Skip to main content

NHL Throws Us Nerds A Bone

Thanks to JavaGeek over at Hockey Numbers for pointing out that the NHL is using a new format for its game report files, starting with last night's exhibition game between the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Kings.  For hockey stats analysts, this is a bit like Christmas in September; there are some welcome additions to the detailed information presented online after each game, although it will take some work to reconfigure how we pull that data down and bring it into a structured format.
 
Data Center
The Forechecker's in-home data center in action
 
Some of the new items of interest include:
 
Each play-by-play event includes the zone in which it occurs;
Each play-by-play event also notes which players were on the ice at the time;
Penalties include a "Drawn By" designation, that tells which player was on the receiving end of the foul;
Blocked Shots now tell us not just who blocked it, but who shot the puck as well;
 
Now granted, data accuracy appears to remain a concern.  I know this was only a preseason game, but I really doubt that Mike Hoffman scored on a 171-foot backhander early in the third period.  Yes, Dan Cloutier was in goal for L.A. at the time, but still...
 
This should open up some new areas for investigation when it comes to NHL player statistics.  Which skaters draw the most penalties?  Which defensemen are getting more or fewer shots blocked from the point?  Are there differences in effect between a hit in the defensive vs. offensive zone?  The list goes on and on.
 
Anyways, those of us who obsess over such things have some new fodder to chew on in the weeks leading up to the start of the regular season.  Kudos to the NHL for taking at least a step in the right direction in adding this extra information.  If we could just be more confident in the accuracy of the data being posted, then we'd really be off to the races.

Popular posts from this blog

My goals for 2011: Make sports blogging pay off

In my never-ending quest to figure out a model for making what is currently my hobby & passion into something bringing in at least a side income, I've decided to set a couple goals for myself to complete during the rest of 2011. Simply put, I plan to publish two products over the next few months, which I hope will provide real value to hockey fans, and that they'll be willing to pay for. Will it succeed? Will it fail? The only way to know is to put my nose to the grindstone and get these two things done (I'll keep the details under my hat for now). The important thing to note is that these efforts are in addition to anything I'm doing over at OTF . Taking away what we're doing over there and asking people to pay for it is a surefire lose-lose all the way around, because if there's anything we've learned over the last few years, it's that people love to read about sports, but only for free. I'm also optimistic about Hockey Gea...
Read more

My Letter To Gary

Dear Mr. Bettman, When the announcement was made a few weeks ago that Jim Balsillie had entered into an agreement to purchase the Nashville Predators, speculation immediately began that a relocation to South Ontario would come in short order, and many hockey fans in the Nashville area jumped to the conclusion that we'd see a "Major League" scenario, whereby the new owner would deliberately undermine local support of the team so as to trigger the escape clause in the team's arena lease. As for myself, I decided to give Mr. Balsillie the benefit of the doubt - surely as a lifelong hockey fan and player, he wouldn't do such a thing after acquiring one of the best young teams in the game, with the Stanley Cup potentially within reach. I've waited and watched over recent weeks, and was initially encouraged by Balsillie's promise to field a competitive team, giving GM David Poile an ample budget to put together the best team possible. His legal representative ...
Read more

Cheer up, it's the holidays...

Why is it that various media outlets continue trying to put their own spin on the "what's wrong with the NHL" story? Our latest example comes from The Hockey News , in a piece by Jay Greenburg entitled, "Excitement Level On The Decline." Take the opening sentence: Attendance is down and yet still up from before the lockout, leaving it arguable whether buildings in New Jersey and Florida are half-full or half empty. It's no surprise that attendance is down from last season, particularly if you compare the first half of 2005-06 to the first half of this year. Coming out of the lockout, there were legions of fans starved to see the on-ice product, particularly in light of the massive rule changes. This year is more indicative of business as usual, so the fact that the league is above pre-lockout levels is a positive. Toss in the projection that overall revenues are increasing despite a 1% decrease in attendance, and I'd say that paying fans have come back ...
Read more