On the Forecheck

Plus/Minus stat is more minus than plus

by Forechecker on 11/20/08 at 03:38 PM ET
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Plus/Minus is getting quite the rundown today as a junk hockey stat.  First, Dave Staples of the Edmonton Journal got us started:

The NHL’s official plus/minus stat is one of the most discussed individual stats in hockey, but it’s also one of the most flawed, misleading and misunderstood.

James Mirtle then picked up the chorus, giving a plug to Behind the Net’s metrics…

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How will the Deadbeat Devils skate without ice?

by Forechecker on 11/20/08 at 02:46 PM ET
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Since moving into the Prudential Center last year, the New Jersey Devils have been mired in a dispute with the Newark, New Jersey Housing Authority over millions of dollars in rent.  Now, apparently, other parties are claiming that the team isn’t paying their bills:

Councilman Augusto Amador said the city should take action if the Devils refuse to pay an outstanding utility bill. The Devils owe the city $41,625 for installation of sewer lines, according to the Newark Housing Authority, which owns the arena.

“If they continue not to pay, I’m sure we’ll consider ... shutting off the water, just like any normal business entity in the city,” said Amador, a commissioner for the authority. “Enough is enough.”

Besides the rent and utility fees, various contractors and subcontractors are claiming lack of payment, as well as small businesses which were forced to relocate so “The Rock” could be built.

Tip o’ the hat to The Business of Sports for this one.

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Jones & Hornqvist down to the farm

by Forechecker on 11/20/08 at 02:23 PM ET
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From the Nashville Predators:

The Nashville Predators have re-assigned rookie forwards Patric Hornqvist and Ryan Jones to the team’s AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals. The moves reduce the Predators active roster to 21 players, 19 skaters and two goaltenders.

It’s likely that this has something to do with Jed Ortmeyer finally rejoining the lineup, but why both players are heading to Milwaukee is a bit of a mystery.  As regular readers here know, Jones is among the NHL leaders in Penalty Plus/Minus, and drew two calls against San Jose Monday night to earn Nashville a power play.  Could another move be in the works, perhaps?

UPDATE:  The release sent around by the Predators PR staff has the following: ”Rookie duo expected to be called up next Thursday, Nov. 27”, so I guess they’ll have something to be Thankful for on Turkey Day…

Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 Tags: Jed+Ortmeyer, Patric+Hornqvist, Ryan+Jones,

Loonie business

by Forechecker on 11/20/08 at 08:01 AM ET
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David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail looks at the plummeting Canadian dollar and its impact on NHL franchises north of the border.  I think the Montreal Canadiens president, Pierre Boivin, however, goes a bit too far with the Chicken Little act with this line:

“We’ll have to see what kind of growth the U.S. teams have, but it’s not impossible that NHL revenue will be flat this year,” Boivin said. “Of course we’re concerned by the dollar’s drop. To be competitive, we need a dollar at par.”

The term “at par”, means of course an exchange rate of 1 to 1, a situation which has existed for only a few months in the last several decades.  While currency risk is an issue that the NHL could certainly handle better as a league, methinks Mr. Boivin is waxing melodramatic here.

5 year exchange rate, Canadian $/US $

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ESPN, why?

by Forechecker on 11/19/08 at 11:15 PM ET
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For all those clamoring to get the NHL back on ESPN, consider the following in light of the deal announced this week that adds college football’s Bowl Championship Series to the ESPN/ABC lineup from 2011 to 2014:

With this deal ESPN/ABC will now televise 29 of the 34 match-ups. Check it out for yourself at this year’s bowl television schedule. Go ahead and plug in ESPN for every Fox telecast except the Cotton Bowl. Bowl season monopoly—thy name is ESPN.

That from Deadspin writer Clay Travis.

With all that college football programming in December and early January, when exactly would they find time to feature the NHL, beyond late-night slots on ESPN2?  And once pitchers and catchers report for spring training, baseball will rule the airwaves at the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader.

I’ve long thought that a better way for the NHL to creep back into relevance is to get the Blackhawks on WGN, a channel that’s already included in most basic cable packages.  The fact that they’re an exciting young team doesn’t hurt, either.

As I understand it the Hawks are on local WGN in the Chicago area, so what would it take to get them on nationally, like the Chicago Bulls?

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 Tags: ESPN,

Are the Predators tough enough?

by Forechecker on 11/19/08 at 12:20 PM ET
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The question making its way around the Nashville Predators fan base these days, in light of Monday’s fight-filled 4-1 loss to San Jose, is one that has dogged them for a couple years now.

Are the Preds tough enough?

While no one doubts that Shea Weber can play a physical game on the blueline, and Jordin Tootoo will throw punches with anyone in the league, some say that the bulk of this team shows little inclination for rough play, and Nick Tarnasky, acquired to fill Darcy Hordichuk’s role this season, has failed to impress with either his hockey skills or fighting ability so far.  The critics cite, for example, how some of the Sharks came up to defend their captain Patrick Marleau when Dan Hamhuis nailed him into the boards Monday night.

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Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 Tags: Barry+Trotz, David+Poile, Jason+Arnott, Jordin+Tootoo, Nick+Tarnasky, Ryan+Jones, Vern+Fiddler,

Peterson vs. Parkinson’s a courageous battle

by Forechecker on 11/19/08 at 09:28 AM ET
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To help put the game of hockey in a bit of perspective this morning, take a moment to check out this recent article from the Vancouver Province on Predators associate coach Brent Peterson’s ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease:

“It’s progressing, but I’m still able to do everything I want on the ice and when I can’t, I’m going to continue off the ice for as long as I can,” says Peterson, who was born to be a hockey coach, his love of the game and willingness to communicate what he’d learned coming through even when he was playing for the Canucks and winning almost every faceoff he took.

Hat tip to Mark Howard on 104.5’s Wake Up Zone for pointing out this piece.

Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 Tags: Brent+Peterson,

Cambellnomics brings the “new math” to NHL scoring

by Forechecker on 11/18/08 at 11:07 AM ET
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Ken Campbell at the Hockey News updates his “Cambellnomics rankings” today, which are intended to isolate goals and assists which prove critical to the outcome of a given game.  It puts a new spin on the typical leader board, and propels the likes of Tuomo Ruutu and Nikolai Zherdev into the ranks of the NHL elite, and discards Evgeni Malkin, the league’s scoring leader, all the way down to 16th:

We’re not interested in who scores the sixth goal in a 6-2 game, but we do want to give credit to players who score the goal that put the team up 3-2, or the player who scored the first goal of the game.

While taking a deeper look inside the numbers beyond simple goals and assists is always a good thing, I have some objections to Campbell’s methods…

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Filed in: NHL Statistical Analysis | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 Tags: Ken+Campbell,

Sharks bite back in Nashville

by Forechecker on 11/17/08 at 11:47 PM ET
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Remember how I mentioned this afternoon that, since I’ve been tracking rebounds and Penalty Plus/Minus recently, I’d make that a focus of tonight’s Sharks/Predators tilt in Nashville?  Well, those two aspects of the game proved critical as the Sharks paid the Preds back for ruining their home-ice winning streak last week in San Jose.

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Predators Captain Injured

by Forechecker on 11/17/08 at 09:09 PM ET
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Late in the first period in tonight’s game with San Jose, Nashville Predators captain Jason Arnott took a hard, head-first fall into the net and has been taken off on a stretcher.  Expect an update as information becomes available.

Having started a power play with just a few seconds remaining in the period, Joel Ward fired a centering pass into the San Jose crease.  As Arnott drove hard to the net, he bumped shoulders with Sharks center Joe Pavelski, went over the top of Brian Boucher and landed head-first in the back of the net, making a hard landing that knocked the net off and stopped play.  Arnott lay motionless for several minutes as a stretcher was brought out and a medical team came out to attend to him.

UPDATE:  He has been taken to nearby Vanderbilt Hospital for precautionary purposes, and has movement and feeling in all extremities, per Predators PR staff.

UPDATE #2:  After the game, coach Barry Trotz said that Jason Arnott should be fine to play in Tampa Bay on Friday, as he suffered a neck strain, and not a concussion.

Filed in: Nashville Predators | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 Tags: Jason+Arnott,

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