OT: Around Hockey and the NHL

Was watching some highlights and noticed that Nashville has Stammer back playing center.

Interesting to see if that helps him.
 




Now, to get back to my BS.

2.5% of $7b is $175m (I have no idea how to account for mixed currency.) Cut that between 8 teams, and it's almost 22 million to each of them to expand hockey. Tariffs would raise the prices on construction materials, but they do what they can.
 
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Friday and Saturday will be the 2025 Sloan sports analytics conference. It'll go up on YouTube.

Most of the hockey stuff will be on Saturday, as Friday is the trade deadline.

A lot of the panels are basically a waste of time, but there are a few interesting things that can be learned. The segments on NCAA GMs could be interesting as it's actually something new.


One of the studies is going to be bad news for Coop.

If they start measuring coaches, he might actually have to start pulling his weight.
 
Incredible things happened in Finnish hockey today. Too good not to share.

IFK (team in white) can clinch a straight playoff spot with a regulation win. So they decide to pull the goalie in a tied game. However if Kärpät manages to score on the empty net, they get the last play-in spot. Overtime win would have also been enough for them. However this then happened.



Just in case that wasn't enough, the goal scorer finished tied for first in the league in goals because of this.
 
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NHL GM meetings start today. Elliotte Friedman has said that some of the big focuses will be 3-on-3 OT, NCAA & CHL, and injury risk from international breaks.




If there's Mass migration from New England into the QMJHL, it would fundamentally reshape the character of the Q in particular. Keeping Americans and Canadians in their own nations (with limited exceptions) until they're 18 should even that out.

Although I'm not sure 16-year-old Liam from Plymouth, MA would be as eager to join Rouyn-Noranda or Val-d'Or as they would to join Charlottetown or Cape Breton. Which is a whole other issue.
 
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It's only a three-day event. I know that the NCAA stuff is being continually worked on, but I'd have hoped that, especially since there don't seem to be any immediately pressing issues, that we'd be hearing more about that.
 

– The US and Russia are going to host hockey matches with NHL and KHL players. That would do a lot to end Russia's sporting isolation after invading Ukraine.
I'm sure this is news to Gary Bettman. I just don't know when this supposed tournament would ever happen. They want to play games in both Russia and the US, and the travel adjustments would just be too much to handle, IMO. Would ESPN even be interested in going to Russia to cover those games? USA Hockey I'm sure will get into big trouble with the IIHF, and that will make the IOC quite cross, indeed.

There's the Olympics in 2026, so that would push the next available date to 2027, and it'll probably be forgotten about by that point.

They could work something into the new CBA where they can't go to countries that fit criteria that happens to describe Russia. Like they can't schedule international play to happen outside US and Canada, or against non-NHL or IIHF competition. Marty Walsh was in the Biden administration. If Bettman and Walsh don't want to go, they'll make it not happen.

The by-laws aren't public, so maybe there is a rule already.
 
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The KHL has zero shot of winning against (theoretically) the NHL's best US players, so it's clearly about Putin achieving political objectives. What's infuriating is that it was some spur of the moment comment that's now going to be treated as a legitimate idea by like 40% of the country.

NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh was literally in Biden's cabinet until 2023. I don't think we have a more qualified person who can gum up the works, and prevent the NHL and it's players from being used as a political football. Having nothing ever change is what DC specializes in.

NHL players have to be insured. That could put a halt to it. Insurance, a lack of interest from ESPN, player travel concerns, delicate, pre-negotiated points of the CBA, etc. Just a bunch of things. No, no, no. It's got nothing to do with being used as a political pawn.
 
The NHL is reconsidering what the 2026 All-Star Game will look like. Since it's supposed to be the send-off to the Olympics, there's even less of a chance that any 3-on-3 games will have any pace.

So my first thought is to emphasize the skills competition (which is maybe the more fun event, anyway). I'm thinking that they could change the skills competition to echo other Olympic sports.

Biathalon: skating and shooting (pucks)
Figure skating: could just be for fun, but if the players were able to come up with their own stickhandling paths, they could show off what they're good at.
Curling: basically shuffleboard with pucks
Speed skating: relay race
puck slalom: what it sounds like
mascot break dancing (exhibition sport)

This would be on either ESPN or TNT in the states, so maybe the Olympics being on NBC would squash this.
 
I'm messing around with Google Canvas and got the bot to make an NHLe calculator. I don't understand the math that well, but here it is. It's not just figuring out NHLe, but between leagues as well. NCAA to ECHL, NAHL to USHL, NHL to SPHL, etc.


I also got the bot to explain AHL to ECHL, as a check.
The NHLe calculator facilitates the conversion of a player's scoring statistics from the AHL to the ECHL. The process is articulated as follows:

1. Identification of NHLe Factors:

  • The calculator employs a system of predetermined NHLe factors, which function as conversion coefficients. These factors are essential, as they quantify the relative scoring difficulty between different hockey leagues. They are derived from historical data analysis, comparing scoring rates across various leagues to establish a correlative relationship. A higher factor indicates a greater degree of difficulty in scoring within that league, and conversely, a lower factor suggests a more conducive scoring environment.
  • These factors are not arbitrarily assigned; rather, they are meticulously determined to reflect the variations in competition level, player skill, team strategies, and overall league dynamics. For instance, the NHL, as the preeminent professional hockey league, possesses the highest factor (1.00), thereby serving as the baseline for comparison. Leagues such as the AHL, characterized by highly skilled players and intense competition, are assigned substantial factors, whereas developmental leagues like the ECHL are assigned lower values.
  • According to the code, the NHLe factor for the AHL is 0.53, and for the ECHL, it is 0.25. This disparity indicates that scoring is more prevalent in the ECHL compared to the AHL. Consequently, a player's raw point totals typically require upward adjustment when transitioning from the AHL to the ECHL to accurately represent equivalent scoring proficiency.
2. Application of the Conversion Formula:

  • The conversion process is primarily executed through the application of a specific formula. This formula mathematically translates a player's scoring output from one league to another, taking into account the league-specific NHLe factors.
  • The formula used for the conversion is as follows:

    NHLe Points (ECHL) = Points (AHL) * (NHLe Factor (AHL) / NHLe Factor (ECHL))
  • This formula essentially scales the player's original point total by the quotient of the NHLe factors of the two leagues. This quotient functions as a multiplier, adjusting the points to align with the scoring environment of the target league. It could be argued that this provides a valuable tool for comparing player performance across different leagues.
3. Illustrative Example:

  • Consider, for example, an AHL player who has accumulated 50 points over a season.
  • To estimate their equivalent scoring production in the ECHL, the formula is applied: NHLe Points (ECHL) = 50 * (0.53 / 0.25)
  • Performing the division within the parentheses: NHLe Points (ECHL) = 50 * 2.12
  • Subsequently, the multiplication is performed: NHLe Points (ECHL) = 106
  • Therefore, based on this NHLe calculation, an AHL player with 50 points would be projected to achieve an equivalent of 106 points in the ECHL. This notable increase reflects the difference in scoring pace between the two leagues, as quantified by their respective NHLe factors.
Sounds complicated.

Here's it rewritten in a shorter, casual tone
Okay, so check it out, here's how the NHLe calculator, like, figures out how an AHL player's stats would translate to the ECHL:

1. Gettin' the NHLe Factors:

  • The calculator uses pre-set NHLe factors (conversion numbers) showing how hard it is to score in different leagues. A higher factor means it's tougher to score.
  • These factors show differences in competition level, player skill, team strategies, and the league's overall feel. The NHL has the highest factor (1.00).
  • From the code, the AHL factor is 0.53, and the ECHL factor is 0.25, meaning scoring is more common in the ECHL compared to the AHL. So, you've got to adjust a player's points when going from the AHL to the ECHL.
2. Droppin' the Conversion Formula:

  • This formula mathematically changes a player's scoring from one league to another, using those league-specific NHLe factors:

    NHLe Points (ECHL) = Points (AHL) * (NHLe Factor (AHL) / NHLe Factor (ECHL))
  • The formula scales the player's original points by the ratio of the NHLe factors, adjusting the points to fit the scoring scene in the league we're going to.
3. Check This Example Out:

  • Let's say an AHL player has 50 points in a season.
  • To figure out their ECHL equivalent, we use the formula: NHLe Points (ECHL) = 50 * (0.53 / 0.25)
  • Calculation: NHLe Points (ECHL) = 106
  • So, an AHL player with 50 points is projected to get 106 points in the ECHL. This shows the difference in scoring between the two leagues, which the NHLe factors capture.

my source was Rethinking NHLe
 
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adding hide avatars option

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