Paul T

My vote for Manager of the Year goes to Steven Bennett, Eldred Elite.
 
Sitting at 8-3-3-32 over half way through the season and well into relegation, he somehow turned his team around and clawed his way back into the GHL relegation playoffs and won a decisive Game 5, 1-0, to stay in the big leagues.
 
Well done, Steve.

Gratz to bouncer and West Chicago Hawks. Game 5 and series win 3-2 for them. Nothing miraculous about losing to Hawks but the series was a bit of a weird one and I can't but be a bit of annoyed about the very ending.
 
Series breakdown:
Shots:
WES 169
ENI 138
 
This number shows edge on Hawks. They won shots in 3 games and the rest of the 2 were tied.
 
Power play:
WES 5/29
ENI 4/10
 
These numbers tell several tales and there I also see one factor to my demise. I scored all my 4 PPG during one 5-minute major, and went 0/9 after that. Hawks on the other hand had me taking too many penalties and I was playing half of the games 3 and 5 in the penalty box. Both teams also scored one shorty.
 
Individual games:
 
Game 1:
Dream start for Rage, 4 power play goals during one penalty. Pettigrew didn't know what hit him and Hawks never recovered. 0-5 and series 0-1 for Rage.
 
Game 2:
Gibazov is injured and is replaced by Lantaigne in the first line. Line gets butchered with -4 alongside -3 by 1st defense pair. 5-2 Hawks and series tied 1-1.
 
Game 3:
Penalties ruin the game for Rage. Spineless effort from them. Shutout for Pettigrew and showdown for Hawks powerplay. 3-0 Hawks and they take the series lead 2-1.
 
Game 4:
Hawks powerplay continues strong, but Rage wins this one due to even strength domination. 4-3 Rage and series tied 2-2.
 
Game 5:
Penalties again troubling Rage, who take first 6 penalties of the game but still manage 2-0 lead but Hawks quickly make it 2-2. The downfall of Rage comes in the third, with a total meltdown, losing shots 17-4 and allowing 4 goals, two of them by an unexpected hero Ventura, who only had 4 goals in the entire regular season. Rage is beaten and Hawks advance to 3-2 series win with 6-2 game 5.
 
For Rage the series started like dream and ended like a nightmare. But in conclusion, the better team won. I took way too many penalties and Hawks depth players stepped up (Journeau 25 points in the regular season, 7 in this series). Regular season was 2 wins each (one of mine overtime) and this one went to game 5 so I managed to fight as the underdog in the playoffs too. And game 4 win was by strong even strength effort, so I was not only one-powerplay-wonder in this series.
 
Season over. Now a breather and focusing on next season. Good luck to all the remaining teams.

Gratz Steve!
 
And to all who got trough. And to Wendel

My vote for Manager of the Year goes to Steven Bennett, Eldred Elite.
 
Sitting at 8-3-3-32 over half way through the season and well into relegation, he somehow turned his team around and clawed his way back into the GHL relegation playoffs and won a decisive Game 5, 1-0, to stay in the big leagues.
 
Well done, Steve.

My vote for Manager of the Year goes to Steven Bennett, Eldred Elite.
 
Sitting at 8-3-3-32 over half way through the season and well into relegation, he somehow turned his team around and clawed his way back into the GHL relegation playoffs and won a decisive Game 5, 1-0, to stay in the big leagues.
 
Well done, Steve.

Good luck to the remaining teams in the playoffs.  The Leopards will be watching from the golf course.  Actually, I hate golf. 
 
Just be aware that the 1st round exit has lit a fire under our a$$es are the Leopards are angry heading into Season 2.
You've all been warned.

Good luck to the remaining teams in the playoffs.  The Leopards will be watching from the golf course.  Actually, I hate golf. 
 
Just be aware that the 1st round exit has lit a fire under our a$$es are the Leopards are angry heading into Season 2.
You've all been warned.

Cheers. A much more even series than what the wins show. Could've easily been a sweep the other way.

Yeah, the answer to this is a complicated one.  You could always test it out.  Review a few game logs with defensemen set to Offensive vs. Two Way/Stay Home and gauge the shot allocations.  You would probably need a large sample size to properly evaluate the results - and the results are highly subjective.
 
I would think that offensive defensemen would take "some" shots away from forwards, but that they would also generate MORE offense.  That being said, here's my non-verified, "best guess" at what would happen, using a completely made up scenario. 
 
Offensive:  Team shots 35 (Forwards 23, Defense 12)
Not Offensive:  Team shots 30 (Forwards 25, Defense 5)
 
Personally, I think of that as 5 more shots, not 2 less shots from forwards.
 
*As with most things in this game, I use the "feel test" rather than fact based logic.  It's just more fun that way.  Try both scenarios and go with whichever one gives you better vibes.

I echo the welcome back.
 
In regards to demotion, I said this somewhere that I actually currently see demotion as an advantage, especially if you don't have a strong team, because of all of the very meh 3-4 year contracts that a lot of GHL teams have. In fact, for a few days, I was seriously debating trying to deliberately do exactly that when I got this team. Had my second line not carried my team through the first month of the season at the top of the standings and I would have been fighting for a playoff spot like I thought I would have been I would have gone ahead and been a seller.
 
Ideally, you would quickly turn your team around so that you are back in the GHL by season 3 or 4. As a result, you could potentially gather a number of young players to build a team around. On top of it a number of players might be hitting FA too that would make good role players to fill in any gaps. All this while you likely pick low to mid in the draft for a year or two in the GHL while you build up your younger players.
 
Edit: The best time to take advantage of this though was this season. While it practically can still be done in the future you become more limited in what you can do in total as there are less bad contracts you can potentially use to your advantage when demoting.

This probably isn't the best thread to post in as it is the exact opposite of trash talk, but it seems to be the only Cage discussion, so what the heck...
 
First, congrats to the Bangers, Plastic Attack, Patriots and Owls for promotion from SHL to GHL.  I am personally looking forward to battling with the Bangers and Plastic Attack again (BHL/SHL Biscuit days).
 
Second, good luck to the Flame, Savage Storm, Dragons, Defenders and Giant Strikers in your playoff quest for promotion.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for the Flame as I enjoy competing with active managers.
 
Third, good luck to the Elite, Blue Thunder, Battlin Bears and Supersonics, who are all currently battling to stay in GHL.  That's gotta be nerve-wracking.  It's amazing the way the Elite were able to turn their season around.
 
Last, and definitely not least.  Huge kudos to both Fango and Antti (Claws & Kamikazee).  Currently in relegation, but sticking with it.  Too often the only managers that get recognized are the top of the standings, but there's a huge something to be said when things aren't going your way and you stay with the team and keep battling.  I see too many managers who just bail if their team starts losing.  Think more people need to really enjoy the game for what it is.  It's a manager game with a huge element of luck/randomness/chance, whatever you want to call it.  It is just as fun, if not more, when you actually have to put more effort into it or get creative.  The only unsuccessful managers are the ones who leave.  Their loss.  Regardless if your team is doing well or not, you still get to enjoy what the game has to offer.  It's cool to win, but I personally have much more respect for the managers who still have fun even when they don't.

I tend to look more at the Big Game section when it comes down to my blue line. Having Defensemen or Goalies that don’t get shaken is a staple of our teams. I will say that if their other skill attributes overcome their character, I may still put anxious or nervous player behind the blue line, but don’t prefer to.
 
I look at Ambition only when drafting or selecting younger players as I’d rather spend some capital on individuals that have a chance at actual growth.
 
I’m with Paul and Krabbat on leadership. Once I get my 3 captains, I tend not to care as much.
 
Lastly, while it is the least of my concerns, I do feel like my team gets better when they actually are friendly etc. In fact, I usually don’t like to pair two arrogant defensemen for communication reasons.

Love this! I like the idea of a “Roid Rage Trophy” for the individual with the most combined hits + penalties. Wish we could track fighting and wins/losses there. Maybe the winner can get a re-fillable “Golden gallon” and a years supply of creatine!
 
The “Crentist, the Dentist” award would also go to the individual who got in the most fights and had the highest loss percentage. They would get free dental work once they retired.

I'm not done with the game, I've just been busy with life. Honestly I've been checking about once a week so Im not sure why I was booted. Myabe its because I havent checked my fast team in so long that I got booted from both worlds.
 
 
 
I should add, I'm a little bit peeved I didn't have time to make deadline deals  and also I'm glad my team wasn't immediately raided.

+1000

Since (most) of us can take a good joke on here, it'd be great to also see more creative awards.  For instance, rookie of the year would be a good legit one for a player that is in his first season in GHL (no matter the age) who leads in points or whatever stats you want to toss in.
 
Some other funny ones could be:
Best/Worst Goals Per $ spent
Worst Plus/Minus
Swiss Cheese Award for Goalie that meets minimum games played requirement (~10) and lowest Save %
Broken Stick Award for the player with the most Giveaways
 
Open to other suggestions, but whatever award people come up with, please explain your methodology just so we know.  

This probably isn't the best thread to post in as it is the exact opposite of trash talk, but it seems to be the only Cage discussion, so what the heck...
 
First, congrats to the Bangers, Plastic Attack, Patriots and Owls for promotion from SHL to GHL.  I am personally looking forward to battling with the Bangers and Plastic Attack again (BHL/SHL Biscuit days).
 
Second, good luck to the Flame, Savage Storm, Dragons, Defenders and Giant Strikers in your playoff quest for promotion.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for the Flame as I enjoy competing with active managers.
 
Third, good luck to the Elite, Blue Thunder, Battlin Bears and Supersonics, who are all currently battling to stay in GHL.  That's gotta be nerve-wracking.  It's amazing the way the Elite were able to turn their season around.
 
Last, and definitely not least.  Huge kudos to both Fango and Antti (Claws & Kamikazee).  Currently in relegation, but sticking with it.  Too often the only managers that get recognized are the top of the standings, but there's a huge something to be said when things aren't going your way and you stay with the team and keep battling.  I see too many managers who just bail if their team starts losing.  Think more people need to really enjoy the game for what it is.  It's a manager game with a huge element of luck/randomness/chance, whatever you want to call it.  It is just as fun, if not more, when you actually have to put more effort into it or get creative.  The only unsuccessful managers are the ones who leave.  Their loss.  Regardless if your team is doing well or not, you still get to enjoy what the game has to offer.  It's cool to win, but I personally have much more respect for the managers who still have fun even when they don't.

And I will likely find out how the Pens feel.  Early season favorites, find out you aren't that good as the season rolls along, swept.

I totally didn't mean it that way (so don't cancel those trades)!  My comment was not in response to anything I've seen recently.  As Steve said, we used to chat about this topic a lot in Biscuit and I only brought it up again because it seems some managers with really good players have left recently.  The specific player I was thinking of was Piercy (Dman - Brass Castle).  He's actually untouchable, so that's good, but I was thinking how easy it would be to acquire him if he wasn't. 
 
A gentleman's agreement is a pipe dream since not all managers are around the forums enough to make that happen.  I guess either computer trading needs to be locked down by the admins or we just allow and accept it. 

Hear, hear - very good statement, Paul. I must say that I agree with everything - and a lot of respect to managers who commit long-term and stay with their squads through relegation. This will make eventual wins all the better. 

Looking forward to GHL newcomers as well. Entering a new league and establishing a new team and relationships/rivalries with new managers is one of the parts of GPHM I enjoy most. 

This probably isn't the best thread to post in as it is the exact opposite of trash talk, but it seems to be the only Cage discussion, so what the heck...
 
First, congrats to the Bangers, Plastic Attack, Patriots and Owls for promotion from SHL to GHL.  I am personally looking forward to battling with the Bangers and Plastic Attack again (BHL/SHL Biscuit days).
 
Second, good luck to the Flame, Savage Storm, Dragons, Defenders and Giant Strikers in your playoff quest for promotion.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for the Flame as I enjoy competing with active managers.
 
Third, good luck to the Elite, Blue Thunder, Battlin Bears and Supersonics, who are all currently battling to stay in GHL.  That's gotta be nerve-wracking.  It's amazing the way the Elite were able to turn their season around.
 
Last, and definitely not least.  Huge kudos to both Fango and Antti (Claws & Kamikazee).  Currently in relegation, but sticking with it.  Too often the only managers that get recognized are the top of the standings, but there's a huge something to be said when things aren't going your way and you stay with the team and keep battling.  I see too many managers who just bail if their team starts losing.  Think more people need to really enjoy the game for what it is.  It's a manager game with a huge element of luck/randomness/chance, whatever you want to call it.  It is just as fun, if not more, when you actually have to put more effort into it or get creative.  The only unsuccessful managers are the ones who leave.  Their loss.  Regardless if your team is doing well or not, you still get to enjoy what the game has to offer.  It's cool to win, but I personally have much more respect for the managers who still have fun even when they don't.

This probably isn't the best thread to post in as it is the exact opposite of trash talk, but it seems to be the only Cage discussion, so what the heck...
 
First, congrats to the Bangers, Plastic Attack, Patriots and Owls for promotion from SHL to GHL.  I am personally looking forward to battling with the Bangers and Plastic Attack again (BHL/SHL Biscuit days).
 
Second, good luck to the Flame, Savage Storm, Dragons, Defenders and Giant Strikers in your playoff quest for promotion.  I'd be lying if I said I wasn't pulling for the Flame as I enjoy competing with active managers.
 
Third, good luck to the Elite, Blue Thunder, Battlin Bears and Supersonics, who are all currently battling to stay in GHL.  That's gotta be nerve-wracking.  It's amazing the way the Elite were able to turn their season around.
 
Last, and definitely not least.  Huge kudos to both Fango and Antti (Claws & Kamikazee).  Currently in relegation, but sticking with it.  Too often the only managers that get recognized are the top of the standings, but there's a huge something to be said when things aren't going your way and you stay with the team and keep battling.  I see too many managers who just bail if their team starts losing.  Think more people need to really enjoy the game for what it is.  It's a manager game with a huge element of luck/randomness/chance, whatever you want to call it.  It is just as fun, if not more, when you actually have to put more effort into it or get creative.  The only unsuccessful managers are the ones who leave.  Their loss.  Regardless if your team is doing well or not, you still get to enjoy what the game has to offer.  It's cool to win, but I personally have much more respect for the managers who still have fun even when they don't.

Interesting first round for me... as 2nd overall team with best PP and PK in the league, I was not really expecting 0-5 loss after 4 PP goals in just one 5 minutes major. I know how Las Vegas felt against SJS

“Ok team, let’s hage a meeting next week to discuss this more in depth - Paul you do research on...” What the heck! This is seriously where this conversation is taking my mind - to my job! This is a game! Let’s loosen up a bit, get creative, no paper stamping, super analytical feedback needed.
 
On another note, Rasputin’s team just shoved a stick up my guys’ rears the last game in Buzzer. Still pulling the splinters out...which reminds me, this is primarily a GHL conversation so I’ll let you guys get back to it, this GM is going to hop back in my 95’ Toyota Camry and have a Bologna sandwhich my grandma made me before heading to the rink to coach overweight bon-bon eating ice slugs!

Awesome work!  I was thinking about doing something similar, but I'm glad someone beat me to it. 
Great to see a Leopard win one.  Helluva season, Souders!