Getting To Know Your Peterborough Pete's: Part I

The Ontario Hockey League season got underway tonight, and I am sure business will pick up for the Canadian Hockey League now that the National Hockey League is locking out their players.

We said we would be covering The Peterborough Pete's while the NHL is dormant.  This is the first post in a series where I will be introducing you to the 2012-2013 Pete's.  I'm going to go over some things such as what Pete's are currently drafted by NHL teams, where the players come from (home country) where they played last year, how much experience they have in the CHL as well as some other interesting statistics.

I'll start with where the Pete's come from.  Below is a graph that shows the make up of what countries they are from.  On the graph is 2 numbers.  **The 1st number is the amount of Pete's from that country, and the second number is the percentage of the team that that country makes up.**

You can see that most of them are Canadian, with a couple Americans, and a couple from Europe.

Next I want to point out how much experience the Pete's players have.  I have broken it down into positions.(Forward, Defense, and Goalie) **Numbers on the chart equals average amount of seasons**.

Not a big difference in experience between positions, but the goalies do have the most experience when averaged out per position

Lastly, I'm going to show you how many rookies there are, how many are returning and how many were brought in from another team. **1st number is the amount of players and the second number is the percentage of the team**

The data shows that 67% of the team is returning from last year.  Also, they are relying on some rookies to fill the void of some of the leaving players.  The dressing room is going to look very familiar to a lot of these guys, and hopefully that helps them on the ice.  

That being said, the Pete's didn't do very well last season, I am not expecting them to be making much noise this year either, but there are some young guys on this team that will want to prove them selves in the OHL and anything can happen if other teams lose chemistry, or have some injured players.

Look for Part II early next week in our series of Getting To Know Your Peterborough Pete's.

Why All the Hate?

I understand why most people dislike Gary Bettman, the commissioner of the National Hockey League.  He is a monotone speaker, who uses large words that sometimes make even the smartest fans a little confused.  He also sounds cold and emotionless when he speaks.  I totally understand how someone can dislike him.   Take the personality away from Bettman and examine whats left. A smart business man who has really transformed hockey into a great game that it currently is.


I'm a stats person, and they really tell the story in this case.  When Bettman took over the commissioners job back in 1993, the league was making $400 million a year.  In 18 years that has risen to a staggering 3 billion dollars.

Also, Bettman expanded 4 teams in to the United States (Atlanta, Columbus, Nashville, and Minnesota) None of these teams have had real success, but still 4 solid franchises none the less. ** Note: Anaheim and Florida were given teams before Bettman took over as commissioner**

Bettman also relocated 4 teams, Winnipeg to Phoenix, Hartford to North Carolina, Minnesota to Dallas, and Quebec to Colorado.   Out of these 4 teams, three of them went on to win the Stanley Cup (Colorado, Dallas, and Carolina).  That is some pretty good success, that's for sure.

Something else to take in to consideration is the TV deal they have in the US.   They manage to sign a 10 year deal with Comcast for 2 billion dollars.  This is great for the NHL in the states.  Exposure is what they need.  They need to get into every nook and cranny in the US to squeeze out every dollar they can.
  
My point is, Bettman is not perfect, nor has he done every single thing right in his tenure, BUT he has made this game better than it ever has been.  The parity in the NHL these days is awesome.  I love going into a season not knowing who is going to make the playoffs, or win the Stanley Cup.   Take a look at the L.A. Kings. They were considering trading away their roster players to stock up for next year, but decided at the last minute to add a few key players, and BAM, they are parading around the world this summer with the Stanley Cup!

The NHL is growing, and its growing big, and fast!  And it's all thanks to Gary Bettman, and of course the money paying fans!

A Whole Different Ball Game

I'm not surprised when someone comes up to me and says "If there is another lockout this year in the NHL, I'm going to give up on Hockey".  I only have 2 things to say to people who tell me that.  1) Go ahead, stop watching NHL Hockey, it's your loss, not the NHL's.  2)  You'll be back, they always come back!

The NHL had it's last labor dispute in 2004-2005 and what happened after that?  NHL franchises soared in value, attendance in the league was up, and so was the revenues.  I remember everyone saying how they lost interest because of the lockout when it certainly wasn't the case when the numbers were crunched.   The Canadiens enjoyed the most benefits after the lockout (2005-2010) with their franchise value rose up by 128%.  The Leafs also soared in value up 86% in value as well.

I can only speak for myself when I say this, but this is what I think.  I love hockey.  I watch the NHL because it is entertaining.  I could not care any less then I already do about the revenues, or how greedy one side is over the other.  If the NHL is canceled for a season, I'll do what I did last time.  Watch the OHL and wait patiently until the CBA is resolved and NHL hockey comes back.

The way the players presented their counter proposal, it looks like they are willing to work with the NHL.  We are already way past the spot they were last time at this point.  They say they are still way off, but I don't think the owners really want a lock out to last all season, ready for it? Yes, but want it? No.

Some of the points listed in the NHLPA's proposal were interesting but really dumb.  For example the draft pick idea for struggling teams is pretty awful.  Just because the NHL has put a team in a market that can't handle a team, does not mean the NHL should be able to hand out draft picks to that team.

Something I did like though was the fact that financially struggling teams can trade/sell cap space away.  This would allow a team to not have to spend to the floor if they are in super financial troubles.  Also allow a team to get an extra player if they are at the cap upper limit.

It's safe to assume that October NHL Hockey is a wash.  I'm thinking that there will be hockey by Christmas, but who knows with these guys.

Blue Jays Report Week 1

After the 1st week of baseball in the books, the Jays find them selves sitting atop the American League East division.  The Jays have some things they need to work on, and they have some ares where they are succeeding.  Here is the break down of 3 categories I am going to focus on this week:

Hitting Average: The Jays batting average is only .204.  This needs to be upped 60 or 70 points.  They need to be able to hit off pitchers on a regular basis, to be a decent threat.  Last year they finished 20th with a .249 average. Bautista, Rasmus, and Arencibia really need to pick their averages up.  All three are currently under .200 and that is just an acceptable for players that are the core of our team.  Rasmus really needs to pick it up because he finished last year with less than a .200 batting average.  He is a young player still with lots of upside, but in Jays Nation, we want to win NOW, and later.

Starting Pitching: Starting pitching has been solid.  They last on average about 6.3 innings per start which is pretty solid.  The ERA by the starting pitchers is a combine 3.05, which is also pretty good. Starting pitching has definitely been the strongest point in the Jays season so far.  Still tho, the starting pitching is going to need to get a little bit better if they want to compete long term with the other three big clubs in this division.

Relief Pitching: Relief pitching is about on par with hitting, in other words not very good.  Relief pitchers have made 24 appearance, and have a combine ERA of 3.50.  That's not that bad, but the staggering statistic is the 3 blown saves in 4 save opportunities.  The Jays will not have any success in this league if their closers keep blowing saves. Last season they had 25 blown saves, converting only 57% of their saves opportunities.  If they had even converted 11 of those 25 blown save opportunities, they would have made the playoffs.  So far this season it looks like it has gotten worse.  That's ok tho, it gives them something to work on and lets hope they find a way to fix this hole.

*all stats are as of April 14th 11:00am EST.

Magic Numbers - March23

So, with only a few weeks left in the season, here is the list of magic numbers to have the Leafs eliminated mathematically. Team is on the left, and the number of points they need to be untouchable (by the Leafs) is in the middle, and the record each team needs at minimum to stay past the Leafs in the standings is on the right. All this is assuming the Leafs win their last 8 games. I didn't bother putting in Boston, because they only need 1 point, with 10 games left, to be untouchable for the Leafs.

Team	Points Needed	Lowest Record Needed
Florida	1	0-7-1
Ottawa	2	1-4-1
Washington	6	2-4-2
Buffalo	4	2-5
Winnipeg	9	4-2-1
Carolina	12	6-0

*as of 11:38pm March 23rd 2012.

That being said, these teams still play each other down the stretch. These games are deadly considering how close they all are in the standings. Everyone of these games could go to OT and be 3 point games.
Washington: Florida, Buffalo and Winnipeg
Florida: Washington, Carolina and Winnipeg
Ottawa: Winnipeg and Carolina
Buffalo: Washington and Toronto (2)
Winnipeg: Washington, Florida, Ottawa and Carolina
Carolina: Florida, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg
So, yes, the Leafs are not mathematically eliminated from the playoffs yet, but, their maximum points are 5 points short of the usual playoff minimum for the Eastern Conference.

Interview - Rob Snoek & Steve Rea

We had the opportunity for an exclusive interview with the play-by-play announcer and the colour commentator for the Peterborough Petes.  Rob Snoek and Steve Rea honored our request after the Petes loss to the Kingston Frontenacs on Thursday.  Interesting fact, the Peterborough Petes are the only team in the OHL that have a radio team and newspaper reporter that travel with the team on their bus.

Education and Experiences

Mr. Snoek is the veteran and has quite the resume. He began by getting his education from Seneca College and started at the bottom doing background research and writing copy , working his way up to radio stations in Toronto and Oshawa, then covering the last 5 Olympics with CBC, and now teaches Radio Broadcasting at Loyalist College while calling the Petes games.  

Mr. Rea is the rookie.  He is the one that may give the listeners an interesting story about a player, or tell the listeners what the Pete's need to do in the 3rd period to win the game.  He plays an equally vital role in the tandem as Mr. Snoek does.  He also is a vice principal for his day job.

Left to right: Steve Rea, Rob Snoek, Jeff Francis

Game Day Preparation


Mr Snoek described what his game day preparation includes and its quite bit of planning.  In fact, it stretches out to beyond just game days.  He talks about entrenching himself into everything about the Ontario Hockey League, from stats, to player profiles, and including the history of the "O".

Mr Snoek develops roster cards for the opposing teams, filled with notes of things he may want to say, their big stars, and stats.   He also compiles stats about the opposing team, their recent tendencies, and how the Petes have stacked up against the team the last while.


Here is Episode 002 of The Francis Report from Thursday Feb 16th's game Peterborough Vs Kingston.

Contest - Ends March 17th

We are holding a contest over the next month and a bit.  Up for grabs is an NHL Tim Horton's gift card loaded with $15.  Said Tim's card will feature your favourite NHL team's Logo on it. How to win it?  All you have to do is visit our Facebook page, "Like" our page, Tell us what NHL Team is your favourite, and your name will be entered into the draw!  The draw will be held on March 17th 2012.  Anyone can enter, even people who have previously liked the page.

Keep your eyes open for other contests!

Super Bowl XLVI

This Sunday, February 5th 2012 is The Super Bowl!  It is going to be The New England Patriots taking on the New York Giants.  The Pats have been designated as the Home team this year.

Giants: 9-7 - 1st in the NFC East Division
Patriots: 13-3 - 1st in the AFC

This is the 6th time in the last 15 years and the 7th appearance overall for the Pat's.  The 1st of 5 times, they lost to the Packers, and then going on to win 3 in 4 years from 2002-2005 beating the Rams, Panthers and Eagles. The last Super Bowl appearance they lost 17-14 to the very same Giants at the end of their near perfect season.

This will be the 5th time the Giants have been to the Super Bowl, winning 3 and losing 1. 

Fun stat of the day, the last 4 Super Bowl games involving the Pats have been decided by 3 points.

This will be a close game, most likely, but I'm going out on a limb and saying the Pats win this game 32-17.

Did you know? and Rondom Stats for 21/01/2012

Did you know....

- that the Original Six only lasted 25 seasons?  The original six started in the 1942-43 season and ended in the 1966-1967 season
- Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens combined for 19 of the 25 Stanley Cups during the Original Six era

Leafs...

- It's been a decade since the Leafs had player in the top 10 scoring, and this year they have 2 (Lupul and Kessel) in the top ten
- When having 3 or more players selected to the All-Star game, the Leafs are 6/6 when it comes to making the playoffs.
- The Leafs will have to go 22-14-0 in order to achieve the magic number of 93 points.  (3 points is generally the amount of points of the 8th seed team in the Eastern Conference
Joffrey Lupul is on pace for 90 points (20g 31a) completely eclipsing his previous career high of 53 points set with the Ducks.
- Tonight the Habs are in Toronto to take on the Leafs in their 708th all time regular season head to head game.

Sens...

They are the surprise club of the season for sure.  I don't think anyone expected them to be this high in the standings at this point of the season.  They are sitting just 2 points out of 1st in the Eastern Conference.  Unfortunately, Brian Murry has built the club that Brian Burke was trying to build.  Sens are looking good, but I don't expect it to last.

Bruins...

Kudos to Rask, look at those numbers!  Mind you, he plays on a defensively sound team.

Milestones...
Habs:
Subban needs 1 point for 60 career points...
Kaberle  needs 51 points for 600 career points and 51 games for 1000 career games...
Gomez is 20 points away from 700 career points...
Leafs:
Gunnarsson is 1 point from 50 career points...
Kessel is 5 points from 300 career points...
Komisarek is 7 games from 500 career games...
Lombari is 26 games from 500 career games...
Lupul is 5 games from 500 career games...
Phaneuf is 4 points from 300 career points...
Bruins:
Campbell is 16 games from 500 career games...
Chara is 30 games from 1000 career games...
Ference is 18 games from700 career games...
Horton is 20 points from 400 career points...
Rask is 15 starts from 100 career starts...
Seidenberg's next game will be his 500th career game...


NFL...

My weekend pick are:  Pats and 49'ers...