OFFICIAL HOCKEY THREAD: NHL, KHL, NCAA, IIHL

[witnessmycalm21]

Originally Posted by hawkflight6

Just got home from the Jets-Sabres game

holy $#!& was it loud

The crowd was on Miller the whole game, even coming up with a "silver medal" chant a couple times

Saw it on NBCSN ... Yo... Jets fans be LIVE 

Silver Medal chants though? 

 

 

 

[frink85]

Originally Posted by hawkflight6

Just got home from the Jets-Sabres game

holy $#!& was it loud

The crowd was on Miller the whole game, even coming up with a "silver medal" chant a couple times

 

[physicx]

the only players winnipeg will cheer other than their own are teemu and toews

 

[hawkflight6]

Originally Posted by Physicx

the only players winnipeg will cheer other than their own are teemu and toews

True, I'm not this counts but Dale Hawerchuk was at the game and he got a standing O 
And I understand why most of you are upset with the silver medal chants

but I thought they were hilarious

 

[dmxfury]

It is hilarious

Pens win, not much happened besides MAF playing well

 

[stillin729]

Time to shine for Bryz tonight; crosses fingers he is turning the corner

 

[witnessmycalm21]

*BREAKING* - Penguins: Crosby has been cleared for contact 

PITTSBURGH, Pa. -- Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has been cleared for contact, but no date for his return has been made.

Crosby made the announcement after Tuesday's practice, which featured a fair amount of contact work after the formal part of practice had ended, according to Crosby. 

"I was cleared to do contact," Crosby said. "We'll see how that goes. There is no real timetable, but it's a good step. Hopefully, I can keep the momentum and get out there soon.

"I've been through this before. Contact is the big step. It's nice to be symptom free, but it's not as fulfilling until you get out there. I just want to make sure that I take the right steps here and get back out there soon."


"I've been through this before. Contact is the big step. It's nice to be symptom free, but it's not as fulfilling until you get out there. I just want to make sure that I take the right steps here and get back out there soon." -- Sidney Crosby
Crosby, who said he has been symptom free for several days now, said he could play in a matter of days if there are no setbacks. The earliest it's believed he could play would be this Sunday, a home matinee game against the Boston Bruins, the team against which he played his last game a little more than three months ago.

Crosby mentioned playing Sunday, but refused to make it the official target date.

"I'll give myself days with contact," he said. "We have two more practices this week. No sooner than Sunday, I would say, but I'm not going to sit here and put a date on it. It would be total guesswork. I just want to make sure I get through these days fine and that would be a great decision to make if I get to that point."

The Penguins play at home Wednesday against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Friday at home against the Florida Panthers before Sunday's game against the Bruins.

Crosby, 24, has been out of the lineup with concussion-like problems, which resurfaced following a physical game against the Bruins on Dec. 5. He had returned to lineup Nov. 21, scoring two goals and totaling four points during a memorable return. He played a total of eight games, recording 12 points, before being shut down again.

On Jan. 31 Crosby was diagnosed with a soft-tissue neck injury that could be causing neurological symptoms, which are similar to concussion symptoms. He was treated with an injection by Dr. Robert S. Bray, a neurological spine specialist based in Los Angeles, to alleviated inflammation in the C1 and C2 joints of the neck.

Tuesday, Crosby said that treatment for his neck resulted in significant improvement of his condition

He has been skating, either with the team or on his own with the teams other injured players, on a regular basis for a month as he battled through lingering symptoms.

 

[duba169]

Happy for the sport. Sad for the rangers

 

[dmxfury]

Please be ok....please be ok....


I said earlier when they found the neck issue this is the best chance for a recovery since 'waiting' for the symptoms to disappear was going nowhere

 

[physicx]

take it easy, kid. no rush

glad to see he's getting there

 

[dmxfury]

Definitely agree, ease him in, give games off, etc

 

[hawkflight6]

Good to hear

I'm happy for him and for hockey in general but unhappy that we still have to play in Pittsburgh one more time

 

[DownByLaw]

If Sid does make it back this season and he doesn't disrupt the great chemistry the Pens have displayed, it's a wrap for the rest of the league. I already believe the Pens are winning it all this season with or without Crosby though.

 

[True Blues]

Attended the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference last weekend. Here are some of the most salient bits of information (there may be some more, but I'd have to go through my notes):


- 1 in 100 faceoffs wins generate a goal, on average.
- Goals and Shots do not predict future goals well; Corsi, Fenwick, and Net Hits are better.
- In the last 4 years, Datsyuk is the best overall F, according to Macdonald's Adjusted model.
- Burke doesn't want to do 24/7 if the HBO contract is renewed.
- Chiarelli believes Detroit's continual success is owing to Euro scouting and organizational culture. They can convince Euro stars to play in the A and skill guys have character.
- Burke and Milbury don't know baseball history.
- Increase in concussions is likely a reporting bias.
- Most GMs dismiss advanced metrics, and value intangibles more.
- According to Bettman, most concussions now are the result of collisions (i.e. between players, with pucks, and sticks) rather than headshots or collisions.
- Unless there are fundamental changes to the game, you can't get rid of contact to the head (consensus among Bettman, Burke, Chiarelli).
- Hockey is a possession game.
- A GAR/WAR stat is coming.

 

[DeadsetAce]

Originally Posted by True Blues


- A GAR/WAR stat is coming

can you explain what this is?

 

[frink85]

Originally Posted by DeadsetAce

Originally Posted by True Blues


- A GAR/WAR stat is coming

can you explain what this is?

if its the same as baseball, WAR is Wins Above Replacement and im assuming GAR is Goals Above Replacement

basically if you remove a player from the lineup and replace him with a benchwarmer or minor leaguer its a number that tells you how much better that player is than the lesser player at his position

edit: i was thinking of VORP for replacing a player with an average player.

 

[proshares]

How does a second line center in Grabovski get that much per?

 

[doublejs07]

FirstBorn...I gotta tell u, I LOVE what Troy Brouwer brings to the table. This has been an awful year for the Caps, but he's played well.

 

[jewseejay]

Originally Posted by Proshares

How does a second line center in Grabovski get that much per?

lack of number one centers in the league... coupled with the fact that hes a playmaker with one of the best wrist shots in the entire league
he got what he woulda if he tried to walk at seasons end

hopefully Leafs have the cap space to sign another 1b type center tho...

 

[DeadsetAce]

tim thomas....bum status since snubbing the white house. $$%!%%# BUM STATUS

 

[DownByLaw]

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

FirstBorn...I gotta tell u, I LOVE what Troy Brouwer brings to the table. This has been an awful year for the Caps, but he's played well.

I miss Brouwer, he's a solid addition to any squad. Management knew he was due a significant pay raise and decided to go the other route. It's good to hear that he's been contributing for the Caps. What's your take on your team's struggle this season?

 

[doublejs07]

Originally Posted by FIRST B0RN

Originally Posted by DoubleJs07

FirstBorn...I gotta tell u, I LOVE what Troy Brouwer brings to the table. This has been an awful year for the Caps, but he's played well.

I miss Brouwer, he's a solid addition to any squad. Management knew he was due a significant pay raise and decided to go the other route. It's good to hear that he's been contributing for the Caps. What's your take on your team's struggle this season?

It's a lot of things....

1.  No identity - this team was one of the most dangerous offensive powerhouses in the NHL until the Montreal series a few years ago.  Because they lost to an 8-seed in 7 games, EVERYONE panicked.  People were calling out Boudreau and his system and saying how a defensive first philosophy was the way to go.  The way this team was built, it was like trying to put a Ferrari engine in a Geo Metro.  I honestly believe they would have had more success if they just kept things the same (high-powered offense) and the Montreal series was more of a fluke than anything.  It's the overreaction to losing that really messed things up. 

2.  Ovechkin - a couple of things with him.  1) ever since he got suspended for his hit on Brian Campbell a few years ago, he's really toned down his physical style.  2)  Olympic hangover.  Russians were the laughingstock of the Vancouver games and those guys wear their hearts on their sleeves.  I think Ovechkin took it very personally that they failed in the fashion that they did.  He wasn't the same after the games.  3)  His conditioning.  Dude parties HARD.  As soon as the season is over, he's in the clubs in Moscow the next night.  He waits until a month or so before training camp to get himself ready for the NHL season.  That's not leading by example and it's not working.  He needs to re-discover what made him great and get a little more serious.  4)  Remember what it means to have the "C" on the sweater.  He needs to be the best player on the ice.  If the offensive game isn't working, think about what else you can do to help out the cause.  He has way too many mental mistakes for a guy in his 6th year or whatever it is.  Honestly, I'd love to see him get some time on the PK, because it would almost force him to become more responsible on the defensive end of the ice.  He could be a complete player like Datsyuk or even Kovy if he paid attention to detail when he doesn't have the puck.  It took a guy like Kovy a while to do this, but he's proof that it can be done. 

3.  Roster make up.  The problem with this team is that it's filled with grinders.  There are too many guys who have the same skill-set.  I'm talking about Laich, Chimera, Ward, Hendricks, etc.  A few of them are overpaid (Laich and Ward).  This falls solely on the shoulders of George McPhee.  In addition, he still hasn't addressed the fact that this team needs a LEGIT 2nd-line center.  This has been ignored for too long and the stop-gaps they they try just aren't cutting it.  I really expect big changes on the roster in the summer.  It speaks volumes that the team has over 7 million dollars (combined) tied up into a a defenseman who doesn't play (Hamrlik) and a 4th line winger (Ward).  That can't happen..and again, that falls on the shoulders of George McPhee.  Awful. 

4.  Going forward, I'd like to see this team get some more grit/snarl in the lineup.  If there is a team I'd like for them to emulate, it's the Bruins.  It's easier said than done, and there are WAY too many soft players on this roster.  Guys who will get shoved and punched and not do anything about it.  On top of it all, I also think that there will be a new coach and GM on the way.  Dale Hunter is in over his head and George McPhee has had 13 years with the club to make a difference and all he has to show is 2 series wins in the playoffs. 

They are an absolute mess.  It's sad because this was the one team in DC over the past 3-4 years that you could count on to be good.  Those days are gone...

 

 

[True Blues]

Originally Posted by frink85

Originally Posted by DeadsetAce

Originally Posted by True Blues


- A GAR/WAR stat is coming

can you explain what this is?

if its the same as baseball, WAR is Wins Above Replacement and im assuming GAR is Goals Above Replacement

basically if you remove a player from the lineup and replace him with a benchwarmer or minor leaguer its a number that tells you how much better that player is than the lesser player at his position

edit: i was thinking of VORP for replacing a player with an average player.

Basically, that's it. WAR is a great omnibus statistic for assessing a player's value. In hockey, however, its a bit more difficult to estimate "wins" per se; so given that the team with the most goals wins, the logic is to substitute wins with goals. (I talked to Michael Schuckers briefly about it after the Hockey Analytics panel, and he used a different term than WAR, but I cannot recall what it was exactly-- something to do with Average Goals). Perhaps an easier way to think about it is, "How many goals per 60 minutes does player X add to his team?" or "How many goals per 60 minutes does player X subtract from his team?" This, then, can lead to the creation of an Adjusted Plus/Minus.

Brian Macdonald presented a paper at the conference attempting to do this ("An Expected Goals Model for Evaluating NHL Teams and Players"), but there is some disagreement in the literature as to how to best operationalize expected goals. From what I understand, several others have, or are in process of, constructing their own models.

 

[philballa09]

great win w/o jagr and  vorachek

   
just hope bryz can keep this up

 

[proshares]

Originally Posted by JewSeeJay

Originally Posted by Proshares

How does a second line center in Grabovski get that much per?

lack of number one centers in the league... coupled with the fact that hes a playmaker with one of the best wrist shots in the entire league
he got what he woulda if he tried to walk at seasons end

hopefully Leafs have the cap space to sign another 1b type center tho...

You think?  I don't know if he gets that much on the market TBH.  I mean $5.5 per is a good cap hit.  Who knows though.

Good win for Jersey tonight

I really hope these two meet in the playoffs, the last few games they've played have been intense.