Hockey Talk is a regular series where you will get to view the dialogue among a few Hockey-Graphs contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
This week we had a spontaneous discussion on black box data and why analytics departments may be misused.
Hockey Talk is a (not quite) weekly series where you will get to view the dialogue among a few Hockey-Graphs contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
This week we started from a Twitter conversation suggesting that expected goals calculations (xG) might underweight “shot quality”. A topic that HG contributors are hardly short of opinions on. Continue reading
Garret Sparks of the Toronto Maple Leafs made history in his NHL debut after being drafted in the 7th round and working his way up from the ECHL. By all accounts, he did it on merit by maintaining a .924sv% since turning pro, including playing for .940 in the past two years in the minors.
He’s earned his big break, but in a way he is lucky to be playing for an organization which values performance and statistical trends as much as the Leafs. I’m not sure his story would have unfolded quite this way had he been born a couple of years earlier, or had he belonged to team which only tries out a young goalie if he’s over 6’5″. But we’ll get back to that.
Long has it been argued that sustained zone time is a reliable way to not only prevent your opponents from scoring but as a way to produce offense of your own. The argument that is often made, or at least the one that’s often heard, is that the longer you are in the offensive zone the more likely it is that the defense will become fatigued and make a mistake that leaves someone open for a prime scoring opportunity.
So let’s test that theory by asking a more data driven question; does sustained zone time lead to an increase in shooting percentage?
“Patrick Wiercioch – Ottawa Senators” by Lisa Gansky – Flickr: IMG_6499. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Hockey Talk is a (not quite) weekly series where you will get to view the dialogue amongst a few of the Hockey-Graphs’ contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
This week we look at what makes up an effective defensemen and why the eye test sometimes differs from the results:
“Dustin Brown and the Stanley Cup” by JulieAndSteve – Flickr: Dustin Brown and the Stanley Cup!. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Commons.
Hockey Talk is a (not quite) weekly series where you will get to view the dialogue amongst a few of the Hockey-Graphs’ contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
This week we look at dump and chase systems and hitting:
“130223 Calgary Flames salute” by Resolute – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Commons.
Hockey Talk is a (hopefully) weekly series where you will get to view the dialogue amongst a few of the Hockey-Graphs’ contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
Prior to the summer moves, we discussed here that the Calgary Flames looked poised to regress, hard. The Flames were one of the most out shot teams to make the playoffs, and the most out shot team ever to make the second round. After making the playoffs with 97 points in a weak pacific, it seemed like they were unlikely to repeat. But, then this summer, the Flames made some interesting moves.
This week we look at whether or not the Calgary Flames will repeat their success or regress out of the playoffs:
“Jordan Eberle – Edmonton Oilers” by Lisa Gansky from New York, NY, USA – IMG_1468. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 via Commons.
Hockey Talk is a (hopefully) weekly series where you will get to view the dialogue amongst a few of the Hockey-Graphs’ contributors on a particular subject, with some fun tangents.
This week we look at whether or not players should care about their advance statistics (with a tangent on talent distributions impact on hockey):
Semin, the pinup girl and eternal darling of the Corsi asylum, is the prime example of how utterly BS advanced stats are in hockey.
— Slava Malamud (@SlavaMalamud) July 24, 2015
It happened again.
Someone said something against Corsi; maybe even in jest with some slight sarcasm. The masses counter attacked. Then two sides started to fire shots at the other.
It is not the first time, and it won’t be the last time.
In some ways, I understand and agree with the sentiment of letting things just go. Move on. Often we are only preaching to the choir.
Still, it’s an opportunity to teach and use examples of misconceptions, and also warn against potential issues. There are some thirsty to know more.
This is not the first time I’ve written in response to misconceptions, but alas here we are.
Let’s take a look.
Courtesy of Wikimedia by Michael Miller
Welcome back to our semi-regular segment where I will touch on a few trending topics in hockey statistics in a less mathematical and more discussion-based format.
This week we will explore the topic of roles, with a bit on intangibles.
So let’s begin.
Hockey Graphs 
