The "primary assist" is such a stupid statistic

[SwaggySpungo]

Maybe tracking the statistic itself isn't that bad (the NHL only started keeping track within the past 10 years), but the way it's being discussed lately on hockey TV is so damn dumb. I'm hearing it all the time in Toronto regarding Marner. I don't care about Marner's "primary assists". It's irrelevant. His assists total tells me how good of a playmaker he is. It's mostly irrelevant how many are "primary".

Since the 1930s, the NHL has had up to 2 assists per goal for a reason. The undisputed greatest playmaker in the history of the sport had tons of "secondary assists". Often, Gretzky would create a scoring chance by setting someone up for a point blank shot on net and then another player would score on the rebound. The player shooting the puck would get the "primary assist", even though Gretzky (with the "secondary assist") basically created the scoring chance.

Now, all of a sudden, the "primary assist" is a key statistic. It's just really ignorant and stupid. Really grinds my gears.

Perfect example here. And this was just a random game I picked. Watch at 3:30. McDavid does all the work and creates the scoring chance, but would only have gotten a "secondary assist" if it were a goal. A "secondary" assist is often just as valuable or more valuable than a "primary assist".

 

[Sakujo]

A lot of Marners primary assists are pretty sick though

 

[Warden of the North]

I would imagine it has higher importance in the world of advanced stats.

I really dont care.

 

[Gsus]

Depends on a situation but assist is an assist. Players that lead the league in so called primary assists are probably elite playmakers.

 

[Canada Drai]

Only 6 goals though. Weak af. People score the goals for him but he only has 6 himself?
Check out Laine, dude has no assists but one billion goals like a true player.

 

[Kevs Security]

Only 6 goals though. Weak af. People score the goals for him but he only has 6 himself?
Check out Laine, dude has no assists but one billion goals like a true player.

With that sarcastic tone you're making it seem like a bad thing Laine scores a shit ton of goalsWhy

 

[The Podium]

Only 6 goals though. Weak af. People score the goals for him but he only has 6 himself?
Check out Laine, dude has no assists but one billion goals like a true player.

I think Hymans 5 goals should be credited to Marner He literally just shoots the puck at him some times and has it redirected in off Hymans body

 

[Canadian Finn]

It's all part of millennial math.

 

[Canada Drai]

I think Hymans 5 goals should be credited to Marner He literally just shoots the puck at him some times and has it redirected in off Hymans body

I don't doubt it. It's too bad Lucic can't even body bump one in.

With that sarcastic tone you're making it seem like a bad thing Laine scores a **** ton of goalsWhy

Laine has a lot to learn from Ovechkin if he ever wants to win a cup.

 

[Brownies]

Cigarettes don’t give cancer ! I know this guy, never smoked, eated well and ran every morning and BOOM lung cancer !

(In short I think that primary assists are more important 80 percent of the time).

 

[Kamiccolo]

Well in one instance it doesn't mean anything really.. Anyone can give it to someone who goes end to end and scores a beauty and gets a primary for it.

But when it is over a larger sample size and the primary assists are all the player creating the goal.. Then it matters. People aren't trying to say Marner has primary assists that means he is elite, they are trying to explain to those who don't watch the player how elite he has been in creating the chances, hence the primary assists.

 

[RageQuit77]

Primary assists makes perfect sense. Maybe value 1A1=1G is inflated relative to real value, but it's still relatively easy live with that considering average high importance of the last pass in oncoming goal.

Secondary assists doesn't make much sense, but only as long as they are valued same as goal. Properly valued 2nd assists would be nice thing and improvement to point scoring system to have.

If different assists values would be adjusted properly to their relative average values, it would be nice to have also 3rd assists counted.

Goals and assists in decreasing order could be also arranged as hierarchy of tie breakers, for underlining their true relative average values.

EDIT: worst typos corrected

 

[Kamiccolo]

Only 6 goals though. Weak af. People score the goals for him but he only has 6 himself?
Check out Laine, dude has no assists but one billion goals like a true player.

Matthews sucks because he scores more than assists as a center and Marner sucks because he has more assists than goals as a winger. Just can't win after pulling a Leaf jersey over your head.

 

[Canadian Finn]

Primary assists makes perfect sense. Maybe value 1A1=1G is inflated relative to real value, but it's still relatively easy live with that considering average high importance of the last past in oncoming goal.

Secondary assists doesn't make much sense, but only as long as they valued same as goal. Properly valued 2nd assists would be nice thing and improvement to point scoring system to have.

If different assists values would be adjusted properly to their relative average values, it would be nice to have also 3rd assists counted.

Goals and assists in decreasing order could be also arranged as hierarchy of tie breakers, for underlining their true relative average values.

and just think of all the new awesome advanced stats we could come up with, using that matrix.

 

[ffh]

A lot of Marners primary assists are pretty sick though

8x11. based on those primaries. 8x8.5 if half were secondary.

 

[ViewsFromThe6ix]

Primary assists are a much more repeatable skill than secondary assists, there's been countless amounts of research on this.

 

[RageQuit77]

3rd assist category could include various other on ice acts that are hard to quantify accurately, but that are clear otherwise in scoring situations. Key-hits, masks, double passes for making room for actual assisting player, real 2nd assists by goal scorer, actions of a guy who makes opponent cheat toward him...

Unofficially also to guys who are prolific in drawing penalties (particularly: for causing situation of delayed penalty).

 

[SwaggySpungo]

Well in one instance it doesn't mean anything really.. Anyone can give it to someone who goes end to end and scores a beauty and gets a primary for it.

But when it is over a larger sample size and the primary assists are all the player creating the goal.. Then it matters. People aren't trying to say Marner has primary assists that means he is elite, they are trying to explain to those who don't watch the player how elite he has been in creating the chances, hence the primary assists.

This is EXACTLY my point. The guy who gets the "primary assist" did not necessarily create the scoring chance. You know how elite he is by looking at his total assists. It's simply not very relevant how many are "primary assists" vs. "secondary assists". A guy with lost of assists creates a lot of scoring chances.

 

[SwaggySpungo]

Primary assists are a much more repeatable skill than secondary assists, there's been countless amounts of research on this.

Got some links for this academic research?

How about some links demonstrating that isolating a player's "primary assists" from his total assists will give you special insight as to that player's playmaking ability?

 

[Dynamite Time]

It’s just a statistic. If you don’t like it ignore it.

Living on “smart earth” now days you can google, down to the second, of the sunrise.

 

[Atrusai]

Sometimes assists are more important than goals. There, I said it. I'm not taking it back.

 

[PatrikBerglund]

On many occasions the tertiary assist can be more impressive than the prime - and secondary.

Remember many situations back in the day when Forsberg completely dominated possession for an entire shift, only to be the tertiary assist and not getting the statistical boost.

 

[Leonardo87]

Actually, the league should take away the 2nd assist. Points would be a more telling tale of a player’s performance.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

On many occasions the tertiary assist can be more impressive than the prime - and secondary.

Remember many situations back in the day when Forsberg complerely dominated possession for an entire shift, only to be the tertiary assist and not getting the statistical boost.

Was about to post this.

Cutting off at secondary assists cheapens the stat. Either include all plays that contribute to a goal, or only count primary assists.

 

[SwaggySpungo]

Actually, the league should take away the 2nd assist. Points would be a more telling tale of a player’s performance.

Completely false.

Adding a 3rd assist makes more sense than removing the 2nd.