Are you implying that advanced statistics in hockey aren’t worthwhile since the “controls” for other sports are stronger? If so, that’s a profoundly lazy position. Tell that to NHL teams who employ data analysts. Why not use every tool at your disposal if you’re a part of an NHL front office, & coaching staff to find (& exploit) your opponent’s weaknesses?
Corsi and other statistics only imply three things about a player (or team): they’re above average, average, or below average for that specific statistic. When a player is above average in most advanced statistics, many times were talking about a pretty good player. Average stats, average player; bad stats, bad player. Is it always the case? Definitely not. However, many times it is. When stats are used in conjunction with traditional eye-test analysis, analysts are covering all their bases. I aim to incorporate the two in my writing so I’m not missing out on any valuable information.