As our tired and mired souls trudged through days that turned into weeks that turned into months of self-imposed isolation, devoid of any true forms of entertainment, forced to stay indoors through an endless summer despair and threat, a beacon of hope shined down upon us all to reinvigorate the very core of our beings – the NHL return to play plan. Each measured step has proven necessary as competing sports leagues fall to the wayside, victim of their own ambition. Until finally… at LONG LAST…
The NHL playoffs are upon us. As we enter another year filled with exciting goals, mind-blowing saves and naturally the inevitable heart stopping overtimes, one clear message shines through it all:
It’s time for Barn-Burner hockey.
To pre-empt any complaints that playoffs have already started, please allow me to provide the following argument:
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The round robin was not elimination based, therefore cannot be considered playoffs.
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As for the qualifying round – it’s right there in the name: qualifying. Consider them the must-win games at the end of every season that determine which bubble teams are in and which are out.
Now, back to the point.
The best news comes first – there are no major updates to the face or format of the game itself. For you return fans, this means simple and familiar navigation. For first time players, however, allow me to take a moment to describe the site.
Equally important – it’s free. This is simply the brainchild of a few hockey fans with a little too much time on their hands that only want to further the popularity of the sport. At no point will you be prompted for any payment information of any kind.
Once on www.barn-burner.com you will be prompted to register. Located on the top right corner of the page, this requires your email address and is used to help us track membership of users and popularity from year to year. Once registered, a large link will appear that entices you to “CREATE TEAM”. Go ahead and click that.
This brings you to the team creation page. Simply select one player from each of the drop down menus until you have one in each location. Once completed, you should have nine (9) forwards, six (6) defensemen, two (2) goaltenders and three (3) wild cards. Don’t forget to enter a team name at the bottom of the page, as well as a couple of tie breakers if it should come down to that.
Boom! You are now the proud owner of a barn-burner fantasy hockey team. Stats will be updated on a daily basis (for the most part, remember that the site is free and please exercise patience…). Track your team’s progress by clicking on the “Fantasy” tab at the top of the page.
But wait, there’s more! Two other games are available for play on barn-burner.com. The first, “Let it Ride”, is a casino style game that allows you to wager a certain amount of points (you start with 20) making a daily prediction answering the question that is posed on a daily basis. The second, “Pick Em” is just as it sounds. Pick the winners of each playoff game, once again on a daily basis, and the total of correct selections accrues to provide your point total. Standings for both of these games can also be found at the top of the page.
That’s it! Simple and easy fun to help add that little bit extra during this NHL postseason.
Thanks for playing
-Barn-Burner.com
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