Joon-ho Baek

Hockey reached me through the noise around the Pyeongchang Games, when a sport I'd barely registered suddenly seemed to be everywhere at once. I started staying up for NHL broadcasts and following the KHL out of curiosity, and the more I watched the more I realised how much engineering sits beneath a game most casual fans only judge by the final score. I build my predictions around the quiet decider — goaltending form, the health of the special teams, shot quality, and the way a brutal travel schedule grinds legs down over a long season. Expected goals and possession numbers tell a far steadier story than a hot or cold week on the scoreboard, especially in a sport this prone to bounces. Hockey is among the most volatile things I analyse and I've made peace with that. A goaltender can stand on his head and rob a game no model foresaw. So I lean on sound process, keep my expectations calibrated, and explain the why behind a goal line rather than pretending I've found certainty. — Joon-ho Baek