John Tortorella gives a hilarious and blunt assessment of analytics in hockey
With the NHL season underway for about two-and-a-half weeks, NHL organizations are getting an early sense for how their teams will perform and what improvements may need to be made. While there may be certain critiques or areas of weakness (or strength) that one could notice just from watching the game, there are also times when it may not be obvious and the use of analytics can help identify those key areas that may need improving. However, not every team uses analytics the same way, as is evident with new Flyers coach John Tortorella, who offered insight into his view on analytics. In traditional Torts fashion, he did not sugarcoat how he feels about analytics:
-Tortorella on analytics
Torts also went on to say that there are a few analytics that he uses, but his relationship with analytics are a conversation for another time.
While each team and coach are entitled to their preference on the use of analytics, it is interesting that Tortorella seems to view them in such a negative way. While going with your gut feeling and what you see on the ice can go a long way, especially if you have been around the game a long time, there are so many things that can be easily missed. There is so much data and analytics collected from hockey and while they likely shouldn't be the only factor that goes into making a decision, they are an important part of that process.
At the end of the day, the Flyers are 5-2, good for 1st in the Metro division, so he must be doing something right. It should also be mentioned that Torts has never shied away from the spotlight and this isn't the first (or last) time he has said something controversial to the media and sparked discussion.
| POLL | ||
OCTOBRE 28 | 237 ANSWERS John Tortorella gives a hilarious and blunt assessment of analytics in hockey Do you think analytics are a valuable part of the evaluation process in hockey? | ||
| Yes | 77 | 32.5 % |
| No | 52 | 21.9 % |
| Calculators don't win hockey games | 108 | 45.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
