NHLnumbers Podcast on The Nations

We're back! In this edition of the podcast, we discuss the notion that analytical evaluation these days has taken away the ability to be surprised by the events of a game. Has it changed the way stories are being told? Plus, we look into other ideas such as coaches adapting their style based on the personnel they have in front of them, defensemen requiring a longer time to develop, and some of the lesser talked about components of the Corsi metric. We would love to hear from you, the listener, for suggestions on future topics of discussion. Rather than us just being in our own little world, we'd like to make this as interactive a show as possible. Feel free to tweet at either  Dimitri  or Cam . Click Past the Jump to Listen to the Podcast. Episode 2 Thanks for Listening!

This marks the debut of the 'Friends with Numbers' podcast, that Cam Charron and I will be doing until we're (forcefully) told to put our microphones away.  What does this podcast entail, exactly, is a question that you may be asking. It'll mostly serve as a platform for us to discuss certain things that have caught our eye in the world of hockey; whether it's a team's success, a player's underlying numbers, or general concepts regarding the game. Obviously there will be an emphasis on numbers, given that this is the NHLNumbers network, but even if you're not all that fluent in that sort of speak, you'll hopefully be able to hang around with us. We would love to hear from you, the listener, for suggestions on future topics of discussion. Rather than us just being in our own little world, we'd like to make this as interactive a show as possible. Feel free to tweet either myself, or Cam. Click Past the Jump to Listen to the Podcast. Friends With Numbers Podcast Episode 1 Thanks for Listening!

    In the feature interview, Matt Read of the Philadelphia Flyers was kind enough to join us from Sweden. Among other things, he talked to us about his experience playing in Europe on Carl Hagelin's line, the transition from college to the NHL and why he was so good in the neutral-zone battle.  Matt Read In the first part of the show, Kent Wilson stepped into our roundtable discussion. After Kent gave us the lowdown on NHLnumbers and the Nations Network, we talked about the lockout. Find out when we think the lockout will end and what the implications will be on fan support and the image of the league. Subscribe on iTunes

  In this edition we covered all things tracking with an expert panel on the subject: Neil Greenberg from the Washington Post and ESPN Insider, Geoff Detweiller of Broad Street Hockey, Eric T. of BSH and NHLnumbers and our own tracking addict Corey S. We went over Eric's article on the link between scoring chances and shot differential and what it means for scoring-chance tracking, Geoff and Eric's very promising project tracking zone entries, tracking zone exits and what the future holds for tracking/advanced stats. Tracking Stats Full If you would like to track zone entries, which I strongly encourage, please contact Eric T. at this email address: bsh.erict@gmail.com. He will hook you up with an easy-to-use spreadsheet that will automatically tell you who was on the ice for each entry if you record the time.

    In the latest installment of the podcast, we discussed the not-so-frenzied free-agent frenzy. In the first part, Corey, Chase and I talked about the signings, including what Parise and Suter mean to the Wild, where Detroit will go from here, the Carey Price and Jonathan Quick contract extensions as well as the Tampa Bay Lightning signing Matt Carle. James Mirtle of the Globe and Mail was kind enough to join Brent and me to talk about the big signings, what Burke has up his sleeve in Toronto and the CBA negotiations. Full The whole thing. Part 1  Corey, Chase and Jared talk about the free-agent signings. Part 2 James Mirtle interview.

  In the latest installment of the NHLNumbers podcast, we start with a roundtable on the Stanley Cup Finals before getting to our three very important and higly informative guests (...seriously. Sorry if sounded sarcastic). Our first VIP is probable first rounder Jacob Trouba, who was kind enough to take time out from helping out with national junior team goalie camp to talk to us about the US National Team Development Program, his skills and his plans after he goes in the first round of the draft this week. Next we were joined by none other than Gabe Desjardins of Behind the Net fame. Our last guest was Dirk Hoag of the fine Nashville Predators blog On the Forecheck. Full The whole thing. Part 1 As mentioned, Part 1 we break down the Stanley Cup Finals.  Part 2 Next up, the interview with Jacob Trouba of the U.S. National Team Development Program and soon-to-be first-round draft pick.  Part 3 Among other things, Gabe Desjardins talks to us about how he got into hockey analytics, how teams make decisions, changes he'd like to see in the media and data the NHL should make available. Part 4 Dirk Hoag breaks down the early offseason's most interesting team, the Nashville Predators. We discussed the Preds turbulent playoffs, trade-deadline moves, the Radulov affair, the Lindback trade, Shea Weber and, of course, the hottest commodity of this year: Ryan Suter.

In the latest NHLnumbers podcast, we talked to Latvian prospect Zemgus Girgensons who Pierre McGuire will tell us played for the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the USHL. For the second segment, we discussed the Capitals' playoff run and coaching situation and a whole lot of #fancystats with Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post and ESPN Insider. Full The entire show. Part 1 Part one featured Zemgus Girgensons, who next month will likely become the first Latvian player drafted in the first round. Among other things, we asked him about moving to Vermont at 15 to play hockey, his skills and how he approaches defensive-zone starts (Spoiler: very well). Part 2 Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post and ESPN Insider joined us to discuss the Caps' playoff run, Hunter hockey and the search for a new coach. We also had a long discussion about #fancystats including such topics as what is keeping our approach from going more mainstream, limitations, potential new things that could be explored, tracking scoring chances and the recent focus on blocked shots.

In our Stanley Cup Finals preview, we had a four-person panel consisting of John Fischer from In Lou We Trust and our own Brent, also from Driving Play, for the Devils' side of things as well as Niesy and Robert P. from Jewels from the Crown to give us the view from the Kings' angle. Finals Preview After reviewing the Conference Finals and going back to the excellent moves each of these teams made near the trade deadline, we discussed 5-on-5 play, broke down the matchups, went into special teams and talked about the two goaltenders. Of course, it wouldn't be a preview without meaningless predictions. We hope you will enjoy the podcast. If you did (or even if you didn't) please leave a comment to let you know what you think.  

As we did over at Driving Play, we are doing previews of each series featuring guests who are writers or bloggers for the teams in question. Unfortunately we also followed the tradition of taking a bit too long editing and the short break did us no favors so this is coming out after game 1. Full The whole show. Our guests were Niesy, managing editor at the KIngs blog Jewels from the Crown, and George Ays from Rangers blog Blue Shirt Banter, coming soon to an NHLnumbers near you. Part 1 In part one we talked to Niesy about the Kings' trade deadline moves, replacing Murray with Sutter, the series with Phoenix and, of course, David Beckham. Part 2 Part two started out with our own Brent talking about the Devils side of things, from their thrashing of the Flyers to what he expects of Eastern Conference Finals. Then we brought on George Ays to discuss the Rangers' playoffs so far, their love for 5-on-5 penalty killing and the coming series with the Devils.

    Although we have more than a few NHLNumbers podcasts already under our belts, today we reveal the NN podcast relaunch created and produced by the good folks of Driving Play. This will become a regular feature here at NHLNumbers, so feel free to have a listen and share some of your comments, complaints, criticisms and, of course, lavish praise. Full The Whole show. Segment 1 Part 1 features former blogger and current G&M Leafs beat writer James Mirtle. Topics include new Habs GM Marc Bergervin, potential Luongo destinations, the Phoenix situation and how the playoffs are shaping up. Segment 2 Corey Pronman is guest #2. He shares his approach to scouting, including what qualities and stats he values. What the Oilers should do with the first overall pick is discussed, as well as the potential for some trades near the top of the draft this June.

    For this special edition of the NHLNumbers podcast, Jonathan Willis, Rob Vollman, Justin Azevedo and myself (Kent Wilson) came together to talk all things trade deadline. Segment 1 In part 1 we talk some of the deals that have already gone down prior to the deadline, with special attention paid to the Jeff Carter trade. The value of draft picks is also discussed. Segment 2 Segment 2 begins with some goalie talk and we move on to locker room gossip and whether it has any legitimacy. Grant Clitsome and the Wolski trade are also topics. Segment 3 We finish up by looking at some of the rumors and potential moves teams might make on Monday, including Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Toronto and a potential Buffalo Sabres sale. Former big deadline deals that had an impact are ranked as well. At least one Chris Chelios joke is included as well. Full The whole thing.

    The first three episodes of the NHLNumbers podcast focused mostly on definitions and theory in general. In episode four, we move on to applying what we've talked about to particular teams/players/news in the league. This week, we decided to focus on the Washington Capitals and Philadelphia Flyers - a couple of clubs with a lot to talk about and great writers to talk with. Neil Greenberg of the Washington Post and ESPN as well as Geoff Detweiler of Broadstreet Hockey stop by to share their insights.   Segment 1 We talk to Neil about writing and blogging in the Washington market as well as the Capitals incredible 2009-10. Connotations and perceptions of luck are discussed. Segment 2 Neil sticks around and we talk about the challenge of finding the "signal" of true player talent in all the "noise" of circumstances, luck and surface results. Roman Hamrlik's recent struggles are discussed. Neil also shares some stories about Capitals "sniper" Jason Chimera. We also get into the recent firing of Bruce Boudreau and Ovechkin's relatively poor season. Segment 3 Geoff stops by so we can talk all things Philadelphia. No team in the league has made more drastic changes over the last 6-12 months. We talk Bryzgalov, Carter and Richards trades and other Philly decisions such as keeping Couturier as a fourth line center and purging many of their forward defensive options. Whole thing Get the full podcast here. Thanks again to Neil and Geoff for providing such great insight. As always, you can find the podcast on itunes as well.