annatar

Same for me. I have save states but no access now for a couple days. Will be able to upload by the weekend probably unless AJ has the states too.

That's good for me - I'll look out for you.

I am so sick of watching the Habs throw their season away so I'm good to play tomorrow for sure, if you can. I have more Christmas shopping to do first. Bit later is better for me (should suit you too). 9 or 10pm EST or so?

I posted some availability in one of the SNES threads. Check it out, same applies, but best is going to be Monday or Tuesday, possibly tomorrow.

Thanks Bob, appreciate it, don't sell yourself short though. I would've been sweating if I hadn't closed it out in 5. Scheduling for the final: Saturday is out Sunday not ideal but maybe can fit it in Monday-Tues is great from about 7pm EST until 11pm or later if needed Weds is out Thurs-Fri is Christmas so prob out Sat 26th during the day Sun 27th works Mon 28th works Tue 29th works Hopefully can make it work within that time frame.

Very good games Bob K. Thanks for making the scheduling easy and glad we knocked these out before Christmas. I won but that is a horrible matchup for Washington. Boston has almost everything they have, just a little better. I'm looking forward to our next series in what will probably be a return to our usual 7 games. AJ or McMarkis, come at me bros.

Pretty sure Tim (XCing) is in based on his drunk AIM chat posts. I won't repeat them here but I believe he confirmed his attendance and also questioned the masculinity of halifax.

The Aeros will fly again!

Nice one Bob that's dedication. I'm super envious boys. Just don't think I can make it happen.

Thanks for this chaos. Bob and I have gotten in touch and we're planning on getting our series in next week. If I make the final I'd be available almost anytime after that to play, I'll make time.

Wally I think I have you in B2 semis? Can we schedule this now, would be nice to get ahead. What's good for you?

It's a generic USB controller similar to the SNES pad that got good reviews and has worked for me so far. http://www.amazon.ca/Buffalo-Classic-USB-Gamepad-PC/dp/B002B9XB0E

Used to use a Logitech F310 but switched to a Buffalo SNES pad a few months before KO94. In both cases I use the dpad but found the transition tough. Now I like the Buffalo as it forces me to be more precise with my inputs.

Thanks bud. Still a lot to play for in the last few games.

I can never remember - are playoffs bracketed or does it re-seed after the first round?

Have to say I haven't tested this much. Would be down to try some games on different settings and see how it goes.

Thanks bud and thanks to pearate for helping me stumble through the netplay setup. Everything worked well eventually!

I'm throwing my hat in for GENS B if and when replacements are needed. Provided the powers that be are cool with me doing both leagues. I might need a test game but no rush. Did play successfully with Northway a while back though.

Total should probably be a little in between 100 and what you have. Same for the set of odds I put together. But in my world the house cleans up, plus nobody likes seeing they have basically zero chance of winning!

Haven't you learned by now not to bet on me?

Giggity. Let's get 'er done. Looking forward to a great season. This is going to be the toughest in a while I think. Thanks chaos as always!

annatar (BOS) : +350 --- Team Rank: 2 --- Ranking myself first seems like the biggest jinx ever but with a very strong team in Boston and a good run of recent results I think Vegas would agree. Key will be getting the most out of Neely and Bourque and finding a way to win consistently against one of the strongest Classic lineups in recent seasons. BobKudelski26 (WSH) : +450 --- Team Rank: 8 --- On paper the Capitals might not be an elite team but Bob and I know they can be deadly. With his elite technical ability and the rock solid blueline of Iafrate-Hatcher it's hard to imagine Bob not making another deep run. The catch is WSH's inconsistent offense and the potential of running into the reigning KO94 champ in the semis. NorthwayNative (CHI) : +450 --- Team Rank: 6 --- This isn't the GENS version of JR but Northway knows how to get the most out of the Hawks and he enters this year with the highest winning percentage of any entrant. His lack of recent participation in leagues is the only thing keeping him out of top spot, but anyone who doesn't respect his offensive skills is likely to learn a very unpleasant lesson. kingof94 (NYR) : +600 --- Team Rank: 3 --- By far the hardest coach to assess. On one hand, he enters online league play for the first time. On the other, he is fresh off a dominant showing in Toronto where he showed he can handle both the pressure and many of the top SNES players. He's also secured an excellent team that suits his incisive, uptempo game perfectly. There is risk here, yet underestimate him at your peril. angryjay93 (VAN) : +900 --- Team Rank: 12 --- I have a bit of a dropoff after the top 4 but it's no slight on AJ who has shown he has the chops to compete at the highest level in any format. He will have to lean heavily on Bure and find a way to keep pucks out at the other end with his decidedly average defensive corps. Despite competing on both systems simultaneously I see a fire in his eyes and I think he will have a big year in both leagues. c4outlaws (MTL) : +1000 --- Team Rank: 10 --- There is not much to separate these next few coaches and veteran competitor c4 is always a good bet to make the playoffs. He now just needs to prove he can go the distance. The Habs have a good if not spectacular roster which should suit his measured, technical style and he will be looking for quick one timers from his forwards to do some damage. A top goalie never hurts and he should be coming in with confidence after a strong SDL IV showing. stheds2000 (WPG) : +1000 --- Team Rank: 11 --- Winnipeg is not the strongest team but with an offensive weapon in Selanne and one of the best skating dmen there is no reason why stheds shouldn't be in the top 8 when the regular season is over. Recent hiccups have moved him down my rankings a bit, but he has a proven track record of success and one of the most suffocating defenses in the league. If he can play to his potential there is value here. schwartz (LA) : +1050 --- Team Rank: 4 --- Another tough one to rate. Playing in his favour is a team with basically no weaknesses as LA will line up a bruising blueline and three very solid forwards, with a deep bench to boot. He also showed at KO94 that he still has what it takes. I slide him down a bit in case he shows some early rust but expect him to be a very strong competitor for one of the 8 playoff spots. SNESboy777 (PIT) : +1250 --- Team Rank: 1 --- Has to be considered a dark horse. Quietly scored a top 10 finish at KO94, where he demonstrated the ability to grind out tight games under pressure. Now wielding the best team in the game, if he slows the game down and uses Pittsburgh's weight to generate chances he will be more than a handful to play against. The90Jacket (BUF) : +1550 --- Team Rank: 9 --- A vet who's had plenty of success and this is a perfect chance to show he still belongs in the elite. If he's going to take that step, it will be on the back of Mogilny who is a top 2 talent in the game. Wind him up and watch him go. The tough part will be defending with the ho-hum defense Buffalo offers. tylerdeanhill (DET) : +2400 --- Team Rank: 7 --- The other Hill brother will be one to watch with a great Wings team that suits his offense-first style. He will compete for the playoffs and if he gets enough bounces he can sneak into the top 8. I ultimately see too many tough and deep teams ahead of him but he won't be an easy out for anyone. McMarkis (CGY) : +3000 --- Team Rank: 5 --- Being last on this list really isn't anything to be ashamed of. Calgary can skate, score and hit and McMarkis has been known to give some of the best players trouble. Almost inexplicably has a sub .500 record on the site but will likely still take games off the elite.

Amazing.

Nice one. I'm going to attempt the same for SNES today unless someone else speaks up first.

Wanted to do a real quick recap. First of all, thanks to jackandjose for getting this off the ground and keeping everything running smoothly! This was a great format and I'm really glad you put in the effort to get it back underway. I'm sure everyone is looking forward to SDL V now. Congrats to everyone who played but especially plabax and c4 who gave me a hell of a time in the playoffs, and Oilers who had such a great regular season but had to forfeit cause of a wonky connection. Bad luck. I really wanted to see how things would have shaken out in a best of 7 bud. I was pretty happy with my team after the draft but I definitely didn't draft the best lineup. At times my relative lack of size up front got me frustrated. I loved my blueline of Samuelsson and Blake. Just had to make sure I didn't get too out of position with them. Next time I would take Ray Bourque in the first round instead of Yzerman. My end of season award picks: Art Ross: Cam Neely (BobKudelski) Hart: Cam Neely Rocket Richard: Teemu Selanne (Hazmat) Norris: Ray Bourque (c4outlaws) Vezina: Tim Cheveldae (annatar) Jennings: Curtis Joseph (Oilers) Selke: Craig Simpson (Oilers) Conn Smythe: Steve Yzerman (annatar) The regular season had some surprises for me. I would have had BoKnows and stheds among the pre-season favourites but both failed to make the second season. Both had some games unplayed though which never helps. On the other hand BlackDevil and Plabax (who jumped in as a replacement) both showed they can compete at the highest level. In the same category Hazmat rode a strong finish into the playoffs with 8 straight wins and then upset BobKudelski in four. I was really happy to take 3 of 4 games off Oilers just before the "all star break" in Toronto but he still finished with the best win% and generally was a real PITA to play against! QF/SF: Top 8 made it and I drew kingraph in the 1/8 matchup. I had to be wary of his competitive spirit and overall ability even when he's not playing his console of choice. I won the first 4 but didn't feel I'd played my best. He had the offense rolling and I was playing loose. That caught up to me in the next round. c4 and I have had a lot of games over the last couple of years and lately I've had the edge over him. But he was on his game and I couldn't find an answer for Ray Bourque. It was the classic back-and-forth as we just kept alternating W's. Unfortunately for him I won the first and the last and moved on. Final: Plabax took out Hazmat in 5 games in the other semi-final and I knew he meant business. Montreal vs. Brooklyn for the SDL title. We had split our 4 games in the regular season. We both came out playing tentative and it was a tight game 1 until he blew it open in the third period with 4 unanswered goals. 5-2 BRK (1-0 BRK) Could not afford to go back to Brooklyn down 0-2 and I started game 2 with renewed focus, nursing a 1-0 lead into the third period until Lebeau ties it 1-1 on the PP. Now I'm wondering if I'm playing too defensive. Can't defend a 1-0 lead all game. I get it back quickly though and Blake adds an insurance marker. The lead would hold. 3-2 MTL (1-1 tie) I come out like a house on fire in game 3 with five goals in the first period including one by Cheveldae (!) and eventually push the lead to 7. This one is over but I don't dare relax. 10-2 MTL (2-1 MTL) The big win probably was too much too soon for me and I was already thinking about a 3-1 series lead. Big pushback from Plabax who outshot me handily. Getting to within 1 goal early in the third was as close as I'd get. Gut check time. 7-4 BRK (2-2 tie) Pivotal game 5 felt more like the early series where both of us were afraid to make a mistake. The first frame was scoreless and I thought the second might be too until Bondra broke the deadlock for me. Massive goal. Penalties would be my undoing as Zhamnov ties it with two minutes to play on a 5 on 3. I never recover and another man advantage in overtime gives him the win. He is on the brink. 2-1 BRK OT (3-2 BRK) Game 6 and I need to dig deep. He scores less than a minute in. Can't panic. Wait for my opportunity. It comes at the end of the period and we're tied. He pushes back and I tie it again. Third period and I get two quick ones and shut 'er down. Massive massive win. 4-2 MTL (3-3 tie) I don't really remember all the details of the deciding game. I gave up the first goal again but hit back and didn't stop until it was 6-1. Something subconscious took over and the pucks started going in. Maybe it was bounces. Whatever it is, huge huge relief. Great series, maybe the most intense I've been part of. 6-2 MTL (4-3 MTL wins)