Hockey plus minus

Although ice hockey is one of the most basic sports regarding statistical measurements, there are still multiple tracked stats that can end up tripping new hockey fans up.One of the most popular and controversial stats is +/-, or plus-minus, as most call it. There are a lot of fans who love the stat and a lot that hate it.So, should you be using plus-minus when analyzing a hockey player? What even is plus-minus, and how do statisticians keep track of it? I’ll dive into all of that in this article.Table of ContentsWhat is +/- in the NHL?Is plus-minus an advanced stat?What is a good plus-minus value?Is plus-minus a good stat in the NHL?Why is plus-minus flawed stat?Who has the best active plus-minus in the NHL?Who had the best plus-minus in NHL history?Who has the worst plus-minus in the NHL?Plus, minus in the National Hockey League is a stat that measures how often a player is on the ice for a goal against versus a goal for. It will take the even-strength goals their team scores while the player is on the ice and subtract the goals the opposing team scores at even-strength while the player is on the ice. The result is a positive plus-minus if the player has been on the ice for more goals scored than against and a negative plus-minus if they’ve been on the ice for more goals against than for.However, this stat has some conditions, so let’s go over them.Plus-minus for a powerplay goalIf a player is on the ice for a powerplay and their team scores, they will not be awarded a plus. Considering the player had the advantage of scoring while an extra skater was on the ice, it would not be fair for the player to be awarded a plus on their +/- stat if their team scored a goal. In addition, typically, a team will only have a select few players who routinely play the powerplay. If those players frequently scored, plus-minus statistics would be skewed towards those who play on the man advantage. You’d see players who played a lot

This Hockey Plus Minus App for iPad is a Fast and Easy Way to Track Plus Minus During Games!Anybody who follows my blog knows I’m a huge believer in using technology to enhance hockey coaching. I recently came across an iPad app that I’m really excited about… it’s called Hockey Plus Minus. If you check out the app store, you’ll see there are a number of hockey stat apps that have begun cropping up, some are really complex with the ability to track tons of different stuff, some are extremely simple, and only track a few things. With all the different options out there, I figured I’d take the chance to throw in my 2 cents worth on the subject. Here are three questions you should ask yourself before picking a mobile stat tracker:What do you want to track? You can get REALLY in depth with your stat tracking, or you can stay pretty basic. Higher level teams need a lot more depth in their tracking (hits, faceoffs won, shots on goal and shot locations, etc.), younger teams don’t need to dedicate as much time and effort into stat tracking––in my opinion.What is already being tracked?Obviously, an app that tracks goals and assists will be redundant, since that’s already being tracked on the game sheet. Some leagues require the score keepers to track shots on goal as well. I don’t care about wasting time and effort tracking things that are already being tracked. Who will be tracking the stats?If you, as the coach, are planning on tracking the stats yourself from the bench, you’ll need an interface that is clean and simple, that requires little time to input each event. This is the main reason I love this Hockey Plus Minus app. The interface is simple, and I can enter in the info quickly, with minimal effort. Conclusion:As a coach, Plus Minus is the main stat I prefer to keep control of. The real strength of Plus Minus is what it shows over the course of a season, so if it is inconsistently tracked, its useless and might as well not be tracked at all. This app makes it really easy to track it consistently.There are a few suggestions I’d make to the developers of this app as they roll new versions out:add the ability to view, select, and edit by individual goal (if you made a mistake and need to change it)add the ability to see the scoreadd the ability to export a report into an excel docHope this app comes in handy for you,Cheers!Jeremy

Look at a team’s plus-minus average overall, if a player stands out over and above that ratio to the upside or downside, it can often give us an idea of whether or not they’re excelling.For example, a poor team full of minus players may have someone who is a plus 5 or plus 6. In this situation, that could be considered a strong plus-minus. However, on a powerhouse team where most players are plus 15 or plus 20, plus 5 could be considered weak.Either way, it’s not a good stat to utilize for this, and let’s dive into why.Is plus-minus a good stat in the NHL?In my opinion, fans would be better off ignoring plus-minus in the National Hockey League and almost any other league that tracks it. I believe the development of more advanced statistics can give a much better impression of a player’s offensive and defensive abilities over the more simplistic plus-minus stat. There is a lot of controversy and discussion around the usefulness of plus-minus, as some like it, but most hate it.Let’s talk about why it’s flawed.Why is plus-minus flawed stat?Heavily dependent on the teamIgnores too many key situationsLinemates can kill a plus-minusQuality of opposition is key The plus-minus stat is flawed for many reasons and, overall, shouldn’t be utilized to judge a player’s quality, whether offensively or defensively. Let’s look at why.The state is heavily dependent on the teamEven the best players on a poor team will struggle to generate strong plus-minus numbers. This is because, on the whole, the poor team is giving up more goals than they’re scoring. You could realistically have a top-level talent in the National Hockey League be a minus player on a struggling team.The stat ignores too many key situationsA player that gets most of their starts in the offensive zone in an attempt to generate offence may have an artificially high plus-minus. In contrast, a defensive forward who gets most of their starts in the defensive zone in an attempt to stop the opposing team’s top players from scoring may have an artificially low plus-minus.Even though the offensively