Defending Big D, a Dallas Stars community

One of my favorite hockey analysis websites is back with their 2011 NHL Review - a massive 90 page document that details the performance of teams and players during the 2010-2011 NHL season. The writing is clear and thorough, and the author (Alan Ryder) provides a great introduction to his Player Contribution (PC) tool. The spreadsheet with PC data is also included for reference and reader exploration. It's a very educational and eye-opening look at the relative value of individual players. The 90-page length makes this a slightly daunting, but very rewarding way for stat-geeks like me to spend some time reading about performance in the NHL.

As is typical, teams come out of the gate too fast or in the case of the Jackets too slow. I've linked an article that can be summarized in one sentence if you don't have the time/aren't into hockey advanced stats: "The Blue Jackets have stunk, but most of that is due to random chance as opposed to them being the worst club in the NHL. " The Jackets are on the opposite end of the spectrum from the Rangers, my club, but infact are looking better at 5v5 in general when it comes to the numbers. The Jackets will snap out of their bad luck (only a matter of how soon), and if you know any Rangers fans make sure you tell them that you "had a hunch" when the Blueshirts go on a "random" (the NYR fan will say this) slide eventually.