z-Archives (other articles)

According to the Chinese Zodiac , the year of 2012 is the Year of the Dragon.  In the hockey world, the 2012 NHL Entry Draft is shaping up to be loaded with top calibre defenseman, one of which just happens to be a (London) Knight and looking to battle the 2012 draft class dragons all the way to the top of the list.  The Dean’s List continues to highlight top prospects eligible for the 2012 NHL Draft and this week our attention turns to the first overall selection in the 2011 CHL Import Draft – Finnish defenseman Olli Määttä.

The list is back! Hopping back on the Hodgson bandwagon, the Jets top line, Weber and Parise, Yakupov, my 2011-12 sleeper of the year, and more....

In a little over one week, I’ll be heading off to Vegas for some fun. One reason I am heading down is to meet up with several members of the Ultimate Fantasy Pool – a keeper league that uses head-to-head scoring. I have been in the league for two years now, and it features some stiff competition (all of our league members read this site, and one is among the regular columnists).

Over the next few weeks, I am going to introduce the league and each of the 12 teams to the DobberHockey readers. The final four teams today – Wu Crew (Jake), Fire on Ice (Bill), and Las Vegas Thunder (Bret).

It is with great honor that I announce today as the grand re-opening of the GoaliePost website. The latest addition to the Dobber Sports Network also completes the transformation of my School of Block column into a new column, one that reveals the wide array of fantasy goalie weapons you’ll find at GP.

I call this new column the GoaliePost to honor the alliance and pact that was created between three comrades - Dobber, Goldman and Hillen – back on March 25. What was the purpose of this joining of forces, you ask? To make you a better poolie by providing you with an advanced set of fantasy goalie tools you simply can’t find anywhere else.

In the August 2011 edition, we peek behind the curtain of the mystical projection. How do prognosticators come up with their numbers? And what are some of their fantasy projections for the 2011-12 NHL season?

In a little over two weeks, I’ll be heading off to Vegas for some fun. One reason I am heading down is to meet up with several members of the Ultimate Fantasy Pool – a keeper league that uses head-to-head scoring. I have been in the league for two years now, and it features some stiff competition (all of our league members read this site, and one is among the regular columnists).

Over the next few weeks, I am going to introduce the league and each of the 12 teams to the DobberHockey readers. The five teams today – The Crosby Show (myself), Hextall’s Hackers (Tim), Legion (Jeff), the Great Whites (Cory), and Wookie Sandwich (Scott).

Being a solid fantasy goalie manager stems from your ability to understand and evaluate three different elements: circumstance, situation and statistical probability. Goaltending is a game of inches both on and off the ice, yet things happen so fast that you have to make informed decisions even faster when goalie news hits the almighty interwebs.

Each year I write out 10 fearless forecasts (some crazier than others). Last September was no different (check my list for 2010-11 out here). I was right in a few cases, I was close in a few cases, and I was completely off base in a few as well. How did you do with your preseason predictions (preferably those that were a bit out there)? The ball for 2011-12 is already rolling over on the hockey forum.

Why is it that some GMs always seem to walk out of the draft with a team that maybe doesn’t blow you away with big names but always performs pretty well?  If you’re in a multi-category league, they’re either really lucky or they’re rigorously tracking their team as it unfolds in the draft to make sure they contribute to the categories they want.  Meanwhile, you’re looking at your roster and wondering what was I thinking?

Never screw up a draft again. Draft like a star with the Draft Guru as your secret weapon.