Evaluating a player in hockey can seem rather simple when you are sitting in the stands at a game. When a player roars down the ice and scores the go-ahead goal late in the third period by blasting the puck past the goalie, you know you've seen a game-changing player. However, over the course of a season, statistical evaluations are often best for gauging value. A player's plus-minus rating is among the best of those evaluations.
Plus-Minus
The object of hockey is for your team to score more goals than your opponent. The plus-minus rating system credits players who are on the ice when their team scores an even-strength goal with a "plus-1" and charges them when their opponents score an even-strength goal with a minus-1. A player does not have to be credited with a goal or an assist to get a plus-1. As long as he is on the ice at the time the goal is scored, the player gets a credit when his team scores and a negative mark when his team gives up a goal.
Power Play
When a team has a man advantage during a power play because the opponent has been whistled for a penalty, the plus or minus rating does not apply. The rationale behind that is that when a team is playing with a man advantage, that team is much more likely to score a goal. Because of that, there's no reason to award plus or minus points. For the same reason, when a team is shorthanded, players are not charged with a minus-1 when they are on the ice for a shorthanded goal. On the other hand, if a shorthanded team scores a goal, players get a plus-1 and opponents are charged with a minus-1.
Plus-Minus Reports
Plus-minus statistical reports are issued after each game and kept cumulatively throughout the season. After a game, coaches and players can look at the game statistics to see who were the strong contributors based on plus-minus and which players might have hurt their teams. In an individual game, there might be some happenstance involved with the statistic, but over the course of a long season, top-rated plus-minus players usually are the most productive players in hockey.
History
The plus-minus figure was developed and first used by the Montreal Canadiens during the 1950s. They tried to keep these figures private, but other NHL teams eventually caught on and started using those figures as well. The plus-minus stats were refined further by former Toronto Maple Leafs coach Roger Neilsen when he was coaching junior hockey in the 1960s and 1970s. According to his assistant Dave King, Neilsen's system gave players a plus-1 when they were on the ice for a quality scoring chance and a minus-1 for an opponent's quality scoring chance. It didn't matter if the puck went in the net or not. This allowed Neilsen to get a read on his most productive players. "You see value in players other people don't see," King told the "Edmonton Journal." "Because some people only see goals and assists and flashy plays. They don't understand what a guy can do for you in a certain role. So it does give you a little clearer picture, for the coaches and the manager of the team to know what you've got."
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