overpass
Registered User
- Jun 7, 2007
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Brad Park
1968-69: Jim Neilson 0.77, Harry Howell 0.39
1969-70: Arnie Brown 0.57, Jim Neilson 0.21 (Neilson-Seiling 0.72)
1970-71: Arnie Brown 0.56, Tim Horton 0.49, Larry Brown 0.68 in 31 games (Neilson-Seiling 0.80)
1971-72: Dale Rolfe 0.82, Gary Doak 0.59 (Neilson-Seiling 0.80)
1972-73: Dale Rolfe 0.84 (Neilson-Seiling 0.68)
1973-74: Dale Rolfe 0.80 in 48 games, Gilles Marotte 0.67 in 46 games (Neilson-Seiling 0.51)
1974-75: Nick Beverley 0.55, Gilles Marotte 0.32, Dale Rolfe 0.30 (Marotte-Greschner 0.76)
1975-76 (Boston only): Dallas Smith 0.62, Gary Doak 0.23 (Edestrand-Doak 0.79)
1976-77: Dallas Smith 0.49, Mike Milbury 0.41 (R. Smith - Doak 0.64)
1977-78 Mike Milbury 0.73, Al Sims 0.40 (R. Smith - Doak 0.70)
1978-79: Mike Milbury 0.50, Al Sims 0.39 (R. Smith - Doak 0.66)
1979-80: Mike Milbury 0.58, Ray Bourque 0.39 (Redmond-Bourque 0.53)
1980-81: Mike Milbury 0.68, Ray Bourque 0.35 (Redmond-O'Connell 0.71, Bourque-McCrimmon 0.55)
1981-82: Mike Milbury 0.70, Larry Melnyk 0.48 (O'Connell-McCrimmon 0.53)
1982-83: Marty Howe 0.58, Mike Milbury 0.21 (Bourque-Hiller 0.76)
1983-84: Gary Smith 0.58, Bob Manno 0.29, Reed Larson 0.28
1984-85: Gary Smith 0.59, Larry Trader 0.59 (Ladouceur-Larson 0.72)
Comments:
Did Park tend to play with the top forward on his team? (Which was Jean Ratelle for over a decade, on two different teams).
1968-69: Park-Ratelle 0.55, with others 0.53.
1969-70: Park-Ratelle 0.35, with others 0.31.
1970-71: Park-Ratelle 0.62, with others 0.40.
1971-72: Park-Ratelle 0.57, with others 0.53.
1972-73: Park-Ratelle 0.35, with others 0.43.
1973-74: Park-Ratelle 0.53, 0.35 with others.
1974-75: Park-Ratelle 0.33, 0.46 with others.
1975-76 (BOS only): Park-Ratelle 0.35, 0.31 with others.
1976-77: Park-Ratelle 0.47, 0.34 with others.
1977-78: Park-Ratelle 0.37, 0.28 with others.
1978-79: Park-Ratelle 0.48, 0.38 with others.
1979-80: Park-Middleton 0.56, 0.43 with others.
1980-81: Park-Middleton 0.40, 0.30 with others.
1981-82: Park-Middleton 0.53, 0.39 with others
1982-83: Park-Pederson 0.21, 0.33 with others.
1983-84: Park-Yzerman 0.45, 0.27 with others (Larson-Yzerman was 0.59)
1984-85: Park-Yzerman 0.42, 0.22 with others.
So this isn't the easiest to interpret. Park's correlation with the top forward is usually a little higher than the other d-men, but not a ton. From 1968-69 through 1974-75, even though he had a couple of individual seasons that look suggestive of more time with Ratelle, I would consider the fact Emile Francis was the coach the whole time and take the results from the majority of the seasons to indicate that Park did not play an unusual amount with Ratelle.
In Boston, under Don Cherry from 75-76 through 78-79, his correlations with Ratelle were a little higher than the other D-men, but not high in an absolute sense. I would say that he didn't play an unusual amount with Ratelle in these seasons either.
In 1979-80, Cherry left, Ray Bourque arrived, and I would say Park started getting a bit more ice time than average with Rick Middleton for the next 3 years, but that appears to have stopped in 82-83. In Detroit, Park appears to have been getting more ice time than average with Yzerman, although the correlations aren't that high.
Overall I would say this indicates that Park was used in more of an offensive role than a defensive role toward the end of his career, when he was no longer a Norris-level d-man. This change could also be related to the change in ice time management from the 60s to the 80s. In the 1960s, there was only one coach behind the bench and players largely managed their 2 minute shifts against their assigned matchups. In the 1970s, teams started adding assistant coaches and head coaches like Scotty Bowman and Fred Shero scrambled lines, pioneered short shifts, and started focusing on gaining advantages through shift management. So we might expect to see the top offensive defencemen getting more shifts with the top forwards in the 1980s as part of a general trend. Something to watch!
1968-69: Jim Neilson 0.77, Harry Howell 0.39
1969-70: Arnie Brown 0.57, Jim Neilson 0.21 (Neilson-Seiling 0.72)
1970-71: Arnie Brown 0.56, Tim Horton 0.49, Larry Brown 0.68 in 31 games (Neilson-Seiling 0.80)
1971-72: Dale Rolfe 0.82, Gary Doak 0.59 (Neilson-Seiling 0.80)
1972-73: Dale Rolfe 0.84 (Neilson-Seiling 0.68)
1973-74: Dale Rolfe 0.80 in 48 games, Gilles Marotte 0.67 in 46 games (Neilson-Seiling 0.51)
1974-75: Nick Beverley 0.55, Gilles Marotte 0.32, Dale Rolfe 0.30 (Marotte-Greschner 0.76)
1975-76 (Boston only): Dallas Smith 0.62, Gary Doak 0.23 (Edestrand-Doak 0.79)
1976-77: Dallas Smith 0.49, Mike Milbury 0.41 (R. Smith - Doak 0.64)
1977-78 Mike Milbury 0.73, Al Sims 0.40 (R. Smith - Doak 0.70)
1978-79: Mike Milbury 0.50, Al Sims 0.39 (R. Smith - Doak 0.66)
1979-80: Mike Milbury 0.58, Ray Bourque 0.39 (Redmond-Bourque 0.53)
1980-81: Mike Milbury 0.68, Ray Bourque 0.35 (Redmond-O'Connell 0.71, Bourque-McCrimmon 0.55)
1981-82: Mike Milbury 0.70, Larry Melnyk 0.48 (O'Connell-McCrimmon 0.53)
1982-83: Marty Howe 0.58, Mike Milbury 0.21 (Bourque-Hiller 0.76)
1983-84: Gary Smith 0.58, Bob Manno 0.29, Reed Larson 0.28
1984-85: Gary Smith 0.59, Larry Trader 0.59 (Ladouceur-Larson 0.72)
Comments:
- Park usually had more of a primary partner than a full-time partner, probably because he was playing superstar minutes and would always play a bit more than his partner. The closest thing he had to a full-time partner was Dale Rolfe in the early 70s, with Neilson-Seiling a consistent pairing behind them.
- His primary partners are usually pretty clear. One season with Jim Neilson, two with Arnie Brown, three with Dale Rolfe, one with Nick Beverley, 1.5 with Dallas Smith, 5.5 with Mike Milbury, one with Marty Howe, two with Gary Smith.
- Ray Bourque wasn't his primary partner but it does look like they had some minutes together at ES in the early 80s.
Did Park tend to play with the top forward on his team? (Which was Jean Ratelle for over a decade, on two different teams).
1968-69: Park-Ratelle 0.55, with others 0.53.
1969-70: Park-Ratelle 0.35, with others 0.31.
1970-71: Park-Ratelle 0.62, with others 0.40.
1971-72: Park-Ratelle 0.57, with others 0.53.
1972-73: Park-Ratelle 0.35, with others 0.43.
1973-74: Park-Ratelle 0.53, 0.35 with others.
1974-75: Park-Ratelle 0.33, 0.46 with others.
1975-76 (BOS only): Park-Ratelle 0.35, 0.31 with others.
1976-77: Park-Ratelle 0.47, 0.34 with others.
1977-78: Park-Ratelle 0.37, 0.28 with others.
1978-79: Park-Ratelle 0.48, 0.38 with others.
1979-80: Park-Middleton 0.56, 0.43 with others.
1980-81: Park-Middleton 0.40, 0.30 with others.
1981-82: Park-Middleton 0.53, 0.39 with others
1982-83: Park-Pederson 0.21, 0.33 with others.
1983-84: Park-Yzerman 0.45, 0.27 with others (Larson-Yzerman was 0.59)
1984-85: Park-Yzerman 0.42, 0.22 with others.
So this isn't the easiest to interpret. Park's correlation with the top forward is usually a little higher than the other d-men, but not a ton. From 1968-69 through 1974-75, even though he had a couple of individual seasons that look suggestive of more time with Ratelle, I would consider the fact Emile Francis was the coach the whole time and take the results from the majority of the seasons to indicate that Park did not play an unusual amount with Ratelle.
In Boston, under Don Cherry from 75-76 through 78-79, his correlations with Ratelle were a little higher than the other D-men, but not high in an absolute sense. I would say that he didn't play an unusual amount with Ratelle in these seasons either.
In 1979-80, Cherry left, Ray Bourque arrived, and I would say Park started getting a bit more ice time than average with Rick Middleton for the next 3 years, but that appears to have stopped in 82-83. In Detroit, Park appears to have been getting more ice time than average with Yzerman, although the correlations aren't that high.
Overall I would say this indicates that Park was used in more of an offensive role than a defensive role toward the end of his career, when he was no longer a Norris-level d-man. This change could also be related to the change in ice time management from the 60s to the 80s. In the 1960s, there was only one coach behind the bench and players largely managed their 2 minute shifts against their assigned matchups. In the 1970s, teams started adding assistant coaches and head coaches like Scotty Bowman and Fred Shero scrambled lines, pioneered short shifts, and started focusing on gaining advantages through shift management. So we might expect to see the top offensive defencemen getting more shifts with the top forwards in the 1980s as part of a general trend. Something to watch!
