I’ve written extensively about the growth and development of hockey analytics over the past few years and continue to be encouraged by the growing number of people interested in the field. It’s a clear indication that fans are more than passive consumers of the game. They’re clearly engaged and what to apply their own ideas and thoughts to better understand the game.
I’ve recently received a few inquiries about where to get certain stats and explanations of some of the more modern hockey stats available. I’m really no expert in the field, so I typically direct those inquiries to one of the many sites that provide insight into hockey analytics.
The great thing about hockey analytics (or advanced stats) is that it’s an entirely personal thing. Human beings all have unique needs when it comes to information collection and processing. We’ve all developed extensive biases and opinions about the game, that there is no statistic or collection of statistics that will appease everyone. With so much information available to fans, and the rapid development of technology, fans are forced to develop their own methods of processing information and can engage with stats as much or as little as they like.
For me personally, I’ve always liked looking into the stats of a game or of a player. I used to be obsessed with the stats on the back of hockey cards when I was a kid and always looked for basic level stats after a game was done. Growing up as an Oiler fan, you had to look for stats that somehow made your team look bearable. Aside from Doug Weight, there weren’t a lot of standouts in the late nineties, at least from my perspective. So you started to look deeper into stats trying to find something, anything, to give you hope as a fan.
The honest truth is I don’t delve too far deep into stats. The main statistic I’m interested in is shots, scoring chances and shot quality. During and after games, I typically check Twitter to follow a couple bloggers that track these stats.
If you look at the top teams, they get lots of high quality chances and they prevent the other team from getting high quality chances. Seems simple enough to me. Having said that, I’m always interested in seeing what stats are being discussed and developed online. A couple writers that get really deep into the stats with moderate theories, but also provide concise summaries are below, for those that are interested:
If there are additional websites or articles that provide a good introduction to hockey analytics, please comment below.
The SuperFan 