Senior League Hockey
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Senior League Hockey (often abbreviated as SLH) is a turn-based, browser-based, text-based, online multiplayer ice hockey strategy game where you assume the role of a head coach and compete against other coaches in both divisional and exhibition play. Operated by London-based CatGames, SLH is played directly from a web browser.
The game is affiliated with - and licensed by - the NHL as its official online hockey management (not fantasy) game, linked directly from the league's website, NHL.com. SLH went live in December, 2002 and roughly 128,000 players are registered as of the end of July, 2006.
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[edit] Overview
Users (managers) take control of an amateur (sometimes referred to as a "beer league") hockey team and are given 20 players: 3 goaltenders, 7 defencemen, 6 wingers and 4 centres. A user can change the name of any or all players, and select from a variety of cartoon "faces" for their players' profiles.
Each player has ratings, from 0 to 100 which determine his/her strengths and weaknesses, these ratings include strength, puck control, stamina, shooting, passing, among others. The closer to 100 the player's ratings are, the more skillful the player, and the greater an asset they are to the team.
Teams are automatically assigned into divisions, each with 16 teams. Each division is located within a league, and each league within one of 8 conferences, similar to the NHL (although the NHL has conferences within the league, not vice versa). A pyramid system, featuring promotion and relegation, is in place in which successful teams move up to a tougher division for the following season, in the aim of reaching Premier Division 1.
[edit] Gameplay
Games are played daily, usually around 10pm EST (sometimes twice a day if a team has also scheduled exhibition matches - see below). A manager's job is to set his or her lines for each night's game, and choose tactics and a style of play designed to outwit their opponent.
[edit] Divisional play
Each team plays 30 games per divisional season - 2 games per opponent. The points system used is the pre-shootout NHL system, where games end in a tie after 5 minutes of overtime. 2 points are awarded for a win (either in regulation or OT), 1 for a tie or an OT loss, and 0 for a loss in regulation.
[edit] Playoffs
Every team in a division qualifies for the playoffs no matter what their position in the standings at the end of the season. As with any hockey league, finishing near the top is advantageous as the SLH playoffs go as follows: 1 v 16, 2 v 15, 3 v 14, 4 v 13, 5 v 12, 6 v 11, 7 v 10, 8 v 9. The highest-ranked team will play the lowest ranked team in the next round, and so on until one team is crowned playoff champion.
Winning the playoffs does not allow a team to be promoted (or, in rare cases, to stave off relegation). Only regular season standings count towards where a team plays next season.
[edit] Exhibition matches
Users can challenge any other users who play on the same server to an exhibition match, even if their teams do not play in the same division, league or conference. These matches are played 12 hours between divisional games (i.e., around 10am EST). Challenging another team to an exhibition match costs credits (see below), but there is no cost to the team accepting the challenge.
[edit] Other tournaments
Other tournaments featured in SLH are for teams who won the division or playoffs the previous season (Champions Shield), teams ranked in the top 64 on the whole server (Elite Cup), and other cost-to-play tournaments which are played at the same time as exhibition matches.
[edit] Variables
There are many variables in SLH which can affect the outcome of a game, besides the overall ratings of their players.
[edit] Ice surface
As SLH is designed to simulate amateur hockey, played at local rinks and not professional arenas, the type of ice surface can differ and often make conditions difficult for play. The different types range from fast, smooth ice similar to NHL arenas, to slushy ice where skates dig in and the puck tends to bounce around erratically.
[edit] Referees
Amateur hockey referees are typically "ringers" who often have only a limited grasp of the game. Referees in SLH vary in their aptitude and tendency to call penalties. A user must set their team's aggression level accordingly.
[edit] Opponent's tactics
SLH has been likened to rock, paper, scissors in that certain tactics and styles of play will usually beat others. A team's initial three tactical choices - Attacking, Counter attack, and Defensive - will always have an alternate tactic that can defeat it.
[edit] Advanced tactics
More experienced SLH managers utilize advanced tactics, a series of options that allow a manager to change their tactics, aggression and style of play at various intervals of the game and/or when they are winning, losing or tying the game. This means a manager can respond to situational changes in a game and try and turn the tables in order to gain the upper hand.
[edit] Credits and cost
Senior League Hockey is free to play, but utilizes a system of credits which can be used to bid on new players from a Waiver Market. A player brought in from the Waiver Market must replace a player currently on a roster - no team can have any more or less than 20 players.
Credits are also used to put players on a daily training regimen, which allows them to improve on their skills and increase their overall ratings.
A small amount of credits is given for winning each divisional game. Credits can also be won by finishing first overall in the standings at the end of the regular season, by winning the playoffs, or by winning other tournaments.
