[Meta] Request for Hockey Content
I enjoy watching UM sports teams be good at stuff. I enjoy it even more when I know what's going on. UM's hockey team is good at stuff, but I don't know much about hockey. If one of MGoBlog's hockey experts could do something like Seth's Neck Sharpies series, but for hockey, so that I (and other hockey neophytes) could better understand the nuts and bolts of the sport, that would be great.
November 20th, 2020 at 12:37 AM ^
More basketball material or football recruiting would be best.
We just had a bunch of the top 2022 watch a terrible football game and come away interested in joining the team. I'd love to hear interviews on what motivates their interest and more on Jackson and Johnson being a package deal, etc.
November 20th, 2020 at 12:48 AM ^
I'm talking about big picture stuff. I really know nothing about hockey beyond put the puck in the net. What are the prevailing offensive strategies? What are the best defensive strategies? How do they complement each other? How does a coach's preferred strategy affect recruiting?
November 20th, 2020 at 1:40 AM ^
Repetitive.... Front Page, my guy.
November 20th, 2020 at 4:18 AM ^
Double post.
November 20th, 2020 at 1:11 AM ^
A weekly fight video showing Probert and/or Kocur would be a refreshing change.
November 20th, 2020 at 1:37 AM ^
Front Page, my guy.
November 20th, 2020 at 2:12 AM ^
I will talk to Brian but I definitely think that between David and I we can draw something up on this topic. It's about to be Thanksgiving break so I should have some time to put something together this week. Would you be interested in the specifics of the game or learning more about college hockey specifically, or both?
November 20th, 2020 at 6:30 AM ^
I've been a big fan of the team for 10+ years now but I am a dumb fan. I know how it's supposed to look and not look on the TV but my knowledge of strategy and the game is poor. If you guys can do anything on discussing Mel's system and how it is vs the rest of hockey I'd be interested in that
November 20th, 2020 at 7:31 AM ^
An example for me - I just spent 10 min this morning googling Corsi to figure out what it actually is.... now I know the definition but could use some education on whether it is just useful as a general indicator or something more.
Also agree with others above re: the requests for style and system analysis. I watched part of the FYS - ASU game and boy was the style different than M - ASU. I am guessing the MSU play style is designed to reduce the affects of talent disparities but would love to know more of the how and why.
November 20th, 2020 at 9:58 AM ^
Hey! Time to bump my diaries from 2012!
https://mgoblog.com/diaries/hockey-special-teams-1-powerplay-basics
https://mgoblog.com/diaries/hockey-special-teams-2-pk-and-neutral-zone-basics
November 21st, 2020 at 10:16 AM ^
That would be awesome! I've been playing and coaching hockey for over 30 years and I'd still find this fascinating. Something like a Neck Sharpies that breaks down a quick series of plays would be really interesting.
One of my favorite things to do is take people to their first game and just let them ask questions. This game is so great, but it can be really opaque to a newcomers. A lot of long time fans even don't understand the importance of off puck movement. I've played beer league with guys who started playing in their 30's. They'd bee watching for year and LOVE hockey. But get them on the ice and they quickly realize they have no clue what they're doing. Which is fine, it's beer league after all.
Anyway, I'd dig it. I'm sure others would too. I think it'd go a long way to helping people better appreciate this game of controlled chaos. Thanks for the work you're already doing Alex! It's good stuff!
November 20th, 2020 at 4:19 AM ^
I agree that this would be good. In the meantime, the book “Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey By Knowing Where to Look” is worth checking out.
November 20th, 2020 at 7:23 AM ^
For me, I’d appreciate something geared to college hockey and Mel’s systems. Thanks!
November 20th, 2020 at 7:47 AM ^
The best goalie tends to win. That goes for all hockey, amateur, and the pro's.
November 20th, 2020 at 7:53 AM ^
Intensive research and meta analysis into decades of hockey data has led statisticians and historians to the conclusion that the team that scores the most goals in a game also tends to win. Their findings are currently undergoing peer review and are expected to be published in a prominent sports anthropology journal early next year.
November 20th, 2020 at 7:56 AM ^
I agree with the general request here. I love watching hockey but know nothing about the strategies of the game. There are aspects of hockey that seem to correlate to a game I know well-basketball. Here the off-puck movement of players to open spaces and the creating of space for your teammates seems very similar.
I would like to hear an informed opinion or two about my frustration with hockey which is that there is too much luck involved with goal scoring. I believe the goal is too small and that this actually randomizes goal scoring-rewards luck as much as it does skill. Make the goal a foot wider and 6 inches higher.
November 20th, 2020 at 8:40 AM ^
The problem isn't so much the size of the goal itself, but that goalie equipment has been getting bigger through the years. The leg pads and gloves, along with shoulder pads, have expanded to the point where a bigger person playing goal can effectively block the entire net. All of this has happened largely because goal scorers have increased on talent significantly since the days of Wayne Gretzky. The game itself has also legislated towards freeing up offense (much like football has).
For non-hockey fans, I can certainly see where more offense would be exciting. And in that respect, I would be in favor of reducing the size of goalie equipment more so than increasing the size of the goal. But then, I'm the guy that finds significant thrill and excitement in a high flying 1-0 game; and in crazy good defensive stalemates on a football field; and in the 1-0 baseball thriller between batters and pitchers.
But watching a well played 1-0 soccer match? No thanks... LOL!! We each have out thing!
November 20th, 2020 at 8:20 AM ^
Alex / where( what’s) the house? Corsi its just a number - i've really tried to understand it but ...??? Come up with a new stat of your own : the Drain Differential, Drain Data.
November 20th, 2020 at 10:00 AM ^
The house is basically the area between the dots, shaped like home plate, or a house. It's a high quality scoring area. Kind of like the paint in basketball.
November 20th, 2020 at 10:57 AM ^
All you need to know about hockey terms:
1st base = at the blue line
2nd base = at the red line
3rd base = in the crease
Home = Goal
.... a good shake after is always the same
November 20th, 2020 at 8:46 AM ^
Is there a consistent/reliable source for hockey highlights? It seems that until the bumper crop of Howard's recruits gets on campus, this is the team to follow.
November 20th, 2020 at 11:57 AM ^
Not really. USCHO and CollegeHockeyNews are the two reliable sources for college hockey info, but highlights probably come from individual schools or conferences. I'd use CHN's live scoreboard and then go search for the game in question
For Michigan, the team's twitter usually posts highlights within a few hours
No. 6 Michigan takes down No. 14 Wisconsin 5-2 in first road test of the season#GoBlue〽️ pic.twitter.com/GMeAPdC2Ei
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) November 20, 2020
November 20th, 2020 at 4:50 PM ^
I had to walk away from twitter so TY for sharing this.
"Mike Pastajov(sp) whacks away at it and finally coaxes it home."
I am a child.
November 20th, 2020 at 8:58 AM ^
Let’s do that hockey.
November 20th, 2020 at 4:43 PM ^
I just added expanded sports ($13.95 per month) to include FSDHD (Fox Sports Detroit) to my Direct TV package as listening last night was not good enough and I refuse to pay for BTN+
November 21st, 2020 at 8:34 AM ^
The Athletic’s, Max Bultman, has recently wrote some good articles on Michigan hockey. I definitely recommend his articles if you want more insight into what the team is doing and a better understanding of hockey in general.