Witch Club Satan is no joke. Three women from Norway, playing ferocious black metal inspired by the classic 1990s second-wave sound of their homeland. But while those early 90s pioneers became as infamous for their crimes as much as their music, Witch Club Satan is here to reclaim black metal for feminists and anti-fascists.

My favorite stuff from 2025.

The Beths played some shows. I watched them.

I have this website, so I might as well use it. 2024 is officially over, so it’s now legal to post my favorite entertainment of the year. All links to Bandcamp when possible.

The NHL and NHLPA have approved a CBA memorandum of understanding which addresses the interruption in play due to Covid-19. The new deal will extend the existing CBA through at least 2025, keep the salary cap flat for the foreseeable future, and add escrow caps to minimize the financial impact on players salaries due to decreased revenues. Let’s look at why this could be a terrible outcome for the NHLPA…

Mike Harrington is an idiot.

Brady Skjei has struggled with defending zone entries. I take a look at why that might be.

Fluto Shinzawa writes a factless, confusing, piece of red meat to fire up the Bruins’ faithful.

Marc Stall shows us how NOT to play last-minute prevent defense.

Should NHL teams focus on Quality over Quantity?

...you might be on to something. A look at the Rangers' defensemen zone entry defense and zone exit data.

Updated look at how the Rangers are matching up against the opposition....

There have been more penalty calls in the NHL this season than in recent years. Will this continue?

A quick look at the Rangers' skaters first quarter results, using some Nobody's competition concepts....

A long, long look at the Rangers' forwards first quarter matchups and results, using some Nobody's competition concepts....

The Rangers played an outstanding game in defeating the Oilers on Saturday, for their 6th straight win. The Oilers were predicted by many to be a Stanley Cup contender, and in large part that's because of the emergence of Connor McDavid as the (maybe) Best Player in the Game. ...

This is an update on my post from a few days ago, here. In that post, I noted how FotB @NaturalStatTrick has added a new “WOWY” tool, and a quick look at the McDonagh/Shattenkirk pairing suggested they be given more time together. ...

Friend of the Blog NaturalStatTrick introduced a new “WOWY” tool today. WOWY, for clarification, shows how players and teammates perform together and apart.  NaturalStatTrick’s new WOWY tool is unique in that it allows you to choose up to 5 players at one time. 

So the NHL has released a new "Declaration of Principles" which really sounds great. It's all about inclusion, growing the game to different groups and genders, etc. The list is collectively "signed" by pretty much every noteworthy hockey league in North America, and the IIHF as well. It even has the blessing of the Pope. (Jokes about the inclusiveness of the Catholic Church aside, apparently NHL representatives participated in a summit held by the Vatican on using sports to unite people, which certainly sounds like a noble, if unlikely goal).

Ken Campbell, Ovechkin, and keeping current.  My Blog: