A note on the future of Hockey Sense

Hi there, readers. If you’re getting this message, you’re one of the many subscribers that has helped make Hockey Sense what it is and I can’t thank you enough for that.

Because of your support, I wanted you to be among the first to know that there will be some changes coming to the site.

I am pleased to say that I will be joining DailyFaceoff.com as a contributor, leading the site’s NHL Draft and prospect coverage. Frank Seravalli has assembled a very talented team and I’m looking forward to being a part of something that is independent, new and a little bit different than the norm in hockey media. With a number of true insiders including former players Bryce Salvador and Mike McKenna, a former referee in Tim Peel, a former team analyst in Rachel Doerrie, and a former front-office executive in Steve Greeley, Daily Faceoff is set to bring some incredibly unique perspectives and insights about the game on top of Frank’s news-breaking capabilities, the great writing of legendary scribe Scott Burnside, and Daily Faceoff’s invaluable web-based tools for hockey fans.

So what does this mean for Hockey Sense? In the short-term, not a lot. I will continue producing subscriber-exclusive content that covers the same things you’ve come to expect from me. In the bigger picture, there will be some differences. My rankings for the draft, farm system rankings and drafted prospect rankings will move to Daily Faceoff, which will not have a paywall, meaning you will still have access to them.

As of this point, my plan is still to provide weekly content on Hockey Sense. I will still be hosting the Talking Hockey Sense podcast and will be covering college and junior hockey as well as the prospect world at large, filling in the gaps that some of my more national-based coverage will leave at Daily Faceoff. I am also planning to have in-depth coverage of USA’s World Junior preparation all the way through the end of the tournament. All of that will be exclusive to paid subscribers on top of additional content.

Meanwhile, I’ll be writing regularly for Daily Faceoff, covering a variety of topics in the prospect world. So if you’d prefer to stick with the content that is free, I totally understand. Monthly subscribers can cancel at any time. If you’re an annual subscriber and would like a pro-rated refund, please email your request to hockeysensewithcp@gmail.com and I will make sure that request is fulfilled. If you want to stick around and keep access to highly-specific and nuanced content, I will keep working hard to make it worth your money.

So why make this move?

There are two reasons. The first, of course, is a financial one as I felt this was an opportunity that would better help me support my family while continuing to do the work I am most passionate about. Secondly, I really missed being part of a team. Watching my friends and former colleagues at ESPN work in concert to bring the league back to the network has been bittersweet, to be honest, mostly because I had such a great time being part of that team. To have a chance to help build something new in the hockey world at Daily Faceoff, along with people in the business that I respect, is something that was too enticing to pass up.

This is not a decision I arrived at lightly. Building Hockey Sense from the ground up, being bolstered by the support and encouragement of my subscribers has been an especially satisfying endeavor. While my time will be divided, I still have a passion to bring hockey fans comprehensive, accurate and nuanced content that helps them better understand any facet of the game or a player they’d like to know more about. My hope is that I can still produce content that you enjoy and find worth supporting.

If you want to reach out at any point with questions or concerns about this new setup, please do. You can reply directly to this email or at hockeysensewithcp@gmail.com and I’ll be sure to address it quickly.

Things may change as my schedule does, but I will be sure to keep you all in the mix with what is going on and how things will progress. Until then, I hope you’ll continue following my work here and supporting what I’m doing at Daily Faceoff, which will include appearances on the Daily Faceoff Show which streams live daily.

A major part of the reason opportunities like the one I’ve accepted have come along is because you all have kept me afloat and have supported my work as an independent. I really cannot thank you enough for that and will continue working hard to ensure your support was not misplaced. Thank you again.

— Chris