Here comes the Central Division.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
It was just a few years ago that, amongst the hockey world, fans and writers alike bemoaned the fact that the Detroit Red Wings, winner of three of the last four President's Trophies, feasted upon a weak group of Central Division teams. The Blackhawks were in nothing short of disarray, and the Predators, while competitive, have never done better than .500 against the Wings since the season before the lockout. The Blues have fared just about the same, as well. And the Jackets? Well, this will be the first season they ever finish, at least, at .500 against the Winged Wheel.
This season? Well, true, the Hawks have been swept in their first four against the Wings, and so have the Blues for that matter in five of their six games. But in spite of this, the Central Division has ultimately found itself in a rather unique situation:
Barring the Hawks record in the last 10, as well as the current downtrend of the Predators, all of the teams in the Central have been scrapping it out rather diligently. The Blues, who could be considered the "worst" of the lot, are still just 2 points out of a playoff spot (this will change to at least 3 after tonight's games, it should be noted).
Of course part of this is related to the overall mediocrity of the teams vying for their part in the playoff picture, with some rather low point totals overall. But even factoring that in, there is the outside chance that each team in the Central Division -- yes, every team -- could get in to the playoffs.
Of course with so many inter-divisional match-ups in this final stretch, that is some tricky math to figure out, and I'm not going to even try and figure out how all that in-fighting between the Northwest is going to affect the final standings, as in seasons past it has definitely made things rather wonky. Going by Aaron Portzline of Puck Raker's recent post, in which he downgrades the minimal points needed to get to the playoffs to 90 (by the way, Porty, the Jackets need 12 more points, not 14), this is how it would shake out for each team:
Detroit: lolwut? They already have 99 points. Just move along, everyone.
Columbus: Of course the team we care about amongst all others, so whether or not the other Central Division teams make it is not important to us for the most part. So having said that, this team needs to settle in for about a .500 record over the next 13 games. Some examples of this are by going 6-7-0, or 5-6-2. Of course getting just the projected points needed is never what one is aiming for.
Now even though, record-wise, the Jackets seem to have the easiest path (excluding the Blackhawks), they also hold a lot of team's lives in their own hands in the Central. They have 2 more games against Nashville, and 3 more games against the Hawks and Blues, respectively. You'll see when I get to the Blues how a mere 3 games can mean life or death to St. Louis right now, as they have the most precarious hold on hopefully clawing in to the top 8.
Chicago: Barring a total collapse by the Hawks, there really isn't any way they can not get 90 points, as they sit with 83 in the bank and 16 games to go. A whole 3 wins and an OTL will get them to that magic number, but expect them to win more than just a fifth of their last 16.
Nashville: Now we start getting in to the teams that are definitely going to have a harder time of it. The Predators, in spite of their torrid pace in the recent weeks, have lost 3 straight, and as a result now sit a point out of a playoff berth today. Even a win against Phoenix tonight may not be enough, as they could still be out of the top 8 depending on who else wins tonight (if both Edmonton and Dallas win, suddenly the bar is 74 and no longer 72, and 7th seed will be either 73 or 74, factoring in potential OTLs or if Minnesota can beat Dallas).
The here and now aside, to make it to the nifty 90 the Predators have to go 9-4-1, or potentially 8-3-3. Either way, they have a real fight on their hands, especially with the way their offensive output has crashed right back to earth, with a total of 4 goals in their previous 3 losses. Pekka Rinne -- who I simply do not like on the grounds that the idea of him winning the Calder Trophy is ridiculous babble (in my homer opinion) -- can only carry this team for so long, after all.
St. Louis: It would have been a lot easier to make a case for St. Louis if they hadn't continued to choke against the Red Wings, like they did today when the Wings dropped a three-ton weight on their playoff hopes by hammering them for 3 goals in less than a minute, and going on to lose 5-2. But that is simply how it goes sometimes, and with 20 points separating them and 90 with 14 games to go, it's even uglier for the Blues than it is the Predators.
This team really has no more room for error, and if this late-season surge of theirs is going to pay off, they have to grab at least 10 wins in their final 14, going 10-4-0. Or if you want to show them a little leniency, they could potentially go for 9-3-2. But either way, they need six more wins than regulation losses.
Focusing specifically on what Nashville and St. Louis have to do, and from the position of someone who would be rooting for all five teams to make the playoffs in the division -- the first time ever in the NHL in who knows how long -- there's one small blessing in the fact that the Predators and the Blues do not face one another any more this season.
Both teams are in the unfortunate position of having a great majority of games on the road, too. The Blues and the Predators both have 9 road games and 5 home games left, and neither has a winning record when away from the confines of their home rinks, either.
Funny how the more and more we dissect this, the further and further away from getting 90 points these two teams are, huh?
Let me just close this topic up by saying that I really have no idea what could potentially happen over the next month. Logic would have dictated -- and certain bloggers from years past have even said this -- that the total points needed to get in to the playoffs would have risen due to the 3-point games that every team now plays thanks to the shootout. But instead, we've seen teams with as low as 94, 92, and even 91 points (Nashville last year) squeak on in, defying what should have been a rational assumption about points needed to get in.
I don't have the time, nor the energy to try and get in to what the current minimal point total could be to get in to the playoffs if we crunched every potential game conclusion between now and April, but with the way things have been going now, I almost wonder if we really will see a team make it in with 90, or even 89 for that matter. We'll just have to wait and see, right?
This season? Well, true, the Hawks have been swept in their first four against the Wings, and so have the Blues for that matter in five of their six games. But in spite of this, the Central Division has ultimately found itself in a rather unique situation:
Barring the Hawks record in the last 10, as well as the current downtrend of the Predators, all of the teams in the Central have been scrapping it out rather diligently. The Blues, who could be considered the "worst" of the lot, are still just 2 points out of a playoff spot (this will change to at least 3 after tonight's games, it should be noted).
Of course part of this is related to the overall mediocrity of the teams vying for their part in the playoff picture, with some rather low point totals overall. But even factoring that in, there is the outside chance that each team in the Central Division -- yes, every team -- could get in to the playoffs.
Of course with so many inter-divisional match-ups in this final stretch, that is some tricky math to figure out, and I'm not going to even try and figure out how all that in-fighting between the Northwest is going to affect the final standings, as in seasons past it has definitely made things rather wonky. Going by Aaron Portzline of Puck Raker's recent post, in which he downgrades the minimal points needed to get to the playoffs to 90 (by the way, Porty, the Jackets need 12 more points, not 14), this is how it would shake out for each team:
Detroit: lolwut? They already have 99 points. Just move along, everyone.
Columbus: Of course the team we care about amongst all others, so whether or not the other Central Division teams make it is not important to us for the most part. So having said that, this team needs to settle in for about a .500 record over the next 13 games. Some examples of this are by going 6-7-0, or 5-6-2. Of course getting just the projected points needed is never what one is aiming for.
Now even though, record-wise, the Jackets seem to have the easiest path (excluding the Blackhawks), they also hold a lot of team's lives in their own hands in the Central. They have 2 more games against Nashville, and 3 more games against the Hawks and Blues, respectively. You'll see when I get to the Blues how a mere 3 games can mean life or death to St. Louis right now, as they have the most precarious hold on hopefully clawing in to the top 8.
Chicago: Barring a total collapse by the Hawks, there really isn't any way they can not get 90 points, as they sit with 83 in the bank and 16 games to go. A whole 3 wins and an OTL will get them to that magic number, but expect them to win more than just a fifth of their last 16.
Nashville: Now we start getting in to the teams that are definitely going to have a harder time of it. The Predators, in spite of their torrid pace in the recent weeks, have lost 3 straight, and as a result now sit a point out of a playoff berth today. Even a win against Phoenix tonight may not be enough, as they could still be out of the top 8 depending on who else wins tonight (if both Edmonton and Dallas win, suddenly the bar is 74 and no longer 72, and 7th seed will be either 73 or 74, factoring in potential OTLs or if Minnesota can beat Dallas).
The here and now aside, to make it to the nifty 90 the Predators have to go 9-4-1, or potentially 8-3-3. Either way, they have a real fight on their hands, especially with the way their offensive output has crashed right back to earth, with a total of 4 goals in their previous 3 losses. Pekka Rinne -- who I simply do not like on the grounds that the idea of him winning the Calder Trophy is ridiculous babble (in my homer opinion) -- can only carry this team for so long, after all.
St. Louis: It would have been a lot easier to make a case for St. Louis if they hadn't continued to choke against the Red Wings, like they did today when the Wings dropped a three-ton weight on their playoff hopes by hammering them for 3 goals in less than a minute, and going on to lose 5-2. But that is simply how it goes sometimes, and with 20 points separating them and 90 with 14 games to go, it's even uglier for the Blues than it is the Predators.
This team really has no more room for error, and if this late-season surge of theirs is going to pay off, they have to grab at least 10 wins in their final 14, going 10-4-0. Or if you want to show them a little leniency, they could potentially go for 9-3-2. But either way, they need six more wins than regulation losses.
Focusing specifically on what Nashville and St. Louis have to do, and from the position of someone who would be rooting for all five teams to make the playoffs in the division -- the first time ever in the NHL in who knows how long -- there's one small blessing in the fact that the Predators and the Blues do not face one another any more this season.
Both teams are in the unfortunate position of having a great majority of games on the road, too. The Blues and the Predators both have 9 road games and 5 home games left, and neither has a winning record when away from the confines of their home rinks, either.
Funny how the more and more we dissect this, the further and further away from getting 90 points these two teams are, huh?
Let me just close this topic up by saying that I really have no idea what could potentially happen over the next month. Logic would have dictated -- and certain bloggers from years past have even said this -- that the total points needed to get in to the playoffs would have risen due to the 3-point games that every team now plays thanks to the shootout. But instead, we've seen teams with as low as 94, 92, and even 91 points (Nashville last year) squeak on in, defying what should have been a rational assumption about points needed to get in.
I don't have the time, nor the energy to try and get in to what the current minimal point total could be to get in to the playoffs if we crunched every potential game conclusion between now and April, but with the way things have been going now, I almost wonder if we really will see a team make it in with 90, or even 89 for that matter. We'll just have to wait and see, right?
Labels: central division, playoffs, statistics
I'm a freakin' broom closet.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Your random "O RLY?" stat of the day:
Amongst all teams in the West, the Blue Jackets are one of just two teams that have ensured a full sweep of an Eastern Conference division as of last night's win over the Boston Bruins.
VS Atlantic: 2-3-1
VS Southeast: 4-0-0
VS Northeast: 5-0-0
With the exception of the Minnesota Wild who swept the Southeast Division, every other team in the West has lost at least one game to an Eastern foe from each of the three divisions. In regulation, no less.
Additionally, when the Jackets go on their two-game road trip near the end of March through Florida (@Panthers on the 21st, and @Lightning on the 24th), they could become the only Western Conference team to sweep two Eastern Conference divisions this season.
And that's all I got.
Amongst all teams in the West, the Blue Jackets are one of just two teams that have ensured a full sweep of an Eastern Conference division as of last night's win over the Boston Bruins.
VS Atlantic: 2-3-1
VS Southeast: 4-0-0
VS Northeast: 5-0-0
With the exception of the Minnesota Wild who swept the Southeast Division, every other team in the West has lost at least one game to an Eastern foe from each of the three divisions. In regulation, no less.
Additionally, when the Jackets go on their two-game road trip near the end of March through Florida (@Panthers on the 21st, and @Lightning on the 24th), they could become the only Western Conference team to sweep two Eastern Conference divisions this season.
And that's all I got.
Labels: statistics
Meanwhile, in Russia ...
Sunday, May 06, 2007
In Democratic America, you can beat Rick Nash.
In Soviet Russia, Rick Nash can beat you. Handily.
And apparently so can Fredrik Norrena, Jason Chimera, and David Vyborny.
While Nash struggled through much of the NHL season, he's been lightning in a bottle for the Canadian team at the Worlds since, having 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) over 5 games and sharing the point total lead on the team with Chicago Blackhawks prospect and young firecracker Jonathan Toews.
Meanwhile, Chimera is just a point behind Nasher with 5 so far (1 goal and 4 assists), and is also tied for the best +/- on the team with a +5, alongside Florida prospect Cory Murphy.
And that's just when looking at the Jackets' players with Team Canada. Meanwhile, Vyborny has shown a strong outing with the Czech. Republic, with 6 points so far (1 goal, 5 assists), which ties him for third on the team. Keep in mind that unlike the Canadian team, only 10 of the 24 players on the roster hail from NHL teams right now (though you could make that 11 if you want to count Jackets' cast-off Jaroslav Balastik, who despite his wicked wrister and shootout prowess, was waived and went back to Europe during the season ... Balastik has 0 points in the tournament so far, by the way).
Also on the Czech. team, ol' Rusty Klesla has been largely ... well ... average. 1 point in his 3 games played, and par for the course in the +/- department.
Lastly, over with the Finnish team, Norrena has been ... Norrena. The Norrena we expect from international play, at that. Save for the one loss in which ol' Freddy No allowed a whopping 5 goals, his two wins handily gotten via shutout performances just make him look all the more amazing right now. While Kari Lehtonen of the Atlanta Thrashers has the better Save Percentage (.931 to .948) and Goals Against Average (1.67 to 1.0), Freddy's faced more shots per game (24 to 19.3) and has one more shutout to his credit.
So, yeah. Thanks to the good graces of working inside of a hockey arena for an NHL team, one of the perks is that I am actually able to watch the Team Canada games since we have a TSN feed in The Blueline. Were it not for that, I'd probably be going mad from working during, for example, WNBA games. Ugh.
As for why I've been missing since two Wednesdays ago? Well ... what can I say, you know? I've been busy with physical therapy, work whenever I am not at physical therapy, and exercise to get back in to playing shape if I am not therapy-ing or at work.
In Soviet Russia, Rick Nash can beat you. Handily.
And apparently so can Fredrik Norrena, Jason Chimera, and David Vyborny.
While Nash struggled through much of the NHL season, he's been lightning in a bottle for the Canadian team at the Worlds since, having 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) over 5 games and sharing the point total lead on the team with Chicago Blackhawks prospect and young firecracker Jonathan Toews.
Meanwhile, Chimera is just a point behind Nasher with 5 so far (1 goal and 4 assists), and is also tied for the best +/- on the team with a +5, alongside Florida prospect Cory Murphy.
And that's just when looking at the Jackets' players with Team Canada. Meanwhile, Vyborny has shown a strong outing with the Czech. Republic, with 6 points so far (1 goal, 5 assists), which ties him for third on the team. Keep in mind that unlike the Canadian team, only 10 of the 24 players on the roster hail from NHL teams right now (though you could make that 11 if you want to count Jackets' cast-off Jaroslav Balastik, who despite his wicked wrister and shootout prowess, was waived and went back to Europe during the season ... Balastik has 0 points in the tournament so far, by the way).
Also on the Czech. team, ol' Rusty Klesla has been largely ... well ... average. 1 point in his 3 games played, and par for the course in the +/- department.
Lastly, over with the Finnish team, Norrena has been ... Norrena. The Norrena we expect from international play, at that. Save for the one loss in which ol' Freddy No allowed a whopping 5 goals, his two wins handily gotten via shutout performances just make him look all the more amazing right now. While Kari Lehtonen of the Atlanta Thrashers has the better Save Percentage (.931 to .948) and Goals Against Average (1.67 to 1.0), Freddy's faced more shots per game (24 to 19.3) and has one more shutout to his credit.
So, yeah. Thanks to the good graces of working inside of a hockey arena for an NHL team, one of the perks is that I am actually able to watch the Team Canada games since we have a TSN feed in The Blueline. Were it not for that, I'd probably be going mad from working during, for example, WNBA games. Ugh.
As for why I've been missing since two Wednesdays ago? Well ... what can I say, you know? I've been busy with physical therapy, work whenever I am not at physical therapy, and exercise to get back in to playing shape if I am not therapy-ing or at work.
But don't worry, what few loyal readers I still have after my 10 day hiatus (hey, at least several other CBJ bloggers have been silent over a similar span of time recently, too! Beth and Sarah don't count, as they can and have fallen back on other teams and/or sports to follow, which I should have been doing). I've found a way for me to get in near-daily posts, all thanks to the wonders of my friend Jack.
... as in YOU DON'T KNOW JACK!
For those who have never heard of this, YDKJ was a game I got hooked -- no, addicted -- to as a teen. Me and my best friend back in New Jersey played this as much as we could together, since the questions were just oh-so-hilarious. Nothing says "Funny!" like a smarmy host mocking you for not knowing your high culture and pop culture (and mocking you even more if you do).
But Jellyvision, who makes YDKJ, has apparently now decided to branch in to something more daily instead of just the occasional game made, which they haven't made a full version of since 2003. Now they have a daily Dis or Dat! And who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth when they allow you to embed their daily Dis or Dat in to your own blog, right?
So enjoy, readers! Because I intend to at least embed the daily Dis or Dat each time one comes out, even if I have nothing of worthwhile merit to touch on when it comes to hockey or the Blue Jackets. But then again, maybe now that I'll have something to post daily, those ideas spinning around my head may come out easier.
... as in YOU DON'T KNOW JACK!
For those who have never heard of this, YDKJ was a game I got hooked -- no, addicted -- to as a teen. Me and my best friend back in New Jersey played this as much as we could together, since the questions were just oh-so-hilarious. Nothing says "Funny!" like a smarmy host mocking you for not knowing your high culture and pop culture (and mocking you even more if you do).
But Jellyvision, who makes YDKJ, has apparently now decided to branch in to something more daily instead of just the occasional game made, which they haven't made a full version of since 2003. Now they have a daily Dis or Dat! And who am I to look a gift horse in the mouth when they allow you to embed their daily Dis or Dat in to your own blog, right?
So enjoy, readers! Because I intend to at least embed the daily Dis or Dat each time one comes out, even if I have nothing of worthwhile merit to touch on when it comes to hockey or the Blue Jackets. But then again, maybe now that I'll have something to post daily, those ideas spinning around my head may come out easier.
Labels: international hockey, statistics, You Don't Know Jack
Game #68: Blue Jackets vs. Stars
Friday, March 09, 2007
Team: Columbus Blue JacketsRecord: 27-33-7
At home: 15-15-4
Last 10: 5-3-2
Bloggers and local media:
Death Cab for Woody
End of the Bench
The Jacket Times
Rookie holds his own with video-game stars - Columbus Dispatch (Gordon)
Synopsis:
I literally have little to no time to even be writing this up, but I feel like I'd be giving AotO too much neglect if I didn't even put up a couple of thoughts on tonight's game. The thing is, my dad is currently visiting while he's in Columbus for business, which means that available time to take care of pre-games, post-games, or even random babbling has been greatly cut in to.
Not that I'm upset that my dad's here. No, that makes me happy! It just becomes a matter of trying to squeeze things in between when he is around and when he's busy with his work.
Okay, so, thoughts on tonight's game that won't take forever to write, right? Rick Nash, David Vyborny, and Geoff Platt are looking to continue their scoring tear, with 12 points between the three of them in 3 games. Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross were both sent back to the 'Cuse, in lieu of the probable return of Alexander Svitov. Alexandre Picard has also been recalled, and looks to get a bit of time during this final stretch to show he's beginning to fit that first round pick mold.
At home: 15-15-4
Last 10: 5-3-2
Bloggers and local media:
Death Cab for Woody
End of the Bench
The Jacket Times
Rookie holds his own with video-game stars - Columbus Dispatch (Gordon)
Synopsis:
I literally have little to no time to even be writing this up, but I feel like I'd be giving AotO too much neglect if I didn't even put up a couple of thoughts on tonight's game. The thing is, my dad is currently visiting while he's in Columbus for business, which means that available time to take care of pre-games, post-games, or even random babbling has been greatly cut in to.
Not that I'm upset that my dad's here. No, that makes me happy! It just becomes a matter of trying to squeeze things in between when he is around and when he's busy with his work.
Okay, so, thoughts on tonight's game that won't take forever to write, right? Rick Nash, David Vyborny, and Geoff Platt are looking to continue their scoring tear, with 12 points between the three of them in 3 games. Zenon Konopka and Curtis Glencross were both sent back to the 'Cuse, in lieu of the probable return of Alexander Svitov. Alexandre Picard has also been recalled, and looks to get a bit of time during this final stretch to show he's beginning to fit that first round pick mold.
Team: Dallas StarsRecord: 38-23-5
On the road: 17-13-3
Last 10: 4-3-3
Bloggers and local media:
Razor With an Edge
Andrew's Dallas Stars' Page
Dallas Stars - Dallas Morning News (reg. required)
Synopsis:
Still think Daryl Reaugh is awesome. Still think Tim Cowlishaw is awesome. Still hate the South on principle (don't worry, my hate isn't based on the "Southern states don't deserve hockey" crap). Find it humorous that the Stars have now gone four straight without a win (0-2-2), with three of four losses coming against teams completely out of the playoff picture (Panthers, CBJ, and Blues). Possibility that Mike Smith might get the nod to start in net tonight due to Marty Turco having a bit of a swoon right now. Look for Dallas to come out swinging not only because they want to desperately snap out of this slump, but also because the last thing they need is to drop three straight against the Jackets this season. That'd certainly be a cause for frustration for a team that's supposed to make the playoffs without a hitch (pun not intended).
TWO NON-GAME RELATED INQUIRIES:
1) I got a new microphone! Actually, a pretty good one ... connects to one of my USB ports and everything. Only problem is I don't know about what a good (and hopefully free) program would be to make a podcast with. Sound Recorder on Windows isn't exactly ... well ... the best thing to use for something like that, but I'm sure most everyone already knows that.
Direct me to a program! Someone! Anyone!
2) For some reason, my site meter (link at the bottom most right) is broke. It's now told me for 48+ hours that I haven't had a single visitor, and this is even including myself. Does any one else who uses this type of meter seem to be having similar problems?
Still think Daryl Reaugh is awesome. Still think Tim Cowlishaw is awesome. Still hate the South on principle (don't worry, my hate isn't based on the "Southern states don't deserve hockey" crap). Find it humorous that the Stars have now gone four straight without a win (0-2-2), with three of four losses coming against teams completely out of the playoff picture (Panthers, CBJ, and Blues). Possibility that Mike Smith might get the nod to start in net tonight due to Marty Turco having a bit of a swoon right now. Look for Dallas to come out swinging not only because they want to desperately snap out of this slump, but also because the last thing they need is to drop three straight against the Jackets this season. That'd certainly be a cause for frustration for a team that's supposed to make the playoffs without a hitch (pun not intended).
TWO NON-GAME RELATED INQUIRIES:
1) I got a new microphone! Actually, a pretty good one ... connects to one of my USB ports and everything. Only problem is I don't know about what a good (and hopefully free) program would be to make a podcast with. Sound Recorder on Windows isn't exactly ... well ... the best thing to use for something like that, but I'm sure most everyone already knows that.
Direct me to a program! Someone! Anyone!
2) For some reason, my site meter (link at the bottom most right) is broke. It's now told me for 48+ hours that I haven't had a single visitor, and this is even including myself. Does any one else who uses this type of meter seem to be having similar problems?
Labels: Blue Jackets, podcasting, pre-game, Stars, statistics
Well, gee. Isn't that just the height of "f***ing dandy"?
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Football is superior; hockey can't even compare to ice skating.
You know, what's the point? I ask you, my fellow hockey fans, be you just a reader, or even a blogger: what is the point in trying to penetrate the American sports mentality?
These statistics are depressing. In fact, they are more than depressing; they're the type of results that make you want to just spend the next day finding Gary Bettman's personal phone number, calling him up, and telling him that he's better off just relocating the whole league back north of the border.
I'd been procrastinating on a rather long rant for a while now; a rant that really focuses on the fact that the National Hockey League has, for all intents and purposes, died in the minds of the majority of Americans, and some of the many reasons behind that. Not only that, but I wanted to give my own, uneducated yet well-meaning perspective on what the league needs to do to get back any sense of respect in the United States. Obviously I am hardly the first to give an amateur opinion on what will fix the state of the league, and I will not be the last. But that doesn't mean that I don't hope that my ideas won't be considered if some big wig at the NHL Headquarters in New York ever see this entry.
All I know is that I love this sport. And I always will, even when it's dead, dying, and the only place I can find it is in the northernmost reaches of Canada, because even the Canadians in places like Toronto and Ottawa have forsaken it for something like Canadian Football.
Part 1: What the Hell happened to the NHL?
Well, it isn't like this question is that hard to answer.
-Lockouts.
-A lack of a marketable "American" name.*
-A lack of "Americanization".*
-A bad TV deal.*
-A horrible schedule.*
The problems with asterisks? I'm going to touch on those.
A lack of a marketable "American" name/A lack of "Americanization"
This has been something that has been eating at me for a while, however I only again thought about it as I listened to a random episode of NHL Live via NHL.com. A listener both mailed and called in about the fact that even though hockey might be a great sport, it lacks something "American" about it, which -- I hate to admit -- ignorant, me-centric Americans must have if they are to give anything any attention.
Baseball? Oh, please. That's about as American as mom's warm apple pie, the right to bear arms (yee-haw!), bald eagles, and capitalism. Even as the sport continues to diversify, it will always be considered something that Americans created, and Americans will dominate (just don't tell them about that loss to Canada at the World Baseball Classic last year).
Football? Well, let's just skip that, since regardless of how American it is, it's liked by more than 40% of Americans, and considered their favorite sport.
Basketball? Here's the funny thing: a Canadian invented the modern version of the sport, for all intents and purposes. Regardless, it has gained a following in the lower class of the country due to its simplicity. Grab a ball, find a hoop, and you're all set! It also has a strong American contingency in the NBA, even as diversity grows.
Let me ask the readers here a question: can anyone here tell me who near everyone can agree is the best American player in the NHL? Anyone at all? Because there seems to be no clear cut choice. Canadian? Sidney Crosby. Russian? Alex Ovechkin? Japanese? Yutaka Fukufuji (hur, I so funny).
The top American hockey player? I hate to say it, but unless Erik Johnson is the second coming of Bobby Orr, save for the fact he's American, there is no favorite. There is no player we can all agree is the American player right now. There probably isn't even any players that most people could agree are in the top three or top five.
A horrible schedule
How many people in the media have to say it? How about the fact that more than half of the team presidents hate it? What about the fact that practically any fan you talk to loathes it? The schedule's awful. It's horrible. It attempts to breed artificial contempt through repetitive games against divisional rivals, when all it does is annoy both players and fans. The only people who even enjoy this damned schedule is the "Atlantic Cartel" led by the man who I hate to love (even when you move and follow another team, you're a Devils' fan for life), Lou Lamoriello. All because a few teams in the tri-state area want to save on gas money and traveling expenses.
Well, good on you, Atlantic Division. Good on you for penny pinching and letting the rest of the league suffer through at least one more year of this horrible schedule, all because it lets those pampered players not have to spend another hour on an airplane. Oh, boo hoo.
A bad TV deal
For the longest time, I tried to defend the move to VERSUS.
"It'll work out in the long run!" I said with gleeful optimism, my hazel eyes shining like an innocent kid looking for the silver lining in the most darkest of times. "Just watch! OLN will start penetrating more homes and they'll make the NHL their cornerstone in a strong bid to make ESPN no longer the one and only dominant sports network!"
What the [censored] was I thinking when I said that? I must have been delusional at the time. And up until now, I refused to admit that it was a bad decision. All because I didn't want to submit to the mocking, and the jeering, and the laughing that the idiots like and Tony Kornheiser and Tony Reali from ESPN were doing every single day (or rather, any day they ever brought the NHL up) to help fuel the venomous disdain for the sport that most Americans seem to have.
It took too long for VERSUS to turn the corner and start to create better broadcasts, and even now they waffle where it matters, such as with particular color commentators and play-by-play analysts who sound about as exciting as watching grass grow. It took too long for NBC to start and aggressively push their NHL coverage through advertisements during NFL games. And to add to the frustration involved in advertising, ESPN has effectively blocked any and all NHL advertising on their channel, refusing to carry anything by the league so long as they refuse to bed with them and their monopoly on the American sports world.
What does it matter if the league is being treated like a god, if the place it is being treated as such is just a small mound of dirt (VS) behind the shadow of a cathedral (ESPN)?
Part 2: What the Hell can the NHL do?
Unfortunately, firing Gary Bettman isn't possible. Or rather, if it is, it won't be happening any time before I'm 30 (6 more years! Whoooo!), and by then the NHL could very well be an afterthought.
-A new TV deal.
-Continue to ensure the game stays fast and furious.
-A better schedule.
-Work harder towards diversity in the sport.
A new TV deal
Look, anyone with a sense of pride doesn't want to see the NHL return to ESPN. It would be a blow to the league's pride. But then again, pride is a deadly sin, is it not? And in this case, it has more or less been the death knell of the league this season, as it continues to drop further and further in to obscurity.
You can't penetrate the sports market of America if you don't have a single game on ESPN. The NFL, MLB, NBA, and even the MLS have coverage on "The Worldwide Leader in Sports." And no one is even saying that the NHL has to rely only on ESPN, either. Keep in mind that the NBA started off humbly enough, with the league relying on TNT.
But there is a problem you need to consider, though; ESPN has shown just how scathing and how violent they can be towards the NHL both in commentary and coverage ever since the league told them to take a long walk off a short pier after that "revenue sharing" offer. ESPN could very well tell the NHL to fornicate themselves if they continue to try and broadcast games with anyone but ESPN and ABC.
It's a risk the league has to take, though. And the league needs to at least try and work out some sort of deal with ESPN, lest it continue to be assaulted by venomous commentary. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but even a town idiot could see the bias behind many things said during shows like PTI, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters, and so on. Bear in mind the gallup poll results, and how even while the league may have been unpopular even before the lockout, the fact that they were connected to ESPN shielded them from a lot of criticism and commentary about attendance or television ratings.
A better schedule
Sorry, Atlantic and Southeast Division; but the league needs a better schedule. Everyone is sick and tired of their divisional opponents. I don't want to see the Red Wings and their snotty fans invading Nationwide Arena just as much as the Red Wings fans want to waste time with a pathetic and boring basement dwelling team like the Blue Jackets eight times a year. We, as fans, want variety in our schedule. You want proof of how horrible this schedule is? Just check out Christy's post at Behind the Jersey back in December criticizing the fact that her Wings faced just two teams over the holiday season.
Don't worry, Detroit, we feel your pain ... maybe even worse, actually. Blue Jackets fans will disgustingly recall the "Predators, Avalanche, Predators, Predators" span in November, followed by the "Predators, Predators, Blackhawks, Predators" span just this month. Yeah, way to spread out those division rivalry games ... real smooth.
SO CHANGE THE SCHEDULE!! For God's sake, change it!
Better yet, the new schedule should, for just a year, force the Eastern teams to travel to the Western teams more than the West to the East. Consider it payback for dropping us with this stupid burden of a schedule that hurts one conference just as much as it "helps" the other.
Work harder towards diversity in the sport
You want to see the league expand its fan base? Maybe even see the very first, non-WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) top draft pick, which could very well start turning the heads of American minority markets as well as social classes other than the upper class, which the league seems to rely so much on thanks to box seats? Then start devoting a lot more time and effort towards helping groups of people throughout the country to be able to actually give hockey a chance.
The sport needs more Yutaka Fukufuji-types coming from those Asian countries, and inspiring any sort of interest in non-traditional regions of the world, or even demographic groups other than the typical WASP. The most fastest growing ethnicities in the United States are people of Latino and African descent, and they need to be focused on. The NHL has somehow managed to seal itself in some sort of bubble from the world as it has passed it by when it comes to demographics, somehow teetering between obscurity and relevancy for a long time now when it comes to minority groups. As it stands, there are only four black players in the NHL that come to mind right off the bat, those being Georges Laraque, Anson Carter, and Kevin Weekes, with Jarome Iginla being multi-ethnicity. Latino? Jeez, I couldn't even think of one, sadly. And even when it comes to the black contingency in the NHL, these are all Canadians.
...
You know, I could go on and on, I'm sure. I've been writing this little by little during the NHL All-Star Game, enjoying this game as much as I could (and it's actually been a pretty fun All-Star Game to watch, too!). But I think I've touched on the core points. The points that people beat to death, and will continue to beat to death.
C'est la vie, right?
You know, what's the point? I ask you, my fellow hockey fans, be you just a reader, or even a blogger: what is the point in trying to penetrate the American sports mentality?
These statistics are depressing. In fact, they are more than depressing; they're the type of results that make you want to just spend the next day finding Gary Bettman's personal phone number, calling him up, and telling him that he's better off just relocating the whole league back north of the border.
I'd been procrastinating on a rather long rant for a while now; a rant that really focuses on the fact that the National Hockey League has, for all intents and purposes, died in the minds of the majority of Americans, and some of the many reasons behind that. Not only that, but I wanted to give my own, uneducated yet well-meaning perspective on what the league needs to do to get back any sense of respect in the United States. Obviously I am hardly the first to give an amateur opinion on what will fix the state of the league, and I will not be the last. But that doesn't mean that I don't hope that my ideas won't be considered if some big wig at the NHL Headquarters in New York ever see this entry.
All I know is that I love this sport. And I always will, even when it's dead, dying, and the only place I can find it is in the northernmost reaches of Canada, because even the Canadians in places like Toronto and Ottawa have forsaken it for something like Canadian Football.
Part 1: What the Hell happened to the NHL?
Well, it isn't like this question is that hard to answer.
-Lockouts.
-A lack of a marketable "American" name.*
-A lack of "Americanization".*
-A bad TV deal.*
-A horrible schedule.*
The problems with asterisks? I'm going to touch on those.
A lack of a marketable "American" name/A lack of "Americanization"
This has been something that has been eating at me for a while, however I only again thought about it as I listened to a random episode of NHL Live via NHL.com. A listener both mailed and called in about the fact that even though hockey might be a great sport, it lacks something "American" about it, which -- I hate to admit -- ignorant, me-centric Americans must have if they are to give anything any attention.
Baseball? Oh, please. That's about as American as mom's warm apple pie, the right to bear arms (yee-haw!), bald eagles, and capitalism. Even as the sport continues to diversify, it will always be considered something that Americans created, and Americans will dominate (just don't tell them about that loss to Canada at the World Baseball Classic last year).
Football? Well, let's just skip that, since regardless of how American it is, it's liked by more than 40% of Americans, and considered their favorite sport.
Basketball? Here's the funny thing: a Canadian invented the modern version of the sport, for all intents and purposes. Regardless, it has gained a following in the lower class of the country due to its simplicity. Grab a ball, find a hoop, and you're all set! It also has a strong American contingency in the NBA, even as diversity grows.
Let me ask the readers here a question: can anyone here tell me who near everyone can agree is the best American player in the NHL? Anyone at all? Because there seems to be no clear cut choice. Canadian? Sidney Crosby. Russian? Alex Ovechkin? Japanese? Yutaka Fukufuji (hur, I so funny).
The top American hockey player? I hate to say it, but unless Erik Johnson is the second coming of Bobby Orr, save for the fact he's American, there is no favorite. There is no player we can all agree is the American player right now. There probably isn't even any players that most people could agree are in the top three or top five.
A horrible schedule
How many people in the media have to say it? How about the fact that more than half of the team presidents hate it? What about the fact that practically any fan you talk to loathes it? The schedule's awful. It's horrible. It attempts to breed artificial contempt through repetitive games against divisional rivals, when all it does is annoy both players and fans. The only people who even enjoy this damned schedule is the "Atlantic Cartel" led by the man who I hate to love (even when you move and follow another team, you're a Devils' fan for life), Lou Lamoriello. All because a few teams in the tri-state area want to save on gas money and traveling expenses.
Well, good on you, Atlantic Division. Good on you for penny pinching and letting the rest of the league suffer through at least one more year of this horrible schedule, all because it lets those pampered players not have to spend another hour on an airplane. Oh, boo hoo.
A bad TV deal
For the longest time, I tried to defend the move to VERSUS.
"It'll work out in the long run!" I said with gleeful optimism, my hazel eyes shining like an innocent kid looking for the silver lining in the most darkest of times. "Just watch! OLN will start penetrating more homes and they'll make the NHL their cornerstone in a strong bid to make ESPN no longer the one and only dominant sports network!"
What the [censored] was I thinking when I said that? I must have been delusional at the time. And up until now, I refused to admit that it was a bad decision. All because I didn't want to submit to the mocking, and the jeering, and the laughing that the idiots like and Tony Kornheiser and Tony Reali from ESPN were doing every single day (or rather, any day they ever brought the NHL up) to help fuel the venomous disdain for the sport that most Americans seem to have.
It took too long for VERSUS to turn the corner and start to create better broadcasts, and even now they waffle where it matters, such as with particular color commentators and play-by-play analysts who sound about as exciting as watching grass grow. It took too long for NBC to start and aggressively push their NHL coverage through advertisements during NFL games. And to add to the frustration involved in advertising, ESPN has effectively blocked any and all NHL advertising on their channel, refusing to carry anything by the league so long as they refuse to bed with them and their monopoly on the American sports world.
What does it matter if the league is being treated like a god, if the place it is being treated as such is just a small mound of dirt (VS) behind the shadow of a cathedral (ESPN)?
Part 2: What the Hell can the NHL do?
Unfortunately, firing Gary Bettman isn't possible. Or rather, if it is, it won't be happening any time before I'm 30 (6 more years! Whoooo!), and by then the NHL could very well be an afterthought.
-A new TV deal.
-Continue to ensure the game stays fast and furious.
-A better schedule.
-Work harder towards diversity in the sport.
A new TV deal
Look, anyone with a sense of pride doesn't want to see the NHL return to ESPN. It would be a blow to the league's pride. But then again, pride is a deadly sin, is it not? And in this case, it has more or less been the death knell of the league this season, as it continues to drop further and further in to obscurity.
You can't penetrate the sports market of America if you don't have a single game on ESPN. The NFL, MLB, NBA, and even the MLS have coverage on "The Worldwide Leader in Sports." And no one is even saying that the NHL has to rely only on ESPN, either. Keep in mind that the NBA started off humbly enough, with the league relying on TNT.
But there is a problem you need to consider, though; ESPN has shown just how scathing and how violent they can be towards the NHL both in commentary and coverage ever since the league told them to take a long walk off a short pier after that "revenue sharing" offer. ESPN could very well tell the NHL to fornicate themselves if they continue to try and broadcast games with anyone but ESPN and ABC.
It's a risk the league has to take, though. And the league needs to at least try and work out some sort of deal with ESPN, lest it continue to be assaulted by venomous commentary. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but even a town idiot could see the bias behind many things said during shows like PTI, Around the Horn, The Sports Reporters, and so on. Bear in mind the gallup poll results, and how even while the league may have been unpopular even before the lockout, the fact that they were connected to ESPN shielded them from a lot of criticism and commentary about attendance or television ratings.
A better schedule
Sorry, Atlantic and Southeast Division; but the league needs a better schedule. Everyone is sick and tired of their divisional opponents. I don't want to see the Red Wings and their snotty fans invading Nationwide Arena just as much as the Red Wings fans want to waste time with a pathetic and boring basement dwelling team like the Blue Jackets eight times a year. We, as fans, want variety in our schedule. You want proof of how horrible this schedule is? Just check out Christy's post at Behind the Jersey back in December criticizing the fact that her Wings faced just two teams over the holiday season.
Don't worry, Detroit, we feel your pain ... maybe even worse, actually. Blue Jackets fans will disgustingly recall the "Predators, Avalanche, Predators, Predators" span in November, followed by the "Predators, Predators, Blackhawks, Predators" span just this month. Yeah, way to spread out those division rivalry games ... real smooth.
SO CHANGE THE SCHEDULE!! For God's sake, change it!
Better yet, the new schedule should, for just a year, force the Eastern teams to travel to the Western teams more than the West to the East. Consider it payback for dropping us with this stupid burden of a schedule that hurts one conference just as much as it "helps" the other.
Work harder towards diversity in the sport
You want to see the league expand its fan base? Maybe even see the very first, non-WASP (White Anglo Saxon Protestant) top draft pick, which could very well start turning the heads of American minority markets as well as social classes other than the upper class, which the league seems to rely so much on thanks to box seats? Then start devoting a lot more time and effort towards helping groups of people throughout the country to be able to actually give hockey a chance.
The sport needs more Yutaka Fukufuji-types coming from those Asian countries, and inspiring any sort of interest in non-traditional regions of the world, or even demographic groups other than the typical WASP. The most fastest growing ethnicities in the United States are people of Latino and African descent, and they need to be focused on. The NHL has somehow managed to seal itself in some sort of bubble from the world as it has passed it by when it comes to demographics, somehow teetering between obscurity and relevancy for a long time now when it comes to minority groups. As it stands, there are only four black players in the NHL that come to mind right off the bat, those being Georges Laraque, Anson Carter, and Kevin Weekes, with Jarome Iginla being multi-ethnicity. Latino? Jeez, I couldn't even think of one, sadly. And even when it comes to the black contingency in the NHL, these are all Canadians.
...
You know, I could go on and on, I'm sure. I've been writing this little by little during the NHL All-Star Game, enjoying this game as much as I could (and it's actually been a pretty fun All-Star Game to watch, too!). But I think I've touched on the core points. The points that people beat to death, and will continue to beat to death.
C'est la vie, right?
Labels: america hates hockey, ranting, statistics
Draft disparity (cont'd).
Waking up this morning, the first e-mail I found in my mailbox was a notification for Drew's comment in the last post, asking me how the draft comparison between the two conferences would look if instead of only comparing how many #1 picks each conference had the past 21 years, I compared the total of top 5 picks for each conference over that same time.
I'd just like to take this time to say that Wikipedia is awesome beyond compare.
In any event, this is what I found:
I'd just like to take this time to say that Wikipedia is awesome beyond compare.
In any event, this is what I found:
Once again, these results ignore any variables such as trades for draft pick placement, as well as relocation and expansion (such as the Nordiques moving West, or the Blue Jackets' and Wilds' obligatory top five pick during their shared first year).
Even so, how can you ignore something like this? About 65% of top five picks over the past two decades have gone to the East? This brings in to question a lack of parity in the Eastern Conference, where teams that are bad are bad (why hello there, 2006-2007 Philadelphia Flyers), while bad teams in the Western Conference are, while bad, nowhere near as apparently abysmal as their East counterparts.
Yes, I know, the lottery could very well be changing things around, and some overall worst teams could actually be in the West each of those seasons that I checked the draft out for, but were placed elsewhere in the draft due to the lottery. But come on; even with that in mind, the discrepancy between total picks for each conference is a pretty wide margin, in my opinion.
Anyway, now I'm off to see if I can't make this apartment look a little more spic and span. I'm not really sure if there was any real revelations behind comparing top pick balance (imbalance) between the conferences, but it still has me wondering about a thing or two. Hmm.
Edit (5:20 PM EST): I've decided to take it a step further and checked the top 10 picks over this timespan, and which conference got the most. The West still trails, however they manage to cut the percentage difference from 65/35 to 56/44! I think if I took it any further, though, there'd just be no real point.
Labels: nhl draft, schedule, statistics
Penalties, and the people that dole them out.
Thursday, January 04, 2007
On a sudden, sporadic whim this evening, I took an hour out of my evening to do a little stat scanning. The reason? Well, for at least a little while now, members of the HFBoards -- and specifically the Blue Jackets' board -- have been up in arms at times over penalties that the Blue Jackets have been getting. I know during that long road trip in December, one of the biggest gripes was targeted at Don "Have another doughnut" Koharski, who if you'll recall also drew my ire after a 10 penalty night against the Phoenix Coyotes back in December.The statistics I'm about to throw out are anything but scientific. They're also completely neglecting of game footage to review, and then decide with amateur skills whether a penalty was a good call or not. I also have removed fighting majors, as well as misconducts, though I did make specific note to mention if a referee gave a game misconduct if they did. So in short, the penalty count for each game and each referee reflects minors and double minors, with disregard for if one is matching a penalty for the opposing team or not.
Most penalties in a game: 3-way tie
10/21 - 11 penalties (Joanette & Kimmerly)
11/28 - 11 penalties + gross misconduct (McGeough & O'Rourke)
12/29 - 11 penalties (Kowal & Meier)
Notes: Even though Tom Kowal took part in one of the highest penalized games against the CBJ, it should be noted that his Penalty Per Game (PPG) average is only 7 (21 penalties over 3 games). His partner during the game, Brad Meier, actually averages an 8.5 PPG, however has only officiated 2 CBJ games, meaning he could have been the culprit in that penalty bonanza.
As for the game on 11/18 against the Predators, I'm intrigued by the Gross Misconduct more than anything (it was on Adam Foote), since ... and I hate to sound ignorant, I'd only heard of Game Misconducts. This was also Dan O'Rourke's only game officiating the CBJ so far this season.
The game on 10/21 is very interesting to point out because it concerns two of the most whistle-blowing referees against the CBJ; Greg Kimmerly and Marc Joanette. Joanette is disqualified from the race for highest PPG due to only officiating 2 CBJ games, but I'll get to Kimmerly in a little.
Least penalties in a game: 2-way tie
11/22 - 3 penalties (O'Halloran & Pochmara)
12/28 - 3 penalties (Vanmassenhoven & Warren)
Notes: Nothing really groundbreaking when it comes to these statistics here. I do want to note that Dean Warren and Brian Pochmara both actually tied for the lowest PPG as well, which I'll get in to a little further down this entry.
Highest PPG (Penalty Per Game) average (minimal 3 games officiated):
1st) Lee - 9.666 PPG (3 games)
2nd) Koharski - 9.25 PPG (4 games)
3rd) Kimmerly - 8.666 PPG (3 games)
Penalty: Even though Koharski has been the target of many a CBJ fan's disgust and loathe for referees, he actually only comes up with the silver medal when it comes to who is the Blue Jackets' #1 public enemy in the striped uniforms. Chris Lee edges out Koharski (but this could also be linked to the difference in total games). Actually, and this is interesting ... two of the three games during that road trip with Koharski, Lee was the other official (9 and 10 penalties respectively in the two games). The other game he officiated was early in October alongside Joanette (10 penalties). So even though Joanette can't make the 3 game minimal, you can see he's already been mentioned a few times.
Kimmerly brings up the rear in third. After the 11 penalty outburst in October, Kimmerly toned it down a bit with an 8 penalty game (alongside Bill McCreary) and a 7 penalty game (with Paul Devorski).
Lowest PPG (Penalty Per Game) average (minimal 3 games officiated):
1st) Warren/Pochmara - 5 PPG (4 games/3 games)
2nd) LaRue/McGeough - 5.75 PPG (4 games/3 games)
3rd) Marouelli - 6 PPG (4 games)
Notes: Like I mentioned previously, Pochmara and Warren both took part in their respective games which had the least amount of penalties levied against the Blue Jackets, which probably helped out a lot in cementing their spots as "CBJ Fan's Favorite Referees". Meanwhile, and this one is amusing to me, Mick McGeough comes up in a tie for 2nd. Apparently even though the Mickster can't see to save his life as we all learned after an interesting game between Dallas and Edmonton in November, he tends to tuck the whistle away; at least when around the CBJ. Dan Marouelli comes up with the final spot.
Anyway, there really wasn't much science -- if any -- behind this little compilation of numbers and referee finger-pointing. If anything, I'd have to compare certain referee's penalty counts to how many penalties they call on a few other teams before I could come up with anything concrete concerning refs who are either whistle-happy or who just hate teams in navy blue colors. Sadly, I haven't the time for such in-depth analysis.
Labels: referees, statistics
