Welcome to the inaugural edition of the NHLNumbers podcast. As the Nations crack tech team gear up to relaunch our salary/stats site, Jonathan Willis and I decided to get together to talk "new" stats at length and to record some of those conversations. In a radio studio. With guests. Today we debut the first of perhaps many such conversations.

The aim of NHLNumbers podcast will be to explain, clarify and apply so-called "new stats" in the NHL. With this framework in mind, each week we plan to tackle different topics with the help of learned others.

In part 1, JW, myself and producer Justin Azevedo talk about our own introductions to advanced stats and how "new stats" relevant in our views of the game. In particular, we look at where some of this type of analysis "began" for each of us and try to defuse some of the myths surrounding it.

Segment 2 

The Globe and Mail’s James Mirtle was kind enough to drop in and offer his own experiences with the genesis of advanced analysis on the ye old interwebs as well as how such stats are used and viewed in a more mainstream setting currently.

Segment 3 

In the final segment, we take a look at some of the emerging narratives of the early NHL season, including the struggles of the Montreal Canadiens and the unlikely success of the Edmonton Oilers.

Full Podcast 

Here’s the whole thing for those who don’t go for this piece meal stuff.

We hope to make the podcast assessable to those already well read in advanced stats as well as those with a passing interest or familiarity with the subject. This is new ground for everyone involved so feel free to offer constructive criticism. We’ll be glad to tackle particular inquiries if you email them to kent.wilson@gmail.com as well.