Quote:1. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Reflection on your season - how did your player fare on the ice this season? Did you meet or surpass your individual player goals or did you come up short? Whether you excelled or disappointed - what can you attribute that to? What will you try to do better next season?

Holy heck Gunnar has had a disappointing go of it in the FHM era. He was a little better this year thanks to the help of the good folks in Chicago but he continues to disappoint me. I guess I’m going to just continue to bust my ass for those good old TPE to keep trying to bully him into being better at hockey, but I am STRUGGLING. It's super frustrating because it felt like he was just starting to get good under the fickle, oppressive regime of Simon, only to get sent right back to the drawing board here this season. I attribute it to me just not knowing what the hell I’m doing in this sim engine, honestly. I am starting to get a little bummed out and feel like he might not even be good by the time regression hits, which is real discouraging for how much effort I've put into getting him to where he is. But oh well, if Gunnar burns out, there's always the next guy.

Quote:2. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
Well, dang. Your team didn't make the finals this season - my condolences to you. Are you and your teammates planning on watching the finals even though you're not in it? If so, what are your watch parties like? If not, are you still following the finals or trying to ignore it completely? What are you and your teammates doing together (if anything) instead of following along? (if you're on Hamilton or New Orleans, or either of the 2 SMJHL teams that soon will be playing in the finals - congrats and sorry :p this one isn't for you!)

Gunnar is spending a little bit of time getting wasted in his apartment with his dog, and they are going to spend some time sulking before he gets it together and drags himself back to the arena. He's about to be at the peak of his career and this is no time to be wallowing in misery over the failures of the past, even the really recent past. He might catch a couple games of the final, but there will be plenty of time to watch game footage over the summer, so I think it's important to give yourself time to process your disappointments so you don't repeat them. Gunnar will be spending this summer in Chicago instead of going home to Sweden like he usually does; he feels like he needs the extra time to build those good old bonds with his teammates, so he's not fleeing the country like he usually does. Instead, he's going to try to have some of the guys on the team over for dinner a few times and make sure he does his best to put down the kind of roots he knows are necessary for him personally to focus on his job.

Quote:3. Written, 2 TPE (100 words min.)
It has been publicized a decent amount on this site but Hamilton prospect Andrei Kostitsyn's brother Sergei appears to be missing. Does anybody know where Sergei? What have you done/what can you do to help Andrei track down his brother?

Woah this is the first Gunnar is hearing of this, and he doesn't really have any skills as an investigator to go tracking down missing persons. However, if Andrei needs any missing posters made to hang up on telephone polls or to put on milk cartons, I'm happy to help out with that. Probably the most important thing in these cases is to get as many people keeping an eye out for the missing person as possible, so maybe a billboard would even be in order. Just a lot of stuff to make sure everyone knows what Sergei looks like, so they know who they're looking for, as well as any pertinent information about where he was last seen and who he was with.

Quote:4. Written, 3 TPE (150 words min.)
S54 IIHF Predictions - with one FHM IIHF season under our belt, we've got a bit more of a sense of how the tournament might play out in the new sim engine. What are your predictions for the S54 IIHF or WJC tournament - how do you think your team will fare this season? Who do you think are the biggest contenders to take home the hardware and why?

I am going to be a total homer and predict that Sweden is going to do really well in this IIHF tournament. If I didn't believe in the team, I wouldn't be a part of it, all that cliched jazz. I think this roster has just gotten so much deeper and better in just my own time in the league, and I think we're in a good spot. It's really been very satisfying to be in the Swedish locker room as we've gone from a tiny team that I was on even as an uncapped SMJHL player to a much deeper squad with some real powerhouse players on the roster. I also think the juniors team is looking great and it's been really cool to watch more and more newcomers show interest in bringing their talents to Sweden even if they aren't Swedish by birth. I think both squads have the potential to be really strong this year, and I'm interested to see how my own build factors in.

Quote:7. Written, 3 TPE
Write a sonnet about an SHL-related topic. Be sure to follow the proper ABAB-CDCD-EFEF-GG rhyme structure or your HS English (or equivalent any-language Writing teacher) will track you down and give you a failing grade.

Another season has come to an end
And I have spent it on the struggle bus
We’ve sadly gone home early once again
Even though I truly believed in us

I struggle to find the back of the net
Or the front, I am ashamed to admit
Missed so many shots I’d like to forget
Played so many shifts that ended “oh shit”

But I shall never give up on my dreams
I will keep doing tasks and earning points
No matter how dreary my outlook seems
No matter how much my play disappoints

Fake hockey for life, whether win or lose
You don’t choose the game, the game chooses…yous.

Quote:16. CW TRIVIA, 3 TPE max - 1 TPE for participation, 0.5 TPE for each correct answer. This is now completed through a Google form linked below. Make sure to spell your answers correctly or you will not get credit. Post your verification word in your CW post.

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