Mike writes:>>
 
> 1.  Could someone please explain how a plus/minus rating is calculated?
 
>>Its simple really.  If you're on the ice when your team scores a goal,
>>you get a +1.  If you're on the ice when you get scored on, you get a
>>-1.  Add them up through the course of the year.  I personally think its
>>a pretty dorky stat, I guess it shows whether you play any defense at all
>>as a player.
 
Also if you are short handed and the team on power plays scores no one gets
a plus, or a minus.  However, if the short handed team scores then everyone
on the ice including the goalie on the short hand gets a plus and everyone on
the power play gets a minus.  It would seem though that the guy in box should
get a minus if the team on power play scores, but I don't think that's the
case.  I guess even though he put his team in the hole they don't want to
hold him accountable for the goal scored. He also wouldn't get a point if
his team scores a short handed goal.  It does seem to be a weak method of
measuring defensive ability.  I'd prefer a method of assigning a negitive
assist.  In other words if you let a guy blow by you and he scores then you
get a minus 1, or a forward for example and used the oppositions defenseman
on a screened shot, than defense would get a minus 1. You could even have
multiple players getting a minus. The problem is it would drive the score
keeper batty, it hard enough at times to figure out who got the an assist...
so I guess the +/- is the next best thing.
 
Nick