Alright boyz, here we go!!! The NHL EHM 2005 Discussion

[sachmo71]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

So yeaaaaahhhhh, still in my Everett career here and earlier I talked about getting outshot. Well now I've ran into some even fishier stuff. My head coach Kevin Constatine was lured away by the Rangers in mid-January. Okay, no big deal as I was able to hire a pretty good replacement. Constantine left with a 12-21-8 mark and we were in 4th (out of 5) by a pretty decent margin. Well we've managed to reel off quite a streak now. 0-25-1. Yes, 0-25-1. Including one game where I was outshot 108-25 (SOG 59-21). In those 26 games we've been outscored 35 to 128 (1.34 to 4.92). A few things to keep in mind:

-I only GM. I tweaked a few things in practice, including having my coaches have no more than three categories. I have 4 coaches altogether. I've been going with the default 60-20-20 for quite awhile now.

-I haven't done jack with this team, no trades, and just a few minor UFA signings. I figured that I'd ride this season out and just look forward to next season. Nobody wanted any of my older players anyways. And *maybe* we could surprise a few teams in the playoffs. Well not anymore. We're officially done for.

Something has got to give here. There's no way this team was this bad to start off with and I've barely touched the team. I hate to turn on the game here, but something isn't quite right and that's all I'm trying to say.

You suck.

[sovereignstar]

And before anyone asks, I've got everything set up correctly to give my coach full control of who dresses, tactics, etc.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Doh! The season's about to start, and it looks like I can't send my first-round pick Michael Blunden to Albany without putting him through waivers first. Well, obviously, I'm not going to do that. It looks like it's either the NHL or juniors. What's the rule on this? I remember experiencing this in the freeware EHM and there was an explanation for it, but I don't remember what it was. I'm not suggesting that there's something wrong here, as I'm sure that it's supposed to work this way, but I'm curious about the ruling so I know how to handle draft picks in future seasons.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

So yeaaaaahhhhh, still in my Everett career here and earlier I talked about getting outshot. Well now I've ran into some even fishier stuff. My head coach Kevin Constatine was lured away by the Rangers in mid-January. Okay, no big deal as I was able to hire a pretty good replacement. Constantine left with a 12-21-8 mark and we were in 4th (out of 5) by a pretty decent margin. Well we've managed to reel off quite a streak now. 0-25-1. Yes, 0-25-1. Including one game where I was outshot 108-25 (SOG 59-21). In those 26 games we've been outscored 35 to 128 (1.34 to 4.92). A few things to keep in mind:

-I only GM. I tweaked a few things in practice, including having my coaches have no more than three categories. I have 4 coaches altogether. I've been going with the default 60-20-20 for quite awhile now.

-I haven't done jack with this team, no trades, and just a few minor UFA signings. I figured that I'd ride this season out and just look forward to next season. Nobody wanted any of my older players anyways. And *maybe* we could surprise a few teams in the playoffs. Well not anymore. We're officially done for.

Something has got to give here. There's no way this team was this bad to start off with and I've barely touched the team. I hate to turn on the game here, but something isn't quite right and that's all I'm trying to say.

Wow. I have no idea what happened. I tend to coach my own games so I've never dealt with this. I have had some pretty bad losing streaks in my time, but nothing like that.

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Doh! The season's about to start, and it looks like I can't send my first-round pick Michael Blunden to Albany without putting him through waivers first. Well, obviously, I'm not going to do that. It looks like it's either the NHL or juniors. What's the rule on this? I remember experiencing this in the freeware EHM and there was an explanation for it, but I don't remember what it was. I'm not suggesting that there's something wrong here, as I'm sure that it's supposed to work this way, but I'm curious about the ruling so I know how to handle draft picks in future seasons.

I think prospects need to be at least 20 years old before they can sent to the minors. Before then either you keep them up in the NHL or return them to their junior team. That's the rule of thumb I tend to follow, but here is the actual rule...

Here is something for this website:

http://proicehockey.about.com/librar...rsinthenhl.htm



Note also that a junior-aged player with an NHL contract cannot be sent to a minor pro league like the AHL unless he has already played four seasons of junior hockey. He must either stay on the NHL roster or return to junior. I hope that's clear. Essentially the rules are designed to protect junior hockey players and junior teams, ensuring that NHL clubs will retain only those teenagers who are ready for the big leagues.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by sachmo71

You suck.

I don't like sheepskin thank you.

[jbmagic]

sovereignstar...

try hiring a new head coach.

what is your current head coach ratings? just curious

[Pumpy Tudors]

Thanks for the explanation about junior-age players, Honolulu_Blue. I'll have to give Blunden a shot for up to 10 games, but I don't think I can keep him on the NHL roster for the entire season. He's only 18, and I have strong enough players that I don't need to tie up a roster spot with a teenager. See you next year, Blunden! Have fun in beautiful Erie!

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Thanks for the explanation about junior-age players, Honolulu_Blue. I'll have to give Blunden a shot for up to 10 games, but I don't think I can keep him on the NHL roster for the entire season. He's only 18, and I have strong enough players that I don't need to tie up a roster spot with a teenager. See you next year, Blunden! Have fun in beautiful Erie!

I think that's the right call. Sitting on the bench or playing 7 minutes a night on the 4th line aint gonna do the kid no good.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Oh, jeez. Sidney Crosby got a goal and an assist in his first regular-season game for the Rangers. The draft lottery was rigged. It was rigged!!!

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

sovereignstar...

try hiring a new head coach.

what is your current head coach ratings? just curious

New coach versus Old coach

Jordan Goulet/Kevin Constatine

adapt.-14/13
determ.19/15
disc.-9/14
manm.-12/13
motiv.-11/15
youth-17/18
cgoalies-11/11
cdef-12/15
cfor-11/12
jugabil-11/12
jugpot-14/10
tactic-12/12

[scooter]

sovereignstar,

Sorry, I can't help you. I'm only three games into my season with Everett. We've won all three3-2, 2-1, 3-2. I'm not sure I'm happy to hear that Constantine may leaving.

I am only GMing as well. I do set up my own training. I have 6 coaches including the head coach, and I only have one activity checked for each coach (one coach has both conditioning and skating checked). I currently have everyone except the goalies on General.

What made you decide on Everett in the first place? In real life, they are a bit of an overachieving team (mostly because of Constantine). They were runners up in 2004 because they worked harder than other teams. They don't have a great deal of talent, but they do work hard. I'm not sure that can be modeled in the game.

[MizzouRah]

I honestly don't think this game is made for a "GM Only" role.. meaning, I think you have to do a lot more as GM - such as tactics and setting up your lines. A bunch of folks are having problems winning and the constant is most of them are letting their HC do the work as far as coaching games, setting lines, tactics, etc... There is no "Pure GM" mode, so to speak.

Maybe Riz can shed some more light on this..


Todd

[sovereignstar]

I went with Everett for a couple different reasons. First, JeffR recommended them after I set out some criteria for the kind of team I'd like to take control of. Secondly, Zach Hamill.

That said I knew they weren't gonna light things up in their first season. But getting outshot 59-21 to Portland? I don't know about that. And going on a winless streak of 25 games? I definitely don't know about that. That's more than a 1/3 of the regular season!

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by MizzouRah

There is no "Pure GM" mode, so to speak.

True, but there isn't one in FOF either. If there is an option for the coach to do the tactics/set up practice/dress players than it should be "somewhat" effective.

[MizzouRah]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

True, but there isn't one in FOF either. If there is an option for the coach to do the tactics/set up practice/dress players than it should be "somewhat" effective.

I agree, but the posts I've read over at SI indicate to me the CPU does not do that good of a job running the team.. although it should, it does the rest of the teams. I might be grasping at straws, but it does seem you're not the only one to complain about winning. I'll see how it goes as I get further in my season.


Todd

[sovereignstar]

Whining aside, I'm gonna continue on with the career. I still have five games left in the current season. Portland just wrapped up the final playoff spot in the division. Will be sure to report.

I suppose it should be noted that over 75% of the team has lost their confidence in me. Some also mention that they are "Unhappy with [me]" or are "Bothered by the infighting in the locker room". This should all be a given though. We've lost 25 of the last 26 games and tied the other one!

Perhaps these sort of effects need to be toned down a little.. ?

[sovereignstar]

Tri-City 6, Everett 2

Shot Attempts
Tri-City 106, Everett 12

Shots on Goal
Tri-City 57, Everett 10

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Tri-City 6, Everett 2

Shot Attempts
Tri-City 106, Everett 12

Shots on Goal
Tri-City 57, Everett 10

Pardon my Walloon, but you have got to be fucking kidding.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Pardon my Walloon, but you have got to be fucking kidding.

I kid you not. During this streak I actually stopped looking at the stats for awhile. I'm almost scared to see what the *really* strong teams have done against me.

[scooter]

How many guys are you keeping on your Everett roster? I have 25 as my magic number. Also, what kind of condition are you players in before games. If you have tired players, they will give up a lot of shots. Those shots numbers are not normal. In those first 3 games my shots numbers were as follows:

Us(Att/On) Opponent(Att/On)
45/28 58/28
41/22 53/28
50/32 50/26

Now, that's a pretty small sample, but these numbers don't seem quite like what you've got.

[sovereignstar]

Well it's official. The successor to Constantine ended up 0-30-1.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by scooter

How many guys are you keeping on your Everett roster? I have 25 as my magic number. Also, what kind of condition are you players in before games. If you have tired players, they will give up a lot of shots. Those shots numbers are not normal. In those first 3 games my shots numbers were as follows:

Us(Att/On) Opponent(Att/On)
45/28 58/28
41/22 53/28
50/32 50/26

Now, that's a pretty small sample, but these numbers don't seem quite like what you've got.

I've got 25 guys on my roster as well. And I wouldn't say it has anything to do with conditioning as the AI seems to do a good job of keeping the most tired guys out. Even the goalies are switching off nicely.

Those look like the kind of numbers I was seeing before the coaching change. Then guy started "hating" and it really got bad.

There isn't any logical reason for a team to be getting dominated like this. Even if a team is having the "worst of worst" problems in the locker room, they should at least win a game once in awhile. I don't know if the coaching change had anything to do with this either. I'll be damned if the players hold me responsible for the guy leaving. He's the one that ditched us in the middle of the season!

[Sporkimata]

Hey, I live in the tri-cities. Seen the Tri-city americans a couple times. Fun little league.

[JeffR]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

There isn't any logical reason for a team to be getting dominated like this. Even if a team is having the "worst of worst" problems in the locker room, they should at least win a game once in awhile.

In my second year of college, I got to watch the local WHL team, the then-Victoria Cougars, lose 32 games in a row. The average score in a Cougars game that year was an 8-3 loss. At this level, if a team gets into trouble the players may not have the maturity or leadership talent to avoid melting down - in the game, a junior captain will likely be a 19-20 year old with influence of 13-14; he's not going to be able to help you out the way the 30-year-old, 20 influence veterans you get in the pros can.

But, a few things to try out next season, without getting too deep into the tactical aspect of the coaching (but you'll need to set the GM options to have the computer coach use your tactics, selections, and lines):

-watch your goalies' morale - resist starting somebody who's at "very low"; he'll recover a little if you sit him out. A skater whose head isn't in the game won't kill you; a goalie who's given up will.

-fatigue levels are important, too - if a guy gets under 90, he sits. Too ineffective and too much of a risk of injury otherwise.

-to get the shooting numbers up, use the barrage setting and make sure each forward line has at least one guy whose pass/shoot preference is set to "shoot" - use the one with the best shot ratings, and if you've got two good shooters on a line have both of them set like that (but always have at least one guy on pass). Try to have one defenceman in each of the top two pairs set to shoot, too.

-go look at your last few games of the season and see what tactics were being used against you. Implement some of them yourself, if possible.

[sovereignstar]

I appreciate the advice as always, Jeff. Admittingly, I'm a little disappointed that I've got to dig into the tactics this early as I'm still learning the game and hockey itself.

[rexallllsc]

Hey dude, I get smacked around too. I have a feeling theres just something I'm not "getting"

I need to try this new practice this that was recommended to me.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Tri-City 6, Everett 2

Shot Attempts
Tri-City 106, Everett 12

Shots on Goal
Tri-City 57, Everett 10

wow. Everett must be the worse team in EHM.

does stats are so crazy

[riz]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

So yeaaaaahhhhh, still in my Everett career here and earlier I talked about getting outshot. Well now I've ran into some even fishier stuff. My head coach Kevin Constatine was lured away by the Rangers in mid-January. Okay, no big deal as I was able to hire a pretty good replacement. Constantine left with a 12-21-8 mark and we were in 4th (out of 5) by a pretty decent margin. Well we've managed to reel off quite a streak now. 0-25-1. Yes, 0-25-1. Including one game where I was outshot 108-25 (SOG 59-21). In those 26 games we've been outscored 35 to 128 (1.34 to 4.92). A few things to keep in mind:

-I only GM. I tweaked a few things in practice, including having my coaches have no more than three categories. I have 4 coaches altogether. I've been going with the default 60-20-20 for quite awhile now.

-I haven't done jack with this team, no trades, and just a few minor UFA signings. I figured that I'd ride this season out and just look forward to next season. Nobody wanted any of my older players anyways. And *maybe* we could surprise a few teams in the playoffs. Well not anymore. We're officially done for.

Something has got to give here. There's no way this team was this bad to start off with and I've barely touched the team. I hate to turn on the game here, but something isn't quite right and that's all I'm trying to say.

Just so you know, I have found an issue with the player motivation levels in the games after debugging the engine for quite some time, that might result in long losing streaks and downward spiralling in certain conditions. This is going to be on the list of fixes for the second patch we are working on right now. There are still a few things we are aiming to address with that one and the code is now being tested by our selected group of community members and researchers.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by riz

Just so you know, I have found an issue with the player motivation levels in the games after debugging the engine for quite some time, that might result in long losing streaks and downward spiralling in certain conditions. This is going to be on the list of fixes for the second patch we are working on right now. There are still a few things we are aiming to address with that one and the code is now being tested by our selected group of community members and researchers.

Yikes. This revelation has me shelving the game until the next patch comes out.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by Pumpy Tudors

Yikes. This revelation has me shelving the game until the next patch comes out.

Feel free to discuss various tactics with me until the patch gets released.

[Bea-Arthurs Hip]

Try coaching the games. Dont be afraid of Tactics even if you are new to Hockey, the best way to learn is on the fly .You can set all speeds to fast & commentary to Key only and the games go by in about 5 minutes.

I am coaching in the ECHL and went through some bad losing streaks until I decided take over games. 1.) Easiest thing to do is play "Neutral Zone Trap" which is set up in the default tactics. 2.)Then go through and see who your best shooters are (both wrist and slap) and assign only those players to "Shoot" all others to "Pass". 3.) All other Player specific tactics will be set to "Unit". 4.) Play with line combinations game by game. Just because someone with "lower" skills by a point or two does not mean he is not as good as someone with better ratings, I have found guys on my team who at the begining of the season were scratched constantly due to having lower ratings and they are now key players (51 games in) and seem to player better with specific line mates. 5.) Last but not least , be sure to bench and discipline players who receive "5" or lower game ratings. They allways (most of the time) respond to criticism and bounce back to contribute.

I am no expert but since I made these specific changes to my team I have gone 18-9-3 vs previous 6-12-2

The only thing that concerns me is that your team has lost confidence in you. May be time to make a move and find another joby job. Go to "Job Information" under your General Manger tab and come over to the ECHL, lots of fun and its were us crappy GM's hang out.

Good Luck

[RPI-Fan]

How is the Digital Download coming along?

Looks like we're going to go into Friday without one...

~rpi-fan

[Honolulu_Blue]

Originally Posted by Bea-Arthurs Hip

Try coaching the games. Dont be afraid of Tactics even if you are new to Hockey, the best way to learn is on the fly .You can set all speeds to fast & commentary to Key only and the games go by in about 5 minutes.

I am coaching in the ECHL and went through some bad losing streaks until I decided take over games. 1.) Easiest thing to do is play "Neutral Zone Trap" which is set up in the default tactics. 2.)Then go through and see who your best shooters are (both wrist and slap) and assign only those players to "Shoot" all others to "Pass". 3.) All other Player specific tactics will be set to "Unit". 4.) Play with line combinations game by game. Just because someone with "lower" skills by a point or two does not mean he is not as good as someone with better ratings, I have found guys on my team who at the begining of the season were scratched constantly due to having lower ratings and they are now key players (51 games in) and seem to player better with specific line mates. 5.) Last but not least , be sure to bench and discipline players who receive "5" or lower game ratings. They allways (most of the time) respond to criticism and bounce back to contribute.

I am no expert but since I made these specific changes to my team I have gone 18-9-3 vs previous 6-12-2

The only thing that concerns me is that your team has lost confidence in you. May be time to make a move and find another joby job. Go to "Job Information" under your General Manger tab and come over to the ECHL, lots of fun and its were us crappy GM's hang out.

Good Luck

I will second what some of The Hip has to say and add a little more. Here are my scattered thoughts on what I have been doing so far in my 5 seasons with the Capitals. I don't pretend to have everything figured out or to be any sort of guru whatsoever.

In-Game Tactis:

Off System:
I tend to go with mixed here more often than not. But, like everything else, it depends on the players you have. If they have all around talent (good skaters, good passing, etc.), I think mixed seems to work the best.

If they are all great skaters, but may lack a little in the way of passing skills, skating might work.

If they are grinders/forecheckers, I would go with dump & chase.

Off Zone:
I tend to use either "positional" or "crash the net." I use Crash the net if I have a big, strong centerman who can get there. At the moment I have Nathan Horton and Jeff O'Neil. Both big lads who have flourished under this system.

If I have a less physical center, I tend to go with positional. My other center, Stephen Weiss (no I am not the Panthers, I just like to trade with them), isn't as big and strong, so I used this system with him.

Forecheck:
Like The Hip said, the neutral zone trap, while dull, appears to be the way to go. I recently switched to the neutral zone trap and it has worked wonders. Been very pleased with the results. We have drastically reduced the shots on goal and goals against. I used to go with the "high forecheck" but was letting in way too many goals. Way, way too many...

Backchecking/Pressing:
I tend to keep both at "normal." I have had limited success by moving these to "hard."

Mentality:
Again, I tend to keep this at "normal." Like above, I have had limited success in moving this to attacking or defensive.

Pass/Shoot Bias
I think The Hip's advice is sound. Have your best shooters set on "shoot" and the rest on pass. I like to have at least one forward on shoot (though never more than two) and at least one d-man per pairing, or at least one d-man per pairing on the powerplay.

Board Battles:
I tend to leave this as "unit" which is mixed. Though if I have any hulking bruts with high strength (e.g., Hal Gill, Nathan Horton, etc.) then I make it "power." Likewise if I have a wee, speedy lad, I use "finese."

Hitting:
I always have hitting set on "hard." I tend to get a lot of penalties, but I like to hit. It's in my idiom.

PP/PK Units:
I really haven't messed with this in EHM 2005.

Line Combos:
I tend to try to have my top two lines be strong all around. The focus tends to be offense, but I like to have all six forwards have some decent defensive ratings as well. For example, at the moment my top two lines are as follows:

Ovechkin - Jeff O'Neil - Phil Kessel
Hartnell - Weiss - Justin Williams

While they are all good offensive players, most are pretty sound defensively.

I usually like to have my third line be a "crash" line/"grind" line/"checking" line or whatever you want to call it. These tend to be players who can hit, play solid defense, and chip in the occasional goal. I usually have these guys on "dump and chase" and "crash the net." Sometimes, if my roster gets too talent heavy (a nice problem to have), the third line becomes more interchangable with the top two and loses its "grind line" identity. As is the case with my current squad. The third line is:

Zetterberg - Nathan Horton - Magnus Khanberg

The fourth line varies. Sometimes the fourth line becomes the "grind line." This works because these forwards can bu used as your penalty killers. This makes sure your PK unit is always fresh and you're not wearing down your forward on your top two lines who will already be on the powerplay unit.

Other times, my fourth line is less a "grind" line and more of a "goon" line. This tends to happen with my teams every so often. When the talent is a bit thin and I grab players like this off waivers. I don't mind the physical stuff, so it's not all bad.

Most frequently, I try to put out a "kid" line with the fourth line. These are usually rookie players or younger players (20-22) who I want to give some ice time in the NHL. At the moment, this is what I am doing. The kid line currently is:

Tomas Pospisil - Anze Kopitar - Michael Blunden

Over all, don't hesitate to mix and match lines. I have found that tweaking lines or tactics just a little bit, is a good way to get out of a slump. I also like to try to have lines that fit together. Have a great playmaking center? Put him with a sniper or two?

I used to play A LOT of Strat-o-Matic hockey back in the day. I think it heavily influences how I put my lines together. I don't think the two games work the same at all, but it is what it is. These influences mainly include:

1. For each defensive pairing at least one of the blueliners should be able to move the puck: good skating/passing. I love me some big, tough hard-hitting defensemen, but if both guys are hulking pilons with no puck skills, you are in for a long shift: turnovers, penalties, etc.

2. If I have a checking line, there should be no defensive weak spot. All three forwards should be good checkers, hitters, etc.

3. Never trust your goalie. No matter how good he appears to be on paper, he will screw you over.

4. Hitting is fun.

5. You need at least one guy who can fight if things get out of control.



Scouting/Acquiring Talent:

I have mentioned how I do scouting in an earlier thread. It's usually pretty basic. I don't tend to carry 15 scouts. I usually have something closer to 10 scouts (or less) and feel like I do pretty well.

August/September:
I spend these months re-evaluating my prospects. It's a pain in the ass to click every prospect to scout, but worthwhile.

October - January:
I send my scouts out to scout various nations. Usually I do intense scouting (3 months) of the hockey playing nations of: Canada, Czech Republic, Finland, Sweden, Russia, and the US. I also send another scout to the "other" nations, for shorter trips.

Scouting nations not only helps you get a look at their prospects, but may also tip you off to some older non-drafted players worth blowing an 8th or 9th round pick on, or even older players who were drafted by a NHL team but never signed. I have found that the AI teams don't really place much value on older European players (25+) and you can trade for them at a reasonable price. Some are really good.

I send one (sometimes two) scouts out to scout "youth prospects."

I also be sure to have at least two scouts available to watch the U-20 World Championships in late December/Early January.

Once a scout has finished his search I go back through and look at the prospects. Any prospect rated '4' or '5' stars I make a note on that player indicating the rating. This is helpful come draft day.

Jan - March/April:
I send 6-7 scouts out to scout the NHL Entry Draft. I do the 3 month intensive scouting. As above, once each search is done I add a note on any player rated a '4' or '5'. I will also note anywhere were there was a 2 star or more difference between scouts. So, for example, if one scout thinks a prospect is a '5' and another says '3', the note on the player will read: '53'.

April:
After at least 5 of my scouts have completed their searches, I go the NHL Entry Draft page and look at the "Scout Reports" to see if I have missed any of the rated prospects. Usually this means players without "stars", though not always. Any rated prospect who I have no scout report on I send a scout to watch.

Draft:
I pick the five scouts who have the best "Judge Potential" rating and have scouted the NHL Draft and load them up on the "Scout Reports" screen. That's the screen I look at the most.

Prior to the draft, I usually jot dot all of what I consider to be the "top" players of the draft. Usually those rated the highest and you have the best abilities. This list is usually between 10-12 players.

I proceed slowly through the first few picks. If I see an opportunity to trade up to grab one of the players I wrote down, I will. If not, I will let the first round proceed.

Prior to picking, I always ask to see who my coach, head scout, and asst. GM reccommend. While not always helpful, sometimes they do come through for me.

Depending on the draft, at some point during the mid or late rounds, I usually have run out of rated players to draft. None look appealing and any player I have a 'note' on (those ranked a '4' or '5' by a scout) are gone. I have found it easiest to then sort prospects by date of birth (youngest to oldest) in the 'Scout Report" screen and start cycling through the list looking for players who my scouts have rated.

This servers a few purposes. First, for whatever reason, the screens scroll by quicker when prospects are organized by age. Second, if you organize by "rank", the non-ranked players are organized alphabetically which just isn't helpful. Third, the younger the prospect the better. Fourth, it's usually pretty easy to scroll through the list quickly, keeping an eye out for "stars." Any player ranked with a "3" should be looked at, as should players who 3 or more of your scouts rated. The more ratings a player has likely means he's a better player. Or at least it seems to me.

Other Off-Season Concerns:
I know it's tricky, but try and keep a handle on your waiver situation. If you think that when the waiver draft happens in early October, that you may have to expose some good players, try and trade them prior to the draft. Either go for picks or players/prospects exempt from waivers. I got burned by this last year and ended up losing a pretty decent 23 yr. old d-man. I was not happy and should have paid closer attention.

2008-2009 Washington Capitals Line-Up:

Alexander Ovechkin - Jeff O'Neil - Phil Kessel
Scott Hartnell - Stephen Weiss - Justin Williams
Henrik Zetterberg - Nathan Horton - Magnus Khanberg
Michael Blunden - Tomas Pospisil - Anze Kopitar

Jack Johnson - Bryan McCabe
Rostislav Klesla - Steve Eminger
Dion Phanuef - Hal Gill

Henrik Lundqvist

[sovereignstar]

Good stuff, guys - thanks. My most ignorant question to date: Is it possible to watch the games (and get a handle on what's going on with your team) and not coach them? I could probably find out myself, but I'm in the offseason right now.

[SegRat]

If you take on a lower team and are successful, will you get offers from other team such as a NHL team?

Sorry if this has been answered already. Actually I am just to lazy to look.

[sovereignstar]

Originally Posted by SegRat

If you take on a lower team and are successful, will you get offers from other team such as a NHL team?

Sorry if this has been answered already. Actually I am just to lazy to look.

Yes, your reputation as a GM can grow. It could take awhile to get that built up though, probably depending on what league you start in.

[jbmagic]

Honolulu_Blue and Bea-Arthurs Hip.

great tips guys

thanks so much


i also like to use neutral zone trap when i have a lead in the 3rd period. i want to play more defense to protect the lead. so i try to change my tactics some when i have a lead in the 3rd period.

so i am still experimenting to find the best tactic to use when i have a lead.

what i love about this game, there is no super tactic that works for all teams.

my tactic might do well for my team and not yours and vice versa.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Good stuff, guys - thanks. My most ignorant question to date: Is it possible to watch the games (and get a handle on what's going on with your team) and not coach them? I could probably find out myself, but I'm in the offseason right now.

no you cant. i wish you can.

hopefully in the future, if you let head coach handle the coaching, you able to view your own team. you have to coach your own game to view your own team game.

as of now you can view other teams games only , if you let your head coach handle the coaching.

[Bea-Arthurs Hip]

Is it possible to watch the games (and get a handle on what's going on with your team) and not coach them? I could probably find out myself, but I'm in the offseason right now

I wish it were but no it is not. Riz I think mentioned he will try and work this in on future versions.

[Pumpy Tudors]

Originally Posted by sovereignstar

Feel free to discuss various tactics with me until the patch gets released.

I'd love to discuss tactics, but my coach handles all of that.

[RPI-Fan]

Status of Digital Download?

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by RPI-Fan

Status of Digital Download?

http://community.sigames.com/eve/ubb...5/m/3752074431

[jbmagic]

here a great site for EHM guides

http://www.sortitoutsi.net/forums/in...howtopic=18847

http://ehm.fhockey.com/NHLEHM101.php

[Karim]

Has anyone had success with the powerplay? I had problems on the PP even with the last version. But 9% is ridiculous.

(Of course, playing with the Flames, this is realistic. )

[Eaglesfan27]

That thread really doesn't give much of an update about the Digital Download status.

[jbmagic]

Originally Posted by Eaglesfan27

That thread really doesn't give much of an update about the Digital Download status.

yep

but Marc Duffy and Graeme Kelly from SI is the one that keeps posting in it. to let us know the status.

it keeps getting delay

[JeffR]

Originally Posted by Karim

Has anyone had success with the powerplay? I had problems on the PP even with the last version. But 9% is ridiculous.

(Of course, playing with the Flames, this is realistic. )

I'm getting about 15% with both units set to:

Attacking
Passing
Umbrella
High Forecheck
Zonal
Hard
Hard
Power

I also use my first two lines as the power play lines; I figure that'll create fewer problems with the lines getting juggled around every PP if I'm not trying to use guys from separate units together.

[jbmagic]

is there a way to manage more than one team?

for example if i want to manage a NHL team and their minors leagues.

[Booj]

Originally Posted by jbmagic

is there a way to manage more than one team?

for example if i want to manage a NHL team and their minors leagues.

You have to create 2 GMs to control both teams.