cannot just rely on Doyle without giving her the proper protection. Of course, she has the ability to stone her opponents, but this is no ordinary regular season game. This is the series to decide it all. If she stands on her head, Buffalo has a chance. I am not sure Buffalo's defense is up to the challenge, and Doyle may just not have enough in the tank on her own.
c. Compared to Hamilton, give me the Buffalo logo every day of the week and twice on Sunday. The only gripe I have regarding the Stampede logo is the color scheme. While the name Stampede is pretty boring, at least it's a real thing. I don't even know what a Steelhawk is? I would rate the locations as a push, so no clear winner there for me. But overall, the Buffalo Stampede gets the edge.
d. I would take 3 players from Hamilton and 1 from Buffalo. From the Stampede, I believe Bobby Sharp would setup his teammates for success from the center position. I would put Hamilton's Scarn at left wing and Aaron Wilson at right wing. I would select Samuel Michaud as a defenseman since he loves to hit and sacrifice his body on the ice. Scarn is a great two-forward so his defensive presence would make this an unstoppable quartet.
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?
The best SMJHL team to not make the finals was the Newfoundland Berserkers. They had the 3rd most points in the season, the 4th most goals, and the 4th best goals against. They got excellent play at the goalie position from both their starter Hugo Gronroos and their backup Evgeni Petrov. In addition, they were the only team in the SMJHL to have four 20-plus goal scorers on the season. Despite a few goal scoring slumps, the Berserkers had some offensive stretches that were mind blowing. At times, they seemed like a juggernaut, but they fell short in the conference finals despite a solid effort. They had 2 heartbreaking back-to-back overtime losses that put them in a 3 to 1 hole that they couldn't dig out of unfortunately. They are primed to reach the finals next season with plenty of talent returning to the team. They have a great core and despite overachieving a bit in S57, they will be the hunted in S59.
Code:
13. 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! Reflecting
back on the series, who gets your vote for series MVP? Make the case why this player deserves it over any other.
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