gzell60

Update #1 - Feb. 19, 00:15 CET Unfortunately, Nordic Eagles aren't able to participate in ECL 6 anymore. Due to this, League Administration decided to move Kaksikymmentaseitseman from ECL Lite Group 2 to Group 4. Captains were informed via PM. We apologize if this causes any inconvenience. _____ Hey NHL Gamers, it's time for the 6th edition of ECL, again by far the most influental 6vs6 experience in at least all over Europe. This time we finally crossed that 100 teams barrier, and end up with a total of 110! That's up 11% from ECL 5's 96 participants. And quite frankly, there does not seem to be any sign of slowing down. ECL Lite and ECL Pro will start playing tomorrow, February 19, while ECL Elite will start on Wednesday, February 21. The schedules will be released shortly on the main page, so keep an eye out for that to see which team you will be facing first! Without further ado, here's everything you need to know. ECL 6 Rules The rules for ECL 6 can be seen here: As plenty of details have changed, we suggest you give them a good read before season start! League Administration All league related decisions will be made by League Administration. To open up a case, create a new question in the "Contact League Administration" helpdesk. Please note: Teams are expected to solve issues on their own before contacting League Administration - the rules include lots of guidance for different issues. League Administration is always the last resort to solve any disagreements. ECL 6 Elite 14 teams confirmed their participation for ECL 5: Carlsberg HC Dynasty Evolution Falun Coal Miners Kattiautomaatti Northern Ascendancy Northern Stars Pata Hellalla Rusty Blades SJK eSports Silver Sword Griffins Sjukstugan Unlucky Boys HC Written In The Stars To fill the two open spots that are caused by the disbandment of both MUKIMIEHET and Aapon Taikasauva, rule 4.3 from the ECL 6 rules gets applied. Four ECL 5 Pro quarter-finalists come into question: THE UNITED KNIGHTS (0 PO wins) Nordic Stars (3 PO wins) Gotham Knights (3 PO wins) Inter Iceland (2 PO wins) Based on these numbers, League Administration offers the remaining two ECL 6 Elite spots to Nordic Stars and Gotham Knights: ECL 6 Pro 23 teams (excluding Nordic Stars and Gotham Knights, which were moved to ECL Elite) confirmed their participation for ECL 6: Alliance HT Almost Famous Baltic Sea Eagles Banterfield Battalion Bellizzi Clowns on Ice EN HUND Free From Rodents Inter Iceland JPTJ Monarchs Murohoki Nordic Nosebleed OG Royals Raging Monkeys Red Machine SIKA Shameful Knights Speedy Bros Hockey Synergy Hockey Sypperstaars TIKI TALK White Trash This means a total of 9 spots had to be filled with ECL Lite sign-ups. As ECL 5 Lite quarter-finalists that also signed up and applied for ECL Pro, Deadly Phantoms HC were prioritized and moved to ECL 6 Pro. For the 8 remaining spots, we were looking at ECL Pro applications from these 16 teams: Arctic Asserklubi Breakers Of The Bone EaLogic FILADELPHIA ICEBREAKERS EAGLES Ice Phoenix Kaukosen Luistin Monte Carlo MotherPuckers Old Farts Penalty Box Pohjoista Voimaa Quality Suomen Sonnit The Beagle Boys According to rule 4.2 in the ECL 6 rules, League Administration not only looked at in-game leaderboards and records, but also considered EASHL history as well as notable achievements, recent games and ECL experience (games played, points, wins etc.). At the end of our evaluation, these 8 teams were considered suitable and are moved to ECL 6 Pro: Arctic Breakers Of The Bone FILADELPHIA Monte Carlo Old Farts Penalty Box Quality The Beagle Boys ECL 6 Pro - Final conferences ECL Pro will be played in 2 conferences with 16 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in a 30 game regular season in which the top 8 teams out of each group will go to the playoffs (16 teams total). To determine the final groups, all teams were seeded into 4 different pots. From there, the teams were randomized into two conferences: ECL 6 Lite The remaining 62 teams will be participating in ECL 6 Lite. For obvious reasons, I'm saving the entire list at this point and we'll go straight to the conferences. ECL 6 Lite - Final conferences ECL Lite will be played in 6 conferences with 10/11 teams each. With 2 games against each opponent, this results in an 18/20 game regular season in which the top 5 teams out of each conference, as well as the two best 6th ranked teams out of all conferences will go to the playoffs (32 teams total). To determine the final conferences, all teams were randomly assigned to the six conferences: Team management tools All teams have been created, and the captains mentioned in the sign-up posts will shortly be unlocked for the team management tools on the main page (click on your username in the top right corner to access them). All players need to be invited to the team rosters ahead of your first game. Please note that all invited players need to accept the invitation (there will be a popup alert on the main page for them) before they show up on the team roster and can start playing! In case you have any questions, please use the comment section below this news story. Good luck to all teams and have fun! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers, the ECL 5 Pro semi-finals have come to a close, and here are the final results: Falun Coal Miners |2:4| Unlucky Boys HC Pata Hellalla |0:4| Evolution This means Unlucky Boys HC and Evolution will fight for the ECL 5 Pro championship in the last playoffs series this Pro season: Evolution vs. Unlucky Boys HC Both finalists are already promoted to ECL Elite for ECL 6, however having that ECL 5 Pro championship trophy in your collection is something both teams will continue fighting for fiercly. NHLGamer Staff already sends out congratulations for the promotion accomplishment and is looking forward to the very best ECL Pro hockey this season! The first two games of this intense matchup begin at 20:30 CET tonight and will be covered at the NHLGamerTwitch channel Furthermore, the Relegation Faceoffs between the two teams that finished in spots #13 and #14 in ECL Elite and the two ECL Pro semi-final losers will be kicked off as well. Unfortunately, ECL Elite team Nordic Nightmare already decided to disband after a dissapointing regular season, which means they will not participate in these games. Thus, they will also automatically lose their ECL Elite spot for ECL 6. This leaves us with two ECL Pro teams and just one ECL Elite team for the Relegation Faceoffs. Now, the whole point of playoff seeding, as constructed in our rules, is to assign the highest rated teams with the "easier" matchup as defined by the opposing teams performance. As such it would be illogical to give the easier opponent to the team that performed "worse", in this context. By applying our playoff seeding rules, the ECL Pro playoff team seeded as #1 for the Relegation series is Falun Coal Miners due to their two semi-final wins (= 10 Pro playoff wins in total). ECL Pro playoff seed #2 with 0 semi-final wins (= 8 Pro Playoff wins in total) is Pata Hellalla. As Nordic Nightmare have disbanded, they are not seeded (or considered seed #2 as they are the "easier" opponent due to not actually playing the games), which per default makes TIKI TALK ECL Elite seed #1 for this Relegation series. This leaves us with the following matchups: Pata Hellalla (Pro #2) vs. TIKI TALK (Elite #1) --- (-#) vs. Falun Coal Miners (Pro #1) As a result, Falun Coal Miners will be promoted to ECL Elite for ECL 6 automatically. TIKI TALK and Pata Hellalla will play for the last remaining ECL 6 Elite spot. FRAMEWORK (FINALS & RELEGATION FACEOFFS) Teams mentioned on the right side have their home game first, left = away. The Pro Finals and the Relegation Faceoffs are played in a best-of-7 series Both rounds start TONIGHT, and all games must be completed before December 20, 23:59 CET / December 21, 00:59 EET. Good luck to everyone for the final Elite and Pro games in ECL 5! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers, in case you missed the news, the outcome of the SJK eSports vs. Written in the Stars semi-final was decided by League Administration after the series wasn't finished in time. See the full explanation here: In the other semi-final matchup, Aapon Taikasauva and Northern Stars fought a fierce battle that ended with game 7, in favor of Aapon Taikasauva. For your reading pleasure, here's the official round summary: SJK eSports |4:2| Written in the Stars Aapon Taikasauva |4:3| Northern Stars ECL ELITE FINALS Aapon Taikasauva (1) vs. SJK eSports (3) FINALS FRAMEWORK The finals must be finished within 7 days starting today, thus the last day to play the games is December 12. The finals are to be played in a best-of-7 series, with Aapon Taikasauva starting at home first. Currently, the finals are expected to kick off tomorrow, December 7. Once we know more, we will update you with the exact times as well as information about available live streams. NHLGamer Staff wishes the best luck to both teams! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

NHLGamers, In the case that occured between SJK eSports and Written in the Stars in the ECL Elite semi-finals, the following outcome has been agreed on: No extra time will be given. Before the ECL 5 Playoffs, the Staff took heavy criticism for lack of clarity in terms of deadlines. Not only in ECL 5, but in previous ECLs as well. Since the beginning of the ECL 5 playoffs, extra effort has been made to improve the clarity of that information. Therefore, the statement "Each pairing, Elite or Pro, must be finished within 7 days from today, meaning last evening to play games is December xxth. Don't expect any extensions!" has been included whenever possible (including in all Elite playoff news communication). Furthermore, a notification above the chatbox with the exact information of the last day to play has been visible for the past two rounds. We have not seen any valid arguments as to why extra time should be given. Precedent Precedent is a legal term that is defined as "an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances.". In the ECL 5 Playoffs, there is a precedent for this type of case. In the Pro playoff matchup between Gotham Knights and J P T J, Gotham was awarded 2 WO wins due to J P T J not being able to produce a lineup on the assigned day. Ruling to give extra time in this case would suggest that teams are not equal and that the rules do not have the same meaning to all teams. This is not true for the ECL. Both Captains were lacking in communication The fact that LA received this information on the day of the last scheduled playoff date is the reason for this verdict taking so long. Always remember, if you are experiencing trouble scheduling games, getting in touch with LA as early as possible is not only encouraged - it is also expected as these decisions need to be discussed thoroughly before deciding. Availability This is LAs understanding of the availability of both teams: Wednesday: SJK available, SKY unavailable Thursday: SJK available, SKY unavailable Friday: SJK available, SKY unavailable Saturday: SJK available, SKY unavailable Sunday: SJK unavailable, SKY available Monday: SJK available, SKY available - 4 games played Tuesday: SJK available, SKY available - but at different times and could not come to an agreement on starting time This gives a total of SJK available on 6/7 days and SKY available on 3/7 days for the round. If we look at traditionally scheduled game days (Monday, Wednesday, Thursday) SJK was available on 3/3 days and SKY on 1/3 days. The LAs understanding of availability is based on official communication from both teams with regards to this case. In the case of SKY, their extended unavailability is also understood to be due to one of their preferred forwards (Bugimir) being away on vacation until Sunday the 3rd of December - information that was communicated to LA at an earlier point when SKY appealed for more time to play their games in the previous round versus Dynasty. Furthermore, FlyerKungen's (SKY captain) very public comments on a previous news story gave the clear impression that SKY were not interested in playing any playoff games without their top 6 lineup and that leniency in the form of extra days should be given to ensure the integrity of the league. In this context the 8-player roster limit, that has been part of the ECL rules since the first season, was questioned as well. LA argues that the integrity of the league is ensured by teams following the deadlines that have been communicated with the utmost clarity throughout the entire playoffs. A key aspect to meeting these deadlines is keeping a healthy roster size, which the vast majority of teams in all divisions have been working on. Running a 6-player core roster accompanied by two "dummy" players turned out to be the main dealbreaker in this case. RULING SJK is awarded 2 WO wins and moves on to the ECL Elite finals. The decision rests heavily on the amount of days both teams were available as that is the only valid parameter this case could possibly be ruled on - once the option of "extra time" was precluded. CONCLUSIONS Walkover wins in the playoffs are never a good thing, no matter what round or division. However, having a League Administration that sticks to rules and announcements and treats all of the teams equally builds trust in the platform. While things still weren't perfect throughout ECL 5, we are adjusting parameters every season to eradicate the remaining hiccups. This means we will need to ask you some questions before the start of ECL 6: Is the 8-player limit a well-deemed rule? Are 7 days enough to complete possibly 7 games in a single playoff round? Do we need to take an entirely different approach to scheduling and enforcing deadlines? An additional post announcing the Elite finals will be released, but finalists Aapon Taikasauva and SJK can start scheduling their games. League Administration

Hey NHLGamers, Round 2 of the ECL Lite Playoffs is done! Now we are approaching the Quarter-Finals, and "the stakes are getting higher, you can feel it in your heart". While these lyrics fit perfectly, they not actually represent the author's or other staff members' taste in music. I'm more of a rock guy, and I hope all of the remaining 8 teams will rock the ice and take their chance to make it into ECL Pro for ECL 6. Remember: All ECL semi-finalists will be promoted to ECL Pro for next season! You guys are only 4 wins away from this accomplishment. Here are the pairings for the quarter-finals: Deadly Phantoms HC vs. Nordic Nosebleed Almost Famous vs. Squad Vilttiketju Raging Monkeys vs. EV Duisburg Red Machine vs. Face Wash Hockey Framework Teams mentioned on the left side have their home game first The quarter-finals are played in a best-of-7 series, meaning the first team to rack up 4 wins proceeds to the semi-finals The round starts today, and all games must be completed before December 6, 23:59 CET / December 7, 00:59 EET Good luck to everyone! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHLGamers, Round 1 of the ECL Lite playoffs is done and we have seen quite a few surprising results, e.g. with SGWEER United, one of the regular season top teams, being eliminated in this early stage. Here is the complete rundown of series results: Deadly Phantoms HC |4:2| Bucketeers SGWEER United |0:4| Roistot Almost Famous |4:0| KulmalaHengaus Raging Monkeys |4:0| Rising Phantoms HC Red Machine |4:2| Slapshot Club Germany Face Wash Hockey |4:0| iNF4MOUS Try Another Hole |4:1| Ice Phoenix EV Duisburg |4:3| Rusty Bulls HC Aurinko |1:4| Breakers Of The Bone Squad Vilttiketju |4:3| Nottingham Chiefs RAKETTIPUTKET |X:X| Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat The Beagle Boys |4:2| Mentula SKA Penalty Box |4:3| Lucky Strike Nearbird Fighters |1:4| Finnish Hockey Legends Nordic Nosebleed |4:1| Freddie Mercury Institute Nordic Eagles |2:4| Puck Panthers RAKETTIPUTKET vs. Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat - LA decision Unfortunately, League Administration had to disqualify RAKETTIPUTKET from the playoffs due to multiple rule violations after being made aware of them by Rukoveilat Hinkkaajat captains. The following paragraphs were taken into consideration: RAKETTIPUTKET decided to use a player named "Lehis61" in some of their playoff games. At that time, Lehis61 was not part of the RAKETTIPUTKET roster and did not have an account at NHLGamer.com either. Seeing how the trade deadline has already passed, adding him to the roster at the start of the playoffs was not an option. Further investigation revealed the roster size dropped below 8 players shortly after the regular season was over. LA is fully aware that a disqualification at this point in a season is not an easy decision, however given all the circumstances no other solution was viable. Round 2 16 teams made it into the secound round of the ECL Lite playoffs and are one step closer to the championship and ECL Pro promotion! Congratulations to everyone so far. Without further ado, here are the pairings for the 2nd round of the ECL Lite playoffs: Deadly Phantoms HC vs Roistot Almost Famous vs Breakers of the Bone Raging Monkeys vs Rukoilevat Hinkkaajat Red Machine vs Finnish Hockey Legends Face Wash Hockey vs Puck Panthers Try Another Hole vs Nordic Nosebleed EV Duisburg vs Penalty Box Squad Vilttiketju vs The Beagle Boys The round starts today and all games must be completed before November 29, 23:59 CET / November 30, 00:59 EET. Good luck! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers, a week after the ECL 5 Lite playoffs kicked off, Pro and Elite are now heading into the most exciting time of the season too! The Elite playoffs will be covered in a seperate post, so keep an eye out for that. FRAMEWORK Each pairing, championship or promotion/relegation faceoffs, must be finished within 7 days until November 28 - starting today. Don't expect any extensions! All pairings are to be played in a best-of-7 series (teams on the left side below play home first) PRO PLAYOFFS As usual, the two ECL Pro groups are cross-seeded in the first round, which means #1 from Group 1 will play #8 from Group 2 and so on. This leads us to these 8 pairings: Gotham Knights vs. J P T J SIKA vs. THE UNITED KNIGHTS Inter Iceland vs. EN HUND Lavetten vs. Pata Hellalla Unlucky Boys HC vs. Alliance HT Shameful Knights vs. Falun Coal Miners Nordic Stars vs. White Trash Baltic Sea Eagles vs. Evolution PRO RELEGATION FACEOFFS Teams ranked 13th to 16th in both conferences are cross-seeded as well. While all winners will remain in ECL Pro for ECL 6, the losers are moved down to ECL Lite and will be replaced by the ECL Lite semi-finalists. Here are the pairings: AK 47 vs. Bellizzi Squirt Hockey vs. GHETTO FIREBIRDS Sypperstaars vs. Bare Knuckles Hockey Banterfield Battalion vs. Nemesis THE (UN)LUCKY FEW? Murohoki, Black Panther Party, God Tier, Hawks Hockey Club, DEAD END KINGS, Clowns on Ice, Speedy Bros Hockey and Free From Rodents have secured their spot in ECL Pro for next season. Some might be unhappy about not making the playoffs, others might be happy about avoiding the fierce relegation battles - whatever it is, make sure to recover during Christmas and come back strong for ECL 6. It's not going to be easier! That's it! Good luck to everyone and let the games begin. @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com

Hey NHL Gamers, French magazine "Slapshot", one of the nation's biggest hockey publications around since the year 2000, included a 2-page news story about e-sports and virtual hockey gaming called "À quand la Stanley Cup virtuelle?" ("When will we see the virtual Stanley Cup?") in their latest September - November 2017 release #88. Besides the NHL and other hockey related stories, they have been talking about recent e-hockey developments and NHLGamer's ECL in their "Prolongations" section on pages 54 and 55. Thanks to the authors, we are allowed to share both pages with you for free - you can read them here: Slapshot_88_E-Sports.pdf For everyone who's not capable of speaking French, we created an English translation on our own. Minor inaccuracies may be present due to limited French skills on our end! What do you think about Slapshot's take on our ECL and the developments in e-hockey and e-sports in general? Let us know in the comments! @gzell60 for NHLGamer.com