Challenge 42 - 98 TB Lightning - Discussion Thread

[bruins72]

All challenge talk here!

[bruins72]

I'm going to start things off by saying how terrible our right side is in regards to defensemen! Also finding coaching staff is pretty hard.

[nino33]

Here's a couple things from the 1998-99 Hockey News Yearbook I have...



NHL Report Cards - THN grades all 27 teams by position

[table][tr][th]Rank[/th] [th]Team[/th] [th]Forwards[/th] [th]Defense[/th] [th]Goal[/th] [th]Overall[/th] [th]THN's Comments[/th][/tr]

[tr][td]1[/td] [td]Dallas Stars[/td] [td]A[/td] [td]A[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]A[/td] [td]No holes on roster; must find way to beat Wings in playoffs[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]2[/td] [td]Detroit Red Wings[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]No reason to believe two-time champs won't keep on truckin'[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]3[/td] [td]Colorado Avalanche[/td] [td]A[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]Still good on paper, but need to pass chemistry test[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]4[/td] [td]Phialdelphia Flyers[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]"Beezer" may be ingredient that makes this recipe work[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]5[/td] [td]New Jersey Devils[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]A[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]With Gilmour gone, who the Devil will generate offense?[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]6[/td] [td]Washington Capitals[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]Cup final appearance proof of ability when finally healthy[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]7[/td] [td]Buffalo Sabres[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]A+[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]Hasek left, Hasek right, Hasek up the middle[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]8[/td] [td]Los Angeles Kings[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]A-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]Suprisingly strong defense keeps Kings trending upward[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]9[/td] [td]Boston Bruins[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]Hard work key now that element of surprise already used[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]10[/td] [td]Carolina Hurricanes[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]Time has come for franchise to finally make breakthrough[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]11[/td] [td]St. Louis Blues[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]Depletion of offense spells trouble for '97-98 surprise team[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]12[/td] [td]Phoenix Coyotes[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]Should be higher, but sum not equal to talented parts[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]13[/td] [td]New York Rangers[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]Expect return to post-season, but not return to glory[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]14[/td] [td]Pittsburgh Penguins[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Now more than ever, Jagr must carry offensive load[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]15[/td] [td]Montreal Candiens[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]C-[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Canadiens will live and die by inexperienced goalie duo[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]16[/td] [td]Chicago Blackhawks[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Reason to believe playoffs in the cards after one-year absence[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]17[/td] [td]New York Islanders[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Things could fall into place with Milbury back behind bench[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]18[/td] [td]Ottawa Senators[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Not far from contention, but also close to missing dance[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]19[/td] [td]Toronto Maple Leafs[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]B+[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Rebuilding plan hastened with Joseph, coach Quinn[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]20[/td] [td]Vancouver Canucks[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]High goaltending grade reflects promise of upgrade[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]21[/td] [td]San Jose Sharks[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]Strange blend of senior citizens and up-and-comers[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]22[/td] [td]Anaheim Mighty Ducks[/td] [td]B[/td] [td]D[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]These guys truly put "D" in defense-and not in a good way[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]23[/td] [td]Edmonton Oilers[/td] [td]B-[/td] [td]C+[/td] [td]D[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]Rise not out of question if goaltending question addressed[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]24[/td] [td]Calgary Flames[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]Pluggers at C-level with little hope of going higher[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]25[/td] [td]Florida Panthers[/td] [td]C-[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]D+[/td] [td]C-[/td] [td]Did these guys really make Cup final just two years ago?[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]26[/td] [td]Tampa Bay Lightning[/td] [td]C-[/td] [td]D[/td] [td]C[/td] [td]D+[/td] [td]Owner's one-year turnaround ultimatum naïve, unrealistic[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]27[/td] [td]Nashville Predators[/td] [td]D-[/td] [td]D+[/td] [td]D-[/td] [td]D[/td] [td]Remember, Johnny Cash didn't start out at Grand Ole Opry[/td][/tr]

[tr][td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td] [td][/td][/tr]

[tr][td]28[/td] [td]Columbus Blue Jackets[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]29[/td] [td]Minnesota Wild[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td][/tr]

[tr][td]30[/td] [td]Winnipeg Jets (Atlanta)[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td] [td]-[/td][/tr][/table]




The Top 50 Players in the NHL (by Bob McKenzie)

1. Dominik Hasek G Sabres
2. Paul Kariya LW Ducks
3. Peter Forsberg C Avalanche
4. Jaromir Jagr RW Penguins
5. Sergei Federov C Wings
6. Nicklas Lidstrom D Wings
7. Eric Lindros C Flyers
8. Mike Modano C Stars
9. Chris Pronger D Blues
10. Keith Tkachuk LW Coyotes

11. Mats Sundin C Leafs
12. Teemu Selanne RW Ducks
13. John LeClair LW Flyers
14. Martin Brodeur G Devils
15. Joe Sakic C Avalanche
16. Rob Blake D Kings
17. Steve Yzerman C Wings
18. Brian Leetch D Rangers
19. Ray Bourque D Bruins
20. Wayne Gretzky C Rangers

21. Patrick Roy G Avalanche
22. Pavel Bure RW Canucks
23. Peter Bondra RW Capitals
24. Keith Primeau C Hurricanes
25. Doug Weight C Oilers
26. Jason Allison C Bruins
27. Olaf Kolzig G Capitals
28. Scott Niedermayer D Devils
29. Al MacInnis D Blues
30. Joe Nieuwendyk C Stars

31. Brett Hull RW Stars
32. Ziggy Palffy RW Islanders
33. Chris Osgood G Wings
34. Alexei Yashin C Senators
35. Derian Hatcher D Stars
36. Mark Recchi RW Canadiens
37. Theo Fleury RW Flames
38. Chris Chelios D Hawks
39. Saku Koivu C Canadiens
40. Jeff Friesen LW Sharks

41. Ron Francis C Hurricanes
42. Brendan Shanahan LW Wings
43. Daniel Alfredsson RW Senators
44. Mike Richter G Rangers
45. Rob Brind’Amour C Flyers
46. Curtis Joseph G Leafs
47. Larry Murphy D Wings
48. Sergei Zubov D Stars
49. Michael Peca C Sabres
50. Jere Lehtinen RW Stars

[nino33]

Also finding coaching staff is pretty hard.

That's a good sign to me!

Finding the best CA/PA and Attributes to use for Staff is still very much a work-in-progress, but I did try to reduce the randomness of talent at all levels, so that in general there are staff talent "levels" like there are with players (no more Bantam/Junior A level staff in the NHL), with of course some exceptions

And at startup you won't find free agent "fake" Staff that are way better than NHL Staff anymore

[MWE]

Will download this now

[braeden]

Starting it up now... Defence is scary bad in 1st season.

[bruins72]

Yup. And things get even worse if/when you get injuries. Oh and Janney retires after the first season.

[braeden]

Yup. And things get even worse if/when you get injuries. Oh and Janney retires after the first season.

Just finished my first season...

Tucker got 61pts in 74gp though...

[Rough Neck]

The retro aspect of this game is sick.

[Asher413]

This team is like a who's-who of great players on the Sega Genesis NHL series in 92-94... not 99 . Vinny will probably go back to juniors just to avoid the stories about hockey before color TV in the locker room.

The first challenge is how fast can I click through the first season to try and get younger and slightly better journeymen!

[braeden]

This team is like a who's-who of great players on the Sega Genesis NHL series in 92-94... not 99 . Vinny will probably go back to juniors just to avoid the stories about hockey before color TV in the locker room.

The first challenge is how fast can I click through the first season to try and get younger and slightly better journeymen!

Lol press the space bar to get through games faster!

When are we supposed to take pictures and take pictures of what? Cheers for the help. Finished my first season failed to make playoffs.

What date do we take pics on?

[m0fownz0r]

badum-tsSsssssss

THANK YOU jhcjobpb and nino33, for bringing my favourite time of hockey BACK

YOU <snip> ROCK!

...and I called the challenge

[MWE]

I sent Lecavalier back to Rimouski for the season was that a mistake?

[MWE]

This team can score but cannot defend for the life of it

[bruins72]

This team is like a who's-who of great players on the Sega Genesis NHL series in 92-94... not 99 . Vinny will probably go back to juniors just to avoid the stories about hockey before color TV in the locker room.

The first challenge is how fast can I click through the first season to try and get younger and slightly better journeymen!

Lol press the space bar to get through games faster!

When are we supposed to take pictures and take pictures of what? Cheers for the help. Finished my first season failed to make playoffs.

What date do we take pics on?

You post your stats every 20 games (22 for the final quarter of the season). Go up to TBL Challenge and then click Upload Your Stats. For screenshots...

12.0 Posting the end of season screenshots

12.1 At the end of each season you need to post a couple of screenshots to verify your recorded statistics. We do not mind how compressed/ugly/chunky/stripy the images are (you may use the GIF format if you wish) so long as we can read your numbers and the ingame date is clearly visible.

12.2 The screenshots we require are (note: you can click on each of the items in this list to see an example screenshot with further information):
Regular Season Team Stats/Standings
Regular Season Player Stats
Playoff Schedule/Results (unless you recorded zero playoff wins)
Player Trades Summary (must be taken on 1 July)

There is a thread in the challenge forum called "Post Your Screenshots". Post them there.

[bruins72]

I sent Lecavalier back to Rimouski for the season was that a mistake?

It can't make things that much worse... can it? I'm 13 games into season 1 and I've got a 1-12 record.

[bruins72]

So I've got 20 games in the books now. It was a real struggle. I had a record of 4-15-1. We started to get our act together in the last 6 games or so though. We're just about healthy again and I'm hoping we get something going moving forward. Renberg has been an absolute BEAST for me! He's huge and he's strong and he's got decent skills. That's worked out well. Tucker has been good too. Kubina has been solid and earned Rookie of the Month for October.

Brad Richards has been tearing it up in Junior. I don't know if he'll be read for the NHL next season though. Same goes for Paul Mara. We'll see! We could definitely use the help.

[braeden]

Just got through my first draft..

5th overall: Henrik Zetterberg
65th overall: Sean Avery
125th overall: Ryan Malone
178th overall: Alex Burrows
185th overall: Zdenek Smid

Zetterberg is already pencilled into my lineup... His defensive category is ALL green and his offensive category is great for a 19 year old. Was thinking of going Heatley or a dman but Zetterberg was too good to pass up.

[m0fownz0r]

some juicy free agents...

[bruins72]

Just got through my first draft..

5th overall: Henrik Zetterberg
65th overall: Sean Avery
125th overall: Ryan Malone
178th overall: Alex Burrows
185th overall: Zdenek Smid

Zetterberg is already pencilled into my lineup... His defensive category is ALL green and his offensive category is great for a 19 year old. Was thinking of going Heatley or a dman but Zetterberg was too good to pass up.

Looks like a decent draft. As I'm scouting and looking at who I might take in the first round, Zetterberg has definitely stood out!

[m0fownz0r]

so, basically a weak draft?

[braeden]

so, basically a weak draft?

No way. Sedins, STEFAN (LOL), Heatley... There's a couple steals hiding there later. Not gonna comment on any though as you'll have to find them for yourself.

[CJ]

so, basically a weak draft?

Overall 99 was one of he weakest I know about. Expect a lot better drafts in the future.

[bruins72]

Playing this era again has reminded me how big some of the players were back then. It seems like now the really large players are much fewer. I'm seeing lots of guys over 220 lbs and it's just not that common these days. Of course, many players were slower then. This was the neutral zone trap era, right?

[braeden]

Off to a hot start to season 2! 5th in the East after 20 games. Young lineup too. Zetterberg, Richards, Lecavlier, Malone, Mara all making their season debuts.

Lecavlier seems like a 3rd liner at best...