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Hitch thinks blocked shots are ‘the most useless stat’ in the NHL

Ken Hitchcock

St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock watches from the bench during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings in Detroit, Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

AP

Perhaps unaware the NHL also tracks hits, Blues coach Ken Hitchcock believes blocked shots are “the most useless stat” in the league.

“If you’re blocking shots it means the puck is in your zone a lot,” Hitchcock said today, per NHL.com’s Dan Rosen. “When you’re a shot-blocking team, you never get it back.”

Again, we’d say the same thing about hits. Teams can only hit when they don’t have the puck.

Now, obviously, if a player’s got a chance to block a shot or make a hit, he should do it. But there’s folly in assuming a team that racks up a big total in those stats is a good team because of it.

The top five shot-blocking teams in the NHL during the regular season: Montreal, Calgary, San Jose, Toronto, and Winnipeg.

The top five in hits: Los Angeles, Columbus, Toronto, Ottawa, and Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, the defending champion Blackhawks finished 25th in blocks and dead last in hits.