SB Nation - Nikolai Zherdev

What's the matter with Madison Square Garden?

Hawerchuk — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 23:33:42 -0000

You don't normally think of "rink effects" like "park effects" in baseball. Sure, there were the smaller ice surfaces at the old Boston Garden (191x83), or the Buffalo Auditorium (194x84), or the tight corners at Maple Leaf Gardens, all of which may or may not have benefited the home teams. But all of those rinks are gone today, replaced by ice sheets that meet the NHL's standard dimensions:

via arizonasundogs.com.ismmedia.com

But when we look at the data recorded in each NHL rink, we do find "rink effects" - the bias of those watching the game and recording the stats for us. For several seasons, Madison Square Garden has had the shortest shot distance in the NHL (see Alan Ryder's "Product Recall for Shot Quality" for more details.) This is not by chance; there are systematic errors in recording shot location (both for and against) at MSG.

I watched about 30 goals to see if I could figure out what was going wrong (I would have watched more, but apparently the NHL's video server crashes if you watch too many goals.) I found a great example in the first game at MSG last season. You can see Nikolai Zherdev (circled in red) about to release the puck in the slot above the face-off circle. The top of the face-off circle is 35 feet from the goal line, and that's probably how far out Zherdev is when he shoots. He's a bit to right of the net - perhaps as far as seven feet, which is where the edge of the face-off circle runs. So let's call his shot coordinates (35, 7), or about 36 feet from the net.

[Nikolai Zherdev 10/10/08 from NHL.com]

How was his goal recorded in the official play-by-play?

At NHL.com: NYR #13 ZHERDEV(1), Snap, Off. Zone, 22 ft.

At ESPN.com: Shot coordinates (17,13) or 21 feet.

Remember - the face-off dots are 20 feet from the net. So if Zherdev had shot from the middle of the slot right at the face-off dots, he would have been 20 feet away. He was clearly much further than that.

As I watched another few games, it was clear that the errors are not consistent. But there's at least one goal every game where the officially-recorded location is nowhere near the real location. For example, Zherdev had another goal on October 25th where he clearly shot the puck from beyond the face-off dot; it was recorded as 18 feet from the net.

Or Dan Girardi's goal on October 30 against Atlanta. Girardi is almost at the boards, and he's several feet behind the face-off dot. He might be 30 feet from the goal line - but the recorded distance from the goal line at MSG is just 14 feet, which would be where I've put the X - a circus shot given that he was just a few feet away from the boards.

[Dan Girardi 10/30/08 from NHL.com]

The more you watch, the more wild mistakes you'll find. No doubt there are errors at every rink - but MSG makes the worst of them. As long as you remember that the coordinates of the face-off dots are (20,22) - that is, 20 feet from the goal line and 22 feet from the center of the net - it's hard to make egregious mistakes like we've seen here.

Linkstravaganza for Thursday, Sep. 15th

aaron b — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:23:34 -0000

Thrasher-centric:

Zherdev on media 'lies,' why he didn't end up with Thrashers - Puck Daddy - NHL - Yahoo! Sports - Nikolai Zherdev gives his take on the whole Atlant/Atlanta thing. Amazing how one letter makes all the difference.

16 Players Reassigned - Atlanta Thrashers - News - The Thrashers trimmed their roster yesterday, sending four to Chicago, seven to juniors, and five back into the cold, cruel world.

More Maxim Afinogenov info: Chris Vivlamore @ ajc.com and Ben Wright @ Blueland Blog

More after the jump...

To stay or not to stay: That's Kovalchuk's question - Craig Custance - NHL - Sporting News - Craig Custance on Ilya Kovalchuk. Not much here will be news to the hardcore among us, but it's always good to reward fair and balanced portrayals. As opposed to "LOLz ! TRASHERS are teh suck, and Kovi shold play for (insert any other team here)!"

Atlanta Thrashers report: Manny Legace in camp | ajc.com - Given the report from the STH breakfast filed by the Falconer this morning, this interview with Manny Legace becomes a little more interesting.

League-wide:

Sharkspage San Jose Sharks NHL hockey and local sports blog: September 2009 - (Via Kukla's Korner) A super comprehensive round-up of the Dany Heatley Bay-Area Press Tour and Pro-Am (for the cure!).

The Hockey News: Edward Fraser's blog: THN.com Blog: Sid, Geno or Alex? - Edward Fraser logs one of the most prevelant water-cooler topics of our time.

Fleury: 'She's my winger' | Eric Francis | Columnists | Sports | Calgary Sun - A really great story about Theo Fleury's road to recovery.

Bruins eye new game as other local teams cash in - BostonHerald.com - Okay, question: would a Thrashers scratch ticket really get you to play the lottery more? A couple NHL teams thank the answer is "yes."

Thursday links: The Darkness kicks ass, I don't care what you say edition

averagejoe — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 11:00:32 -0000

Looks like a lot of you don't like The Darkness. I'm sorry that you can't recognize awesomeness, I really am. Let's get to the links.

Blues news

If you can get past Derek Armstrong staring a hole through you ... you can read an interesting piece about the newest Blue -- a Blue I'm convinced makes the big club and plays significant minutes. [Blues]
A season preview of the 'Note. [Sporting News]
Carlo Colaiacovo is happy and, most importantly, healthy. He's going to have a big season for the Blues. So big, that the team trades one of its young puck-moving d-men in midseason for a scoring threat. My fearless prediction for the season. [Stltoday.com]
When David Backes talks, you listen. By the way, did anyone else notice Backes wore an 'A' in the preseason opener? [Sporting News]
Large Ben Bishop, who is a beast in NHL 09 based on his large frame, isn't in the doghouse with the Blues. [Stltoday.com]
JR chat. Go. [Stltoday.com]

Hockey news

Pre-season action from last night. [Yahoo!]
And here's a look at the not-real games going down tonight. [Yahoo!]
Manny Legace is happy in Atlanta. No more emo Manny? I'll believe it when I see his first post-loss post-game interview. [Sporting News]
Some former players are trying to become John Davidson. [Sporting News]
Patrik Elias is going to be out some time with a groin issue. Adjust your fantasy lineups accordingly. [TSN]
Theoren Fleury is really going to play in an NHL. Good luck? [TSN]
Interesting story about fake Twitter accounts. The Capitals are encouraging all players to get real accounts, so people won't be confused by fake ones. Roman Polak doesn't understand that fuss. [WaPo]
Which rookies will make an impact this season? Here's a guess at 10. [Puck Daddy]
Nikolai Zherdev talks about leaving the NHL for the KHL. [Puck Daddy]

Other links

This is a really cool blog about letters that deserve more attention. [Letters of Note]
Some good tips for first dates. [Maxim]
Some really bad food names. [Stupid Idiots]
Pedo Bear makes me laugh. [Holy Taco]
From some guy named "Sean Gallagher." Enjoy "Awkward Facebook likes. [CollegeHumor]

Video

The boss man Mr. Gallagher sent along a bunch of videos. This one made me laugh. From Senor Gallagher: "This has no relevance to the site, but it makes me laugh every time. plus a friend once pointed out that this is the essential difference between boys and girls - girls could never peer pressure a friend into doing this. With boys, it's inevitable."

Trampoline Claims Latest Victim - Watch more Funny Videos

gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

NHL News: Zherdev to the KHL.....for real

Jim Schmiedeberg — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 20:12:34 -0000

Put another dead horse away fellas. After months of rumors, enigmatic winger Nikolai Zherdev has found a home:

Reuters is reporting that Nikolai Zherdev has signed with Atlant Mytishchi of the KHL (click link for full story)

Highlights:

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Former New York Rangers forward Nikolai Zherdev has agreed a one-year contract with Atlant Mytishchi of the Continental Hockey League (KHL), the Russian team said on Tuesday.

"Everything has been agreed and he should sign the contract on Wednesday," Atlant spokesman Gennady Nabatov said. Nabatov did not specify how much Zherdev would earn, saying: "It would definitely make him the highest-paid player on our team."

Wednesday links: Welcome to Peoria, Mr. Armstrong edition

averagejoe — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:31:04 -0000

Man doing the links two days in a row is tough. Hope you enjoy.

Blues news

I really hope Alex Pietrangelo doesn't become a douche who dates super models and hurts his knee. [Blues]
The bearded one, Chris Mason, will be on the radio tonight. [Blues]
The Blues are enthused. So am I. Hockey is back. [Stltoday.com]
Want to know about "wealthy Aboriginal hockey stars set for National Hockey League training camps to open?" Click here. Oh and Dwayne (D.J.) King is included. [Grassroots News]
Stuff you know: Derek Armstrong is a Blue. [Belleville News-Democrat]
Don't worry too much about Armstrong, looks like hes heading to Peoria. [pjstar.com]

Hockey news

It's the NHL vs. Jim Balsillie. Please, Hockey God, make it stop. [TSN]
Oh how far Sister Christian Backman has fallen. [NHL.com]
I don't understand why there is so much talk about Phil Kessel, a player out until December. Let him prove he's healthy before giving him a fat, long-term deal. [TSN]
William "Boots" Del Baggio III, former owner of the Predators, is going to a federal-pound-me-in-the-ass prison. [TSN]
Judging by his mugshot, don't fuck with the new Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating Terry Gregson. [TSN]
Should we get together and buy this? [NHL.com]
Dany Heatley is going to Ottawa. Will he whine on the way there? [SLAM! Sports]
Patrick Roy's son will stand trial for assault DURING a hockey game. [ESPN]
Nikolai Zherdev to the Thrashers? Are they trying to win? Why start now. [Bird Watchers Anonymous]
Pavol Demitra is hurt? I'm shocked. [Nucks Misconduct]

Other links

This made me laugh way, way too much. The difference between white people and black people. [The Chive]
Gotta love doodles. [Doodurls]
Wanna step into a Slim Jim? You sure about that? [Wired]
This applies to me a little too well. [iceicebabies.com]

Video

Holy shit this is the coolest dog ever.

EMBED-Smart Dog Can Shoot Pool - Watch more free videos

That's it for today. Gametimelinks(at)gmail.com. Send us stuff. PLEASE come back later. Gallagher comes out of hibernation. Don't miss it.

Can the Thrashers Afford Nik Zherdev?

The Falconer — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 00:09:15 -0000

Nikolai Zherdev mentioned that he has been talking with the Thrashers about coming to play in Atlanta. But how much could the Thrashers afford to pay him? The answer is "not much." Zherdev won an arbitration case this summer to the tune of a $4 million salary and the Rangers exercised their right to walk away from the contract, which made Zherdev an Unrestricted Free Agent (UFA).

How much could the Thrashers offer Zherdev?

The Thrashers receive substantial revenue sharing money from the NHL ONLY if they stay under the Salary Mid-Point ($48.8 million). As of this moment a 22 man roster with Crabb and Anthony Stewart (both cheap) getting the last 2 forward spots comes a total of $48.423 million in cap hit (adding Evander Kane or Spencer Machcek would cost more).That leaves the Thrashers with just under $1 million under the mid-point if you add Stewart's salary plus the cap space.

The crucial thing is whether you think Zach Bogosian will earn all of his $2.5 million bonus incentive clauses or not. The $48.4 million cap number cited above does include all the bonus money. However, some of those bonus clauses are very tough to earn, so it is unlikely that they will all kick in.

Let's sayBogosian will only earn $1 million of his potential bonuses. That leaves the Thrashers with $1.5 million plus the salary of whomever gets bumped off the roster (~$0.5 million). It is possible that the Thrashers could offer Zherdev as much as $2.0 million but doing so will leave them with their nose up against the mid-point and probably give Assistant GM Larry Simmons heartburn since he will need to scrimp and save cap dollar whenever transactions are made.

There are some serious risks for the Thrashers if they sign Zherdev at $2 million. What if Bogosian goes All-Star on the team and earns more bonus money than they project? What if the teams ends up with a rash of injuries which force them to call up more bodies and spend more money than budgeted? If either of those scenarios were to happen, the true cost of adding Zherdev to the roster would be $2 million plus the hit from going over the mid-point and losing revenue sharing. Let's say hypothetically that going over the mid-point were to result in a $4 decrease in revenue sharing--that makes Nik Zherdev's true cost to the franchise $6 million in a worst case scenario.

It think adding Zherdev would increase the talent base among the forwards (plus I have my doubts Peverley can sustain his scoring rate from last season). But the financial risks are substantial and if you are the GM you can't ignore those risks. The Thrashers have a very tough call on their hands. The potential benefits are substantial and the potential costs are also substantial.

Saying goodbye to summer, and hello to hockey

Jim Schmiedeberg — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 11:00:53 -0000

In some ways, the summer has gone very fast, and in others, not fast enough.

I can't wait to have other things to talk about besides Brandon Dubinsky, Dany Heatley, Nikolai Zherdev, and Marian Gaborik's creaky crotch.

I can't wait to talk about who Avery's ticked off, how Chris Higgins is becoming a star, and Lundqvist being the lead candidate for the Vezina.

I can't wait for the daily debate that will take place on Wade Redden, Michal Rozsival, and Chris Drury.

I can't wait to hear the reaction after Donald Brashear busts somebody's jaw for them at the Garden.

I can't wait to see Gabby hang a hat trick on "Fatso" at ~~MSG West~~ The Rock.

I can't wait for the first "Henrik" chant at MSG.

I can't wait for Sam Rosen to say "it's a power play goal!" for the first time, and I pray its not in December.

One more week, I can't wait.

I'll be moonlighting over at Big Blue View today, its final cut day for the Giants and the NFL and I am in charge of the open thread. If anything happens on the Ranger front, we'll have it for you. Feel free to stop by BBV and check in.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend everyone!

Jim

NHL News: Could Little Nik be Reunited with Big Nik in Atlanta?

Laurie Carr — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:16:58 -0000

More photos » by Jay LaPrete - ASSOCIATED PRESS

Browse more photos »

Unrestricted free agent Nikolai Zherdev still hasn't found a new home for the 2009-2010 NHL season, but according to an interview with the winger on Russian site Sport-Express, he could be just days away from inking an NHL pact. The 24-year old winger reports that he has a number of options on the table, but is most interested in joining the Atlanta Thrashers, where he'd be part of a Russian-speaking contingent that includes fellow former Ranger Nikolai Antropov, Vyacheslav Kozlov and superstar Ilya Kovalchuk. Zherdev, who has spent the past few weeks training with Kovalchuk in Moscow, suggests that a one year deal with the Thrashers is his most likely option for the upcoming campaign. That should serve as a pretty good indication that the offer on the table is nowhere near the reported $4.5m payday he was seeking from the Rangers.

- What’s the situation with your future?

- Negotiations are underway with several teams, but for the time being I’m in limbo — no contract has been signed. I hope that everything will be settled in the next 2-3 days.

- Is it possible to say that you’ll definitely remain in the NHL?

- Yes, now it’s only a matter of NHL clubs. With Russian teams the question is closed.

- In the North American press there is conjecture that you could be excellent in combination with Kovalchuk and Antropov in Atlanta.

- The most serious dialog goes on with the Thrashers. It’s true there are other options. But personally I would like to end up in Atlanta, where several good Russian players play. It would be comfortable and pleasant to play with them.

- Have you already talked to Kovalchuk about this topic?

- I’m actively preparing for the season with him now, and of course I asked him about the city and the conditions on the team. Ilya, naturally, invites me to Atlanta with all his might (laughs). The company could indeed turn out to be first class. As you know I played last season with Antropov on the Rangers, we even shared a room [on the road]. And there’s also Vyacheslav Kozlov. Most likely, I’ll sign a contract with the Thrashers for one year — to begin with, it’s necessary to familiarize myself [with the team/city].

Zherdev goes on to discuss his recent snub by national team head coach Vyacheslav Bykov, who failed to invite the flashy but flighty forward to Russia's Olympic camp this past weekend, and vows to earn a trip to Vancouver with his play over the first half of the season. For the full translation, see Beyond the Blueshirts.

New York Rangers Overview from NHL.com

Jim Schmiedeberg — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 12:21:49 -0000

NHL.com is doing a "30 teams in 30 days" segment, where they pretty much take an overview of each team's offseason. Today they focus on the Rangers. Honestly, I don't think there is much here we haven't already brought you, but it's still a good read on an otherwise slow day:

Rangers offseason goal was to find more scoring. (click link for full story)

Highlights:

It certainly will be an interesting mix for the Rangers in 2009-10. Of last season's top six scorers, only team captain Chris Drury, who was third with 56 points, currently is under contract. Leading scorer Nik Antropov left for Atlanta, Scott Gomez was dealt to Montreal, Markus Naslund retired and Nikolai Zherdev became an unrestricted free agent after the club lost his arbitration hearing and opted to walk away from the one-year, $3.9 million deal the player was awarded. Brandon Dubinsky is a restricted free agent, but likely will get a new contract.

The Rangers also will get a full season from uber-pest Sean Avery, whose dealings with Tortorella should continue to be interesting to watch. Tortorella suspended Avery for Game 5 of the club's first-round playoff series against Washington and likely won't hesitate to pull Avery out of the lineup again if his antics begin adversely affecting the team.

Tortorella said he's entering his first training camp as Rangers coach with a blank slate.

"I'm going to be as objective as possible," he told NHL.com. He added that he has no problem going with a younger team than the Rangers have traditionally fielded.

A Leafs Nation Unified

blurr1974 — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 09:00:32 -0000

Sometimes it takes an issue of epic importance to reach across generations and unite a large group in to action. Be it a war, a social issue or sometimes, it's something even worse.

History, being made...

The Truthulence wants everyone to do their part to ensure the Leafs and Brian Burke perform up to snuff. I can't wait for step 3!
The Wonderful LD takes us back to the day Grabovski learned the definition of "TWSS."
TSM shows you the bullet the Leafs dodged by not signing Nik Zherdev.
Clawson has taken the plunge. Welcome to the Barilkosphere, "Be Clever or I Sever!" First up: lunatic ramblings. Naturally.
MLHS is taking us into the last 48 hours of Kaberle's non-NTC days with gusto. You ain't seen speculation like this.
In case you missed it yesterday, Puck Daddy has the five reasons Down Goes Brown loves hockey.
Chemmy update: Dr. Steve has a look at the Leafs offense's potential this season.