The Hockey News The Numbers Issue 2021

IF YOU WANT TO get a sense of how much of a sensation the first wave of hockey analytics bloggers created, consider that their blogging eventually stopped – because they were all hired by NHL franchises. That was about six or seven years ago, and at the time, the idea of teams hiring the internet denizens who often criticized them was exceedingly controversial. Old-schoolers decried the number jockeys’ invasion of their sport, and debates got heated between different generations in the media. But guess what? Today, every NHL franchise has at least one analytics specialist on the payroll, and the savviest teams have far more than just one fancy-stats flag-bearer on the roster. Statistics and analytics continue to evolve and become more sophisticated as technology and human know-how improve. What was…

I PLACED A BET THAT I would love hockey at the age of three when I first stepped onto the ice at the outdoor rink in Notre Dame de Grace park in Montreal, and has it ever paid off handsomely. Placing a financial or barter bet on the outcome of a hockey game has been done since the very first game more than a hundred years ago. Until recent years, many billions of dollars of bets were made between friends, coworkers, teammates and family, usually on a face-to-face basis. Bets placed with strangers were done through third parties, which has been the subject of investigations into organized crime, gangs and offshore illegal activity. The numbers are staggering. On Nov. 20, 2019, I sat down with Ted Leonsis, the owner of the Washington…

THE QUESTION IS SIMPLE. What financial incentive does the NHL have to close shop mid-season so star players like Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews can head over to China to play on the grandest stage in the world, the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games? In the eyes of NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, there is lots of risk and little reward. For McDavid and Matthews and other top stars such as Nikita Kucherov and Leon Draisaitl, it is about reward at their own risk. NHL players want the opportunity – for many it’s a once-in-a-lifetime shot – to be part of the best-on-best event. Meanwhile, those not bound for Beijing will enjoy a three-week mid-season pause that also includes the all-star break. So how did this confluence of “opposites attract” come about? One of hockey’s…

QUEBEC REMPARTS >2021-22 THE QMJHL’S QUEBEC REMPARTS are celebrating their 25th anniversary, and they’re doing it in style with a series of throwback-inspired jerseys steeped in the city’s hockey history. Perhaps the most impressive is this green number, which pays homage to the Quebec Aces, the senior-league team whose alumni include Jean Beliveau, Punch Imlach and Herb Carnegie. The color scheme is fantastic, while the original Aces logo appears on the right arm (an anniversary crest is featured on the left arm). There will also be a blue and red sweater that resembles the Quebec Nordiques, which is sure to be another fan favorite.…

DURING THE 1991-92 SEASON, special hockey cards from Score were distributed in boxes of Corn Flakes cereal. Patrick Roy and Brett Hull are just two of the stars found in the 24-card set. However, one unlikely “player” was also included in the collection: Corn Flakes mascot Cornelius Rooster. And yes, his hockey card has stats on the back, too. Cornelius, a right winger, netted 32 goals and 54 points – in just eight games! – while playing for Team Kellogg’s in 1990-91. According to his bio, Cornelius is 18 inches tall, weighs 15 pounds and attributes his success to starting each day with – you guessed it – a bowl of Corn Flakes.…

1. HOCKEY-MASK OF DEATH! Strange Sports Stories, Vol. 2 No.5, June 1974 A lumberjack named Jacques has an argument with his partner, kills him in a blind rage, then hides his body. The next day, Jacques and his team of lumberjacks play a hockey game against a rival group of fellow fellers. After Jacques deliberately injures the opposing team’s netminder, a Zdeno Chara-sized goalie with a skull-like mask appears and subs for the rival team. The game culminates with Jacques and the “Ghostly Goalie” playing in a shootout for Jacques’ life on an ice floe teetering at the edge of a waterfall. While Jacques is not a good person, you still get a sense of dread knowing that his fate seems inevitable. 2. COLD SWEAT Eerie Magazine No. 92, May 1978 Two hockey players representing…