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Summer Reading: These Articles Will Help Make You A Better Hockey Fan

It’s summer time, and kids are off school, families are taking vacations, and life is generally more easy-going. So what better time to learn something new?

In lieu of writing something about the Sabres today, we’re taking the day off to highlight some great work from some other folks – SBN writers and others – that will make you a better hockey fan. Some of these reads, or series, are a bit long, but if you’re interested in learning more about the world of hockey on and off the ice, give these a read.

Advanced Stats – The world of advanced stats that began in baseball with calculations such as WAR and FiP has entered hockey in a big way. Most folks at least recognize the terms Corsi and Fenwick, but if you want to learn more about them, what exactly they are, how to understand them, and why they can be useful, start with The Faker’s Guide To Advanced Stats by Grantland’s Sean McIndoe. This article won’t explain Corsi or Fenwick in too much detail, but it will explain how to understand and use advanced stats, especially as they relate to the hockey world.

Got the basics down? Good, then check out the Fancy Stat Summer School series from Eyes on the Prize. This series breaks down everything from Fenwick, to Quality Shots, to what’s being measured by Quality of Competition. If you want to know more about the world of advanced stats, this series has you covered.

CBA – The NHL and NHLPA just agreed to a new collective bargaining agreement, and all most people cared about was that we got to see hockey again. But if you want to delve a bit deeper into the changes and important points of the new agreement, this series on Getting To Know The CBA from Winging It In Motown is exactly what you need. Everything from contracts to training camp rules is covered in the ongoing series, and it’s a good way to get up to speed for the first full season under the new agreement.

We’re just about a month away from the opening of training camp, so now’s the time to get your summer reading done, students.