For many, many reasons, I have decided not to continue doing The
College Hockey Computer Rating. The main reason is simply that I don't
have the time.
 
(For those new to the list, TCHCR was the longest-running computer
rating of Division I college hockey teams--about 5 years old.)
 
It has been very difficult to do TCHCR the last few years and as my
priorities shift, I feel it is no longer worthwhile to do TCHCR. TCHCR
served its purpose well; it was the only college hockey computer rating
for a while. It has been shown that computer ratings do have their
place in college hockey. Objective, non-political evaluation of college
hockey teams is a good thing. It has been controversial, to say the
least, but I feel that I have fulfilled the main goal of TCHCR: to get
people talking about college hockey more.
 
Five years ago when I started TCHCR, I had no idea that computer
ratings would become as important as they are today in college hockey.
I suspect they will continue to make an impact without TCHCR.
 
TCHCR had a nice run. It appeared in The Hockey News, back before THN
reduced their college coverage. It appeared regularly in The College
Hockey Weekly and it even "voted" in the KBYR Independents poll. I have
heard many stories of how TCHCR has affected coaches' and media
members' voting in the multitude of polls.
 
And HOCKEY-L! HOCKEY-L served as an excellent set of boards where new
ideas could be bounced off of intelligent and knowledgeable people.
HOCKEY-L helped distribute TCHCR to the corners of the earth, where it
would every-so-often be reported on in a hockey column in a local paper.
And HOCKEY-L was there to support TCHCR when those not-so-open-minded
reporters got their facts wrong.
 
The algorithm I used in TCHCR was not very complicated. In fact,
several HOCKEY-L members have completely reproduced TCHCR on their own
systems. Of course, I cannot stop anyone from picking up where I am
leaving off and starting up a rating system much like TCHCR.  Actually,
I welcome it whole-heartedly. All I ask is that no one use the name
"The College Hockey Computer Rating" or "TCHCR", because it will
confuse people (it is a pretty crappy name, so I don't suspect anyone
would *want* to use it). No, I didn't trademark or register the name,
but I ask out of courtesy.
 
I have tried to set a standard for explaining the inner workings of
TCHCR and for keeping everything out in the open. It would be great if
this could continue; the education of the public about *how* my rating
system worked was just as important as the results themselves. Already,
someone has indicated an interest in "picking up the torch". Anyone
interested in continuing the algorithm used in TCHCR may want to check
with me first to see who else is doing what.
 
 
So, out of death comes new life. I am excited to see what other people
can do for college hockey with their rating systems. I am excited
because I will not have to spend long nights in front of the computer,
emailing and faxing TCHCR. (^:
 
 
Keith