From: huot@cray.com (Tom Huot)
Subject: Re: plus minus stat
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Brad Gibson (gibson@nukta.geop.ubc.ca) wrote:

[Much text deleted]

:   plus/minus ... it is the most misleading hockey stat available.

Not necessarily the most misleading, but you are right, it definitely
needs to be taken in the proper perspective. A shining example is
if you look at the Penguins individual +/-, you will find very few minuses.
That only makes common sense, since they didn't lose many games.

:   Until the NHL publishes a more useful quantifiable statistic including ice
:   time per game and some measure of its "quality" (i.e., is the player put out
:   in key situations like protecting a lead late in the game; is he matched up
:   against the other team's top one or two lines; short-handed, etc), I would
:   much rather see the +/- disappear altogether instead of having its dubious
:   merits trumpeted by those with little understanding of its implications.

Unfortunately, you will need to keep a ridiculous number of stats to
really come up with a statistic which really shows a player's value.
Let's just enjoy the game and not overanalyze it. (like I'm doing now,
excuse me!)

--
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Tom Huot        			       
huot@cray.com 
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