This website was created as part of the final project for IAT355: Introduction to Visual Analytics. Through six carefully crafted visualizations of hockey data, I aim to tell the story of the NHL's Dead Puck Era—how it emerged and its profound impact on the cornerstone of hockey: scoring. Additionally, I will examine the key changes that I believe contributed to the end of this era. This exploration delves into critical metrics such as the number of teams, goals scored, save percentages, and penalties called, providing a comprehensive look at the factors that defined and ultimately transformed this period in NHL history. Some questions I aim to answer are:
The goal of these visualizations is to explore and analyze scoring trends in NHL history, with a particular focus on the Dead Puck Era. This project aims to examine how elements such as shooting and save percentages, goal-scoring rates, league expansion, and penalty trends influenced the low-scoring dynamics of this period. By highlighting the evolution of offensive and defensive strategies, these visualizations will shed light on the defining characteristics of the Dead Puck Era and its enduring impact on the league's trajectory.
All data used for the visualizations was gathered from trusted sources such as the NHL's official website, Hockey Reference, HockeyDB, and QuantHockey. The NHL site provides official stats, news, and updates directly from the league. Hockey Reference offers detailed historical and contemporary player and team statistics, including advanced metrics. QuantHockey focuses on statistical summaries, trends, and league-wide data analysis, while HockeyDB specializes in player profiles, career statistics, and historical team rosters. Together, these sources ensure a comprehensive and accurate foundation for creating detailed and insightful hockey visualizations.