Sometimes I enjoy looking at statistics, like who’s winning the scoring race…. or seeing Jaroslav Halak on top of save % thus far.

I’m writing this not as a statistician or wanting to figure out formulas…. I’m writing this because when I’ve looked at certain stats as a fan, I was always struck with a first impression about the stat.

I thought I’d look at the plus/minus stat a little bit to see how teams these playoffs were shaping up and look at a few years past. Over several games the plus/minus stat can show in a general way how a team performs 5 on 5 and can also give a hint at which players are better offensively/defensively. Obviously it doesn’t give a true look at your best defensive or offensive player, because the stat itself is a bit of a balance between the goals scored while your on the ice for and against your team. So a higher scoring player may end up with a higher plus/minus stat then a better defensive player in some cases.

Basically, it’s a glimpse of how the team is doing 5 on 5 while each player is on the ice.

I thought I’d write a little blurb on this because I read a great article on the Corsi stat over at Lions in Winter. The article’s name is “Putting the Corsi in it’s place“. It’s a great read.

So every time I used to look at a team’s plus minus I had an impression it was (or should) be telling me who was the better team. Or who was the “winner”. Not necessarily so. At least in my opinion.

In regular season I believe a team can be lucky. In the playoffs I think the better team will win. I could open a can of worms with that statement for sure. But this is what I mean. I don’t mean by better team that it has the most skilled players (sometimes it may, sometimes it may not)…. simply put I think in the playoffs the team that will play “together” being opportunistic within a strategy to exploit their opponent’s weaknesses end up being the better team. 4,5,6,7 games in a row against the same team, you get to know the players habits, the team’s strengths and weaknesses quite well… you get to know how your opponent’s coaches  will try to counter your moves.

Luck disappears. Heart, work ethic, will to win, coach ability… these things begin to matter much more then 1 regular season game. It is quite different.

Here’s what the Habs stats focused on the plus/minus look like thus far.

Habs stats after 11 games in 2010 playoffs

Looking at these stats a couple of things come to mind right off the bat.

Hal Gill

I’m not at all surprised that Hal Gill is at +4 at 5 on 5. He’s been clogging up the shooting and passing lanes…. using his long reach to frustrate opponents so far.

Marc-Andre Bergeron

I’m not at all surprised that MA Bergeron is currently at -10 while 5 on 5. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s seen Bergeron give up the puck on occasion. He also has a hard time to defense bigger forwards as they tend to bump him off the puck easily.

Where he is quite valuable is on the power play where he gets a fair bit of playing time.

Mike Cammalleri

I’m a bit surprised at his -3 but at first sight my impulse is to think “He’s scored 8 goals so opponents have scored 11 during that ice time” (without taking into consideration the assists)… well, not quite. That’s a small example of where things get a little murky. Cammalleri scored 3 of his goals on the power play, so that brings the numbers to his scoring 5 goals at 5 on 5 and opponents scored 8 during that ice time…. then again, with his 5 assists, how many of those points where on power play goals?

Stats can be fun. Ultimately the ones that count the most are the score at the end of the game, and the win/loss number during the series.

Then of course, it’s just plain numbers. Who were they paired with…etc.

Now for fun, let’s add in the plus/minus stats for both the Penguins and Capitals.

Washington Capitals

Capitals stats after 7 games in 2010 playoffs

Against the Washington Capitals I “feel” as though I’m looking at the team that won the series, or the “better” team. It certainly is reflective at a team’s strength at 5 on 5.

And again, just looking at the plus/minus in mind it gives me that impression. But what it doesn’t tell me is who won a game. It doesn’t tell me which team got penalized the most, which team were better on the penalty kill, which team had the best scoring opportunities…etc.

To be quite honest, looking at the plus/minus stats for the Capitals, I’m not surprised at all. They were the top scoring team in the league this year.

Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins stats after 10 games in 2010 playoffs

When I look at the Penguins plus/minus numbers one thing does kind of surprise me. The thing that surprises me is Jordan Staal’s plus/minus number.

He lead the team this season with +19, and now is at the bottom with -5 in the playoffs. Staal is also regarded as a good defensive player.

I hadn’t watched all of the Ottawa/Pittsburgh series and I haven’t (and am not going to) dig into his pairings in that series.

I’m just surprised.

2008-2009 playoffs

2008-2009 playoff plus/minus leaders

The plus/minus leaders in 2008-2009 leave me with the impression that Detroit should have won… and I’m sure some will argue they should have…. as people do about any series.

I still like statistics and I really enjoy the work done over at En Attendant les Nordiques.

Today I try to go past that “first impression” that I get from certain statistics.

Like I mentioned earlier… 2 things ultimately matter. The score at the end of the game and the win/loss number in a series.

And there’s a slogan that I’ve kind of grown fond of. “Good teams find a way to win”.

Improbability doesn’t mean impossibility.

Here are the game highlights from the Montreal Canadiens vs Carolina Hurricanes, played on November 17th 2009.

The Habs won this game 3-2 with Maxim Lapierre providing the shoot-out winner while Carey Price had another very strong showing.

You can also find other game stats here:

Game Summary

Event Summary

Facoffs Report

Full play by play

TOI Hurricanes

TOI Canadiens

Roster Report

Shot Report

Shootout Summary

Here are the game highlights from the Montreal Canadiens vs Calgary Flames, played on November 10th 2009.

You can also find other game stats here:

Game Summary

Event Summary

Facoffs Report

Full play by play

TOI Flames

TOI Canadiens

Roster Report

Shot Report

Here are the game highlights from the Montreal Canadiens vs Atlanta Thrashers, played on November 3rd 2009.

You can also find other game stats here:

Game Summary

Event Summary

Facoffs Report

Full play by play

TOI Thrashers

TOI Canadiens

Roster Report

Shot Report

The pre-season is almost with us! Just gotta wait a little bit longer to see some “bleu-blanc-rouge” hockey!

I thought I’d take a look at what we could see individual players achieve in 2009. What career achievements could be made by players on the Habs roster. I haven’t listed all the possible numbers…. but listed many.

So here’s my little preview!

Mike Cammalleri

• Needs 34 games played to reach 400 games played in the NHL
• Has 155 career assists, could break the 200 assist mark
• Has 287 career points, will definately break the 300 point mark

Scott Gomez

• Has 578 career points, will break the 600 point mark
• Has 1914 total shots, will break 2000 shots

Brian Gionta

• Has 473 career games, will break the 500 game mark
• Has 160 career assists, could break the 200 assist mark
• Has 1351 career shots, could break 1500 shots

Andrei Kostitsyn

• Has 186 career games, will break the 200 game mark

Tomas Plekanec

• Has 184 career points, will break the 200 point mark

Glen Metropolit

• Has 338 career games, could break the 400 NHL games played mark

Guillaum Latendress

• Has 82 career points, will break the NHL point mark

Georges Laraque

• Has 667 career games, should break the 700 game mark
• Has 98 career assists, will break the 100 mark.

Travis Moen

• Has 362 career games, will break the 400 game mark
• Has 487 PIM, will break the 500 PIM mark

Andrei Markov

• Has 571 career games, will break 600 game mark
• Has 255 career assists, could break 300 assist mark
• Has 945 shots, will break 1000 shot mark

Josh Gorges

• Has 246 career games, will break 300 game mark

Roman Hamrlik

• Has 1157 career games, will break 1200 game mark in the NHL
• Has 564 career points, could break 600 point mark
• Has 58 career PP goals, should break 60 career PP goals
• Has 2694 shots, will break 2700 career shots

Jaroslav Spacek

• Has 33 career PP goals, could break 40 career PP goals

Paul Mara

• Has 639 career games played, should break 700 games played
• Has 943 career shots, will break 1000 career shots

Hal Gill

• Has 851 career games played, should break 900 games played
• Has 985 career shots, will break 1000 career shots

Carey Price

• Has 93 career games played, will break 100 career games

Howie Morenz is one of the legends in the Montreal Canadiens history. A legend for the NHL.

Howie Morenz started his career with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1923-1924 season. As a rookie he scored 13 goals and 3 assists. Pretty good numbers considering the season was only 24 games in length.

Morenz scored the Stanley Cup clinching goal for the Montreal Canadiens that year helping the franchise win it’s second Stanley Cup.

Playing for a total of 12 seasons with the Canadiens Morenz notched 257 goals and 160 assists in 460 games.

He was the scoring champ twice and won the Hart trophy 3 times, in 1928, 1930 and 1931. No one in Habs history has matched that since.

Howie Morenz was the first player to break the 50 point mark in league history. It happend on March 24th, 1928 against the Ottawa Senators. That season, 1927-1928, Morenz scored 33 goals and 18 assists for 51 points. That 51 points came in 43 games.

1929-1930 saw Morenz score 40 goals in 44 games.

On March 17th 1932 Howie Morenz became the league’s all-time points leader.

Howie Morenz was eventually traded to the Chicago Blackhawks where he played for 2 years before returning to the Montreal Canadiens to be reunited with longtime linemate Aurèle Joliat.

But sadly Morenz was badly injured in a game vs Chicago. His leg was broken in 4 places.

A month later Morenz died because of complications resulting from the injury.

Thousands paid their respect to Morenz in the old Forum.

Morenz was among the first 12 men inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1945.

The number 7 that he wore was the first to be retired by the Canadiens in 1937.

Ok, Andrei Markov isn’t exactly a secret in the NHL… after all he’s a 2 time all-star. But when it comes to hearing lots of hype about a player being a monster or the real thing… there’s just not much hype around Markov.

I just read this article titled “Why Andrei Markov should be the next captain of the Montreal Canadiens” and generally enjoyed where the writer took it.

One thing the author mentioned is “Markov plays a very quiet game“. Odd but I agreed.

It’s odd because there’s a certain paradox at play with Markov. Here’s how he matched up against the other defensemen in the league.

In 2008-2009 :
1st in assists with 52 (Rafalski was 2nd with 49)
2nd in points with 64 (Mike Green 1st, playing with Ovechkin)

In 2007-2008:
4th in goals with 16
6th in points with 58 (remember that dynamite PP?)
7th in total points

And he’s already ranked 7th all-time in points in a Montreal Canadiens uniform for defensemen.

The paradox in the statement that Markov is kind of a quiet player is that his numbers are huge. 2 years in a row and on 2 very different teams he’s been amongst the league leaders.

Interesting that the last couple of years I started to hear the analysts saying that Alex Kovalev was Montreal’s most talented player but Andrei Markov was Montreal’s best player. Because really it’s true.

For all the hype that Kovalev got he just wasn’t the gem of a player that Markov has been. Kovalev has been called a game breaker or game changer but I believe that Markov has been every bit as much of a game changer. Probably even more so. Because his puck moving skills rarely take the night off. And not only that he rarely took a bad penalty last season.

I’m starting to warm to the idea of Andrei Markov being the next captain in Montreal. The skill and consistency that he’s shown certainly warrant the opportunity. He might be a silent leader. I don’t think that’s good or bad depending on who the assistants are.

I’m not sure how much it’s been mentioned as alot of the current attention has been given to our new UFAs like Cammalleri who is a new fan favorite in Habs shirt sales. Lot’s has been said about seeing Cammalleri speeding in with the shot from a Gomez setup…

But how about the thought of Cammalleri, Gomez… all these guys being setup by Andrei Markov.

Because you know it’s gonna happen.

John LeClair was one of those guys who you would want on your team, big power forward with good hands.

John LeClair played an important role in Montreal’s stanley cup win of 1992-1993.

Soon after in 1994-1995 LeClair was traded to Philadelphia along with Eric Desjardins and Gilbert Dionne for Mark Recchi and a third rouner.

Frustrating for Canadiens fans was the fact that as soon as LeClair hit Philly his numbers soared.

The next 3 full season in Philadelphia LeClair score 51,50,51 goals respectively and the 2 season after that he notched 43 and 40 goals respectively. He averaged 89.6 points a season for the 5 full seasons after being traded to Philadelphia. (From 1995-96 to 1999-00)

John LeClair’s numbers in Montreal
224 games played, 49 goals, 69 assists and 118 points.
Points per game: 0.53
Goals per game: 0.21
Assists per game: 0.30

John LeClair’s numbers after Montreal
743 games played, 357 goals, 344 assists and 701 points.
Points per game: 0.94
goals per game: 0.48
Assists per game: 0.46

His offensive production pretty much doubled after leaving Montreal as he was teamed up with Eric Lindros and Mikael Renberg. Their line was affectionately (by Phily fans) “The Legion of Doom”.

I believe the 3rd round pick the Montreal Canadiens had acquired was either Miloslav Guren or Martin Hohenberger. Either ring a bell??? Not for me.

Recchi had a few decent years in Montreal notching over 30 goals twice.

Looking back who won that trade?
What’s your opinion?

I think the Flyers certainly did getting both LeClair AND Desjardins.

While reading “Corsi Numbers vs Plus/Minus” over at YourHabs.com I got a little interested in maybe doing a little research and crunching some numbers. There’s one problem though…. I’m trying to get some other work done.

As luck would have it though, I stumbled across another article over at BleacherReport that talks about the Rangers – Habs trade that brought us Scott Gomez.

This article shows a chart that was created and rated Scott Gomez 17th overall (Corsi number stat). If you check the list his name appears in some pretty good company.

I believe Scott Gomez will have a good year this season. I think he’ll be playing more regularly with guys who will be able to finish his plays. Cammalleri, Gionta, Andrei Kostitsyn (unless one of those rumours comes through). He’ll have better surroundings then a fading Marcus Naslund or Callahan. At least I think he will.

Just remember, some people were laughing at Gainey for taking Kovalev who had faded in NY. Love him or hate him, Kovalev had an impact in Montreal and a career year for himself.

I believe Gomez has it in him too. He’s younger then Kovalev was when he came over….

Anyways, take it for what you will. I think some of the experts will be wrong again this year.

That’s just my opinion. Thank God I’m not an expert.

I’m just a hockey fan.

You can find the article titled “Inside the Numbers: Scott Gomez for Chris Higgins+ Ryan McDonagh” over at BleacherReport where the author not only talks about the Corsi number but compares the Gomez trade.

Ever wonder who scored the most goals as a Montreal Canadiens player? Who played the most games? Who played just a few games?

Here’s a few numbers for you.

Most games played in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Henri Richard 1256
2 – Larry Robinson 1202
3 – Bob Gainey 1160
4 – Jean Béliveau 1125
10 – Guy Carbonneau 912
11 – Patrice Brisebois 896
19 – Saku Koivu 792

Most goals scored in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Maurice Richard
2 – Guy Lafleur 518
3 – Jean Béliveau 507
4- Yvan Cournoyer 428
15 – Mats Naslund 243
16 – Bob Gainey 239
27 Saku Koivu 191

Most assists in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Lafleur 728
2 – Jean Béliveau 712
3 – Henri Richard 688
4 – Larry Robinson 686
5 – Jacques Lemaire 469
6 – Saku Koivu 450
13 – Mats Naslund 369
27 – Patrice Brisebois 284
32 – Andrei Markov 255 (tied with Shayne Corson)

Most points in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Lafleur 1246 (in 961 games!)
2 – Jean Béliveau 1219 (in 1125 games!)
3 – Henri Richard 1046
4 – Maurice Richard 965 (in 978 games!)
5 – Larry Robinson 883
10 – Saku Koivu 641
12 – Mats Naslund 612
23 – Vincent Damphousse 498 (in 519 games!)
35 – Patrice Bisebois 371

+/- in a Montreal Canadiens uniform
1 – Larry Robinson +700 (imagine!)
2 – Serge Savard +492
3 – Guy Lafleur +477
4 – Steve Shutt +409
5 – Jacques Lemaire +349
11 – Bob Gainey +196
24 – Mats Naslund +120

Some less favorable +/- stats with recent players:
Brian Savage 461 games, -51
Sheldon Sourray 324 games, -44
Michael Ryder 314 games, -24
Francis Bouillon 481 games, -23

The +/- stat is one that isn’t just reflective of an individual players ability, but is also a bit reflective of the linemates they were playing with at the time.

Top Penalty minutes in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Chris Nilan 2248
2 – Lyle Odelein 1367
3 – Shayne Corson 1341
4 – Maurice Richard 1285
5 – John Ferguson 1214
8 – Jean Béliveau 1029
16 – Craig Rivet 795
17 – Chris Chelios 783

Most power play goals scored in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Lafleur 138
2 – Yvan Cournoyer 112
3 – Steve Shutt 90
4 – Jacques Lemaire 89
5 – Saku Koivu 66
6 – Mats Naslund 66
7 – Larry Robinson 65
19 – Alex Kovalev 45
21 – Patrice Brisebois 41

Most short handed goals scored in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Carbonneau 27
2 – Bob Gainey 20
3 – Peter Mohavlich 17
4 – Vincent Damphousse 12
5 – Benoit Brunet 10
8 – Saku Koivu 9
13 – Christopher Higgins 8

Most game winning goals in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Lafleur 93
2 – Yvan Cournoyer 61
3 – Jacques Lemaire 58
4 – Steve Shutt 49
7 – Saku Koivu 35
10 – Bob Gainey 34
22 – Alex Kovalev 20
26 – Patrice Brisebois 18

Most shots on goal in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Guy Lafleur 3209
2 – Jacques Lemaire 3051
3 – Guy Lapointe 2306
4 – Steve Shutt 2278
5 – Larry Robinson 2142
6 – Bob Gainey 2099
9 – Saku Koivu 1553
13 – Patrice Brisebois 1395

Most wins by a goaltender in a Montreal Canadiens uniform:
1 – Jacques Plant 314
2 – Patrick Roy 289
3 – Ken Dryden 258
8 – José Théodore
20 – Carey Price 47

Most shots against a Montreal Canadiens goaltender:
1 – Patrick Roy 12958
2 – José Théodore 9833

The shots against stats were not counted until recent years.

I’ve only posted some of the top stats. The “Our History” website has a ton of information.

A couple of thoughts after looking through the numbers.

1 – Saku Koivu has his place in the history of the franchise in several categories whether you love him or hate him. I wonder what his numbers would have been like if he had played without the numerous injuries and if he had been surrounded with a better cast of players like some of the others at the top of the list had.

2 – Patrice Brisebois played many years in Montreal and even after all the “Breezer” hating that went on his place in the history of the Montreal Canadiens must be acknowledged. Even his career started in Montreal at the end of a bright spot (1993 stanley cup) and through countless years of the dark ages that followed. How would Brisebois’s numbers have looked on a stronger team?

All the stats, the goals, assists, +/-… they’re all somewhat reflective of not only the player’s individual talent but also the team he has to play with through the years.

Here’s a couple of questions for you….
1. What do you think about Saku Koivu’s place in the history of the Canadiens?
2. Has anything jumped out at you in these stats?

Check out the “Our History” website, it’s all there!