The season is young, and the jury is out on whether or not the two ref system will actually improve offensive output in the WCHA. One thing is for certain: penalty totals have climbed (if the SCSU-MN and UW-MN series are any indication). What about the goal scoring, though?
Note: all numbers were obtained through USCHO.com's WCHA standings page and calculations were done based off that. It's a pretty simple procedure - just add up the GF (goals for) column in league play, then divide by 1/2 the sum of games played by the ten teams to get the total goal output per game for a full season (280 games played, but there are 2 teams per game obviously, so it's 140 actual games played). Simple example illustrating this: let's say all ten teams have played two games against each other. Obviously, this translates into ten total games played.
Here's a list of WCHA goal scoring output (total goals / goals per game):
2008-09: 71 / 5.9 (12 total games played; MN and UW have played 4 apiece)
2007-08: 701 / 5.0
2006-07: 760 / 5.4
2005-06: 840 / 6.0
2004-05: 856 / 6.1
2003-04: 895 / 6.4
2002-03: 915 / 6.5
2001-02: 925 / 6.6
2000-01: 893 / 6.4
1999-00: 866 / 6.2 (current 10 team league w/ 28 game schedule)
Thoughts: until two seasons ago, the league had been stuck in a 6-6.6 goal per game range. After that, the offense fell off a cliff. I don't think officiating changed much over this period of time, so I'm left to conclude that the sharp drop after 05-06 is due to an upswing in early departures with the NHL's revised CBA. Even with the greater emphasis on penalties so far this season, the offense still hasn't climbed back above 6 goals per game (though obviously it's a tiny sample size).
1998-99: 786 / 6.2 (9 team league w/ 28 game schedule)
1997-98: 851 / 6.8 (9 team league w/ 28 game schedule)
1996-97: 1105 / 6.9 (10 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1995-96: 1170 / 7.3 (10 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1994-95: 1231 / 7.7 (10 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1993-94: 1175 / 7.3 (10 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1992-93: 1167 / 8.1 (9 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1991-92: 1219 / 8.5 (9 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1990-91: 1161 / 8.1 (9 team league w/ 32 game schedule)
1989-90: 1026 / 9.2 (8 team league w/ 28 game schedule)
Thoughts: the WCHA was in flux in the '90s; SCSU and UAA joined the league, and NMU left for the CCHA. The total number of conference games changed a couple times as well. 1995-96 marked the end of 7+ goals per game for the league.
1988-89: 1069 / 7.6 (8 team league w/ 35 game schedule)
1987-88: 1201 / 8.6 (8 team league w/ 35 game schedule)
1986-87: 1159 / 8.3 (8 team league w/ 35 game schedule)
Goals for / goals against stats unavailable via easily accessible standings pages on USCHO prior to the '86-'87 season. I could probably find them if I did a lot more digging, but it would just reinforce what is an already obvious trend: offense has been declining since the mid '90s. While the small amount of evidence this season points to a modest reversal of this trend thanks to the deluge of penalties being called, we still haven't seen any indication that the numbers are going to come close to getting all the way back to where they were 12-13 years ago. That fact tells me that officiating is just part of the problem (the others being better goaltending/defensive systems in place and more gifted offensive players leaving after just 1-2 seasons).
If the league - and college hockey as a whole - are serious about bringing back goal scoring, the other steps that they can take would focus on regulating the size of goalie equipment (I don't know if the NCAA's rules match what the NHL is doing on this issue or not) and coming up with some sort of solution with the NHLPA regarding early departures.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Sunday, October 5, 2008
New CCHA league
I give you the new CCHA - as named by yours truly.
Michigan Menopause (Red's getting rather old)
Michigan State Sack Licks (self explanatory)
Miami Vice (it had to be done!)
Bowling Green Butt Plugs
The University of Nebraska Omahahahahaha (laughable team)
Western Michigan WTF (explains much about their program)
University of Alaska Anal Beads (few women up there; they need 'em)
Ferris State Fornicators (it flows well)
Northern Michigan Mongoloids (it's the U.P.)
The Ohio State Stalkers (alternate: columbus cow molesters)
Notre Dame Never Laids
Lake Superior State Lesbos
Michigan Menopause (Red's getting rather old)
Michigan State Sack Licks (self explanatory)
Miami Vice (it had to be done!)
Bowling Green Butt Plugs
The University of Nebraska Omahahahahaha (laughable team)
Western Michigan WTF (explains much about their program)
University of Alaska Anal Beads (few women up there; they need 'em)
Ferris State Fornicators (it flows well)
Northern Michigan Mongoloids (it's the U.P.)
The Ohio State Stalkers (alternate: columbus cow molesters)
Notre Dame Never Laids
Lake Superior State Lesbos
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Gotta Love Politicians
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/19/rangel.ethics.ap/index.html?eref=ib_topstories
The guy doesn't pay taxes on rental property income and uses a rent-stabilized apartment to solicit contributions toward something named after him - and then has the audacity to say he hasn't betrayed the public's trust or misused his office. To top it off, he accuses the other party of targeting him. Um, moron, if you weren't doing anything wrong in the first place, nobody could "target" you or embarrass you.
It amazes me how people in positions of power become so addicted to their cushy jobs that they completely detach themselves from reality. Hopefully, the IRS will hit him hard with interest and penalties, just like they'd do to the rest of us if we screwed up this badly on our tax payments.
The guy doesn't pay taxes on rental property income and uses a rent-stabilized apartment to solicit contributions toward something named after him - and then has the audacity to say he hasn't betrayed the public's trust or misused his office. To top it off, he accuses the other party of targeting him. Um, moron, if you weren't doing anything wrong in the first place, nobody could "target" you or embarrass you.
It amazes me how people in positions of power become so addicted to their cushy jobs that they completely detach themselves from reality. Hopefully, the IRS will hit him hard with interest and penalties, just like they'd do to the rest of us if we screwed up this badly on our tax payments.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Another Badass Hurricane Threatens the Gulf Coast
As I type this, hurricane Gustav is delivering a severe beating to northwestern Cuba. In the next 24 hours or so, it should threaten the Louisiana coast.
If it hits New Orleans and delivers another round of flooding and catastrophic damage, hopefully, this will tell our stupid government that rebuilding a city prone to devastating hurricane strikes is an exercise in futility.
Of course, the government won't follow common sense and will waste billions of dollars rebuilding the city (again). Hooray for subsidizing stupid behavior!
If it hits New Orleans and delivers another round of flooding and catastrophic damage, hopefully, this will tell our stupid government that rebuilding a city prone to devastating hurricane strikes is an exercise in futility.
Of course, the government won't follow common sense and will waste billions of dollars rebuilding the city (again). Hooray for subsidizing stupid behavior!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Smurfette: Tease, Whore, or Nun?
She's a whore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CL4gFiZfhN0
Or we could just base it off the fact she's the only girl in a village full of guys. Since the show made no mention of any gay or bicurious smurfs, the only conclusion one can possibly make is she's a whore. Plus I happened to stumble upon an episode on Boomerang (some retarded offspring of cartoon network) this morning where a bunch of smurfs were fighting each other for the right to marry her.
After turning all of them down, she simply said "I love you all".
Case closed. She's a whore.
And apparently, the smurfs were big on rimjobs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXvAohycajI
Or we could just base it off the fact she's the only girl in a village full of guys. Since the show made no mention of any gay or bicurious smurfs, the only conclusion one can possibly make is she's a whore. Plus I happened to stumble upon an episode on Boomerang (some retarded offspring of cartoon network) this morning where a bunch of smurfs were fighting each other for the right to marry her.
After turning all of them down, she simply said "I love you all".
Case closed. She's a whore.
And apparently, the smurfs were big on rimjobs: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXvAohycajI
They Stole My Idea!
http://thegreenmicrogym.com/
Thanks to Theresa for the heads-up on this one. For those that do not know this, I have had a long-standing idea to have a fitness center/gym where people work out and generate electricity. It's a bit of a modification of my more humorous "fat people on giant hamster wheels" idea - probably less sadistic and more profitable, too.
At any rate, these people can all go blow goats for stealing my idea. Ok, they aren't really stealing it, since they were unaware that I came up with it long ago - but still, I hate them and want them to die horrible deaths. I also don't think they have the courage to have a big hamster wheel for fat people in that place... pussies.
Thanks to Theresa for the heads-up on this one. For those that do not know this, I have had a long-standing idea to have a fitness center/gym where people work out and generate electricity. It's a bit of a modification of my more humorous "fat people on giant hamster wheels" idea - probably less sadistic and more profitable, too.
At any rate, these people can all go blow goats for stealing my idea. Ok, they aren't really stealing it, since they were unaware that I came up with it long ago - but still, I hate them and want them to die horrible deaths. I also don't think they have the courage to have a big hamster wheel for fat people in that place... pussies.
Hoveround
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GWZp1U2iS4
Anyone care to tell me how the hell those two old bags got up there? Something tells me the stupid hoveround doesn't qualify as an all-terrain vehicle. Then again, maybe it should qualify as such - old people will take more risks with it and try to navigate their way through ditches and dangerous terrain. This should miraculously solve our social security and medicare funding problems.
Anyone care to tell me how the hell those two old bags got up there? Something tells me the stupid hoveround doesn't qualify as an all-terrain vehicle. Then again, maybe it should qualify as such - old people will take more risks with it and try to navigate their way through ditches and dangerous terrain. This should miraculously solve our social security and medicare funding problems.
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