Fantasy Hockey 101: Welcome To Rinkotology

For the next two months, we will be here working hard to give you the ins and outs of Rinkotology. Once the party starts, there will be standings, scoring updates, studs and duds, and more. Remember, just ten dollars gets you in on all the action and unlike other leagues that frown on you buying multiple teams, here you can not 1...not 2...but 3. Think of all the hockey junkies that will be joining you and you have the chance of being put in one of three conferences. You simply pick 16 players (10 F, 4 D, and 2 G) and then just hope. No worrying about your roster every single day other than seeing how they do. It all sounds so disgustingly simple.

Take a look at how easy this is to do.

First - Register

First we need to get your account information. Simple, you have done it before and luckily we made it quick and painless for you

Second - Select Your Fantasy Team

Picking your fantasy team is intuitive. You have your 10 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 2 goalies. Fill in your lineup, pick your captains, and move on.

Third - Hope

At this point you have selected your team, sacrificed two $5 footlongs, and have resigned yourself to waiting for your team to dominate. All you can do is hope you picked right.

This is really that easy. You also get to pick a captain and two alternates. The fun in that is captain points like Scrabble can help you rack up points at a x3 multiplier (x2 for alternates). However, hopefully your captain does not a bunch of bad games because that can adversely affect your score.

Here are those stat categories one more time.....

SKATERS:

• Goals: 3 pts
• Assists: 2 pts
• Shots on goal: 0.1 pts
• Hits: 0.1 pts
• Blocked shots: 0.1 pts
• +/-: +0.5/-0.5

GOALIE:

• Win: 3 pts
• Shutout: 5 pts
• Saves in regulation: 0.1 pts
• Goal against: -0.5 pts
• OT saves: 0.5 pts
• Goals: 10 pts
• Assists: 3 pts

SPECIALTY BONUS POINTS FOR SKATERS

(These points are added to a player's stat categories.
Any application of these bonus points DOES NOT affect normal stat categories.
So for example a OT goal would be worth 6 points.)

• Powerplay Goal: +1 pt
• Shorthanded Goal: +2 pts
• OT Goal: +3 pts
• OT Assist: +1 pt
• GWG(in regulation): +2 pts
• Series-clinching goal(GWG in deciding game of the series): +5 pts
• Stanley Cup winning goal(GWG in decising game of the series): +10 pts
• Hat-trick: +5 pts
• ALL game seven goals: +2 pts

This would be like ordering a double cafe espresso with a lemon half twist of lemon (LA Story reference). We get to go over a few scenarios and believe me Kyle will have some fun with whole teams very soon. This would be what we call in the business, an appetizer. Say you have Alex Ovechkin as your Captain. Its not a bad choice obviously. He goes nuts in Game 1 against the Montreal Canadiens and something like this happens.

PLAYER	G	A	+/-	SOG	BS	HITS	PPG	SHG	HAT TRICK	OT Goals	OT Assist	GWG	Series GWG	SC GWG	GM 7 Goals	TOTAL PTS
	3	2	1	0.1	0.1	0.1	1	2	5	3	1	2	5	10	2
N. Backstrom	1	1	1	7	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7.9
A. Ovechkin	2	1	1	5	0	6	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	10.1
S. Crosby	0	0	-2	5	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	-1.4
E. Malkin	1	1	1	6	1	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	10.8

Thanks to Kyle for this sneak preview scenario from last year's Game 5 Overtime game between the Pens and Caps. Now if Alex Ovechkin had a 3 goal 2 assist monster night in Game 1 against Montreal. For the sake of argument he tosses in a PPG tally and the GWG along with 5 shots, a +2, and 3 hits along the way. Here would be a breakdown of his point total.

Alex Ovechkin - RW - Washington Capitals

• 3 Goals - 9 points
• 2 Assists - 4 points
• +2 - 2 points
• 5 shots - .5 points
• 3 hits - .3 points
• 1 hat trick - 5 points
• 1 GWG - 2 points
• 1 PPG - 1 point

That adds up to a monster 23.8 points for just one player. Now add in that multiplier at x3 and you wind up with a whopping 71.4 points. Yes this is not a likely scenario but it could happen. However your captain could also be on the other side of an 8-1 rout so keep this in mind when choosing your captain and two alternates. Be very careful!


Strategy plays a role in picking your guys. You do want players that are going to go far but you also want players that can score points. What fun is it to have a guy that goes all the way to the finals but scores less than a guy who only played in one round. Now it is time to take a look at a goalie from last year just for fun. Hey its Martin Brodeur from Game 5 of the ECQF against the Carolina Hurricanes. Ah those were happier times.

Martin Brodeur - G - New Jersey Devils

(Game 5 - 2009 ECQF vs. Carolina)

• 1 Win = 3 points
• 1 shutout = 5 points
• 44 Regulation Saves = 4.4 points

That is a real nice and easy breakdown for a total of 12.4 points. Please note something with Rinkotology. Unlike H2H leagues where goaltending gets rewarded more, it does not here. You can gain a little more ground with your offensive production as opposed to your goaltending. However the risk/reward is always something that is lurking.


Keep this also in mind, your multipliers can make or break you as well. It sounds like a lot to think about but the reality is this. You pick your players and put all the thought in it now so you can reap the rewards later. A point league like Rinkotology is unique for its complex yet simple structure. There will be tons of chances to talk trash via many avenues of the internet as well. Just remember Day 1 results will be a lot different than the final day, I assure you.


So what are you waiting for? Go to the site today and register. It is so easy....ah nevermind! You know the rest. I almost forgot all about the prize $$. Here is that too.

Prizes

There are a total of 46 prizes for Rinkotology's Quest for the Cup 2010.
1 prize at $700.
3 prizes at $300 each.
3 prizes at $250 each.
3 prizes at $200 each.
3 prizes at $150 each.
3 prizes at $100 each.
30 prizes at $50 each.

Rinkotology Payout Structure

1. For Rinkotology your entry or entries will be randomly assigned to one of three conferences. This means that you will compete against those others randomly placed in your conference.
2. If you purchased 2 or 3 teams each team will be randomly assigned a conference, and no player will have more then 1 team in 1 conference.
3. For each conference there will be 15 winners. The payout structure for those top 15 winners in each conference goes as follows.

• 1st
• 2nd
• 3rd
• 4th
• 5th
• 6th
• 7th
• 8th
• 9th
• 10th
• 11th
• 12th
• 13th
• 14th
• 15th

• - $300
• - $250
• - $200
• - $150
• - $100
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50
• - $50

* This is the same payout for each conference.
** The overall winner will receive an extra $700 dollars, and the Rinkotology Championship Belt.

So get in there and enter today.....the deadline is 5pm ET April 14th which is Wednesday or in two days or as in Hump Day. For those that have joined, I wish you a hearty good luck and again be like Indiana Jones and choose wisely.

RINKOTOLOGY LAUNCHED

Click HERE to enter Rinkotology.
Click HERE to enter Rinkotology.
Click HERE to enter Rinkotology.

FYI, YOU DO NOT HAVE TO RE-REGISTER IF YOU PLAYED THE OLYMPIC VERSION

2010 NHL Playoff Rinkotology Rules & Scoring

Many more scoring categories have been added for this version, both for skaters & goalies, so be sure to factor in ALL categories when choosing your team.

Final rosters need set by: WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14 -- 5:00pm

Player selection (one from each team):

10 Forwards
4 Defensemen
2 Goalies

Choose from your 14 skaters:

1 Captain x3 points
2 Alternate Captains x2 points

Skater Scoring Categories:

• Goals: 3 pts
• Assists: 2 pts
• Shots on goal: 0.1 pts
• Hits: 0.1 pts
• Blocked shots: 0.1 pts
• +/-: +0.5/-0.5

SPECIALTY BONUS POINTS FOR SKATERS
(These points are added to a player's stat categories.
Any application of these bonus points DOES NOT affect normal stat categories.
So an OT goal would be worth 6 points.)

• Powerplay Goal: +1 pt
• Shorthanded Goal: +2 pts
• OT Goal: +3 pts
• OT Assist: +1 pt
• GWG(in regulation): +2 pts
• Series-clinching goal(GWG in deciding game of the series): +5 pts
• Stanley Cup winning goal(GWG in decising game of the series): +10 pts
• Hat-trick: +5 pts
• ALL game seven goals: +2 pts

Goalie Scoring Categories:

• Win: 3 pts
• Shutout: 5 pts
• Saves in regliation: 0.1 pts
• Goal against: -0.5 pts
• OT saves: 0.5 pts
• Goals: 10 pts
• Assists: 3 pts

Quick breakdown of team-selection process for Rinkotology:

1. You are picking 10 forwards, 4 defensemen, and 2 goalies. (One from each team)

2. From your 10 forwards and 4 defensemen, you are selecting 1 captain and 2 alternate captains.

Things to keep in mind when selecting your fantasy team at Rinkotology:

1. All of your Captains' points are worth x3.
2. All of your Alternate Captains' points are worth x2.

3. There will be minus points for this game.

4. If your captain is a minus for the game, it will be x3 in the negative.
5. If one of your Alternate Captains is a minus for the game, it will be x2 in the negative.

Meaning if your players finals point total is -2.
And that player is your captain, his score will be -6.
If that player was your alternate captain, his score will be -4.

The same applies for goaltending.

Injury Policy

This applies to a player on a given users team that is injured for an extended amount of time.
The player that is injured will be auto replaced by the next highest point getter in that position.

Payout

There will be three conferences that a user will be assigned to.

Payouts in each of the 3 conferences:
1st - $300
2nd - $250
3rd - $200
4th - $150
5th - $100
(1st place OVERALL wins an extra $700 to make a cool $1,000 for the winner)
6th-15th place: All receive $50 EACH

This factors out to $5,200.
45 winners in total.

Visit the RULES section of Rinkotology for everything you need to know about the scoring system, tiebreakers, etc.

Rinkotology Almost Ready

Pre-registration will be open in the next few days.
Stay tuned.

woo

Twitter Contest: 3.17 -- Penguins @ New Jersey

Play to win free entry ($10) into Rinkotology: Quest For The Cup 2010.

You are picking the time and period of the game-winning goal.
Send your guess to @Rinkotology.

Example:
@Rinkotology 11:34, 2nd per

-- If the game ends in a shootout, contest will revert to the time of the game-tying goal.
-- If it's 0-0 through regulation and OT, nothing happens.

Winner will be announced EXCLUSIVELY on the @Rinkotology Twitter account.

JOB AVAILABLE

***UPDATE: POSITIONS FILLED***

If you're actually visiting this blog right now, you have some interest in the Rinkotology game.
We have a job proposal for someone out there.

Abilities Needed:

1. Heavy experience in fantasy-hockey games.
2. Have a little bit of writing/blogging experience. (Can use a keyboard.)
3. Willing to blog about fantasy hockey during playoffs. (2 months.)

e-mail thepensblog@gmail.com if you are interested.

Some Details About Rinkotology ver 3.0

For the playoff version, we have tentatively decided some rules:

Player selection (one from each team)

10 forwards
4 defensemen
2 goalies


Stat Categories

1 Captain: x3 points.
2 Alternates: x2 points

-Goals: 3pts

-Assists: 2pts

-Shots on goal: 0.1pts

-Hits: 0.1pts
-Blocked shots: 1pts
+/-: +1 or -1pts

SPECIALTY BONUS POINTS FOR SKATERS

(These points are added to a player's stat categories.
Any application of these bonus points DOES NOT affect normal stat categories.
So an OT goal would be worth 7 points.)

-Powerplay goals: +1
-Shorthanded goals: +2

-OT GOALS +3

-OT Assist: +1
-GWG (in regulation): +2
-Series-clinching goal (GWG in deciding game of series): +5

-Stanley Cup winning goal (GWG in deciding game of series): +10
-Hat-trick: +5

-ALL Game Seven goals: +2

For Goalies

-Win: 3pts

-Shutout: 5pts

-REGULATION SAVES: 0.1pts

-Goals against: -0.5pts

-OT SAVES: 0.5pts
-Assist: 3pts
-Goal: 10pts

-penalty shot save: 1pts


We would love feedback on any of these, as nothing is written in stone.

Some Littered Details

We took to heart all of the feedback we've received.
Thank you very much if you took out the time to send some along.

We will be adding +/-, blocked shots, and individual goals against to the stat categories.
We're also toying with the notion of adding some weight to a defenseman's goals.

We're keeping pretty much the same format as we used for the Olympic Games:

• One player from each country.
• 10 Forwards, 4 defenseman, 2 goalies.
• Captain and Alternate multipliers
• Adding option to change your Captain and Alternates on a weekly basis.

We know the main draw of the game is not having arduous roster-management every day. We are keeping that aspect but also allowing some wiggle room for roster management.

We plan to have this functioning by April 1st, when we'll seed out the game to some test users who will play the game for the last week of the season so we can find bugs, problems with the game, etc.

That's all for now.
First-place presentation will be occurring this weekend!!!
Look for it on YouTube!