PowerPlay Magazine

There is one hockey team in Canada who strikes fear into the heart of any opponent. One team who has constantly been in the upper echelon of competition.  One team that will both drive you crazy, and make you green with envy.   That team is the Montreal Strippers, run by PPM veteran and Canadian national team GM, Mikpj.  Some say he's cocky, some say he's lucky, but one thing I can assure you...he's good.   It took a lot of dollar bills stuffed down the Strippers thongs in order to secure an interview, but he's agreed to answer some questions:

As I approached the super secret backdoor VIP entrance to Wandas Arena, I knew I had finally made it as a reporter.  The excitement of my first major interview was off the charts.  I knocked on the cold steel door, and was greeted by a rather large, slightly greasy bouncer. "Front door, back of the line" he barked.  "Oh, no..uhm...I'm Biznow, from PPM Magazine. I'm here to do an interview with Mikpj, he's expecting me"  I calmy explained, as clearly there had been some mistake.  "I know who you are, Mikpj told me to tell you, front door, back of the line" he growled again, slamming the door shut in my face. With my tail between my legs, I waited in line at the front door for 45 mins, paid the cover charge, and made it in. After working my way through a gauntlet of dancers, stripper poles, and drunks, I could start to make out a figure sitting inside a roped off area.  At first he was hard to see, as my eyes still burned from the clouds of cheap perfume, but when I saw his giant baby head with his tongue hanging out, I knew it was him.  "Mikpj? I'm here for the interview" I told him.  "You pay the cover charge?" he asked, with a hint of annoyance in his voice.  "I did" I replied.  He smiled, "Good, lets talk".


Q: How did you first get in to PPM?

Mikpj: I was into another online virtual hockey game. Well actually I play 4 different hockey games, one basketball and a baseball game. I caught onto PPM actually looking for a baseball or football game and i came across PPM so I joined. Time flies.

Q: So, I have to ask, what made you choose Strippers?

Mikpj: I am easily noticeable on all my games. All my teams are named Strippers and my nick is always mikpj. It all started a long time ago. Yes living in Montreal I used to visit these sort of establishments. MIKPJ comes from my name (Mike) and I am still a fan of Pearl Jam. I started mikpj probably 20 years ago.

Q: To what do you attribute your success in PPM hockey?

Mikpj: A little bit of luck. Lucky pulls from the Academy always helps but if I had never gotten those guys, you all know them, I would have figured out another way to succeed. I will not be a cookie cutter team (2-1-1). I do things differently. Look at my soccer and handball team. They are not being built the same way.

Q: Your all-star stopper Noah Tierney has been a big part of your success.  We know he's getting older, and finding a replacement is not going to be an easy task. How is your search for a new netminder going?

Mikpj: I am not finding anything but i am in no rush. He is just under 1800 OR when some goalies are at 2000 (but not many). His experience helps a lot. I think finding a good 23 year old with above 1600OR and some exp would be interesting.

 

Q: With your key facilities maxed out, how do you plan on staying ahead of the competition? 

Mikpj: Honestly I haven't really figured out what facilities are the least important. My team is pretty deep so I am thinking of demolishing my medical center. As you see I do not train staff AT ALL. Making money is important at this point. Older guys are on the market and I have to start buying younger/cheaper guys to replace them.

Q: When preparing for a game, do you take tactics previously used by your opponents into consideration?  Or do you just choose based on your team's strengths?

Mikpj: Since i am often the stronger team, 85% of the time i go with my team's strengths. I think i found what works for my guys. One tactic will make my top line perform and another tactic will be best suited for my 2nd line.

Q: At what age do you like to try to get your prospects into your lineup?

Mikpj: It depends on their talent. If Canadian managers were smart, we would use the lower level teams to train our youths. Which means they would have to buy all our 15 year olds then train them and the top team would buy them back for a lot more cash. The lower teams would make alot more money and they could buy a good team and this will help them promote. EXP is important in PPM so if my guy is a star he will play at 15. Maximus Davies should see some ice time shortly.

Q: Do you like using the player market?  Or do you prefer trying to build from within your own organization?

Mikpj: Building from within is what i love the most. Well maybe winning comes first then having a homegrown team second and being cocky comes after that. I make a lot of money trading on the market. But it is hard to compete at this level. Especially when you got The Mighty Oil on your heels ;) I would love to win Champions League.

Q: Are you enjoying your time as manager of the Canadian national team?

Mikpj: Being Canada's National team GM is great but I have a lot of hobbies plus a family and a job and... So I cannot do as much research as i would like to. Cederick is amazing. I cant wait until he gets his own team.

Q: How are your soccer and handball teams coming along?

Mikpj: Slowly but surely. I got pressure from another GM to start these teams so Canada would get more players from the academy but obviously I am putting more time in these team then just pulling players every week. Do not worry i will be in league 1.1 very shortly.

Q: Do you have anything to say to the people who say you've been lucky?

Mikpj:  Wait 1-2 seasons and go see my soccer and handball teams. Tierney is far from being tops anymore. Plus you can buy some of the guys I pulled for pretty cheap on the market. Just have fun. Lets see where my hockey team will be when some guys hit 30 :(

Q: Any last bits of advice for up-and-coming managers?

Mikpj: Build from within is cheaper but the most important is to figure out how your finances work. make money, don't go broke. Spend your cash but make sure you are profitable every week. Most importantly stop listening to guys like me cuz we are not in your shoes. Some teams in the top leagues make +60M$/week and our facilities are all built. So just take it slow, get to know the guys in your league and like i said before HAVE FUN :)


So there you have it, some wise words from one of Canada's top managers. Remember, you may think he's cocky, and he might be, but it's just that Mikpj is always technically well prepared, and therefore always believes he can win. If you have some extra credits head down to Wandas Arena, home of the famous full service lap dance + smoked meat combo, and check out a Montreal Strippers game.   However, don't be fooled by the sign on the door that says "All proceeds go to Charity".  Charity is the name of one of his strippers.

note: Special thanks to Mikpj for taking the time out of his schedule to do this interview. Though I may have joked around a bit in the introduction, when I asked him to do this, he didn't hesitate, replying "Whatever I can do to make PPM more fun".  Thanks Mike.