Update: Leafs penalty stats

It's that time again: updating the numbers, or, as I prefer to call this kind of tomfoolery around the Mansion, I've Got a DVR and I'm Gonna Use It. The Leafs penalty stats project rolls on with the latest numbers in who's taking penalties and who's drawing them.

When I first trotted these out through 19 games, the Leafs as a team were a plus-4 according to my (2-minute penalties committed)/(2-minute penalties drawn) figures. Now, through 32 games, and having gone through that miserable stretch of seven successive losses, they're a minus-5. I haven't broken out the numbers for the losing streak, but that dip surely has been a large part of their troubles of late.

For the rest of what the numbers tell us, take the jump . . .

Leafs and penalties: A different look

Off the top of the season I decided to start tracking the Leafs’ penalty stats in a little different way – not only who’s commiting the fouls, but who’s getting fouled themselves - given that the NHL doesn't compile the latter data (why? No one seems to know. It is something that shows up in the play-by-play running at ESPN.com, but not on the league's house version). As I said in an earlier post, it's a stat I'd like to see.

I’ll break these out if there’s interest later on in the season as well. Here’s the first helping, through 19 games.

The ground rules are simple: only two-minute minors count (no majors or misconducts included) and a double-minor (say, for high sticking with blood, or a simple double) counts as two fouls. I haven’t broken it down from there, into what kind of penalties they’re committing or attracting, this being about as close as I come to getting in touch with my inner geek. Got it? Let’s go then. Er, after the jump ...

An NHL stat I'd like to see

A truism from the (pardon the expression) New NHL™: Special teams are important. A key stat, the PP and its PK flipside. But what I'd like to see: stats kept on fouls committed, and who they've been committed against. The NBA (at least on fouls in the act of shooting) and soccer keep track in their play-by-plays of both ends of the candle, but the NHL, as far as I can see, does not.

Tim Larsen/Associated Press

Gionta: A natural hat trick AND three power-plays created.

I'm not being geeky here. Okay, perhaps a little. But in an age of new statistical paradigms, wouldn't this go further to defining a player's worth? Over at Raking Leafs, Mike noted this week how much more valuable (binkie alert) Kyle Wellwood is because of the fouls he forces opponents into making. It was on display again last night, a lovely little feint at his own blueline leading to an errant stick tap that put the Devils on the penalty-kill.

I kept a scorecard from last night's game on fouls (my call on the infraction, not the official one) - who committed them and (in bold here) who the foul was committed on, along with the ensuing PP result:

First period
Ponikarovsky Tor hooking foul on Gionta, NJ = penalty killed
Brylin, NJ hooking foul on Wellwood, Tor = PP goal, O'Neill
Second period
Peca, Tor tripping foul on Gionta, NJ = penalty killed
Third period
McCabe, Tor hooking foul on Brylin, NJ = PP goal, Gionta
O'Neill, Tor roughing foul on Brodeur, NJ = penalty killed
Gill, Tor interference foul on Gionta, NJ = PP goal, Gionta

A pretty clean and tidy game here - some nights would be a lot messier. But look again, at the contributions of Brian Gionta. Besides that natural hat trick, he created a hat trick of power plays, and scored on two of them. That's outstanding New NHL™ work on the ice, and on and off the official scoresheet.

And while we're at it, on the subject of stats I'd like to see, how about fouls committed? The NHL has always put penalty minutes together, so majors and misconducts are lumped in with two-minute minors. To me, fouls committed and fouls forced are as important and directly related to those power-play numbers you see being tossed around every night. They're telling numbers, and tailor made for the way the game is being played now.

Alternate Universe standings, Pt II

Tuesday's Champions League footy over in Europe delivered. Arsenal ran rampant and looked formidable everywhere but perhaps finishing (they should have had one or even two more than the 2-0 scoreline), while favoured Barcelona looked a bit ragged. Both were eminently watchable, and there's another set today, and return legs next week sandwiched around the meat and potatoes of league fare this weekend.

It's time to imagine an alternative reality along those lines over on this side of the Atlantic, following on Part I's NHL with a look at the NBA today.

Ed Betz/Associated Press

JABS' alternate universe has Larry Brown pointing to relegation.

Before going any further, here's some related reading:

When you look at the business of professional sports—in both Europe and the United States—American sports are virtually all socialistic while the European soccer leagues more closely resemble the entrepreneurial capitalism we (North) Americans fetishize.

In reality, the NBA grid has appeared pretty static this season, and the playoff races have mostly been rather joggerly thanks to the league's setup that grants top seeds to division-topping teams. The top four in the east are the same as they were on Jan. 1, for pete's sake, and only one team that were in the top eight on the first day of 2006, not even 30 games into the schedule, has fallen out (Orlando, replaced by Washington). Out west, there's a great Texas duel between San Antonio and Dallas, the top two teams in the conference -- but because there are too many divisions, the loser of this one will drop down to a No. 4 seed, behind the intriguing Phoenix Suns and the vastly inferior Denver Nuggets. The west overall has been a little more volatile this year: of the top 8 on Jan. 1, two have dropped out of the running (Minnesota and Golden State, replaced by the Nuggets and Sacramento).

Now let's have a look at the Alternate Universe, where last year's top 4 (the NBA finalists, and the next two best season records) are facing Europe's four best teams in the Hoops Champions League, while today's league standings are chock full of up-and-down drama:

(C-This season’s Basketball Champions League members; r-relegated; p-promoted; pp-promotion playoff; Divisions based on last year's records)

Premier Division
................................. W-L (GB)
C-Detroit ................... 56-14 (-)
C-San Antonio ............ 55-16 (1 1/2)
Dallas ........................ 54-17 (2 1/2)
C-Phoenix .................. 47-23 (9)
C-Miami ..................... 47-23 (9)
Denver ...................... 40-31 (16 1/2)
Sacramento ............... 35-36 (21 1/2)
Chicago ..................... 31-40 (25 1/2)
r-Houston .................. 30-40 (26)
r-Seattle ................... 29-41 (27)

Second Division
p-New Jersey ............. 41-28 (-)
pp-Cleveland .............. 41-29 (1/2)
pp-LA Clippers ............ 41-29 (1/2)
Memphis .................... 41-30 (1)
Washington ................ 37-33 (4 1/2)
Indiana ...................... 35-34 (6)
Philadelphia ................ 32-37 (9)
Minnesota .................. 29-41 (12 1/2)
r-Boston .................... 29-42 (13)
r-Orlando ................... 28-43 (14)

Third Division
p-LA Lakers ................ 38-34 (-)
pp-Milwaukee .............. 36-35 (1 1/2)
pp-Utah ..................... 33-37 (4)
New Orleans ................32-37 (4 1/2)
Golden State .............. 30-39 (6 1/2)
Toronto ..................... 26-44 (11)
Atlanta ...................... 21-48 (15 1/2)
Portland ..................... 20-50 (17)
r-New York ................. 19-50 (17 1/2)
r-Charlotte ................. 20-52 (18)

Alternate universe standings, Pt I

This being a day for the renewal of the Champions League, it’s time for an Alternate Universe post, as in: what if the NHL and the NBA did the same thing as European soccer does, with relegation and promotion determining the divisions, and the long season spiced up by incorporating a chase for Champions League-style positions during the season, their best taking on the best from around the world?

The Champions League part is easy. The NHL is forever on a quixotic quest for TV money in America, but bringing the hockey hotbeds of Europe into the mix for games that matter make more sense (it might even be lucrative and attract viewers). In the NBA, the Olympics and world championships (not to mention Maccabi Tel Aviv beating the Raptors in preseason, remember that one?) have shown that the rest of the world is more than competitive. Both leagues have become true melting pots, the overwhelming Canadian-ness of the NHL and Americanized NBA opened up to welcome all the corners of the world where their games are played. So here's what we do in our Alternate Universe: the championship finalists from the NHL and NBA earn Champions League spots for the following season, along with the next two best records.

In the real world, pro sports owners would never stop their game of musical chairs in January so that a few teams can go over to Europe to play the front half of a home and home against the best club sides from across the pond. As for promotion and relegation, as someone weaned on the North American way, that's not where I’d want to go.

But this is an Alternate Universe we’re in, so the willing suspension of disbelief is turned on. I've used the most recent seasons to determined this year's divisional setup (in other words, the NHL’s 2003-04 grid, the most recent given last year’s lockout. Of course, if this were a true three-division setup, teams would play exclusively in their own division, and the figures are merely taken from the current NHL standings, which include the shootout results -- so it’s not perfect, but really, what is?)

I’ll be back with the NBA version tomorrow.

The Alternate Universe NHL
(C-Champions League participants; r-relegated; p-promoted; pp-in promotion playoff)
Premier Division
GP-W-L-OT/SO L-(Goal differential)-Pts
C-Detroit 71-49-15-7-(+85)-105
Ottawa 70-48-16-6-(+108)-102
Philadelphia 71-40-21-10-(+11)-90
Colorado 72-39-25-8-(+32)-86
Vancouver 73-39-28-6-(+9)-84
C-San Jose 70-36-24-10-(+18)-82
C-Tampa Bay 72-38-29-5-(-2)-81
New Jersey 71-35-27-9-(-7)-79
r-Toronto 71-33-32-6-(-25)-72
r-Boston 73-28-32-13-(-27)-69

Second Division
p-Dallas 71-48-20-3-(+49)-99
pp-Buffalo 71-44-21-6-(+32)-94
pp-Nashville 71-42-21-8-(+23)-92
C-Calgary 71-39-24-8-(+6)-86
Edmonton 72-36-24-12-(-1)-84
Los Angeles 72-38-29-5-(-9)-81
Montreal 71-35-27-7-(-9)-79
Minnesota 71-32-32-7-(+13)-71
r-NY Islanders 70-33-32-5-(-30)-71
r-St. Louis 70-20-38-12-(-76)-52

Third Division
p-Carolina 71-47-18-6-(+45)-100
pp-NY Rangers 72-40-20-12-(+48)-92
pp-Anaheim 70-37-21-12-(+22)-86
Atlanta 71-35-30-6-(-3)-76
Florida 71-32-30-9-(-13)-73
Phoenix 71-33-34-4-(-20)-70
Columbus 71-28-40-3-(-68)-59
Washington 70-23-38-9-(-70)-55
r-Chicago 70-21-38-11-(-64)-53
r-Pittsburgh 71-18-41-12-(-77)-48