Personalised Historical Challenge

[lawrence97]

Season 10: Team looks rock solid now, except Potvin and Stackhouse not ready yet so getting less mins on 3rd d line pairing. Howell to second line D, hopefully can get Greschner in the draft in a couple of years to add in. Howell will be replaced by Salming when he decides to retire. Lemaire is now on the top line, Gilbert on the 4th to try and get the other youngsters some more playing time. we are ranked 1st overall, but 2nd in all categories. Chicago best O, Boston best D and Tor best GK. We have 3 players in the top ten of the leagues in all positions, and Esposito is best GK, we just don't have a reserve GK, will need to either trade or draft a decent gk soon. Boston traded away Clarke to the phillies for next to nothing! They are really starting to chuck this potential dynasty away. Most likely to be another Chicago-Rangers duel. Mikita and Hull have combined for 2500 points so far in their carrers, and both under 30. Bobby Hull has really gone to town, with 6 150 point seasons 6, topping out at 189. Mikita 5, with 180 his high.

[lawrence97]

Chicago run away with the season, our line changes were definatley not good for results, but hopefully the improved game time will aid our young forward group. Finshed 2nd a long way behind Chicago. 11 players get 100, and 7 get 50. On classic it does seem its all about the topline. More players get 100 then players who get between 80 and 99,

Into the playoffs i keep line changes as they were and beat Detroit in 5, but switch to stongest players for Semi finals verses Chicago and split first 2 games and match our top line to thiers, Murdoch and Tallon come in for Slackhouse and Potvin and we go 3-1 up! Chicago win the next two to take it to game 7 at theirs and we win 8-5! 5-5 with 10 left, we score 3 in the next 6 mins to finally beat Chicago in the playoffs! This team is one of the toughest i've faced in FHM. Minnesota in the final, put up a fight but we win our second SC with a 4-2 series win. Boston still can't make the playoffs.

[lawrence97]

Again with the trade to the Seals, i have 2nd overall, but not the greatest draft, so get Richie Brodeur in net, Steve Schutt went to Montreal and Barber to Philadelphia to continue the top players going to the same teams they did in real life!

[lawrence97]

Had a slight issue, when PC crashed and killed the data, but had a backup save from 2 years before, did some slight tweaking, detroit actually won a championship, but Chicago still best team in league. For Season 11, we are rated the best, Chicago and Boston up there.

[lawrence97]

Season 11, Chicago Boston and Detroit all in running at halfway, but Chicago and us pull clear, but a 3 game slide for Chicago in the last month give us the league. Boston then knocks out Chicago in 7, and we beat Detroit in 7, Boston go down in 6 to us despite 15 points from Orr, they were 3-0 down but were winning game 6 3-2 till two late goals knocked them out. Minnestoa who got Bobby Clarke put up again unexpected resistance and went down in 6 for our 3rd Stanley Cup in 4 years. 15 100 point scoreres, and 9 50 goal scorers.

[lawrence97]

Trade our top Center Berenson who is 30 to Toronto for 2 first round picks. They had 6th, which i used to get Lanny McDonald

Dennis Potvin to vancouver, Middleton Buffalo, Stoughton St Louis. Howell had to be unprotected in the expanson.draft and he has left, was hoping he'd retire a blue, but kept playing, and I couldn't justify losing any other of my d-men for him. We have a poor start to the season, and finish second to Toronto. Chicago dominates season as in easier division as they've moved to the west and have most expansion teams.

[lawrence97]

21 Players hit 100 and 12 50 goal scorers, With Perreault, Dionne, LaFleur, Clarke all hitting strong numbers. Mikiota and Hull hit 200 each in weak division! Boby Hull gets 100g and 100a. Brad Park really struggled as a rushing D, so switched him to a two way defenceman, and it transformed his season. The playoffs saw us breeze past Boston in 5 and sweep the Penguins, before facing Chicago in the final. Chicago wins their first two at home, but we then win 4 in a row for our 3rd championship in a row. Brad Park gets the Conn Smythe, turning up in the playoffs after a no show in the league for 4 months!

[lawrence97]

Season 12, Dominant, score 562 regular season goals, Redmond and Lemaire Hull making the step up from 80 point players to 100, 3rd line of grant under and wilding got 1 point per game, and 4th line of goring Martin and Stanfield, point every two games. Carol Vadnais 111 points with 38 goals. Park hit 94 points. Season overall 22 100 point players(7 mine) and 11 50 goals, 4 of my players, Cournoyer hit 50 in 50 but ended up with 74. SC is ours again, swept Tor then Pit before Det went down in 6. Have the luxury of too many good players, Vickers and Lanny McDonald coming through, so will most likely let Gilbert go in a trade and Standfield, as more exapnsion is coming and don't want to lose 4 star players for free.

[lawrence97]

season 13, again dominant, Boston even with Esposito and Orr can't compete. We get 150 points and the SC, traded away Lemaire and Stanfield for Kehoe and picks. last couple of drafts have been non events, We couldn't get Greschner, as he went 1st overall in 71/72, with Rogers Simmer and Gillies. 72/73 Marukm Taylor and Howe all go top 3. We can't get Paiement as he's drafted too high. We have got 3 decent goalies, and Tim Young, in last couple of drafts. We'll keep lessard, but all others traded awy for picks, as 73/74 draft is stacked full of talents i can get.

[lawrence97]

Season 1973/1974
The draft is stacked with 13 first line caliber players with many of them franchise quality, we can sign 8 according to our rules, so trade away most of next years picks and a lot of farm players, and former 1st roud pikc gk Brodeur to get 3 picks-have the 6th 8th and 9th. Reed Larson and Real Cloutier are my top targets.

[lawrence97]

We get 4 players, will play them as a kid line shortly STL also get 3 very useful players in Carlyle Tremblay and Chouniard.

[lawrence97]

We get 4 players, will play them as a kid line shortly STL also get 3 very useful players in Carlyle Tremblay and Chouniard.

[lawrence97]

The 70's have been a cake walk, Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito have been as good as expected, but no team can compete with the Rangers. The 70's had too many great offensive who didn't hit the 100 points mark, and a lot of great d's who didn't make 85. Also the training system really helps to improve the stats of players who are very good, into great, and great into superstar. Yvan Cournoyer, is a great example of that, he hit 200 points in a season, with a line of Boudradis-Redmond-Cournoyer-Park-Vadnais. Carol Vadnais actually had better stats than Orr, getting 58 goals and 99 assists in his best season. The 80's are coming up and a lot of great players are unavaialable for selection, Gretzky will be in the draft next year i believe, so looking forward to that. NYI have the bestnext team with Maruk, Trottier, Hull, Bossy and Lysiak giving them good depth. LAK are dwellers, despite having lafleur and Perreault. Their lack of d and gk really hurts them. at the start of 1977, apart from the Islanders, the best teams are still the original 6. Pittsburgh who i traded Phil Esposito the best gk by far, are in there as well, but i took 3 1st rnd draft picks for him, so doubt they'll be challenging.

[lawrence97]

The 1977 draft is interesting, Pittsburgh, as i said gave up 3 picks, which meant i could get Steen and Ruotsalinen. Kerr will join my youthful farm with Vaive, and Propp. I have excellent wingers, but centers are starting to be a problem, very hard to find offensive centres in the 80's who didn't score 100 points.
Players under 25

LW -------------------C---------------RW
Lukowich Gardner Cloutier
Propp Derlago Vaive
Steen Kerr

LD-------------------RD
Larson Hartsburg
Ruotsalainen Lidster

GK-Edwards

I will keep the players who have contributed on my top lines for as long as possible and will not cheese the game by trading them at 30. That would be Park, Lapointe, Vadnais, Cournoyer and Redmond. Who have all put up multiple 100 point seasons. Everyone else, Salming, Tallon Martin Goring McDonald, and Kehoe, will be traded in their 30's for draft picks or younger NHL players. For reference current squad has played together for 10 years, and won SC, and regular season every year since the 70' s began. Gordie Howe just retired with 3000 points as the career leader, Bobby Hull 100 behind him buit likely to retire soon, and Mikita in 3rd with 2500. Cournoyer 4th on 2200. Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert(NYR), Phil Esposito, Frank mahovlich, Red Berenson(NYR), Andre Boudrais(NYR) are the top 10. Berenson and Boudrais were out top 2 centers in the 60's, Boudrais well into the 70's as well, These two players have pretty much trebled their real career stats. Again i did nothing in the editor, but increase their longevity(same with pretty much every top 20 players in the drafts)

[lawrence97]

Current state of play

[lawrence97]

Season 77/78 was another record setter, with Rangers scoring 650 goals. With all the trades i've made and now shipping off Goring, MacTavish, Pavelish and A. Stasny, i've got several number 1 draft picks for the next few years. However this year 78/79 with no WHA, we have GRETZKY in the draft. We have picks 5 6 14 and 18. However with the rules in place, we can sign pretty much none of the hundred stars available. Gretzky, Coffey, Messier, Savard, Bullard, Larry Murphy, Nicholls, Larmer, Pederson all unavailable.
Gretzky goes to ....the Detroit Red Wings, who tanked just in time! They have hit 100 points every year in this playthrough, but this year they plumment to 48! Ratelle got old and his production dropped, Howe retired, and their defence shipped 447 goals. Hoping they can build a team, as i desperatley want to face a team a la Chicago early on in the playthough to make things interesting.


I don't trade my picks, and have to leave superstars such as Messier, Nicholls and Murphy on the board. I get Hrudey in net, Babych in Defence along with Tippet and Moe Mantha later on. Messier goes to Philadelphia! Islanders get Nicholls, Minnesota North Stars, have a strong team, with Gainer-Clarke-MacMillian, Federko-Nilsson-Leach and Brian Sutter. Ken Linseman to come through, and Greschner.Reinhart on the blue line with Larry murphy to come through with solid GK in Sauve. However with my strength in depth i think it will take a god few years before i'll face a team to get 120 pts a season. For reference, i will update Gretzky stats to the Gretzky of 1983 when he turns 19 so the development engine doesn't downplay his ability.

[lawrence97]

79/80 Season, Gretzky improves the Red Wings from bottom club in NHL to second in division and up to 8th in the league.. Gretzky gets 147(52-95) points in his first season, all the most impressive as he only got his 100th in the 69th game. He puts up 3 pts per game in the last 15! We trade Salming to Stl for 2 nd rnd picks, but accidently turn them into a contendor. They have Mark Howe(23), Salming(27) and Randy Carlyle(22) on the blue line, with Sittler(28), Chouinard (22), Boudrais(35), Tonelli(22) Stoughton(26), Goldsworthy(35. Stl finish 3rd on 101 points. Buffalo are second, with Middleton Simmer Paiement and Rogers doing the damage. they get 110. Minnesota, went on a charge but had a shocking 2nd half of the year to finish 5th with 97 points. They and Stl have a strong team. As for us, we start off relatively slowly, and end up on 153 pts and 550 odd goals, thats a big drop of 100 goals to last year and 10 pts less. Hartsburg replaced Salming, and the kid line of Cloutier Gardner and Lukowich go to 2nd line. We end up with only 4 100 point players, compared to the 8/9 we are used to.

In the playoffs Gretzky points spree leads Det to a shock over Buffalo in 7, where they meet us in the Conference Finals, Gretzky scores 5 goals in the first two games, but its not enough, as we over power their defence, and score 31 goals to their 16 in a sweep. Gretzky ends up with 24 playoff points in 13 games, with 8 in 4 agaisnt us. Stl meet us in the final(with the north stars out in the divisional round suprinsgly) but can only take one game as we win in 5. Now time for us ot make some moves with the 4 teams joining from what would hAve been the WHA. I will have to make some moves to get draft picks so i don't get too shafted by the expansion draft.

in the season 26 players get 100 points, with Cournoyer at 35 still a beast with 194 pts, 15 50 goal scorers! with Bossy, and Maruk of the Islanders combing for 122 goals and 284 points

[lawrence97]

We trade Rick Martin, Steve Vickers and Rick Kehoe, for a total of 4 1st rnd picks and 2 2nd rnd picks from Toronto, Chicago and the Colorado Rockies. Means we now have 4 1st rnd picks this year and next. All picks for this year are inside the top 12, which should hopefully let me absorb the losses of the expansion draft. Rick Vaive, Tom Steen and Tim Kerr, slated to take the places of Martin/Vickers and Kehoe. Tony Esposito retires after 2 years withe Pens, and we rightfully retire his number with Harry Howell. Howell also made HOF.

Expansion draft is a breeze, as all players 20 and under exempt, which means i can protect all my star players. The draft we end up with 4th 5th, 13th and 14th pick. This draft is not quite as loaded as previous drafts. So Chelios and Grant Fuhr are avilable to me but not Adam Oates. We get Grant Fuhr Geoff Courtnall Glenn Healy and Bruce Driver. Nothing special here, Brent Sutter wasn't available to me as he scored 100 points in his career. Hopefully i can trade for Chelios a couple of years down the line, as needed him to replace my aging d-line. Chelios lands in Philadelphia, Oates in Vancouver. Vancouver have a decent young team with Pederson, Larouche, Mullen, Goulet, Potvin and Behn Wilson. They are currently 7th in rankings Gretzky's Detroit now 2nd, but they didn't land anyone in the last draft. Apart from Gretzky and some excellent goaltending, they have almost nobody else in the team to help him. Lemaire is 33 and Ratelle 38. Hope they can get a team built for Gretzky, and not trade him away to get pieces.