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NHLGamers, Yet another action packed year full of virtual hockey has passed, and with that it's been nearly a year since the last FCL was hosted, concluding in a thrilling final series between FILADELPHIA and HAVU Gaming on the 6v6-side, whereas Niklas @NikkeDangles Tukiainen and Arttu @Artuzio Mustila clashed in the 1v1 finals. This year, we'll be returning for another great season, and like before, the FCL holds the official Finnish Championship license (eSM 2021) from the Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL). The FCL will be played through August and September and will be completed entirely online (subject to change). The combined prize pool is 10 000 EUR. Like last year, this iteration of the FCL will allow for non-Finnish citizens to challenge for the throne in the 6v6 league. The upcoming league will feature a foreign player quota, which entails that a majority (51%) of the team's roster (and line-up) must be Finnish. In addition, all captains must be Finnish citizens. All players require an eSM 2021 license in order to participate in FCL 6v6 and/or FCL 1v1. The cost of the license is 5 EUR and it can be obtained at esm.gg/pelaajalisenssi/ (click here for instructions in English). The one-time purchase of the license allows you to take part in all eSM 2021 leagues and tournaments (for 1v1 you must be a Finnish citizen). SIGN UP FOR 1v1 HERE! Sign-ups for 1v1 are open now and will be open until 17.8: Schedule for FCL 1v1: Group stage: 23.8-6.9 Playoffs: 9.9-26.9 TOP 4 Finals: 1.10 (BO3) SIGN UP FOR 6v6 HERE! Sign-ups for 6v6 are open now and will be open until 11.8: Schedule for FCL 6v6: Group stage: 16.-31.8 Playoffs round 1: 2.-5.9 Playoffs round 2: 6.-9.9 (BO5) Playoffs round 3: 13.-16.9 (BO5) Quarterfinals: 20.-23.9 (BO5) Semifinals: 27.-29.9 (BO5) Finals: 2.10. (BO5) Prize Pool The total prize pool is 10 000 EUR, split between the 1v1 and 6v6 game modes, as described below: *Prizes are subject to tax as per Finnish law and the tax is withheld before payment. Prizes will be paid out within 90 days of the FCL 2021 Finals. Due to the FCL being played online and cross-platform play not being available, this year FCL will be played only on the PlayStation console. The final formats and schedules for both the 1v1 and 6v6 portions of FCL will be determined based on the number of signups. NHLGamer reserves the right to adjust any details. Invitations FCL 6v6: Reigning Finnish Champion FILADELPHIA will be invited to round 1 of the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules (restrictions apply). FCL 1v1: Reigning Finnish Champion Arttu @Artuzio Mustila will be invited to the playoff stage as the #1 seed as per eSM 2021 rules. The NHL GWC European Champion Erik @Eki Tammenpää will be invited to the playoff stage as the #2 seed. Photo: Arttu Kokkonen / SEUL About us Since its inception, NHLGamer has continuously strived to offer the best possible experience for any and all gamers who have come to enjoy the competitiveness of playing the EA Sports series of NHL games. Created by gamers for gamers, we are very much in touch with the growing community and want to understand the fundamental desires of our end customers fully. The international competitive leagues in Europe (ECL) and North America (NACL) are our crown jewels, which have proven to draw interest from the very best teams and players worldwide. While proud of our achievements and the success we've had in creating and maintaining such a great community of talented gamers, we are not done yet. Our long-term goals include growing the community, hosting larger leagues with prize pools, and working together with organizations at the cutting edge of gaming and esports. About our partners Atria Wilhelm Atria's Wilhelm product range has become a staple in Finnish snack culture throughout the years. Whether you're having a summer night barbeque or need something to go with the big game of the night - Wilhelm has you covered. Check out the full product range here! The Finnish Esports Federation (SEUL) works as the umbrella organization for Finnish competitive electronic gaming. SEUL's mission is to improve and promote electronic sports and the activities of our members. The federation was established in December 2010 to respond to the growing need for an organization to promote esports as a hobby and as a respectable sport. The activities performed by SEUL are divided into the development of esports, protection of player’s interests and communicational work. The development of esports is done partly by utilizing workgroups, which are based on the work of our volunteers. The board is responsible for the day to day operations in co-operation with employees. The federation co-operates with many national organizations such as VERKE, EHYT ry and KAVI, promoting a positive image of gamers and gaming in general. The federation’s participation in the international field is strong, since they represent Finland in the International Esports Federation (IESF). SEUL is also on the receiving end of the yearly grants given out by the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture for youth programs, and represents Finnish esports as a member of the Finnish Olympic Committee. What are you waiting for? Sign up now for the chance of winning the Finnish Championship and some great cash prizes! We sincerely hope to see as many of you there as possible! Also, since the sign-up period is rather short, we'd appreciate it if you spread the word to everyone!

After a gruelling workload through the last three months, Wednesday night saw the two best teams in the Lite division clash for the final games of the season. Reality Check HC and noRex Gaming left it all on the ice and went the distance of seven games to eventually see the experienced and resilient Reality Check HC hoist the trophy after a big performance in the decisive game. We reached out to captain @Pursuitti for some comments on the teams season. Before the season, you were eyeing a Pro spot, but suffered a disappointment in the qualifiers. Talk a bit about how your team handled the issue and how you tackled some struggles over the course of the season. "It was definitely a disappointment to not make it through the Qualifiers. In fact, I feel like we played well in those games, but in the short tournament, one off night sealed the deal for us. Eventually, about a week before the start of the season it was clear that we needed to make some roster changes and managed to quickly find replacements in @ItzPoro and @Mister (linuseliel), who showed up big when called upon. Even though we had to make some hasty changes, which threw our game off a bit, we immediately set our sights on the Championship - and I'm glad we reached that goal." You played a big role for the team throughout the season. Were there any other players that stepped up in a surprising way throughout your campaign? "In my opinion, everyone finned their own role exceptionally well. If we were to take a look at things on an individual level, @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) stepped up for us as the season progressed and found new gears throughout the playoffs. ItzPoro and @jezbaru formed a very good defensive pairing, where Poro handled more of the defensive duties and Jesba served as out fourth man on the rush. Linus found his scoring touch at the start of the playoffs and although he cooled down a bit towards the end, he worked hard in both ends of the ice and secured the eventual championship for us with his 4-1 and 5-2 goals in the seventh game. @Kauppias4 is a guy I'm at a loss for words about. This guy played at an incredible level throughout the season and in the finals especially. Also a shoutout to @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X), who served as our backup netminder and stayed positive, helping the team in that role all season." What does the future hold for Reality Check HC? "As I see it, our future is bright. We've got an excellent spirit within the squad and everyone shares the desire to develop their game as individuals and as a team. I feel like these things have the potential to take us far. I'm not sure if we'll ice a team for the upcoming FCL yet, but you'll definitely see Reality Check HC in the Pro division in ECL 13. Our objective is to maintain the same player core and as a captain, I naturally hope we don't have the need for any changes." Reality Check HC - Road to the championship: Regular season record: Group 2 - 23-3-2 (1st) Round 1: vs Grilli Tulille 4-1 Round 2: vs BIK Karlskoga Esport 4-1 Quarterfinals: vs Hokurit 4-3 Semifinals: vs Lulea Hockey 4-3 Finals: vs noRex Gaming 4-3 Championship roster: GOALTENDERS #33 @Kaapro666 (X_KABA_X) #77 @Kauppias4 DEFENSEMEN #19 @jezbaru #53 @ItzPoro FORWARDS #22 @Mister (linuseliel) #26 @TheArska (XxProArskaxX) #88 @Pursuitti Congratulations on behalf of the entire community, and see you next season!