Check out John's Blog!

Hey readers!

If any of you are interested in Internet marketing check out John Battelle's Searchblog here! I was able to read up about a post about facebook and how it is in the top 3 of brand advertisement right along with google and yahoo. Check out the major responses that are starting to pile up right here!

Look for the Comment by Matt aka Me at the bottom being the most recent.. Again stay tuned for more NHL Playoff news...


Matty D.

Marketing Article Post 4

Hey readers,

This is my 4th article about Internet users and their viewing and using video on the internet. I found an article to replace the one I lost and used in my presentation due to Fox News pulling it off the site. This comes from Israeli Diamond online and is entitled "Net Video Views Topped 10 Billion in February." You can check the full article here. The articles goes on to talk about how video views in the US in Feb topped 10.1 billion views in just this one month. This is a 66% growth from last Feb. Google owned Youtube owns top share of the views with 34% of the total views. It has been estimated that the users spent 204 minutes in Feb viewing videos on the internet on average. Each of the major video viewing sites had over 100's of millions videos viewed in the month alone.

This just proves that people are starting to do a lot of video viewing on the internet and the growing popularity to just go right to Youtube and start to just search for funny videos, news, sports highlights etc etc. I personally can say that I am always on Youtube looking up videos for anything from Hockey highlights to funny college videos etc.

Keep reading.. More NHL News to come!

Matty D.

Marketing Class Article 3

Hey Guys,

I have to write two more posts about articles dealing with internet users. My third article can be found here.. click here!

The 4th article I found was taken off the Fox News Website So I will have to find a new one to write about.

This 3rd article is entitled US Internet Users are Glued to Video.

This article gave some basic stats comparing both men and women and how they each view videos on the web. It also split each into different age groups ranging 18-24, 25-34, 45-44, 45-54, and 55+. It is evident that the younger demographics for both men and women view more videos online then the older demographic due largely to the use of computers but that age group. The younger demographic are more computer savvy and may use a computer more often compared to that of the older demographic. The study also found that more men watched videos then women did. The article provided some great charts to back up their findings. So check that link above to read the whole article and see that information to back it up.

I will be posting soon with some information and updates about the NHL Playoffs and how it is progressing.

Matty D.

Spring doesn't always mean flowers...

So it's starting to like spring here in Fairfield County, CT but that doesn't mean all things winter are out the door. It has been the first two weeks of the playoffs and man, I haven't seen hockey this great in a long time. The playoffs have been some roller coaster ride. Plenty of ups and even more downs for a lot of teams. The Penguins are absolutely dominating their series with the Sens. The Rangers and Devils have shown that their cross river rival has not lost any of its bite. The League actually, without owners vote set up a new rule dealing with a little incident about Sean Avery. He decided to turn his back to the game play and started to wave his stick in the face of Marty. The league has banned this sort of action and in my opinion... GOOD! It looked like a 12 yr old on the ice waving his stick like a mad man. I have no problem screening the goalies as long as you aren't in the crease. Some other great series includes the Wings and the Preds. The Wings are up 2-1 with game 4 tonight. The sharks and flames have been battling it out in the west. The Capitals led by Mr Ovechkin are holding tough with the Fliers. The Ducks and Stars have been putting on some great games as they battle in the West. The well seasoned Aves have shown that they still have what it takes as the younger Wild hold tough with the Vets. The Bean town favs, the Bruins are back in the playoffs for the first time in a while and led by Chara as they take on the original 6 team the Canadians.

I have come to find that people have been frequently posted videos and highlights on line... just check everything out here.. VQUZESHUF

Thanks for reading!


Matty D.

UPDATE!!!!

Recent news has informed that the New York Rangers are in discussion with the New York Yankees about using Yankee Stadium (the old) as a venue for the Second American Outdoor hockey game. The game is supposedly taking place in November and may be the last event to take place in the house that Ruth built. The league is in discussion and wants an Original 6 team to play. The biggest draw nationally would be the Detroit Red Wings (awesome for me!). The game is not fully organized yet but hopes are high.


I will keep you informed as more news comes out.

Thanks.

Matty D.

Lets GO WINGS!

Playoff Hockey= VQUZESHUF

Don't ask what that word is.. Just go with it..


So its the PLAYOFFS! the time of year that brings out the best and worst in some teams. All star players heat up and take over while some lesser known guys give their all to earn their right to have their name on Lord Stanley's Cup. The playoff spots are set in stone and here is how they look:

IN THE EAST!
1. Montreal Canadians
2. Pittsburgh Penguins
3.Washington Capitals
4.New Jersey Devils
5. New York Rangers
6. Philadelphia Flyers
7. Ottawa Sentators
8. Boston Bruins.

IN THE WEST!
1. Detroit Red Wings
2. San Jose Sharks
3.Minnesota Wild
4. Anaheim Ducks
5. Dallas Stars
6. Colorado Avalanche
7. Calgary Flames
8. Nashville Predators

Those are the 16 teams fighting for their right in the spot light. All games will be shown locally and a majority will be shown nationally on Versus (Ch. 408) or on NBC. So check local listings for everything hockey. Games start Thursday night.. For more playoff action check out VQUZESHUF


So cheer on your favorite team.. If your team didn't make the playoffs, well good luck next year and just enjoy some well played hockey.

Thanks for reading.

Matty D.

The Hunt Is On!!!

So its the beginning of March and the hockey season is drawing to a close but that doesn't mean that the season is starting to become boring or sorry to say "cold as ice." But in all reality things are truly heating up. Teams are starting to fight for the top 8 spots in each conference in order to make the brackets and a ticket to Lord Stanley's Cup.

As of right now there are six teams in the NHL that can breathe easy as they have all clinched their spot a top their conference. In the East it's the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadians, and Carolina Hurricanes. For the West it's the Detroit Red Wings, Dallas Stars, and Calgary Flames. These teams are free and clear and just need to stay healthy and focused for the playoffs.

But it is those teams on the "bubble" fighting for the last 2 spots that make the playoff hunt so exciting. In the East, the Rangers and Flyers hold the bottom spots but the Capitals and Sabres are right on their tail fighting for their lives. Also, do not count out the Islanders and Panthers from the hunt as well as they both have some big games ahead to make play off birth. In the West, the Aves with the help of some old friends and the Canucks hold the bottom tier but Predators and the Coyotes are both on the heals of the bottom 2. The Preds are actually tied with the Canucks in points so the end of the year will be very very interesting!

This is the time of year where the weather changes to a warmer, sunnier time but as things on the ice heat up the times don't look so great. Players hit harder, fights become more frequent, goalies become walls and heroes step up.

I suggest watching every game you can whether or not it's the team you love. (Ex. The Caps Pens game on right now in a 2-2 tie going into the 3rd.)

Keep reading! Thanks
Matty D.

Ps. Good luck to the SHU Men's Varsity Hockey Team tonight as they take on UConn for Game 3 of their best of 3 Quarter Final Match.

MK299 Article 2... Online Video Audience Surge

This is the second of four articles I will be posting dealing with issues in the marketing world. The topic I decided to write about deals with how internet users are starting to watch more and more online videos. The first article was posted a few weeks ago and you can just scroll down and check that out.

Here is the second Link.

A company called Pew Research did a study of adults of various ages groups and their video use on their internet. The article itself gives some great grafts so definitely check those out to see the figures for yourselves. Here are two main points from the site that I found pretty interesting.

• 48% of internet users said they had ever visited a video-sharing site such as YouTube. A year ago, in December 2006, 33% of internet users said they had ever visited such sites. That represents growth of more than 45% year-to-year.
• 15% of respondents said they had used a video-sharing site "yesterday" -- the day before they were contacted for our survey. A year ago, 8% had visited such a site "yesterday." Thus, on an average day, the number of users of video sites nearly doubled from the end of 2006 to the end of 2007.

It is evident that video sharing has become a pretty important part of the use of the internet today. It is seen in many different genres including music, movies and sports. Anyone can catch full television shows, movies and sporting games right on the internet thanks to streaming media. Marketers are starting to realize that this a brand new way to get the word about their products out to a whole demographic by placing ads on the sites that provide video sharing such as YouTube or by placing ads right into the the streaming media.

There will be two more articles to come.. But definitely check out that link above.

Some more NHL updates are soon to come!

Matty D.

A New Issue..

There is a new issue in the NHL which was brought up during the game on NBC on Sunday. Earlier in the week Dan Cleary of the Detroit Red Wings suffered a horrible injury against the Maple Leafs. He was standing out front of the net as he took a rising slap shot to the jaw. He is out indefinitely with a fractured Jaw and also received over 20 stitches to his face. There is a new issue in the NHL regarding the players being required to wear protective visors like the one shown to the left. Many players like Ovechkin, Crosby, Zetterberg, Iginla, and Salanne are already wearing the visors as a personal choice. Most are straight clear while others can be tinted to cut down reflection off the ice. It seems that more and more players coming out of college or the juniors have started to use the visors as they make the transition from full cage to a no cage helmet. I personal love the look of the Visor and have had a helmet (my brothers old Helmet) I would skate around with in my driveway to give myself a pro feel as I grew up.

But it is coming to a point where there have been a lot injuries with high sticking and pucks coming off the ice and striking players in the face. And this isn't just for players. Officials also are being considered to wear visors as well. In two games this last week two officials had pretty serious injuries. One was during a game where an official was trying to skate with players along the boards and a check was being made. The player was up ended and a skate caught the official in the face breaking his nose and cutting him pretty badly. A second happened on Sunday as an official caught a cleared puck to the upper back as he turned his head and face away just in time.

Some believe that the visor will prove to be a great help with reducing injuries to the eyes and nose. But others feel if a visor is mandatory for all players that fighting needs to be outlawed due to the injuries to the hands and wrists and even faces of the players fighting. I have seen plenty of players with visors fight hard on the ice. Most of the time the helmets come off. So I do not see the Visor being a factor.

But I do agree that the Visor is a definite tool that should be utilized more often in the NHL. Even though it is still player preference it could most definitely cut down the risk of injury to the face while on the ice.

So, I feel next weeks poll has been decided for us. Visor, Cage or nothing at all on the helmets. Or even go back to old time hockey with no helmets at all. I will see what you guys think!

Thanks for reading!

Matty D.

No NFL on Sundays... No Problem!

So, Super Bowl is over and done with.. No more NFL on Sundays... What to do?


NHL ON NBC!!! That's right. The NHL returns to NBC for the last half of the season. NBC offers games every Sunday afternoon either at 1pm, 3pm, or 6pm. Of course this week is a great match up of two big guns from the West. The Ducks and the Red Wings (Lets go Wings!). But for the rest of the season, teams like the Islanders, Rangers, Bruins, Penguins, Avalanche Hurricanes, and Senators will all be highlighted as the Sunday afternoon game of the week. I feel this is a great thing for the NHL. Also, NBC is the leading carrier of the Playoffs which allows the entire nation to be able to watch at least 1 or 2 games a week and also be able to check hockey at its high point.

I know I have been lacking with my research and updates I will do my best to write up a nice long post with some updates on teams and injury reports. This is just a little taste of what is soon to come.

Just make sure to turn on NBC to catch some hockey action now that the boys on the gridiron are all done with their season. Keep checking in.

Thanks for reading.

Matty D.

Internet Users... MK299

Whats up everyone,

I am going to take a step back from the world on ice and talk about an article I found online about the growing number of people who watch their favorite television shows online. I will be comparing this to the NHL Later on in the post but let give you the run down first.

First off.. Here is the Link!


A study was done by Solutions Research Group’s Digital Life America. It found that almost 50% (43% to be exact) use the internet to watch re runs of the episodes they missed out on or to watch their favorite episodes. That percent is just about 80 Million users in America. This was a drastic increase of 25% from the previous year. The study showed that people tend to watch TV shows online more then use the On Demand capabilities that is offered to them. Of course the major shows are the ones being viewed. This includes Grey's, House, CSI, Ugly Betty, Heroes, Lost Etc. It was found that the major demographic that uses the internet for this use was the age group of 18-34. But it seems that even though the internet is growing in popularity for watching missed television shows DVR's are still the leading means of recording and saving past episodes. The study was done on Americans ages 12 and older.


Honestly, I have seen this growing as I have gone through college. All my friends who go out during the week and miss their favorite show but know a half hour tops after the show has ended the full episode will be released online for their viewing pleasure. Also, with the growth of YouTube and similar sites, users are able to search for certain episodes or favorite moments from the show and relive them over and over again.

In the way of the NHL, services are offered from ESPN.com and the individual team sites where a user can pay a small price to be able to watch the games directly online. Also, just like shows, past highlights or even missed games are becoming popular and easy to find on the internet. I feel this is a great thing and helps to keep the popularity for television shows and sports growing. It seems that everyone is connected to the internet so why not integrate the Television and the Internet.

Stay tuned for more NHL news!

Matty D.

Updates!!! Updates!!! Updates!!!

What's going on Hockey Fans!!!

Hockey is back in full swing after last weekends All-Star Break. All teams have played and some have come back strong.. One team doing so is the Detroit Red Wings who seem to keep winning as Zetterberg returned to the ice this week helping lead the team. Also, Pavel Datsyuk was named top star in the NHL and is the top player of the week on this site as well! Go Wings!

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been proving they do not need Sid the Kid in the lineup to destroy the competition as they beat the Hurricanes 4-1 on Saturday. The Islanders have been taking it on the chin as they been dropping games due to the lack of goal scoring by their top forwards. I guess it was only some time before Comrie would cool down.

The Bruins had a strong showing this week still proving they play with the big dogs of the league and holding down New England sports at the moment as the Pat's lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl! Way to Be BIG BLUE!!!

In news of injuries: The Oilers will lose big player Shawn Horcroft to shoulder surgery for the rest of the season. This a huge blow to the team but Horcroft was bothered with the injury all season and hurt it again at the All-Star Game. (Article here)

It will interesting to see if the League hands out any suspensions after the huge Ryan Hollweg hit that drew him a 5 minute Major and ejected from the game when he put Kostitsyn right into the boards head first. In all honesty, he should definitely get some sort of suspension. There is no need for hits like this in the league. Especially because it was a retaliation for the check he received earlier in the period.

In news for this blog, I have decided to change up the Players of the week format. I will just be posting who the NHL has been naming the players of the week since I feel people do not often check that part of the site out. Also, there will be 3 links to other blogs that you guys should check out! Some other good reading besides what is here about the NHL. And soon I will be posting about articles in relation to a topic about Internet Marketing. Maybe educate a few people who knows if not it will be just some interesting reading.

Thanks for stopping by!

Matty D.

Old Time Hockey

Whats going on hockey fans!!!

I read a pretty interesting article on NHL.com today while on campus. It totally reminded me how even with the new rules and regulations the League has implemented some guys are still holding onto the values of what we call.."Old Time Hockey." The Article comes from the Crashing the Net column and is entitled "The Opening Face off: Lowering the Boom." It pretty much runs down the top 20 players in the League who bring hard hits to the Ice. The players were not put in any order according to how hard they hit or how many scrums they get into just alphabetically. Some of the names on the list didn't surprise me while some did. A good example, Zdeno Chara from the Boston Bruins. Never knew he could throw hits with the rest of em.

I'm happy to see that the players are not afraid to make the big hits and even drove the mitts and throw down.

Also, I will start adding some different articles and what not from NHL, ESPN, and some other odds and ends I can find on the internet. The article that I mentioned above is under the links below. Keep checking in! Thanks for voting!

Catch you soon!

Matty D.

All Star Game... Not bad at all... so take that Media Writers!

Whats going on Hockey Fans!

So the All-Star Weekend is over and I already filled you guys into the Skill Competition so here is my write up on the actually game. First, my opinions on the game. Many feel the game was a waste of time, boring to watch.. blah blah blah.. oh wait.. it was tied going into a minute left and BOOM a goal to win it.. Oh yea that's boring. NOT! Oh yea how bout the 15 goals scored. Yes only 1 check but hey! It's an All Star game no one wants to get hurt or look like that guy who needs go out and be a bruiser. I loved it. I watched every second of the game and actually speed through dinner just get a front row seat on the couch by the TV. There were some amazing moves, some amazing goals and to top it all off.. Comedy... Yes.. DP and Legacy were Mic'd up during the game as they were on the ice and offered some commentary and comedic light on the game. Great tough NHL.

So.. I will just give the guys who scored the goals.. and if you want the video highlights...
www.nhl.com then go to the score of the game 1/27/08 and select Watch.

So.. Here we go...
Rick Nash 12 seconds in
Eric Staal a minute later
Andrei Markov, Brian Cambell and a pair from Alex Ovechekin gave the east a 5-1 lead at the end of the first.
Second period was all West with another by Rick Nash and Scott Niedermayer
The third period was a free for all with goals.
Ryan Getzlaf less then a minute in and a third by Nash for the hat trick.
Marian Hossa put the east back on top just under 5 minutes into the third.
A pair from the wests Dion Phaneuf and Marian Gaborik gave some hope for Western Conference fans as the period came to a close.
But a late goal second goal by Eric Staal tied it up for the East.
And then then came the killer. A Marc Savard goal with 21 seconds left in the game to put the East up for good.

MVP went to Eric Staal for his 2 goals and 1 assist on the game.


In Other news.. Henrik Zetterberg who did not compete in the game due to injury was back skating with the Wings and hopes to make a quick return. Thank God!

And some results already in early from the first night back on ice from all players. Rangers, Islanders, and Devils all fell to Eastern conference teams. The Sabers beat up on the Lightening, and the Blue Jackets fell to the Coyotes.

Hope you guys got to catch the game on Sunday. If not.. Check those highlights asap!

Check back soon!!

Matty D.

Hating being Sick!

So, it's All Star weekend and of course I missed the Skills Competition due to passing out at 7pm right as it started thanks to a horrible head cold and headache after being at a Basketball Double header for my school. Yes, both teams won and both are now in first place so it was well worth it.

I did however check out the highlights of the Skills event and was very very impressed by the whole thing. Highlights can be seen on www.NHL.com under their NHL TV section. There are three parts definitely check out all three.

Some honorable mentions that I saw from the event were as follows.
-Rick DiPietro throwing pucks down ice on an empty net during the Obstacle Course giving him the title in my mind as one of the best goalies to handle the puck.
-Alexander Ovechkin's crazy moves during the No Rules Breakaway Challenge.
-Shawn Horcroft flying down the ice in the one on one speed skating race.
-Scott Gomez of old scoring on Chris Ozgood during the Shootout
-Dion Phaneuf winning move in the Shootout portion.
-The overall Young Stars game as it was a 3 on 3 battle with lots of open ice breakaways, exciting goals and a MVP nominee going to Manny Legacy for his goal tending (even though he isn't a young star)
-Kaberle winning the Accuracy shooting in a tie breaker.
-Chara hitting 103.1 MPH During the Hardest Shot competition.

So, the Skills competition went well. Looked like a lot of fun for both players and fans alike but the real deal as they say is today at 6PM eastern Time as the teams square off on ice. Will be shown on Versus check your local listings!

On some other notes, Brian Leetch's number 2 now hangs from the rafters of MSG as the Rangers beat the Thrashers in an Over Time Shootout to honor their past defenseman.

Sid the Kid is off ice for 6-8 weeks with that High Ankle sprain he received during the First period against the Lightening on Jan. 18th as he slammed into the boards behind the net.

As for updates on the Blog. I hope to start doing my own Top 3 players of the week for either outstanding performance, game winning goals/saves or anything that sticks out in the league. I also hope to add some more links to video highlights, news articles and whatever else is going on in the world of the NHL. Just remember.. being a college student is always busy!

Thanks for checking in. LETS GO WESTERN CONFERENCE!

Matty D.

All Star Game and Skills Competition

So this weekend is "All Star Weekend" for the NHL. This includes the Skills Competition, the Young Stars game and the All Star game. The festivities are being held at the Philips Arena in Atlanta, GA. This is the home of the Eastern Conference Atlanta Thrashers.

A common theme for the NHL these past few years as been change. Whether it has been the rule changes, the addition of the shoot out or the new jerseys, the League has done its best to update the game and make it more appealing to the public. So why not change the format of the Skills Competition to make it a little more interesting then in the past.

The skills competition is broken into seven different parts and each part has 2 goals to be offered to the team that wins the event. The team with the most goals at the end of the event wins. Simple. Also, every player on each team must compete in at least one event. Here are the seven different events that us the viewers will be seeing as we turn on the TV come Saturday.

Obstacle Course Relay
Fastest Skater
Elimination Shootout
Youth Stars Game
Accuracy Shooting
Hardest Shot
Breakaway Challenge

(Info on the event thanks to NHL.com)

This new format gives the Skills Competition a little more meat behind it instead of just something fun to watch or something that the players have to do without some sort of reward. This new format might help make the players take the skills portion of the weekend a little more seriously then in the past. We shall see where it takes us.

Either way the All-Star game is a great weekend for Hockey and actually All-Star games for any sport are exciting. Getting to see our favorite players on the same team almost like making fantasy team line ups come to life is a dream come true for many fans.


Once the weekend passes, you know I'll be writing all about it... Updates on the scores of the evening, Brian Leetch #2 getting hung from the rafters of MSG and hopefully a Sid the Kid injury update coming sometime this weekend as well..

Cheers,
Matty D.

Welcome to Blue Line To Blue Line

Welcome!

I'm happy you have stumbled upon my blog which is completely geared towards the National Hockey League. I hope to do my best keeping up to date posts with scores, trades, injuries, team news and league news. Also, I will give some of my own opinions on issues within the NHL.

I myself, am a die hard Detroit Red Wings fan. And yes, I'm not from Detroit. But it goes like this. I was taught how to skate and shoot by my older brother who is of course... A Red Wings Fan. So like any other younger sibling wanting to be just like his cool older brother I followed suit and became a Red Wings fan following players like Steve Yzerman, Dino Ciccarelli, and the old videos of "The Man" Gordie Howe.

But I am not one of those guys who just follows his own team and ignores the rest of the League. I will watch any game on Television since those are now few and far between after the ever so popular strike. I will also cheer for the home town teams (New York Islanders and New York Rangers) except when those teams are on the ice with the Wings.

Also, you might also read some posts dealing with Marketing. This is blog is a project for my Internet Marketing Class. Hopefully I will be able to make a connection between the NHL and how it uses the internet to Market itself. But overall the posts will be dealing solely with the NHL.

Stay Tuned for more. Thanks for reading!
Matty D.