Stat Cat Online is a Unix-based, web application for managing ice hockey statistics. The application provides an administrative client (hereafter referred to as the Stat Cat Online application) and a statistics reporting mechanism that is woven into the host league’s website.

System Requirements

Stat Cat Online’s server-side requirements are as follows.

The application must reside on a Unix-based web server. Stat Cat Online may run on Linux, but that installation remains untested at the writing of this document.
The software requires at least 5 MB of disk space, but the required can vary based on the size of the database (i.e. how many teams are in the league).
The server must support and allow the execution of CGI and Perl scripts.
The server must grant the software (i.e. user space) the privilege to create, modify, and delete directories and files on the server.

Before using Stat Cat Online, users should ensure that their web browser meets the following requirements.

Although other browsers are supported, Stat Cat Online is best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 6.0 or later.
JavaScript must be enabled (normally the default).
The browser must be set to refresh the page on every visit. (To do this in Internet Explorer, go to Tools->Internet Options, select the button next to “Every visit to the page”, and press “OK”.) In browsers where a similar option does not seem to exist, like Mozilla Firefox, set the cache file size to 0.

Installation

To install the Stat Cat Online software on a web server, refer to the installation instructions included in the Readme.txt file on the Stat Cat Online Installation CD.

Accessing Stat Cat Online

To access the Stat Cat Online application, click on the Stat Cat Online link on the main report screen. The exact location of this screen varies depending on the league’s website and the application installation.

The Stat Cat Online Log In Screen is displayed. Enter your username and password, and press the “Login” button. Usernames and passwords are supplied by the host league. One username/password combination is configured out of the box and is documented in the Readme.txt file located on the Stat Cat Online Installation CD.

Once a user has logged in successfully, the Stat Cat Online Home Screen is displayed. The application menu, which exists on the left portion of the screen, lists all operations that are available to the current user. The center of the Home Screen displays status or serves as a workbench for performing operations within the program.

To exit the Stat Cat Online application, select “Log Off” from the application’s menu. It is a best practice to always log off of the system or close its browser window when your work is complete.

Users

The Stat Cat Online program has two different types of users: administrators and team managers. Administrator users can perform any operation in the stat program. Administrators are trusted users who have full read and write access to the stat program’s database.

Team manager users are restricted to entering game statistics. These users may not modify the season setup, game schedules, team rosters, or perform any utility functions. Team manager users typically are team representatives who are responsible for entering game results and statistics.

It is a best practice to create a user for each individual who requires access to Stat Cat Online.

Add a User

Select “Add a User” from the application menu. The Add a User Screen is then displayed.
Enter a unique username (1 to 20 alphanumeric characters).
Select the user’s administrator type (either Administrator or Team Manager).
If the user is a Team Manager, select the team he/she manages from the “Manager’s team” dropdown box. If the user is an administrator, leave “All teams – admin user” selected.
Enter a password for this user (1 to 20 alphanumeric characters).
Re-type the password. This value must match the previously entered password.
Press the “Add” button. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the user was added successfully.

Once users are created, they may be modified or deleted. All values may be changed except the username. To change a username, an administrator must delete the user and then create a new one with the desired name.

Modify a User

Select “Modify a User” from the application menu. The Modify a User Screen is then displayed.
Select the user to be modified from the “Username” dropdown list. The Modify a User Screen is refreshed to show information for the selected user.
Modify the administrator type, manager’s team, and password fields as desired. The valid values for these fields are the same as those for creating a new user.
Press the “Modify” button. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the user was modified successfully.

Delete a User

Select “Delete a User” from the application menu. The Delete a User Screen is then displayed.
Select the user to be deleted from the “Username” dropdown list. The Delete a User Screen is refreshed to show information for the selected user.
Press the “Delete” button. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the user was deleted successfully.

All users may change their password at any time. Stat Cat Online passwords do not expire, but it is a best practice to change passwords at least once a season. Administrators should take special care in guarding their passwords.

Change My Password

Select “Change My Password” from the application menu. The Change My Password Screen is then displayed.
Enter a password (1 to 20 alphanumeric characters).
Re-type the password. This value must match the previously entered password.
Press the “Change” button. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the password was changed successfully.

The League, Divisions, and Teams

Stat Cat Online supports one hockey league, and this league can contain one to many different divisions. In most cases, league administrators setup divisions to support various levels of play within a single league.

Add a Division

Select “Add a Division” from the application menu. The Add a Division Screen is then displayed.
Enter a division name (1 to 6 alphanumeric characters).
Press the “Add” button. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the division was added successfully.

Divisions can also be deleted; however, extreme discretion must be used when performing this operation. Deleting a division results in not only the division being deleted but also all of it’s games, teams, rosters, results, and statistics being deleted. This operation should never be performed during the hockey season.

Delete a Division

Select “Delete a Division” from the application menu. The Delete a Division Screen is then displayed.
Select the division to be deleted from the “Division name” dropdown list.
Press the “Delete” button.
An alert box is displayed asking if you really want to delete the division. Select “OK”. A confirmation message is displayed stating that the division was deleted successfully.

Now that the league and divisions are set up in the stat program, individual teams can be created. Each team must be given a name and assigned to a division. A team can only be a member of one division; however, it may play teams from different divisions.

Add a Team

Select “Add a Team” from the application menu. The Add a Team Screen is then displayed.
Enter a team name (1 to 50 alphanumeric characters that can also include spaces, hyphens, periods, and apostrophes).
Select a division. At least one division must exist before teams can be added.
Press the “Add” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the team was added successfully.

Once a team is created it’s name can be changed, and it can be moved to a different division; however, teams should never be moved from one division to another during the season. It is okay to change a team’s name during the season.

Modify a Team

1. Select “Modify a Team” from the application menu. The Modify a Team Screen is displayed.

2. Select the team to be modified from the “Select a team” dropdown list. The Modify a Team Screen is refreshed to show information for the selected team.

3. Modify the team name and division as desired.

4. Press the “Modify” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the team was modified successfully.

Finally, teams can be deleted. Deleting a team deletes its roster and its game statistics. Teams should never be deleted during the hockey season.

Delete a Team

1. Select “Delete a Team” from the application menu. The Delete a Team Screen is displayed.

2. Select the team to be deleted from the “Select a team” dropdown list.

3. Press the “Delete” button.

4. An alert box is displayed asking if you really want to delete the team. Select “OK”. A confirmation is displayed stating that the team was deleted successfully.

Once a team is created, a roster of players may be assigned to the team.

Update Team Roster (Create)

1. Select “Update Team Roster” from the application menu. The Update Team Roster Screen is then displayed.

2. Select a team from the “Team” dropdown list. The Update Team Roster screen is refreshed and in cases where a roster already exists for the selected team, it is displayed.

3. For each player on the team, enter his/her jersey number (number from 0 to 99 or “Sub”). This field can be left blank if the player’s jersey number is unknown.

4. For each player on the team, enter his/her last name (1 to 25 alphanumeric characters that can also include apostrophes, periods, and hyphens).

5. For each player on the team, enter his/her first name (1 to 25 alphanumeric characters that can also include apostrophes, periods, and hyphens).

6. Press the “Update” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the roster was updated successfully.

Team rosters and individual player information can be modified at any time. Players can be added or deleted; however, it is a best practice to not delete a player during the season even if he/she switches teams because statistics for deleted players are erased and thus, lost for the team. Changing a player’s name or number does not adversely affect is/her statistics.

Update Team Roster (Modify)

1. Select “Update Team Roster” from the application menu. The Update Team Roster Screen is then displayed.

2. Select a team from the “Team” dropdown list. The Update Team Roster screen is refreshed to show the selected team’s roster.

3. When modifying an existing player, click on the player’s name. The Update Player Screen is then displayed. Modify the player’s number, last name, and first name as desired, and press the “Update” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the player was updated successfully.

4. When adding a new player, enter the new players number, last name, and first name into the first row of empty text fields below the existing roster, and press the “Update” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the roster was updated successfully.

5. When deleting an existing player, click on the player’s name. The Update Player Screen is then displayed. Check the “Delete this player” checkbox, and press “Update”. An alert message is displayed asking if you really want to delete the player. Select “OK”. A confirmation is displayed stating that the player was deleted successfully.

Games

Once the divisions and teams are entered, it is time to create the games. Each division has a set of games (a.k.a. a game schedule). Games must be added on a division-by-division basis. They can be added one at a time, in groups of ten, or the complete division game schedule can be imported at once (see the Utilities section below for a description of this process).

Add Games

Select “Add Games” from the application’s navigation menu. The Add Games Screen is then displayed.
Select a division from the “Division” dropdown list.
For each game, enter the month (number from 1 to 12), day (number from 1 to 31), and year (number from 2000 to 9999).
For each game, enter the time. The time is expressed as 12-hour time in the form HH:MM. Then, select “AM” or “PM” from the “AM/PM” dropdown list.
For each game, select the home team from the “Home team” dropdown list.
For each game, select the visiting team from the “Visiting team” dropdown list.
For each game, enter the name of the arena where the game is taking place (1 to 30 alphanumeric characters that can also include spaces, apostrophes, periods, and hyphens).
For each game, if applicable, select a note from the “Game notes” dropdown list. Most games do not have game notes when they are first created.
Press the “Add” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the games were created successfully.

Game information can be modified, but the teams playing in the game cannot be changed once the game is created. If the wrong team is inadvertently selected, the game should be deleted and then recreated.

Update Game (Modify)

Select “Update Game” from the application’s navigation menu. The Update Game Screen is then displayed.
Specify the game to be modified by selecting first a division and then a game from the dropdown lists at the top of the screen. The Update Game Screen is refreshed to display the selected game’s information.
Modify the game’s date, time, arena, and game note as desired.
Press the “Update” button. A confirmation is displayed stating that the game was updated successfully.

Update Game (Delete)

Select “Update Game” from the application’s navigation menu. The Update Game Screen is then displayed.
Specify the game to be deleted by selecting first a division and then a game from the dropdown lists at the top of the screen. The Update Game Screen is refreshed to display the selected game’s information.
Check the “Delete this game” checkbox.
Press the “Update” button.
An alert message is displayed asking if you really want to delete the game. Select “OK”. A confirmation is displayed stating that the game was deleted successfully.

Games cannot be deleted if they have already been played and game statistics have been entered.

Game Statistics

Game statistics are entered into the stat program after the game has been played. Stat Cat Online tracks the following game, player, and goalie statistics.

Team Statistics
Games Played	Total number of games played by the team
Wins	Number of games won
Loses	Number of games lost
Ties	Number of games tied
Points	Total number of points (win = 2 points, tie = 1 point)
Penalty Points	Points deducted due to special league rules (i.e. late scoresheet)
Total Points	Total Points = Points – Penalty Points
Goals For	Total number of goals scored by the team in all games
Goals Against	Total number of goals scored by the team’s opponent in all games
Player Statistics
Games Played	Total number of games played by the player
Goals	Number of goals
Assists	Number of assists
Points	Points = Goals + Assists
Penalties	Number of penalties assessed
Minutes	Number of minutes assessed for all penalties
Goalie Statistics
W/L/T	The goalie’s overall record
GAA	Goals against average (GA / games played)
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