Blades of Glory
Troll Captain
Considering that advanced metrics and analytics have suddenly become a major talking point in a sport that generally has been in the Dark Ages when it came to this subject, I thought this might be a good read. Sharks fans tend to be quite analytically-inclined, and have been for a while. That is probably a byproduct of following an organization that has been clearly and openly dedicated to the concept of puck possession and the use of Corsi as a prominent tool for evaluating players. The whole "advanced" metrics conversation has seemed to have dominated the entire offseason, and it's about time, honestly. While the majority of the NHL looks like it just discovered that there is actually a better way of evaluating players than using +/- and the equally horrendous giveaway stat, I think it's important to point out that there are a handful of teams that have been using analytics for a while now. The Sharks and Red Wings were two of the very first teams to begin using them, and it's not a surprise that they are so intricately tied together. Here is what Doug Wilson said from back in September 2011:
http://www.fearthefin.com/2011/9/20...s-sharks-general-manager-doug-wilson-part-two
On a related note, one of the Sharks' top scouts just recently admitted in an interview that the team actually has people that manually track shot differentials and metrics in Canada's major-junior leagues because they use Corsi as part of evaluating potential draft picks. I was floored when I read that. I always knew the Sharks were analytically-inclined, but they did a pretty good job of keeping their secrets quiet considering that 2/3 of the league seems to have just discovered Corsi yesterday. I thought there was a really interesting tidbit about how the Sharks knew exactly what type of player the Red Wings wanted in this year's draft (the exact same type of player that San Jose wanted) and knew they would have to move in front of Detroit in the first round to get that player. There really aren't many secrets between the two organizations. They have used the same methods, with almost identical results, for a long time now. Both teams have been so good since the 2005 lockout and have managed to do so without so much as once finishing low enough in the standings to generate a top-15 pick. They put an emphasis on possession and their Fenwick rankings since 2008 show it.
http://www.fearthefin.com/2013/7/31...r-players-brian-gross-mirco-mueller-analytics
BTW, Fear the Fin is probably the best "advanced" metrics resources out there. It is a Sharks blog, but almost everything is tied in with analytics. Even game recaps. If you want to learn about this stuff, spend some time looking through the archives.
http://www.fearthefin.com/2011/9/20...s-sharks-general-manager-doug-wilson-part-two
On a related note, one of the Sharks' top scouts just recently admitted in an interview that the team actually has people that manually track shot differentials and metrics in Canada's major-junior leagues because they use Corsi as part of evaluating potential draft picks. I was floored when I read that. I always knew the Sharks were analytically-inclined, but they did a pretty good job of keeping their secrets quiet considering that 2/3 of the league seems to have just discovered Corsi yesterday. I thought there was a really interesting tidbit about how the Sharks knew exactly what type of player the Red Wings wanted in this year's draft (the exact same type of player that San Jose wanted) and knew they would have to move in front of Detroit in the first round to get that player. There really aren't many secrets between the two organizations. They have used the same methods, with almost identical results, for a long time now. Both teams have been so good since the 2005 lockout and have managed to do so without so much as once finishing low enough in the standings to generate a top-15 pick. They put an emphasis on possession and their Fenwick rankings since 2008 show it.
http://www.fearthefin.com/2013/7/31...r-players-brian-gross-mirco-mueller-analytics
BTW, Fear the Fin is probably the best "advanced" metrics resources out there. It is a Sharks blog, but almost everything is tied in with analytics. Even game recaps. If you want to learn about this stuff, spend some time looking through the archives.
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