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The Hockey Compendium: NHL Facts, Stats, and Stories
In an NHL crowded with expansion teams and hundreds of new players, fans have begun to demand more thorough and reliable statistics – and the league has accommodated them. But how do hockey fans make sense of this wealth of raw tabulation, and how do they compare today’s achievements with the legendary performances of the past?
In this ground-breaking book, Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif introduce fans to dozens of new statistical categories,
providing readers with fascinating context and commentary, and intelligent, irreverent analysis. From the dawn of the pro game to the present, The Hockey Compendium deconstructs the sport’s numbers, puts them on an even scale, and re-assembles them to help answer hundreds of debates:
• Was Gretzky really the greatest?
• How do the Red Wings of the 1990s compare to
the Canadiens of the 1950s?
• Which players and teams has history overrated, and which have not been given their due?
Nothing available anywhere today analyzes performances in as many categories, nor discusses them with as much wit and accessiblity. Based on the cult classic The Klein and Reif Hockey Compendium (M&S, 1986), but completely revised and rewritten, The Hockey Compendium accomplishes the rare feat of being a stats book that is also a highly entertaining read.
In this ground-breaking book, Jeff Z. Klein and Karl-Eric Reif introduce fans to dozens of new statistical categories,
providing readers with fascinating context and commentary, and intelligent, irreverent analysis. From the dawn of the pro game to the present, The Hockey Compendium deconstructs the sport’s numbers, puts them on an even scale, and re-assembles them to help answer hundreds of debates:
• Was Gretzky really the greatest?
• How do the Red Wings of the 1990s compare to
the Canadiens of the 1950s?
• Which players and teams has history overrated, and which have not been given their due?
Nothing available anywhere today analyzes performances in as many categories, nor discusses them with as much wit and accessiblity. Based on the cult classic The Klein and Reif Hockey Compendium (M&S, 1986), but completely revised and rewritten, The Hockey Compendium accomplishes the rare feat of being a stats book that is also a highly entertaining read.
248 pages, Paperback
First published November 13, 2001
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 5, 2012
The sequel to the '87 Klein and Reif hockey compendium, this balances Edward Deming-worthy statistical analysis with Matt Tiabbi-esque commentary.
By their metrics, Dominik Hasek turns out to be the best goaltender of the past thirty years for which stats are readily available (the NHL kept meagre statistical records in earlier eras). This is unsurprising, but bears repeating everytime someone puts Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur on that pedestal.
Wayne Gretzky of course turns out to be the most dominant forward, though Mario Lemieux's 160 points in 60 games in the 1995-1996 season is highlighted as the best normalized single-season offensive performance of all time. (Lemieux's feat is equivalent to 213 points over an 80 game schedule... in a year where far fewer points-per-game were scored than when Gretzky achieved 215 points ten years previous.)
As my first copy disappeared on loan to someone, I purchased a second copy in 2012...
By their metrics, Dominik Hasek turns out to be the best goaltender of the past thirty years for which stats are readily available (the NHL kept meagre statistical records in earlier eras). This is unsurprising, but bears repeating everytime someone puts Patrick Roy or Martin Brodeur on that pedestal.
Wayne Gretzky of course turns out to be the most dominant forward, though Mario Lemieux's 160 points in 60 games in the 1995-1996 season is highlighted as the best normalized single-season offensive performance of all time. (Lemieux's feat is equivalent to 213 points over an 80 game schedule... in a year where far fewer points-per-game were scored than when Gretzky achieved 215 points ten years previous.)
As my first copy disappeared on loan to someone, I purchased a second copy in 2012...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 of 1 review