Steve Christopher wrote:
>
> Keith Instone - I think I speak for many of us on the list when I say
> I'm eager to see your first poll report of the season!  (I'm ashamed to
> admit that during the minute I type this, I am completely blocked by my
> perverse mind from remembering the name of the poll, but you know what I
> mean!)
 
I've been wondering about this (admittedly I have to get a life if I
spend time thinking about these things).  TCHCR depends on an
interconnected graph among all Division 1 hockey programs to be
valid.  That is not to say that all schools must play each other but
that there are enough interconnections among different schools to draw
comparisons.  To this point in time there are some schools that would
have no links whatsoever (ex. Cornell has only played Waterloo which as
a non-US/non-Div. 1 school is not included in the graph).  More
importantly, there is very little interconnection between leagues (the
ECAC and HE have played a dozen or so games but there has been very
little competition against the West).  Some indirect links may exist
using the service academies and the Alaskan schools, but not enough to
establish any sort of statistically valid pattern.  Will we have to wait
until after the holiday tournaments give us more inter-league play to
get a TCHCR?
 
Jon
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P.S. Why do I suspect that Keith won't appreciate his meticulously
designed computer model being labelled a poll?  One can argue about the
details of the model....but a poll it ain't.