Intersting Stats on Home vs Road Penalty Calls

[gooseman 0]

BTW, I certainly hope to see the Sharks as Wings both get healthy, and meet up in the WCF. I am a hockey fan, and I am not one of those that likes to see a teams get cake walks to the finals. I want to see the best playing the best. Chicago, your day will come, but I want to see the winner of SJ/Det taking on the winner of NJ/BOS.

And yes, I live in SJ. But I grew up in South Bend, IN, and long had, and still have, a great deal of respect for the Wings, and the hockey they play.

[BlueMonk 102]

Very interesting stuff, gooseman. The Wings getting the benefit of the doubt at home to that extent is pretty remarkable. Also kind of cool for me is the validation your study gives to my longtime perception that road games in Western Canada are tilted heavily against the visiting team. One of those instances where anecdotal evidence and the data seem to align.

[gooseman 0]

Very interesting stuff, gooseman. The Wings getting the benefit of the doubt at home to that extent is pretty remarkable. Also kind of cool for me is the validation your study gives to my longtime perception that road games in Western Canada are tilted heavily against the visiting team. One of those instances where anecdotal evidence and the data seem to align.

Detroit specifically is a very veteran team which the way managemetn has consistently been able to roll new tallent in that matches the system, while vets are still in place for continuity, are able to do things that most teams are not. One of those is that they walk the tightrope of what is, and what is not a penalty better than any other team in the league. For many penalties, Detroit all but sets the standard of what defines a penalty. Homer, on goalie interference for instance. Fans of other teams will constantly say he is always interfering, Wings fans of course say he is not. Me, I am not biased for or against the Wings, so I see him as a hugely talented guy who tests the rules. He parks himself with his skates out of the blue, JUST out of the blue. He does things that is another player did it, it would be a penalty, but he is more subtle about it. The officials us his typical play as the standard. If another play makes less contact or is less aggressive about it than him, no penalty. Slightly more than him (or on reputation the same as him) it is a penalty. If Homer is even slightly over his "normal" line, it is a penalty. If you will notice, most of his GI penalties are either early in a game, or late when the Wings are behind. That means hi sometimes tests a ref early in the game to see if he can get away with a little extra, or he is stepping over the line late because the team needs it.

The other thing that vet players like many of the Wings get it the refs will talk to them more. This is true with any of the elite players in the league. Rather than make an early call, a good referee will talk to them, tell them their players are pushing the line on a play and need to back off, and if they do there is no call. There is more of a tendency for this to happen when the team is at home because on the road there is a gut reaction of the referee to make the call on a marginal play when the crowd reacts.