Richard M. Coleman, a Boca Raton, Florida statistician, is originally from Stamford, Connecticut. In 1979, he moved to San Francisco, California. In 2005, Coleman introduced analytics to the National Hockey League. He met with 23 NHL teams over four weeks to discuss how general managers can use analytics to benefit their teams. Coleman's company, Coleman Analytics, signed five initial teams as clients. Industry insiders claim that Richard's hockey analytics have changed the industry, including recruiting procedures for potential new players.

Professional Experience and Skills

Coleman Analytics was founded in collaboration with Mike Smith, the former general manager of the Chicago Blackhawks hockey team. Together, they imagined a new way of looking at hockey statistics to provide detailed information to help NHL teams and players improve their performances.

Before founding Coleman Analytics, Richard of Coleman Consulting Group worked at Harvard University Medical School in Boston, MA. He also worked at Stanford University Medical School in Stanford, California.

Richard's NHL analytics, introduced to the industry in 2005, involves complex calculations. Among the advanced metric counters are:

Rather than a simple count of goals when the puck enters the net, Corsi represents the number of times players attempts to score.

Expected goals: This statistic measures how dangerous a team's shots are. For example, if one team makes 12 relatively easy shots to the net, their score may be lower than if another team makes five high-risk shots toward the net. This statistic tracks unblocked shots made toward the net.

Fenwick: This metric is similar to Corsi, except that blocked shots are not considered. Only shots that hit the net or are blocked from hitting the net are counted by Fenwick.

PDO: This metric emphasizes the other analytics while accounting for real-world relevance. PDO calculates a game's on-ice shooting and saves percentage. This metric shows how "lucky" or "unlucky" a team is. If a team takes a high-risk shot and the puck bounces off a stanchion into the net, the successful shot is more fortunate than skilful.

Statisticians collect, evaluate, and interpret data and apply statistical methods to solve real-world problems. Richard Coleman chose hockey as the subject of his professional expertise. Coleman and Mike Smith created software programming to collect deeper levels of data. Breaking hockey games into multiple layers, for example, makes tracking player and team performance easier.

Nature of Hockey Analytics

Coleman Analytics has worked with general managers, coaches, professional scouts, and amateur scouts for hockey franchises for over 17 years to help them make better decisions. Advanced statistical methods are used in hockey analytics to help predict outcomes.

Data collection and analysis of its potential value are valuable processes that produce important findings. As a result, many NHL general managers and coaches need to discuss how analytics is approached and applied. Similarly, Richard and Mike Smith protect industry statistical data and methods for applying it to teams and players. Coleman limits the number of hockey franchises he works with, making the metrics even more valuable because they are only available to a select few.

The advanced analytics field employs math to look for patterns that would go unnoticed. These patterns, like those described above, can add valuable meaning to numbers that have been gathered.

The NHL team in Chicago and Coleman have collaborated for many years to predict outcomes and gradually change the team's approach to preparation and play. Analytics also allows hockey fans to get a better understanding of the game. Specific aspects of the metrics, however, should be more generally released.

Coleman Accomplishments

Richard Coleman has won the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks and other teams five times. The NHL team that wins the league playoffs receives this prestigious award. This award was created in 1892 by the Governor General of Canada, Lord Stanley of Preston, and is North America's oldest trophy honouring a professional athletic franchise. Coleman has also published two books.

Hobbies

When Richard and the NHL are not consulting about team data, he pursues personal interests in other sports. He enjoys the freedom he feels while skiing. He also enjoys tennis, which offers a different kind of freedom. Not surprisingly, hockey is important in Coleman's life.

Baseball and soccer are two sports that Coleman is particularly interested in. Coleman is a musician who plays the guitar and is an active person who has long appreciated sports. Coleman discovered his passion for his interests as a child.