OTF Classic

It's been a while since I've checked in here, but in the interest of self-accountability ( if that makes sense ) I want to revisit how 2012 is coming along in terms of my hockey blogging/internet marketing endeavors, and what the prospects are for the next several months. So, since we're 1/3rd of the way through the year, in hockey parlance I guess this means we're into the 1st intermission. With that in mind, let's review the blogging/internet marketing goals which I set out back in January to see how things are coming along...

Opportunity knocks. Sometimes, it even hits you right in the face and demands attention.

Considering the traffic numbers I'm seeing here lately, it's worth posting a reminder that going forward, On the Forecheck can be found over at a new site, OnTheForecheck.com, as part of the SB Nation community of sports blogs. You'll want to update as follows: Web address: http://www.ontheforecheck.com RSS Feed: http://www.ontheforecheck.com/rss

Well folks, the big news today is that after 3 years toiling away here on Blogger , I'm moving this blog to greener pastures; starting today I'll be contributing over at Kukla's Korner, under the same byline and focusing on the same issues. Namely the Nashville Predators, statistical analysis of NHL hockey, and the occasional forays into fantasy hockey or the business side of things. I'm thrilled to be joining Kukla's Krew, along with the other new additions Mike Chen , Bethany , The Puck Stops Here , Red & Black Hockey , Goal Line Report , and SensHobo . So switch your bookmarks over to the new address (http://www.kuklaskorner.com/index.php/otf/), and for RSS feeds, use (http://feeds.feedburner.com/kuklaskorner/Forecheck). Existing content will remain here for the time being, although there are two series of posts ( Forechecker's Forecasts and The Forechecker's Fantasy Hockey System ) that I've migrated over to Kukla's Korner so that as I c...

In order to tidy things up I've consolidated the blog roll here into its own post, which will be available via a link in the page header throughout the site. Please note that rather than attempt to provide a comprehensive listing (which you can find in many other places), I'm only listing sites that regularly post material, are part of my Google Reader feed of steady hockey reading, and I feel comfortable endorsing to others. That means there are some well-known sites which you won't find listed here, probably because I'm just not a fan of the writing. I'm no Buzz Bissinger, but I do believe there's a lot of content out there that I just can't endorse with a link. Yes, there are definitely some areas that could use beefing up (there have to be more good Pacific Division blogs, right?), so feel free to either leave a comment here with suggestions. Nashville Predators General NHL Geek Thoughts Kukla's Korner Pred Joe James Mirtle Paul McCann Spector's ...

Lots of template tweaking going on today, so please don't mind some odd formatting you may see from time to time. I'm going to a 2-column layout to increase the amount of space for the articles (and data tables I may include within them). The blogroll will appear as its own separate article, and a button to get to it will appear in the header. For now, at least, I wanted to save what I had so far. Comments from the Peanut Gallery, are, of course, welcome and appreciated.

Before you settle in for the first Saturday of college football (gotta get my Michigan flag out), here are a few quickies for you: I'm interested in loading up my MP3 player with hockey podcasts... so do you have any good recommendations to share? Feel free to drop a comment and let me know which ones I should subscribe to... Head over to the Legends of Hockey Network , where Joe Pelletier is posting a series of the greatest photographs in hockey history. Yesterday's installment detailed a gruesome injury that nearly ended the career of Gordie Howe before it even got rolling. In my book , Mr. Hockey is the greatest of all-time because not only was he a consistently great scorer, but he was also a dominating physical presence night-in, night-out. He epitomized the game. Anyone in the adult C-leagues (upper or lower) down at Centennial Sportsplex need a player? I'd like to head back downtown after spending last year at Southern Ice, but I've been told the teams ...

For a fascinating glimpse into hockey history, Eyes on the Prize reprints an old Sports Illustrated interview with Rocket Richard, during the final days of his legendary career. Here's a sample: "It's changed. I'm the oldest; the rest are kids," Richard said one night in a Detroit bar which advertised a stereophonic juke box. ("I'd go where the boys go," he had said, "but it's not a nice place. This is a quiet little bar on the corner.") "I know I'm not playing good hockey now. I'm weak now. My legs are tired. After a minute and a half, I'm tired. I'm so tired. I will try to diet. I weigh 194 pounds. I've been playing at that weight for the last five years, but I'm so heavy I'm floating on air. I got to take off five or six pounds before the playoffs. Only one beer. That's all I'll drink. I'll drink gin. That isn't fattening." Hmm... I wonder if Blues fans are going to start stockin...

Here are a few quick hits to keep you occupied today: 1) James Mirtle takes a look at salary trends in the NHL, and whether or not the "middle class" is getting wiped out by the salary cap. 2) Hockey on a glacier . Cool... 3) Mike Chen takes a look at teams currently above the salary cap. Get this one in front of David Poile. 4) John Glennon blogs over at the Tennessean , agreeing with my recent post at TheHockeyNews.com that when the Predators front office said earlier this week that they're comfortable with rookies filling key scoring roles, they just didn't sound very convincing.

Today I'm happy to announce a couple of new gigs for your friendly neighborhood Forechecker; first, the one that puts bread on the table, involves a new job. I've been looking since March, and was fortunate enough to land with a strong local company that keeps me here in Nashville. There was every possibility of taking a different job which would have had me on the road 80-100% of the time, which would have made my NHL habit a bit problematic to say the least. Of more interest to most of you stopping by here is that I've been invited to represent Nashville over at TheHockeyNews.com , where they are assembling bloggers covering each NHL squad. The posts I'll provide over at The Hockey News will be unique to that site, but obviously related to the two main themes of this blog; the Nashville Predators and the investigation of NHL statistical analysis. They're assembling quite a stable of writers to fill out that section of their website, and I'm honored to joi...

I'm a big fan of Greg Wyshynski's NHL blogging work over at Yahoo ( Puck Daddy ), but his screed today painting the Predators as a " desperate " team for how they're handling the Alexander Radulov situation is more than a bit absurd. He uses some tenuous logic coupled with bogus comparisons to portray the Nashville organization as one that is barely clinging to life. His main point is that by coming out in a Tennessean article yesterday and claiming that the door is being held open for Radulov to return, the Predators are showing a gutlessness that, in his mind, outlines a clear difference between them and Stanley Cup-winning franchises like Detroit and New Jersey. Look, I know goal-scoring is at a premium and Radulov has plenty of upside. But just so we're clear: He walked out on his contract. To think that some statistic act of contrition will erase that fact from the memory banks is appalling and embarrassing for the Predators. Do you think the Red Wing...

Thanks to a pointer from James Mirtle , I highly encourage Preds fans to head over to Daniel Tolensky's recent article about the NHL's salary arbitration process, which includes the full text of a decision made between Dmitri Khristich and the Boston Bruins back in 1998. We've got word now that Ville Koistinen and the Predators are headed down the road to arbitration, and while there's every possibility of a negotiated deal before an actual hearing takes place, it's an intriguing process to follow. Keep in mind that there are some differences between the arbitration process in the current CBA as opposed to ten years ago, but Tolensky's piece is a great read. Over the next couple weeks I hope to provide some of my own assessments for particular arbitration cases, using statistical measurements currently being used both here and elsewhere around the hockey blogosphere. It's interesting, for example, to see how the arbitrator uses PIM's in the Khristic...

Sure, the NHL free agency period doesn't start until July 1, but the NHL blogging world saw a momentous move take place as Greg Wyshynski, one of the most widely read (and published) hockey bloggers has been picked up by Yahoo! Sports as " Puck Daddy ", a full-time job that involves a steady stream of postings on all matters NHL. James Mirtle has a nice interview with Whyshynski about his new endeavor, and what it means to both mainstream hockey journalism and the blogosphere as well. Congrats Greg! And while you've moved up to the penthouse, relatively speaking, please be sure to remember those of us remaining here with a backlink now and again.

Special t hanks to Joe Pelletier's prompting, which arrived in my inbox as follows: "We are heading into Hall of Fame weekend, a weekend where we honour past greats. Greatest Hockey Legends.com is challenging hockey bloggers everywhere to honour your own past great. What I want to do is get as many hockey bloggers as possible to post an article, a memory, interactive content of some sort, something or anything that honours a favorite retired hockey player." Thus challenged, I'd like to take this opportunity to reflect on one of my favorite retired players, one who was forced into retirement just as his career was reaching a peak; Vladimir Konstantinov . For most hockey fans, their impression of Konstantinov was shaped by the tragic accident that left him and team masseur Sergei Mnatsakanov disabled. During the Detroit Red Wings' championship run in 1997, Konstantinov gained the notoriety that comes with being a prominent member of a Cup-winning team, but the wi...

Check back tomorrow morning, as I'll probably do another live-blog summary of tonight's Predators-Canucks game, which starts especially late this evening. For some previews, check out Canucks Hockey Blog and Waiting for Stanley . This is a battle of the NHL's worst road team visiting the NHL's worst home team; just imagine the possibilities! In other news, mega-congratulations go out to hockey blogger supreme Eric McErlain, who will lend his talents to the Sporting News twice a week. When I work out at the local Y, the Sporting News is the only sports rag available, and they could certainly use a boost in their NHL coverage. Well done, Eric! UPDATE: Thanks to Mirtle for informing us of Spector's good news; he'll be writing for the Hockey News website weekly as well. Spector's been churning out great hockey writing and rumor vetting since Ye Olden Days of Ye Internet, i.e. the 20th century, and should be a great credit to the Hockey News. Also, a r...

Last night's 3-0 loss in San Jose carried much the same stench as Wednesday's defeat in Anaheim. The Predators played forcefully enough in the early going, failed to cash in on scoring chances, and got bitten by critical miscues later on that allowed the Sharks to steal the win. Chris Mason, thank goodness, looked sharper than he has in a couple weeks, but the guys up front have left him no margin for error. Heading into the next game at Los Angeles, perhaps Barry Trotz needs to shuffle the deck, splitting up the usual duos of Jason Arnott/J.P. Dumont and David Legwand/Martin Erat (those four players combined for a mere 6 shots last night). Sometimes that forces players to take a fresh approach and focus on the basics. No matter the case, the Kings game looms terribly large in light of what is now a five-game losing streak. Here are some links I'd recommend for a leisurely Sunday stroll around the hockey world: Joe Pelletier's Legends of Hockey network is always w...

Now that the NHL season is well underway, I thought it would be a good time to introduce this blog to the new visitors who have been stopping by. Traffic is up 200-300% since the end of last season, so I'm sure there are plenty of first-time visitors arriving and wondering, "what the heck is this mess?" So, here's a brief introduction, followed by what I think might be some useful and/or interesting resources for the discerning hockey fan. I've been writing about hockey online since the mid-1990's, originally for a site called In The Crease, but also another one called eSports for a while. There was an 8-year interlude while I lived in Indiana that put a halt to my hockey writing, but upon moving to Nashville in the fall of 2005 I decided to take up the keyboard once again. Instead of merely commenting on the action, however, something else caught my eye and led me to the sparsely populated niche of hockey statistical analysis. The ide...

A few weeks back I was asked to answer some questions about the upcoming Predators season for SportsFan Magazine , and it's been posted this morning. Enjoy...

This year I was fortunate enough to receive an invitation to James Mirtle's fantasy hockey league, with the opportunity to knock heads with James, Spector , David Johnson from HockeyAnalysis.com , Earl Sleek from Battle of California , and many more from around the online hockey world. In all, twenty managers drafted twenty players, making this a deep dive into the ranks of the NHL. Today I thought I'd not only introduce you to the 2007-8 Fab Forecheckers, but share my thoughts on Fantasy Hockey drafting strategy. First of all, my lineup. The starting positions on each team are C (3), LW (2), RW (2), F (2), D (4), G (2), and Utility, and the scoring categories are G, A, +/-, PIM, PPG, PPA, GWG, SOG, W, GAA, SV, SV%, and SHO. Thus, while goalies only take two spots on the active roster (12.5%), they determine five of the thirteen categories (38.5%), making them extremely important. The Fab Forecheckers Round Pick Player Position...

The Central Division bloggers have wrapped up their previews of the Detroit Red Wings 2007-8 edition, with Able to Yzerman and Gloveside chipping in their $0.02. Finally, we have a bit of confidence expressed over at A-to-Y: "The Central? It’s done. It’s 24 September and the division’s been locked up already. By now you know that has less to do with the talent in Hockeytown than it does with the complete lack of it throughout the rest of The Division That Gary Built. The Central is garbage..." And this... "The West? That’s ours too, thanks. If not for a fluttering puck from hell last May the eleventh Cuppeth would have runneth overith. Zero chance Hasek would have lost to Ottawa. And the Wings have improved..." That's what we want to see, some moxie! Again, I'll chip in with the Nashville Predators preview next Monday.