All 60 profiles are published. Let's consider this and the following post(s) an extra bonus.
When I began tinkering with the idea of profiling all 60 D1 NCAA men's hockey teams, it seemed like an endeavor only a madman would undertake. 600 words each day spread out across 12 weeks? Trying to find 60 different ways to uniquely preview teams?
Turns out, that was an understatement. Writing 60 profiles was certainly a challenge. There were times I questioned myself for thinking this was a good idea, or that anyone wanted to read about college hockey in July.
However, 60 profiles later, I'm glad I spent the better part of the summer on the series. I learned a lot about the teams, myself and most importantly, you.
What's New: Writing over 36,000 words on college hockey. Holy crap.
Actually, when adding up everything left on the cutting room floor, it's likely closer to 40,000 words. Before starting the project, I thought it'd be difficult to hit 600 words. By the end, the opposite was true. Not every team was UMD long, but frequently 100-200 word sections were cut. Limiting to 600 words meant focusing on important issues and using an eye for editing. Honestly, the profiles were better off because of it.
I'm also happy to set a long-term, big-picture goal and see it through. I've been trying to improve upon that because sometimes it can be difficult as a freelance writer to keep motivation when deadlines are self-imposed. Researching every team and coming up with ideas of how to present was not easy work. However, this came to be a project challenging enough to push me the right amount.
Finally, writing about every Division 1 men's NCAA hockey team has been helpful for future feature and story ideas. The entire project helped me look at things from different angles. Several ideas brought up in profiles or coming across in research are already in mind. I can't wait to share some.
Closing Thoughts: Each profile, while sharing the same basic format, is different. Some are more straightforward previews. Some look at the future or big picture. Most are full of references and good, clean fun.
I enjoy writing a mixture of entertainment and knowledge. There's something to be able to poke fun at millennial "trends" and then use it to make a serious point about Denver's success. If you're entertained and learn a few things while brushing up on college hockey knowledge, I've happily done my job.
In closing, I want to thank everyone who helped make this possible. Several media members gave up their valuable offseason free time to answer questions. College Hockey Stats and CHN/USCHO/College Hockey Inc's websites were invaluable.
When I began, I said I wanted to try something different. These didn't have the backing of a major website or being pushed out by an app or newsletter. The series title isn't exactly optimized for search engines. It's a one-man operation. The profiles are simple for a reason. I set modest readership goals that would be attainable yet not easy.
This ended up far more successful than I could imagine. Each week more and more picked up the series. That's in part due to everyone who retweeted, commented, shared, posted links on boards, Reddit, discussed the series with me in person, etc. I hit the modest goal with 20 profiles remaining and nearly doubled it by the end. That's all thanks to you, the reader.
Thank you.
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