Heading into 2015, plenty of Nottingham Panthers fans might still be nursing hangovers from the over indulgence of Christmas.
But for coach Corey Neilson and his staff, a different hangover has never truly gone away, with injuries setting the tone for a testing, but ultimately fruitful 2014.
Neilson might be sick of talking about it, but he faced unprecedented problems last season as he used 20 imports.
In adversity, victory can be all the sweeter though. If it was not for all the issues faced, a win over Belfast Giants in the Challenge Cup final might not be one that people will talk about for years to come.
In fact, much of the first half of 2014 will be forgotten by Panthers fans, but not that night on March 25.
Having lost the first leg of the final 5-2 to the runaway Elite League champions it looked an uphill task.
Back in Nottingham though, Matt Ryan's third period goal eventually sent it all the way to penalties and that was whereCraig Kowalski shone, the net minder saving all three Giants efforts before Petr Kalus scored the only, crucial, goal as it finished 7-6 on aggregate.
It was a fifth straight Cup for the Panthers, but that was the big highlight of an otherwise challenging season.
They finished fourth in the league table and there was no appearance at play-off final weekend as owner Neil Black's other team, Braehead Clan, won 9-1 on aggregate in the quarter-finals.
Panthers captain David Clarke had been able to lift one trophy though, to go with reaching 600 points in all Elite League games – making him just the second person to reach the landmark.
With the 2013/14 season out of the way, Neilson was hoping for a fresh start with a fresh roster, but those injury problems would not go away.
While hopes of matching the grand slam of 2012/13 were high, the spotlight also fell on a new competition as Panthers entered the Champions Hockey League, taking on the best Europe had to offer.
Akin to Nottingham Forest taking on Barcelona in the football equivalent, it would be a monumental ask for Panthers to even win a single game as they were seeded last out of the 44 teams that took to the ice.
But Black put his hands in his pockets as a competitive roster was built. It fell apart though as the regular season line-up, plus experienced winger Nathan Robinson, was basically left to fend for itself due to injuries or departures.
Against the odds, Panthers did win a game, beating German champions Hamburg 3-1 at the National Ice Centre. The rest of the games were lost, but that was to be expected.
Unfortunately, European success did not make for smooth sailing domestically as the new look team looked strong defensively but struggled for goals.
They did go top briefly in December, but overall it has been a case of playing catch-up as, once again, injuries bit.
Star netminder Kowalski remains sidelined, while Clarke is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
But the new year brings fresh hope. Kowalski will be back at some point to battle his replacement Mattias Modig, who has come in with an outstanding save percentage of .924 from 16 games.
Replacing Clarke's goals looks tough, but the team swept arch rivals Sheffield Steelers over Christmas to leave them fifth in the Elite League, only six points behind the leaders with a game in hand ahead of today's final game of the year.
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