CrashingTheGoalie

by Ron Spence

Yesterday’s All-star Game showcased the NHL’s best goalie talent. 

These players wouldn’t want, however, last weekend’s stats merged in with their regular season’s numbers. 

Montreal’s Carey Price, for example, let in 9 goals on 25 shots. 

An all-star game is totally different – as we all know – from a regular NHL contest. 

And yet, the NHL compares seasons’ averages from today, with the averages from a different game, 80 years ago (Goals Against Averages have been tallied since hockey’s first games – games were played, goals were scored, etc. – the numbers were always there. Save percentages – on the other hand – weren’t tallied until the 1983-84 season, as shots weren’t always counted.).

The chart above – provided by HOCKEY-reference.com shows that the best Goals Against Averages were achieved from the years 1925 until 1929.

There were many shutouts during those years – which of course impacted the Goals Against Averages.

During the 1927-28 season, Boston’s Hal Winkler and Ottawa’s Alex Connell lead the NHL with 15 shutouts each.

GEORGE HAINSWORTH – BEFORE THE HABS – WITH THE SASKATOON CRESCENTS

The following season – 1928-29 – there were shutouts galore.

In fact, 15 games ended with scoreless ties. And the Chicago Blackhawks were shut out 20 times – an NHL record.

Of the Season Best for Goals Against Averages – shown above – 6 were recorded during that season (And there were only 10 teams.). 

The Habs’ George Hainsworth led the NHL with 22 shutouts, followed by the Rangers’ John Ross Roach and the Americans’ Roy Worters with 13 each. The Bruin’s Tiny Thompson was one behind with 12 and the Maroons’ Clint Benedict and the Leafs’ Lorne Chabot had 11. That year, the Cougars’ Dolly Dobson had 10 and the Sens’ Alex Connell had 7. 

In fact, the only two teams not included in this list were the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Chicago Blackhawks. 

courtesy of QuantHockey.com

Then, during the 1929-30 season, goal scoring spiked up and shutouts decreased drastically (from 120 to 26 shutouts).

It was the year that offensive zone forward passing was introduced.

At the start of the season, some snipers sat in front of their opponent’s cage waiting for a pass. It was like football – without a line of scrimmage – and wide receivers lurking near the end zone waiting for Hail Mary passes.

So, mid-season the offside rule was introduced and players weren’t allowed to enter the offensive zone before the puck.

How did the style of hockey differ between the two seasons?

Previously, speedy backward‑skating forwards slowed down their counterparts – in the offensive zone. They floated in front of the puck‑carrier and swept‑checked. From a fan’s perspective it was like watching paint dry. And, from a defenseman’s vantage, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. The slowed‑down forwards were sitting ducks and big Dmen would just nail them. 

With the new forward pass, however, the sweep checkers were left standing still. And, the speedy forwards were difficult to bodycheck and found it easier to pass or score.

courtesy of wikipedia.org

The impact of the rule change is apparent in – the goals for and goals against – for the two seasons. Montreal, for example scored 141 goals in 1929-30, but only 71 the year before. They also let in 114 goals, versus 43 in 1928-29 (when Hainsworth had his 22 shutouts).

The average assists and goals ratio also changed from one year to the next. In 1928-29, there were 1.73 assists and 2.92 goals per game. Then, after the rule change, there were 4.90 assists and 5.90 goals per contest. 

courtesy of Hockey-reference.com

I believe that the Goals Against Average stats should have an asterisk placed beside them – for those goalies who played before the NHL introduced forward passing in the offensive zone. It’s the proverbial apples to oranges comparison until this has been done.

You will notice that Martin Brodeur is ranked 9th overall. If he’s lucky, he will pass Dave Kerr, the standout goalie from the 1930s and move into 8th place.

*****

Writer’s Note: There are different theories as to why the 1928-29 season’s offensive output fell – so drastically – from the 1927-28 season.

I think that the answer lies in what happened at the beginning of the 1929-30 season when the snipers started circling the goalie like vultures.

During the 1928-29 season, players learned how to take advantage of the confining rules, just as they took advantage when the new rules were introduced.

Hockey, it seems, has always been about taking the edge.