Part 2: General Stats
Welcome to Part 2 of our four-part series hockey terminology series. In this post, we’re going over general statistical terms used in hockey.
As we mentioned in our first post, this is by no means an inclusive list, but we hope it covers a wide enough range of terms to get our newbies off the bench and onto the ice.
As always, if there is a helpful term or stat we’ve missed, and that you think should be included in our list, let us know in the comments!
Skater Specific
General statistical terms relating predominantly to skaters.
Assist [A]
A player receives an assist by being the last player to touch the puck before a teammate scores a goal. An assist, however, can be awarded to a maximum of two players, so if you are the 2nd last player to touch the puck before a goal, your assist is considered a Secondary Assist [A2]. Assists contribute to a player’s plus-minus statistic.
Empty Net Goals [ENG]
A goal scored on an empty net when the opposing team has pulled their goalie (this generally takes place late in the 3rd period if a team is trailing by a goal or two).
Face-Off Win Percentage [FO%]
Face-offs are used to begin games, as well as restart play after it has stopped. One player from each team (generally, a centre) squares off as the referee drops the puck. Face-off Win Percentage calculates how often a player or team wins face-offs.
Game-Winning Goals [GWG]
A game-winning goal is the goal that puts a team in the lead until the final buzzer sounds and they win the game.
In a sudden death or “golden goal” situation, the game-winning goal is the goal that, when scored, immediately ends the game and the team who scored wins. It is, quite literally, the goal that wins the game.
Goals Against [GA]
Goals scored against one’s own team.
Hits
When a player makes a hit on an opponent. Very often this is checking into the boards, though there are also the mid-ice hits… a spectacle to behold.
Penalty in Minutes [PIM]
A player’s accumulated penalty minutes over the course of a single game, or season.
Penalty Shot Goals [PSG]
When a player scores a goal off a penalty shot. However, in the event the opposing team had pulled their goalie at the time the fouled player was on a breakaway—in other words, there was an empty net—a goal is simply awarded in lieu of a penalty shot.
Points [P]
Goals + Assists = Points.
Shot Attempts [SAT]
Shot attempts are the number of shots on goal taken by a player or a team collectively. Blocked shots and missed shots are not included.
Zone Starts
The zone starts stat tallies the number of times a team takes a face-off in each zone of the ice: the Defensive Zone, the Offensive Zone and the Neutral Zone. (If you’re unclear on the zones, see Part 1 of this series.)
Blocked Shot [BkS]
A player blocks a shot from the opposing team using his stick or body.
Even Strength
Both teams have an equal number of players on the ice—either no one is in the penalty box, or both teams have been equally penalized in terms of manpower.
Games Played [GP]
The number of games a player has played, aka, had at least one shift on the ice.
Goal [G]
Should be obvious, but all the same… a player earns a goal by (legally) putting the puck over the net’s goal line.
Goals For [GF]
The total number of goals scored by a team during any given game and over the course of the season.
Missed Shots [MsS]
The missed shots stat represents the number of shot attempts that are off-target, and are considered unblocked shot attempts.
Penalty Shot Attempts [PSA]
When a player in possession of the puck is on a breakaway and fouled from behind by a member of opposing team, a penalty shot is awarded in place of a power play. No time elapses off the game clock while the penalty shot takes place.
Plus-Minus [+/-]
When a goal is scored, every player on the scoring team who was on-ice when the goal was scored is credited +1, while every player on the scored-upon team who was on-ice when the goal was scored has -1 deducted.
The variance between a player’s plus (+) total and minus (-) total make up their individual plus/minus ranking. While many factors go into a player’s plus/minus ranking, it’s generally thought that a player with a high plus (+) total is a good defensive or offensive player.
Shooting Percentage [S%]
The percentage of shots on target that either produce a goal or are saved by the goalie. Missed or blocked shots are not taken into consideration for this stat.
Time On Ice
Time On Ice is a player’s playing time in all situations: even-strength, power play and shorthanded. Time On Ice is accumulated for each player over the course of a game/season.
Goalie Specific
Saves [SV]
The number of saves a goalie makes over the course of a game/season. Only shots on target are considered.
Short-Handed Save Percentage [SHSV%]
This is a goalie-specific stat that denotes a goalie’s Save Percentage [SV%] during penalty kills.