cagney
cdojdmccjajgejncjaba
- Jun 17, 2002
- 3,817
- 39
I suppose most around here haven't noticed and/or don't care but I'm pretty surprised and puzzled by this...
The USHL is using the popular "Pointstreak" statistical system as it has been for a number of years now but this year they've decided not to include players birthdates for "security reasons", to quote the response I got from an e-mail I sent to the league. While it is relatively easy to find this information with a little bit of work I am puzzled as to what kind of "security reasons" they could be worried about? Every other junior league I've seen has included this information for as long as I've been following junior level hockey.
It's common for leagues below junior level to hold back information such as statistics from the general public to protect younger players from heightened scrutiny which is understandable. However, most players in the USHL are 18 years or older and playing in an environment in which birthdates are pertinent information to many who follow the league. These players know they are being watched every game by scouts who know how old they are, so the pressure is there whether the average hockey fan knows they are 17 or 18 or an early or late birthdate.
Or is there something else entirely different the league fears? If so, what is it? How does keeping a players age a secret protect them from it?
Maybe the league should just stop keeping stats and refer to players by the number on thier jersey. 'Number 17 might have scored a goal with possible assists from number 12 and number 2.'
Maybe nobody else cares but it just seems absurd and annoying to me.
The USHL is using the popular "Pointstreak" statistical system as it has been for a number of years now but this year they've decided not to include players birthdates for "security reasons", to quote the response I got from an e-mail I sent to the league. While it is relatively easy to find this information with a little bit of work I am puzzled as to what kind of "security reasons" they could be worried about? Every other junior league I've seen has included this information for as long as I've been following junior level hockey.
It's common for leagues below junior level to hold back information such as statistics from the general public to protect younger players from heightened scrutiny which is understandable. However, most players in the USHL are 18 years or older and playing in an environment in which birthdates are pertinent information to many who follow the league. These players know they are being watched every game by scouts who know how old they are, so the pressure is there whether the average hockey fan knows they are 17 or 18 or an early or late birthdate.
Or is there something else entirely different the league fears? If so, what is it? How does keeping a players age a secret protect them from it?
Maybe the league should just stop keeping stats and refer to players by the number on thier jersey. 'Number 17 might have scored a goal with possible assists from number 12 and number 2.'
Maybe nobody else cares but it just seems absurd and annoying to me.
It's not as if these are children who are just playing for recreation. I'm assuming pretty much all the players in the league hope to pursue hockey as a possible career if everything worked out properly. Publicity and info about themselves is probably something that would be a positive for them. As a shot in the dark, perhaps there are some legal thing surrounding releasing information about minors. IMO, this just makes the league a little less fan-friendly and doesn't exactly help them in their quest for being compared to the CHL.
