About the Fool
Name: Thomas J. Fulery
Nicknames: Tom Fulery, TF (or, TeeEff), Tommy, Tommy Boy, The Fool.
Hobbies: Photoshoppin’, Illustratorin’, Flashin’ (the Adobe/Macromedia kind… outta the gutter with yo’ minds, folks). Followin’ Politics. Watchin’ movies. iPodin’. Watchin’/Playin’: Football, Soccer, Hockey, Tennis. Usin’ apostrophes more than I should. Coming up with novel excuses why I can’t go to the gym today.
My Teams: Minnesota Northstars, Baltimore Colts, San Jose Clash, Vancouver Grizzlies, Montreal Expos…. Hang on, my buddy Marcus is telling me something… WHAT?! All of them?! Crap. Okay, what about that team that always loses to the Globetrotters? Cool. Them then.
I’m Diggin’ on: Free spirits. Pragmatists. Contradictions. Well traveled people. Innocence of youth. Artistic geniuses. Political geniuses. Computer geniuses. Interactive designers who are so into it, they suck at print now. Immovable objects. Irresistible forces. Graphic novels. The lighthearted part of the 80s. Uncle Jesse (Dukes of Hazzard). Obama.
Not cool: Deficit spending (sorry, O). Extremism. Folks who take advantage of welfare. Companies who take advantage of corporate welfare. Folks who think welfare should be done away with (keep the babies, manage the bathwater… that’s all I’m sayin’). Athletes holding out in the middle of contracts. Celebrity gossip being what we consider “news”. The folks who ruined Ren and Stimpy. Graphic violence. Dracula. The “serious” parts of the 80s. Uncle Jesse (Full House). Osama.
Where Born: Between Chicago and Montreal.
When Born: Between April and August in the Seventies.
Heroes: Jesus, Ghandi, Martin Luther King, and my wife and my parents. And to a much lesser extent… Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, The Founding Fathers, Abe Lincoln, The Roosevelts, the Kennedys… Donald Duck and Speed Racer are pretty bad ass too.
Before I die I want to: Invent a word that is actually used by the public at large. Write at least one novel. Shake the hand of a world leader. Pass gas near said leader and blame it on him/her. Spoil some grandkids. Make a difference. Eat a dozen Krispy Kreme donuts in one day. Figure out why I like the Stooges so much.
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I was just going to say that I like your 6 team expansion that I read.markets of las vegas, kansas city,quebec city,portland,seattle, and salt lake city seem interesting. I love the idea
I’d love to see some expansion in the NHL. Obviously a six-team expansion is a pipe dream… but all of those cities are on the NHL’s radar. If expansion happens (most-likely two teams), and/or any more relocation, these cities (plus hamilton and a second Toronto team) are the the main candidates.
Hey Tom,
I’ve loved reading your weekly updates for the NHL Realignment Project, so thanks for that. Since the new format was announced I’ve seen many people commenting on how the odds are stacked against the teams in the 8 team conferences and how the others get an easier ride. Like you, I don’t buy that, your playoff chances are dependant on the strength of your conference, not the number of teams in it.
So I decided to sit down and do the math on it. I posted my findings in a blog I made, and was hoping you might have a read and comment on it, perhaps even plug it on your site if you like it.
The numbers are generated using past performance, or specifically playoff appearances for each team.
Tha blog is over at http://sportsandgametheory.blogspot.com/
Thanks Tom.
Bjørn Mikkelsen
Thanks for the kind words and the great work on your blog. Finally a quantitative argument to the whole “easier to make the playoffs in the 7-team conference” complaining!
In this week’s blog (Week 30) I gave your blog a plug and linked back to ya… thanks again!
—TF
I guess I’m to old school. I’d like to find an email address to (privately) send NHLRP suggestions you could (publicly) take credit for.
Thanks again for the competition and for you great blog I always look forward to your new posts Laura.
Hi there, I’m trying to make one of these realignment projects and was wondering if you could send me the blank map file that you use to make these. I found one on google images but it doesn’t seem to be very high quality. ericflatness@gmail.com. Thanks!
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NHL Realignment – Shewchuk Proposal
30 Teams = 2 x 15 Team Conferences (West and East)
Western Conference = 3 Divisions of 5 Teams
Division W1 = Norris (Canucks, Sharks, Kings, Ducks, Coyotes)
Division W2 = Smythe (Oilers, Flames, Avalanche, Jets, Wild)
Division W3 = Campbell (Black Hawks, Blue Jackets, Blues, Predators, Stars)
Eastern Conference = 3 Divisions of 5 Teams
Division E1 = Adams (Senators, Maple Leafs, Sabres, Red Wings, Penguins)
Division E2 = Patrick (Canadiens, Bruins, Rangers, Islanders, Devils)
Division E3 = Ross (Flyers, Capitals, Hurricanes, Lightening, Panthers)
Exhibition Games
·2 home, 2 away against conference opponent (from outside division)
o League may schedule team for 1 away game in non-NHL market once every 3 seasons
o Maximum of 5 non-NHL market games per season
Regular Season = 84 Game Season
·5 games vs each division opponent = 20 games
o 2 home games each with 5th game to points leader at All-Star break
·3 games vs each conference opponent (out of division) = 30 games
o 1 home game each with 3rd game to conference position at All-Star break
·2 games vs each alternate conference opponent (home & home) = 30 games
·3 games “Rivalry Series” against conference opponent from alternate division
o Best 2 of 3 with 3rd game alternating home advantage each season = 3 games
· 1 game “Hockey Day” against alternate conference opponent (free admission) = 1 game
Extra: Winter Classic
· 2 games – 1 in each conference featuring conference scoring leaders
o Held on same day in outdoor venue with proceeds to youth hockey
Extra: All-Star Break
· Skills competition
· Eastern vs. Western Team All-Stars
Playoff Qualification (16 of 30 teams):
· Top 2 teams from each division advance to playoffs (6 x 2) = 12 teams
· 2 Wild Card teams per conference (based on conference standings) = 4 teams
Playoff Format (Minimum 12, Maximum 20 Games):
· Round 1 = Quarter Finals 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 in best of 3 (3rd game to point leader)
· Round 2 = Semi Finals 1-3, 2-4 in best of 5 (5th game to point leader)
· Round 3 = Conference Final 1-2 in best of 5 (5th game on neutral ice in conference)
· Round 4 = Championship Final 1E-1W in best of 7 (2 home, 2 away, 1, 1, 1)
Recommended Expansion Cities: W1 – Seattle, W1 – Las Vegas, W2 – Saskatoon, W2 – Kansas City, W2 – Green Bay, W3 – Memphis, W3 – Houston, E1 – Hamilton, E2 – Quebec City, E3 – Baltimore