EHM The Blue Line

I traded Koivu; and I'd do it again. Sorry Tom Ya can't get nothin for nuthin... so someone has to go... even if the fans will be all and your board is c'est la vie.

We just had a bittersweet shut out my Hawks 3-0 (still tough pounding on ye ole home team...) to remain undefeated through our first 5 games 4-0-1 And honestly I don't have a ton of people playing up to potential currently. My defense and my second and third line (which is my secondary checking line) have been carrying me really. So the future so bright I gotta wear shades

Wow...

Cole gets injured at the worst times in real life and in EHM.

http://img238.imageshack.us/img238/2425 ... ury6ip.jpg

Not only did he get injured, but we were in third at the time

We dropped down to ninth, and I still have about 12 games to go in this set.

Not much to say on this quarter... I made a trade, that in my mind, looked good but turned out pretty bad so far.

To Devils
Boullion
Riberio
Plekanc

To Canadiens:
Brian Gionta
Jamie Langenbrunner


Gionta has the title of being the only player on my team with a minute +/- rating, then got injured after a few games. Langenbrunner hasn't been playing well either.


On the other hand, my favourite 2nd line of all time is playing great. Williams - Boyes - Ryder are all putting up big points, and I can see this being a number one line a few years down the road.

Jagr hasn't been plying great, he hasn't been bad either, but I expected more form him. Cole and Koivu and 1 and 2 in the league for points, that stat speaks for itself. Isbister Fisher and Laraque have been playing very well as defensive bangers.


Lineup

Cole - Koivu - Jagr
Williams - Boyes - Ryder
Isbister - Fisher - Laraque
Daganais - Wilm - Ortmeyer (Gionta)
Inj: Gionta

Souray - Dandeault
Markov - Warrener
Hale - Komisarek

Theodore - Huet

Well I finished my season. I won the first round in 7 games. In the second round, I won 1 game and lost 4. Not that great but it could've been worse. I just couldn't keep my guys healthy in that second round. No major injuries but key guys were out for a few days at a time. Plus, we never put enough shots up.

So I went into the post season. I didn't win any trophies but Theodore came in 2nd or 3rd in a couple of the goalie ones. Nobody else even came close. In the first round of the draft, I had 2 picks (#6 and #24). The #6 pick was from the Wild. I got that one in return for Ribeiro and Komisarek. I took Emmerton (LW/C) with the 6th and Okoposo (RW/C) with the 24th. I also had two picks in the second round. Neither of these picks were originally our 2nd round pick. I sent ours to the Flyers in the Carter trade. We had New Jersey and Nashville's 2nd rounders (from the Bonk and Sundstrom deals, respectively). We took Kael Mouillierat (#55 overall LW/RW) and Codey Burki (#57 overall C) with these two picks. In the third round we once again had 2 picks. We had our 3rd round pick and Nashville's 3rd round pick (obtained for Sergei Brylin). We took Ryan Sparling (#84 overall C) and Zach Jones (#85 overall LD/RD). In the 4th round we had just our own pick. We selected Ryan Bender (#92 overall LD). This was our last pick of the draft. Our 5th, 6th, and 7th round picks were dealt away in trades during the season. The draft wasn't bad but I really wanted to be able to pick Kessel or Mueller.

Once the free agency period rolled around, I made some signings and a few trades as a result of these signings. I put out offers to several big names but for some reason I wasn't allowed to offer some players anywhere near what they wanted. For example, Simon Gagne would've been perfect for this team but I was only allowed to offer him around $2M-ish. I don't know if this is because I already had other offers out there. Maybe that's what it is? If that's the case, I think we should be able to put several big offers out there but then the board could veto some of the accepted ones if you're going to go over the cap/budget. I like to put offers out to all of the guys I'm interested in and see what comes about. Many times these free agents will choose to sign with other team, why not also have offers fielded to your backup plan? Anyhow... I made a few signings. My first one was Mattias Ohlund. I thought he'd be a perfect top 2 defenseman for this team. I had a few guys that fit as top 4 but not top 2. I really wanted to solidify my checking line so I put out an offer to PJ Axelsson. He's the perfect LW for a speedy checking line and PK. He's one of my favorites in the game and in real life. I also added another defenseman with speed in Ossi Vaananen. He had a nice balance of speed, stamina, and defensive ability. Vaananen was definitely an upgrade over what I had.

After making these signings, I had to do some juggling to fill in my lineup. I made some trades to get rid of some guys that weren't needed after my free agent signings. First off, I sent Danil Markov and the rights to Chris Higgins to the Blackhawks for the rights to Jack Skille. Markov didn't really do as well for me as I had hoped and Higgins was being a pain about re-signing with me. Skille is a great prospect. I was able to sign him and send him to my farm team. He was playing in the NCAA and for some reason in this game that ruins prospects. I also had another Markov on my roster, Andrei. He just wasn't needed now that I had Ohlund and Vaananen. I sent him off to Phoenix for Oleg Saprykin, straight up. I would've rathered Nagy but he's not a bad replacement. He's definitely got the speed I'm looking for. Another player I just wasn't happy with was Jagr. Sure, he's talented. I just didn't think he was worth it for me. He took up way too much cap space and he was a complainer. I just didn't think he was a good influence in my lockerroom. I needed to unload his salary, so I dumped him on Dallas for a 2nd rounder. It was probably a bad time to deal him away because teams had just spent their excess cap space on free agents but I wanted him gone. This was all done in July. I made one deal at the beginning of AUgust. I was able to ship out Alexander Perezhogin to Calgary for Chuck Kobasew. Perezhogin just wasn't developing for me and I knew I had to get rid of him while the getting was good. Kobasew is still fairly young, has nice skating abilities, and he can shoot. He'll make a nice 2nd line RW for my team.

So my roster was locked in and I went through training camp. I invited my prospects to training camp along with some UFA prospects I thought looked interesting. My backup goaltender, Yann Danis, was injured for a good portion of training camp, so these unknown goaltenders got some decent playing time. In the end, none of them were good enough to get offers though. I stuck with my roster until right when the season was starting and players started popping up on waivers. I was able to claim Jed Ortmeyer off of waivers from the Rangers. He's got good speed and great checking abilities for a forward. With the addition of Ortmeyer I've got a very good checking line and PK unit. My 3rd line is Axelsson, Rolston, and Ortmeyer. I love it! Here is how all of my lines play out...


Cole - Carter - Kovalev
Saprykin - Weiss - Kobasew
Axelsson - Rolston - Ortmeyer
Veilleux - Begin - Michalek

Ohlund - Suchy
Hale - Zyuzin
Vaananen - Dandenault

Theodore - Danis



My board has give me the full cap allowance for a budget (will post screenshot in recording thread). The only changes to my staff has been letting some scouts go, bringing some new ones in, and replacing Roland Melanson with Ron Tugnutt as an assistant coach. I'm still a few million under the cap and I'm reading to start the new season!

You play really fast

I don't watch the games. You'd be surprised how quickly you can get through games that way!

Me either, but still...

shame on both of you

bruins72 wrote:I don't watch the games. You'd be surprised how quickly you can get through games that way!

You'd be surpised how much more you can learn about your team by taking 5 minutes to watch their games!

Oh, I'm sure I would learn quite a bit. I just don't think I have the attention span for it. Can you develop ADD as an adult? I never had a problem when I was a kid but these days I can't stay focused on one thing too long (at least on the computer). I've usually got 3 windows of IE running, plus EHM, and on top of that I pop over to Outlook to check my mail.

If you set Clock to 'Fast', Commentary to 'Very Fast' and keep detail level at 'All Details' it is a very ADD experience itself... since there is always something happening! Check it out one time

I like it because you can guard players injured in a period by checking at period breaks to see if someone has fallen in health %. Since it is flying along at such a wild pace you can really tell if your team is being dominated, not making it out of their end etc. and most importantly see if your goalie blew it or if your guys are allowing opponents a free pass to one-on-ones with your 'tender. You can also see if someone for example is smothering you with a trap you are trying to 'skate' through when you should try 'passing' or 'dump & chase' to get create some space/chances for your players!

I used to do all my stuff without 'coaching' games because at normal speed it was too much of a drag; but once I got used to the not-suitable for epileptics display style of very fast all detail commentary settings I can't see missing out on the bonuses it gives you.

To each his own though, that's why we don't mandate a certain style in the Challenges

I used to play with the clock and commentary running top speed and no details. Then I'd make minor adjustments in between periods. My only problem was that once I got to around when I'd want to pull the goaltender for the extra attacker, the period would usually end before I could get him out. I just decided it wasn't worth it.

Are we in the clear to start the second season or do we have to wait for everyone to finish their first?

I've been trying a few things in another game and I'm having - gasp - success!

munky wrote:Are we in the clear to start the second season or do we have to wait for everyone to finish their first?

I've been trying a few things in another game and I'm having - gasp - success!

Feel free to start the 2nd season

My offseason moves, thankfully the board upped my budget to $39M:

April 17 – Signed Tomas Plekanec to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Alexander Perezhogin to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Mike Komisarek to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Derek Morris to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Slava Kozlov to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Christian Backman to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Garnet Exelby to a contract extension through 2008
Signed Tomas Holmstrom to a contract extension through2008
Signed Saku Koivu to a contract extension through 2009

April 18 – Signed Duncan Milroy to a contract extension through 2007
Signed Olivier Michaud to a contract extension through 2007

May 5 – Signed Roland Melanson to a contract extension through 2009
Signed Graham Rybend to a contract extension through 2009
Signed Jodi Van Rees to a contract extension through 2008

May 24 - Signed Jan Bulis to a contract extension through 2007

June 24 – Drafted LW James Sheppard, F Kyle Okposo, F Sasha Golin, and G Antti Harma

June 26 – Signed Garth Murray to a contract extension through 2007
Signed Chris Higgins to a contract extension through 2007

June 30 – No Contract offered/not resigned:
Jonathan Aitken
Andrew Archer
Steve Begin
Elmer Benning – scout
Jonathan Ferland
Scott Livingston – scout
Mike Ribiero
Peter Vandermeer
Stephen Baby
William Berglund – scout
Francis Bouillion
Jean-Phillipe Cote
Matt Shasby
Ruslan Salei
Antonin Routa - scout
Pierre Gauthier – scout
Cristobal Huet
Francis Lemieux
Raitis Ivanans
Nikolai Vakurov – scout
Patrick Allvin – scout
Niklas Sundstrom

July 8 – Signed Kyle Chipchura through 2008

July 17 – Signed Phillipe Sauve through 2008

July 23 – Traded Richard Zednik to St Louis for Matt Walker and a 7th round pick

July 29 – Signed Daymond Langkow though 2009

July 30 – Assistant coach Jacques Laperriere retired.

August 1 – Signed Derek King as an assistant coach.

August 18 – Signed Roman Smatrala as a scout
Signed Jim Benning as a scout
Signed Steve Richmond as a scout
Signed Daniel Dore as a scout


I've invited a couple European teams and my AHL affiliate to play in a four team tournament for scouting purposes. Hopefully they accept. I also arranged to play a random Australian team in an exhibition game just for farts and giggles.

OK, this is strange.

I was looking over my prospects and I see that Mike Ribiero is listed. His contract expired and I didn't resign him, but apparently I still hold his rights? Something strange there.

Did you offer him a contract at all? If you tendered a qualifying offer, he should be a restricted free agent. When I was looking through your list of players you didn't re-sign, I noticed Ribiero. I was thinking "Why would he just let him walk? Why not trade him instead?". So I guess it's good that you still own his right and can get something for him.

I might have to start up my second season of this challenge soon. I've taken some time off from it to toy around with some other teams. I tried a post-Thornton trade Sharks and didn't like the team. They had no defense and most of their good players were underrated. I went about 20 games and dropped it. Then I tried the Calgary flames for a bit. That's a team that I'll have to go back to and play when I have the time. I made some deals and got some help for Iginla. I had him on a line with Cole and Drury. I liked that. I only went 10 games or so though. I still have the save so I'll go back to it. Right now I'm starting up my 4th season with my team from the Hurricanes challenge. That one is fun! I've put together a hell of a team there.

My team is very interesting... but still unsettled due to injuries and recent trades and of course my Board is close to having my head on a pike as even though we are currently 3rd overall they seem to believe I'm running the tamm into the ground and alienating the fans too...

They were really with my firing our head coach even though he had almost a .700 winning percentage. They then didn't say anything then when they saw the next day that I'd brought back home a Montreal legened and Hockey Hall of Famer by signing Larry Robinson when he was for some reason fired by New Jersey. Our fans aparently don't know their team history or they could have at least welcomed Larry when he came aboard

I'll post my first twenty summary post probably after the weekend (I have a lot of TBL project irons in the fire right now I have to tend to first ) but my unimpressive stats are already up at GLR

Woo!

What a set, even with Cole getting injured

Jagr just decided that he wanted to light up every goalie possible the last 5 or 6 games, scoring 13 goals over that time

Williams - Koivu - Jagr is my new first line with Perezhogen - Begin - Kovalev taking up second line duties.

I'm now 1 point out of 8th and 12 out of 4th!

Biggest story of this set? Jason Williams.

Ever since getting stuck on that line with Koivu and Jagr he's been a 2 PPG player

Things are looking up for inSTAALed's Habs!

And here's the first game after that set

http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/3514 ... ter5dk.jpg

Then the game after that, my team is wrecked

Begin is out with a seperated shoulder for two months

bruins72 wrote:Did you offer him a contract at all? If you tendered a qualifying offer, he should be a restricted free agent. When I was looking through your list of players you didn't re-sign, I noticed Ribiero. I was thinking "Why would he just let him walk? Why not trade him instead?". So I guess it's good that you still own his right and can get something for him.

I offered him $550000 per year, well short of the $1.7M he was asking for. I guess that counts as qualifying.

At any rate, I traded his 'rights' to Edmonton for their second and third rounders in the upcoming draft.

Just thought I'd give everyone a heads up from the original post in this thread:

Everyone who has recorded games 1-20 by May 1 will be eligable for Bonus Points

Anyone thinking of joining had better do so soon as they might miss out on the first set of bonus points

when is the next deadline? -for games 21-40?

BlackCats101 wrote:when is the next deadline? -for games 21-40?

The deadline is for games 40-61, as that's when the 2nd set of bonus points are calculated, and there shall be an Official Announcementâ„¢ about that soon