Blackhawks Challenge 9.1 and 9.2 discussion thread

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 1:39 pm

You are a sneaky sort. It's probably some sort of sabotage!

Oh well! I don't care. I'll make do!

Post by **Lidas** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:06 pm

The techies made it!

They fixed my computer, and its all here!
Cost me a good pennie (yen) though, but well worth it!

I even have my saves back...

Blackhawks challenge, Im back again!

Post by **batdad** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:30 pm

Excellent Lidas...On Challenge work! Get Busy!

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:30 pm

I'm glad to hear everything worked out for you, Lidas. Losing your data is such a scary thing these days. I dread the whole idea of that! I've just got too much to lose.

I'm also glad that you'll be able to rejoin the challenge. You've put a lot of work into your team. It would've been a shame to have to start over.

Welcome back!

corinthian · Post by **corinthian** » Thu Aug 23, 2007 3:34 pm

Wellcome back Lidas!

My guys are playing a decent hockey right now '=D>' , but there are some problems ahead: 21 players are ending theirs contracts and the better ones are trying to rip me off (Regehr wants $3,500,000 , Campbell $2,900,000, Malone wantes 100% raise $1,300,000 to $2,600,000)

I don't know what to do, probably I'll trade some of them and sign RFAs.

Apparently there's a curse here: let me explain, I posted 2 days ago that Caron was playing great so after saying that he cost me 2 games in a roll. So AHL for him.

corinthian · Post by **corinthian** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 3:26 pm

Hey bruins72 Nice blog update '=D>'

I have same problems in shootout, last time i went berserk and put Bolland, Arkhipov and Leopold, it worked!
What's the mystery?

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 3:43 pm

Thank, corinthian. Glad you're enjoying it.

I don't know what the deal is with the shootouts. You'd think I would've had good luck with them in the first season when I had Kariya and Havlat but those two could rarely score on a shootout. I've still got guys that should be good in shootouts but I still always lose. At least sometimes some of my guys score on the shootouts, they just lose when it goes 6 or 7 rounds. Still the same result though. I got to a shoot, I lose!

Maybe I'll put Hollweg first for the shootout, let him beat up the opposing goalie, and then send in my snipers?

Post by **batdad** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:24 pm

Okay 1st 20 games in the books for year 2. ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT! off to blog...

Very happy man. I think I may have figured out the one thing that was being an annoyance for me all along. Watch out boys! Watch out!

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:35 pm

Your PP is working finally? WOW!

I've just won my last 2 shootouts!

Post by **batdad** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:12 pm

Yes..as soon as I got rid of Sami Salo...I went crazy. I am at 25% in the last 10 games I have played. So that brought me up top 18.5 from like 10%. WOW!

kuulapaa · Post by **kuulapaa** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:15 pm

I'm in season 1, 68 games played and I have to admit that I've been watching the season of Handzus and Lalime in Sharks with malice. I traded Handzus, Lalime and Cullimore for Michalek and Marleau. Lalime hasn't played a single game anywhere in whole season. Handzus played five games before he got injured - and he will still be out about three months! Only Cullimore has succeeded there, he has played whole season and has average rating of 7.28.

I didn't get Michalek to play as I would have liked to too. So he is out of my system, I traded him and Väänänen for Regehr and Huselius. Regehr is better in my defense than Väänänen was and Huselius has started pretty well too. So that wasn't so bad deal at all. On the whole I may have made too many trades but that is business as usual - I always get carried away some time in the season. That's my biggest problem, I don't enjoy playing the games, I enjoy managing the team. Best time of year is the off-season, when there's no games disturbing my playing

My roster after the trade deadline is like this:

Weekes,Boucher

Regehr, Aucoin, Stuart, Seabrook, Keith, Lilja, Vandermeer

Sturm, Huselius, Moreau, Holmqvist

Marleau, Sharp, Kvasha, Arkhipov, Bolland

Ruutu, Fedotenko, Vrbata, Lapointe, Hamilton

In trade deadline day I made two trades. I got rid of Påhlsson and got Chris Bourque and 2nd round pick for 2008 from Washington for him. I also traded the rights of Dan Bertram and one fourth rounder for Ryan Hollweg, 'cause Rangers were offering him eagerly for Påhlsson. Both Bourque and Hollweg went straight to Norfolk and I'm thinking of letting them play there for the whole season. Bourque isn't likely to play in my team ever, but Hollweg's time will come next season. Unless I need him in playoffs...

My contract situation is good going in the first off-season of the challenge. There is nine contracts ending in 2007 and I want to keep four or five of them, so I think I'm heading to very interesting and enjoyable off-season. We only have to play a few games and playoff games before getting there

Post by **batdad** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 9:18 pm

Huselius is very good in this game. I won some challenge because of him I think. He does very well..as long as Keenan ain't coaching him. Hmm......

Post by **batdad** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 11:37 pm

Ha! Trevor Hendrikx just got released by CBJ in my game. HAHAHA. But I cannot sign him, cause I have already 2 UFA's for this season. Thought B72 might think this was funny.

Also....With Handzus out for 3 weeks, I lost Derek Roy for 10 days. Um...centre is a bit of an issue. 1-1 without Roy though.

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:57 am

I'm having my first injury trouble of the year...Vinny, Jason Blake, Sutherby and Keith all just went down for 10+ days within the last three days. Could be worse, but it should be a craptacular 3-4 games without all those guys.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 1:59 am

The Columbus GM is a fool in this game. The Blue Jackets have so many solid defensive prospects if you manage them right. You could replace half of your defense by year three if you really wanted to, just by using guys in your system at the start of the game.

It sounds like we all hit trouble with injuries around the same time. I had both Handzus and Smolinski out for long stretches (H a month and S a few weeks). Sedin went out for 10 days during this stretch. I had Bolland up for 16 games (logging 20 pts) and O'Marra up for 3 games (went with 3 centers for a while). Then I lost Keith for 10 days or so, brought up Barker to help cover, got Keith back and lost Morrison, then lost Barker, got Morrisonn back but lost Keith. My LD has been a revolving door! I lost Blunden for a week towards the end of my LD situation. Right now everyone is healthy except Lundqvist, who I picked up while on a long term injury.

That being said, my team has handled itself pretty well through it all.

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:05 am

You bet the CBJ GM is a meathead! He just dealt me Alexadre Picard for Jason Blake straight up! The Hawks youth movement continues!

Post by **batdad** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:07 am

Nice trade on the CBJ idiot. Cept Picard is a whiner. Have fun!

Anyway...Get Roy back, same game Michalek down for 10 days again. argh.

And my power play---1 for its last 19. Yay! Back to normal.

Roy is back though, so should help.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:19 am

Yeah, my experience with Picard was that if I moved him up beyond the 3rd line, he choked. If you kept him on the 3rd line he'd have flashes of brilliance to make you think he needed to be moved up. He'd quickly prove me wrong though.

I don't know if my team figured out shootouts or if I've just gotten lucky but they won their last 3 of them.

Post by **batdad** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:21 am

Nah...he did real well for me in CBJ...but he whined about getting a new challenge, because he was playing behind Rick Nash. Whah.

Update 1-27. Handzus is back.

Post by **CatchUp** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:25 am

I'll keep a close eye on him. I'm going to use him on the 2nd line with Cammalleri and Zubrus/Ruutu. He had 3 assists his first night out - so hopefully he keeps it up.

bruins72 · Post by **bruins72** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 2:45 am

Heh... in my game the Blue Jackets have both Alexandre Picards, the LW and the D-man.

Post by **batdad** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 5:39 pm

So I am at 35 games now. I am a little worried about this team collapsing. We never lost while Handzus, Roy and Michalek were out. Emery leads the league in goaltending, Havlat leads the league in goals, and is 2nd in points. My power play is back to sucking.

Oh...and I have not lost since game 18 when I lost to the Flemmes in OT. Collapse coming soon. I am very nervous. No way this team should be that good.

corinthian · Post by **corinthian** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:44 pm

This 2nd season looks like a roller coaster, last 10 games: 3wins, 3losses, 4 wins respectively.
I trade for Dylan Hunter, anyone knows him?

Post by **batdad** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 6:49 pm

Yep. Decent prospect. needs AHL time. Not sure how much, but scores well in the AHL. I have never played far enough with him to know how he may turn out in the NHL though.

corinthian · Post by **corinthian** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 7:05 pm

Thanks batdad!

Canadiens offered this guy on market I liked the numbers but it costed me a lot: 4th draft pick and a prospect.
So I'm wondering was it a good deal? I'll bring this guy up for the last 20 games then I'll post his numbers here.