Large Season-Over-Season Drops in Save Percentage

decma

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Feb 6, 2013
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During the 21-team era there were 246 cases of a goalie having at least 30 GP in back-to-back seasons. In 29 cases the goalie's save percentage declined by more than 20 basis points.

The biggest declines were:

Mike Liut (50 basis points)
In 89/90 he posted a .905 with Hfd and Wsh and then 0.855 with Wsh in 90/91.
He went from allowing goals on 9.5% of shots against to 14.5%, which an increase of more than 50%.
However, given his age, the fact that he was a <50% starter in both seasons, and the change in teams, perhaps the change is not that surprising.

Mario Lessard (42 basis points)
He went from 0.893 in 80/81 to 0.851 in 81/82. Both seasons as the Kings clear-cut #1.
In terms of goal percentage, he went from 10.7% to 14.9%, a nearly 40% increase.
As mentioned in the Clarke vs Dionne thread, much of the Kings' decline between those seasons is atributable to the sharp drop in Lessard's save percentage.

Al Smith (40 basis points)
0.876 as Hfd's back-up (to John Garrett) in their first NHL season to 0.836 as the Rockies' #1 in 80/81 (though still only 36 GP).
As with Liut, age (~35), relatively small sample, and team change are likely explanatory factors.

Brian Hayward (33 basis points)
0.876 to 0.843 as Wpg's number 1 in 84/85 to 85/86
Not as bad as Lessard's fall, but still notable.

Grant Fuhr (31 basis points)
0.898 as the #1 in 81/82 to 0.867 in 82/83 (when Moog got 49 starts)

Pelle Lindbergh (30 basis points)
0.890 in 82/83 to 0.860 in 83/84 (roughly half the starts each season).


Any thoughts on the fluctations (especially the ones for which age and team change are not likely factors)?
E.g., was Winnipeg or LA's team D notably worse in the second season in question or was it mainly on Hayward and Lessard?

Any similar examples from other eras?
 
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The Panther

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Mar 25, 2014
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Mario Lessard (42 basis points)
He went from 0.893 in 80/81 to 0.851 in 81/82. Both seasons as the Kings clear-cut #1.
In terms of goal percentage, he went from 10.7% to 14.9%, a nearly 40% increase.
As mentioned in the Clarke vs Dionne thread, much of the Kings' decline between those seasons is atributable to the sharp drop in Lessard's save percentage.
As someone pointed out in an ongoing thread, Lessard's sharp decline in numbers might be more to do with the Kings' lack of team defence in 1981-82 more so than Lessard's own performance. I mean, the truth is probably somewhere in between, but it's clear that the Kings changing coaches in summer 1981 had a disastrous effect on their team defence.

The Kings allowed 1 more goal-per-game against in 1981-82 than in 1980-81, which is incredible. Their power-play declined in strength, and their penalty-killing was somewhat weaker, but not much. So, basically, the fall in team defence was at even strength. We see Marcel Dionne, for example, go from +50 to -10 in one season. Dave Lewis went from +24 to -20.

The Kings actually started 1981-82 okay, at 6-5-0, including a big win over the Islanders on Long Island, and a 10-2 whipping of Colorado. After this respectable start, they went an utterly disastrous 18-36-15 (.370) the rest of the way. How bad did it get after October? On November 5th, they lost 10-2 to the Dead Things (Wings' goalie Corrado Micalef -- who some on here have called the worst NHL starter of all time -- with the .938). The very next game they gave up 9 to the lowly Maple Leafs. So, that's 19 goals allowed in two games to two of the League's worst teams. Between November 21st and 26th, for three games in a row, they allowed 25 goals against.

As for Lessard, amid his 52 decisions that disastrous season, no fewer than 11 games (i.e, 21% of his games) he put up less than an .800 save percentage. And in 25 of his decisions (nearly 50% of his total), he had less than an .850. I realize 1981-82 was a high-scoring season and the Kings had to face Edmonton eight times and so on, but however you slice it, that is (f)ugly.

So, I dunno. Is it likely that Lessard, aged 27 and in his fourth NHL season, suddenly crapped the bed, or is more likely that the Kings' new coach and system was a big failure? I suppose probably somewhere in the middle.
Grant Fuhr (31 basis points)
0.898 as the #1 in 81/82 to 0.867 in 82/83 (when Moog got 49 starts)
We have to remember how young Fuhr was when he made his name in 1981-82 with that fabulous rookie season (when he was 2nd in Vezina voting). Glenn Healy and Mike Vernon, for example, are almost exactly the same age as Fuhr, and basically nobody had heard of them until 1986 or 1987. Fuhr, who was hopeless at managing his personal life at the best of times, came to camp in September 1982 way out of shape and ill-prepared for the NHL. Sather knew how talented he was and gave him lots of chances, but he just wasn't bringing it in 1982-83. A lot of the damage was done early in the season when the Oilers were struggling a bit to regain the form of the preceding year (Sather left Fuhr in for 9 goals against by Calgary in his third start of the season). Fuhr got booed by the Oilers' fans in mid-season, and he responded by calling them "jerks" to the local media, which probably didn't help his situation. (I believe it was also this season when Fuhr first starting using illegal substances, esp. when he had several starts in short time periods, although I don't think there were many of those this season.)
 

tarheelhockey

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Feb 12, 2010
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Lindbergh was apparently quite traumatized by having his pubic hair shaved by teammates.

Which, when you think about it, is a fairly normal reaction!

Apparently this was a very common hazing ritual in that era. I've seen Bob Froese describe the process in detail, and it was just uncomfortable to listen to. I mean, I was in a fraternity... I get that not everything makes sense in translation to outsiders. But really? Shaving a guy's pubic hair? That's the trend you guys went with?

In Red Fisher's autobiography he talks about having it done to him as a journalist by none other than Maurice Richard. A haunting image that I really didn't need to live with.
 

kaiser matias

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Mar 22, 2004
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Apparently this was a very common hazing ritual in that era. I've seen Bob Froese describe the process in detail, and it was just uncomfortable to listen to. I mean, I was in a fraternity... I get that not everything makes sense in translation to outsiders. But really? Shaving a guy's pubic hair? That's the trend you guys went with?

In Red Fisher's autobiography he talks about having it done to him as a journalist by none other than Maurice Richard. A haunting image that I really didn't need to live with.

It comes up in several books about teams. I just finished reading Peter Gzowski's The Game of Our Lives (an excellent book, I may add), and he mentions the same ritual for the Oilers rookies that year (1980-81, which included Paul Coffey).
 

Moose Head

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