pi2000

#sharpenyourswords

Great stuff. I particularly like the 0.5 goal for hitting the crossbar and making combatants sit in the same box. Heaving a stick could be dangerous... i think a better rule would be to allow players to use a broken stick... force them to use the broken stick, no going to the bench. Imagine Eichel on a breakaway with a mini-stick.

The difference between hockey and baseball/football/basketball is that hockey is a much much faster sport, every player is wearing full body armor and carrying a weapon. It's also much harder as a referee to catch every little infraction, especially behind the play (there's only 1 ref in youth/mens leagues). Over the course of an hour and half after getting cup checked, crossed checked in back, slashed behind the knees, by the same player(s) over and over and over every shift.... I don't care how laid back you are, you'll be pushed beyond your breaking point. You complain to refs, but they can't call what they don't see so when you get your chance to get your shot in, you'll take it.

- split-vision. get low and keep the puck out in front such that you can still see the puck on your stick while looking up ice. A lot of youth players I've coached suffer from skating too upright... this is not only inefficient for skating purporses, it also forces you to tilt your head down to look at the puck as it's closer to your body. The more you bend your knees and at your hips, the lower you get and the puck will be more out in front of you so you don't really need to tilt your head (or even your eyes) down to see where the puck is on your stick. - practice off ice with a golf/tennis/stickhandling ball... increase knee/hip bend and gradually pick up speed stick-handling while keeping your eyes up using split-vision.

I have two kids 13 and 10 that play. I also play. I have no problem with contact after the whistle. It's an emotional game, we're wearing full body armor. It's much better to let off a little steam after the whistle rather than attempting to injure somebody during game play.

I don't think this means anything... I expect to see the WPG lineup tomorrow night.

What does one have to do with the other?

Petersen is very much overrated. He doesn't play the angles very well and has issues with rebounds worse than Lehner. He plays behind a very good and very well coached ND team.

Depends what the Golden Knights are willing to pay him.

Copious amounts of jalapenos tho. ????

I don't really care if they make the playoffs this season. They're not going anywhere anyway. The most important thing is that the young players show steady improvement. It will be interesting to me see what GMTM does at the deadline if we're within a handful of points of a playoff spot... or in a playoff spot.

They're currently 5 points out of a playoff spot. Last week they were 10 points out. Lots of hockey left. Ennis back next week might help provide a spark.

Sounds interesting, how about a stat that tracks net goals for vs goals against at even strength? Goals are what decide games, not shots.

Obviously he didn't deserve that minus but he needs to get better defensively.

A well deserved minus.... unfortunately.

Kane is a -8 last time I checked. Grant is superior in his own end. I like Grant's defensive game, his ability to battle for loose pucks in his own end, and he makes smarts plays when he does gain possession. Sure it's not sexy, but an effective cog that makes the team successful. Grant is the grey in an office cubicle, a magazine in a doctors waiting room, closed captions on c-span ... he's a boring, everyday average guy who just does what he does, nothing more, nothing less. Underappreciated by some, despised by most.... all he does is show up everyday and do the job he's asked to do. Is anybody buying any of this yet?

..and the fact Grant a superior defensive player when compared to Okposo or Kane.

Which game are you going to watch live?

I'll bet Grant finishes the game a plus tonight.

BUF has a -20 team goal differential. ROR is a -1, Grant a -3. Grant has 3 points in 33 games. Therefore, Grant is one of the better defensive forwards on this team.... as is ROR, which we already know. I expect good things from this line. I'll allow it.

so no gameday skate? I'll allow it... in fact, I'm suprised the PA didn't require gameday skates be optional in the latest CBA... or are they actually "optional"?

If a player is a minus, it doesn't mean he sucks. It just means he's not good as good at defending as he is at scoring. It tells you where a player needs to improve. I did all this for the Risto +/- analysis and it was overlooked apparently. Specifically comparing his +/- to the +/- of players on others that similar team goal differentials. BTW, comparing goalie sv% between skaters is flawed.... bad defensive players will give up better scoring chances so you should expect goalie sv% to be worse when poor defensive (minus players) are on the ice. That said, I enjoy reading Flagg's analysis and respect his opinion (even tho he's wrong most of the time, hahah :P )

ullstar team

Not sure if you're being serious but wearing full face protection does create a warrior mentality... you can go into the dirty areas with much more reckless abandon... hands, elbows, sticks flailing in the air. There have discussions about eliminating full face protection in NCAA hockey for this reason since studies show that former NCAA players commit many more high stick infractions than those who come from the CHL or European leagues. same. Eliminate the shootout but extend 3-on-3 or go 2-on-2 for another 5min... winner gets 2 points, loser 0 points. 1 point if it ends in a tie. huh? and when would they play? +/- is just as valuable a statistic as any of the modern analytical stats CF%, PDO, possession numbers... are all impacted by who you're on the ice with and who you're playing against, as is +/-, as is the score... I would even argue that possession numbers are less representative of a players ability than +/-.

When you get to the point where you have a solid core and are contending, that's when you become buyers at the deadline and trade picks for UFAs on expiring contracts for a chance at eternal glory.