Questions about the "+/-" statistic

[DarrylParsons]

To me the +/- seems like it should be the most important stat to tell how good a player is. After all, isn't that what the game is all about? Who cares how many goals you score if your team consistently gets beat while you're on the ice, right? It's hard to score a lot of goals and have a bad +/-, but some guys manage it. Notably the two big guns for Vancouver, Naslund and Bertuzzi, had a +/- of only +6 and +2 last season, which were below average for the team!!! The not-so-famous forwards Morrison and Cooke on the same team had less than half the goals of the big duo, but their +/- were +18 and +21. The team does much better when they are on the ice, but all the fame and glory goes to the big scorers.

Why is that!!!???? Why is this stat so underrated??? I just don't get it.

 

[crazyivan24]

The PLUS/MINUS statistics is 'underated' as opposed to the Goals, Assists and Points since there are more trophies and bonus money given out to players who tabulate certain amount of goals, assists and/or points. The plus/minus is actually very important when considering how the player does on the ice throughout the season. Many hockey analysts and coaches to gage the plus/minus system as a way of determining how the player plays in a 'defensive' role at certain times...

 

[DarrylParsons]

I guess it's not just me then. For defensemen I would imagine the "-" component of the +/- would be more important than the "+". Is there any place on the net where you can see those 2 components separately!?

 

[neilm]

+/- can be a very misleading statistic depending on the pleyer's role on the team. A third line player whose line is a checking line, with the role of attempting to shut down the opponents' #1 line will most surely have a worse +/- than he would were he on the #1 line.

 

[cincy_]

If you're on the PP, and the other team scores a SH goal, you're -1

If you're on the PP, and you score a goal, you are NOT +1

So, you'll notice that by giving up 10-12 SH goals a year you can mess up the +/1 of players that are on the PP.

Most scorers are also on the ice during the last few minutes of a game when the team is trailing. When trailing in the last few minutes, the forwards are hardly ever back-checking and the d-men are always pinching in, The player still gets penalized if the other team breaks away and gets a goal.

It's not as simple as it seems. It's like ERA - think of this scenario - a pitcher gets two outs, a fielder committs an error, the pitcher then gives up 5 home runs and 10 runs before recording the third out - if that happens, all the runs are UNEARNED

Explain that one to me.

 

I think players don't get +/- ratings when team is on the Power Play or Short Handed.

Plus/minus- rating is valuable tool, but as neilm stated it can be misleading also.

 

[cincy_]

If you get a short handed goal scored against you, you get a minus BUT if you score a PP goal, you don't get a plus.

 

Sorry cincy_hugg, of course you are correct. I misread (Is that English?) your first post.

 

[DarrylParsons]

Thanks cincy, I didn't realize those power play situations worked like that. That seems a bit strange. I would give a "+" to all the players on the ice for the team that scores a PP goal, and give five minuses to the guy in the penalty box and give nothing to the penalty killers.