Matthew Mugno is currently the host of the PuckTalkCS podcast and was recently a beat reporter for the New York Rangers with The Hockey News. Matthew was nice enough to do an interview with Project 94 Hockey over email.
EH: How did you start reporting/broadcasting hockey specifically the Rangers for The Hockey News?
MM: I began reporting at Quinnipiac University for the student-led QBSN and Q30 Television. I had the chance to beat report for the Men’s Ice Hockey team in 2023.
I had the opportunity to broadcast and report the team’s Connecticut Ice Tournament Win, ECAC Tournament in Lake Placid, and National Championship victory. Jonny Lazarus hired me to his staff for The Hockey News to cover the New York Rangers following my work in college.
EH: How long have you been a hockey fan and who have been some of your favorite players to watch over the years?
I am a sucker for the deep cuts. I’ve been a hockey fan since 2012. I was in the fifth grade. Henrik Lundqvist and Chris Kreider come to mind. As a kid, Mats Zuccarello was my hero. Vladamir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane were my favorite players outside of New York, so it was cool to see them where the legendary Blueshirt sweater last spring. I also had the chance to meet Kane at MSG this season.
EH: Have there been any surprises from the Rangers or around the league this season as it relates to team/player success?
MM: Will Cuylle and Jonathan Quick come to mind. Alexis Lafreniere and Artemi Panarin are having a season, but the organization knew what their ceiling was and where their play needed to be.
Cuylle has been arguably the best player in their respective role this season and is on pace to smash the Rangers hits by a rookie record.
Quick at 37 years old is a 1B, and has created a conversation not often seen in New York with how incredible the club’s goaltending history is. With Henrik Lundqvist, it was clear how was the starter. Right now, Quick is building a solid case.
EH: What kind of information are you using and looking for when reporting and writing analyses?
MM: I’m not super into the numbers of the game. Maybe the internet has soiled that for me, but unless an advanced statistic is at an alarming level, I’m not paying attention to it. The key to a statistic is numbers that support a claim.
Alexis Lafreniere is actually in the 89th percentile of skating burst over 20 MPH (NHL Edge). That goes against the conversation of his footspeed.
Where it supports a claim: Artemi Panarin is on pace to decimate his previous career high in goals. Why? Because he’s shooting more. Bread is on pace for 324 shots. That would be 96 more than his career high (2017-2018).
EH: As you’ve covered the Rangers throughout the season, what have you seen that could make this team a contender? Have the numbers shown anything that surprises you based on what you’ve observed?
MM: The second line’s 5-on-5 play has been incredible off the rush. When the Rangers power play clicks it is a lock to score, and the team’s penalty kill has hardly failed them this season.
EH: How have you seen stats and analytics play a role in reporting and broadcasting?
To some degree, stats and analytics can defunct old-school classifications. Again, a metric like Alexis Lafreniere being in the 96th percentile of offensive zone time while not skating on the first power play unit is an incredible nugget of information. It’s informative and direct. It tells a story of its own.
EH: Are there any technologies that you’d like to see the NHL use publicly for either data collection, reporting tools, or fan interaction?
MM: I think NHL Edge is fantastic. I do think cataloging major pieces of information is the next step in that industry. Very often I am interested in digging and finding information like how many goals the GAG line combined for when they skated together 5-on-5.
Could I be looking in the wrong places? Yes. Is it something far too frequent in the hockey world? Yes. The baseball world not only respects its history but has libraries of information about its past. I am talking about the sport that invented the box score after all, but that does not change what can be the next frontier.
If it weren’t for my grandfather and parents passing down stories of Gordie Howe and Bernie Nicholls I’d hardly come across them or their statistical information.