Bienvenue, Montreal

As part of their season preview package today, the Montreal Gazette features a piece by Don MacDonald called "Moneypuck", which discusses the growing field of statistical analysis related to NHL hockey. I've got a small blurb on the second page of the article.

Also, kudos go out to the Tennessean for a fine section previewing the upcoming Predators season. For all the bashing I (and others) tend to get into over our local paper, it's appropriate to tip the hat when they get something right.

Lastly, I wanted to point Preds fans (or anyone else interested) over to Off Wing Opinion, where Eric McErlain has excerpts from Keith Jones' new book Jonesy. There are a couple anecdotes from when Jones played for Barry Trotz in the AHL that are well worth a read, with the most interesting being the time when Jones was on the ice for seven goals against in a single game...

Celebrating a milestone month

I've been remiss in providing regular updates on my quest to turn this whole sports-blogging hobby into at least something of a significant side income, if not a career, but good news has a way of prompting action. That, and I've been heads-down busy working on a few different fronts to push things forward...

Social Media, Internet Marketing, and Real, Paying Customers - it really works!

Applying the basic tenets of internet marketing (SEO best practices and social media network building) have helped me grow the readership and engagement over at On The Forecheck tremendously in recent years, but lately I've been wondering if those same techniques could be applied to small- or medium-sized local businesses, to help them drive real, tangible business results. I'm talking about not just drawing idle hockey fans looking to a blog so they can muse over line combinations, but helping businesses connect with potential customers in ways that otherwise wouldn't occur. Recently, I was able to help make just such a thing happen, and it shows just how great the opportunities are for small, local businesses which may not have the resources or skills available to extend their brand effectively on the internet.

New directions for OTF

While my writings about the Nashville Predators are being posted over at OnTheForecheck.com, rather than this old site, I thought it might be worth touching base here every now and again to touch on "meta" issues, related to blogging in general. In particular, these days I'm very much interested in how I can turn this time-consuming hobby into a bit of a revenue generator. Since I receive a small stipend from SB Nation to run OTF, I declared that income on my taxes last year, and realized that I should also be recording my expenses (for example, parking fees downtown when I go to cover a practice or press conference, mileage, etc.). It was a bit of a reality slap to see exactly how much I was spending on this endeavor, and with 3 kids heading off to college in 9-10 years, there's a bit of a financial imperative to turn the tables there. So here's a few ideas I'm considering/pursuing: A website devoted to hockey gear and accessories, HockeyGearHQ.com . The idea...

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