As the year 2010 winds down (sidenote: I know, I know; it actually isn't the end of the year for everyone, but hopefully you have tomorrow off anyway), Rob Vollman at Hockey Prospectus has compiled a list of the best stats-centered (or, in Dellow's case, stats guy + great story) articles of the year, including categories such as "Best New Insight," "Best Historical Analysis," and even "Best Gabe Desjardins." In two parts, you can see them here and here.
Having received Rob's permission, I want to present each of the category winners, with the intention of letting the BTN readership view and vote on them for the overall 2010 Best Article of the Year.
Best Skater Analysis
"The Decline of Jarome Iginla" by Kent Wilson
Best Goalie Analysis
"Five Good Reasons Carey Price is Still in Montreal" by Chris Boyle
Best Goaltending Analysis*
"How Much Skill is There in Goaltending?" by Tom Awad
Best Team Preview
"Better Late Than Never: San Jose Sharks" & "Better Late Than Never: Columbus Blue Jackets" by Gabe Desjardins
Best League Review
"2010 NHL Review" by Alan Ryder
Best Historical Analysis
"If There's a Goal That Everyone Remembers" by Pat McLean
Best Controversy
"Who Did Colin Campbell Call 'a Little Fake Artist?'" by Tyler Dellow
Best Analysis Analysis
"Likelihood and the Way Humans Think" by Vic Ferrari
Best Prediction
"Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Preview" by Olivier Bouchard
Best Gabe Desjardins
"A Tale of Two Talents: One True and One Not" & "More on Goal-Scoring and True Talent" by Don Cherry (haha)
Best New Innovation
"A Regression-based Adjusted Plus-Minus" by Brian Macdonald
Best New Insight
"Blocked Shots: Luck or Skill?" by Sunny Mehta
So, please take the time and look these over before voting. All of the articles are excellent works, and are deserving of our attention as those who appreciate hockey stats analysis. Hopefully, a number of these are familiar to you already.
* This is different from "Best Goalie Analysis" per Rob's description: "Unlike the award for Best Goalie Analysis, the Golden Elbow for Best Goaltending Analysis is awarded to the article that focuses on goaltending in general. The purpose of this category is to promote new insights in how we rate netminders, and advancements in our understanding of how to measure both the quality and impact of goaltending.
| Option | Votes |
|---|---|
| The Decline of Jarome Iginla | 7 |
| Five Good Reasons Carey Price is Still in Montreal | 6 |
| How Much Skill is There in Goaltending? | 4 |
| The “Better Late Than Never’s” | 1 |
| 2010 NHL Review | 6 |
| If There’s a Goal That Everyone Remembers | 3 |
| Who Did Colin Campbell Call “a Little Fake Artist?” | 10 |
| Likelihood and the Way Humans Think | 6 |
| Washington Capitals vs. Montreal Canadiens Preview | 2 |
| A Tale of Two Talents & More on Goal-Scoring and True Talent | 3 |
| A Regression-based Adjusted Plus-Minus | 4 |
| Blocked Shots: Luck or Skill? | 1 |
