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John Tortorella Still Doesn't Care for Your Nerd Stats

Torts has no time for stats like Corsi and Fenwick.
Fuck the Corsi. Fuck the Fenwick. Photo by Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports

John Tortorella doesn't have time for your metrics and reasoning, nerds.

The Columbus Blue Jackets head coach is clearly not a fan of the increased use of analytics to measure player performance in the NHL. Along with some frustrating facets of his coaching that are stuck in a time machine, Torts prefers the old-school methods when it comes to measuring puck possession and scoring chances.

According to Aaron Portzline of the Columbus Dispatch, Tortorella "charts scoring chances for and against, and leaves the numbers in plain view for players to see and discuss."

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The Blue Jackets' bench boss prefers to track scoring chances for himself instead of relying on metrics like Corsi and Fenwick, which have gained widespread acceptance and are used primarily as a simple way to measure puck possession, shot attempts and scoring chances.

"I'd rather spend time doing that than listening to this crap about the Corsi and the Fenwick, because those stats do not apply," he said.

"I don't care what anybody says in this league, they don't apply to the game of hockey. The scoring chances for is what tells you the story of the individual player and your team concept, as far as what's going on."

The Corsi! The Fenwick! As Puck Daddy's Greg Wyshynski pointed out, there appears to be a good reason why Torts isn't interested in Corsi and Fenwick.

Of course no stat or metric is perfect, but there is clearly a massive correlation between teams with the strongest Fenwick/Corsi scores and those that have won championships. The last five Stanley Cup champions each ranked among the top three in the league in Fenwick during the seasons that they won.

Pittsburgh Penguins (2015-16): 3rd

Chicago Blackhawks (2014-15): 2nd

Los Angeles Kings (2013-14): 1st

Chicago Blackhawks (2012-13): 3rd

Los Angeles Kings (2011-12): 3rd

This is certainly not the first time the former Stanley Cup champion (yeah, I forget about that, too) has put the ever-rising use of metrics and analytics on blast.

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"We'll have tough nights where we give up odd-man rushes, I just want us cognizant of how hard you have to play away from the puck," Tortorella said in late October.

"All this stuff you guys (the media) talk about… the Corsi, the Fenwick, puck possession and all that crap, the game is still won by playing very well away from the puck so that you can get it back."

The Blue Jackets are doing OK in a tough Metro Division through ten games, sitting 5-3-2 with a +11 goal differential (thanks to their 10-0 shitkicking of the Canadiens). They will be in tough in a division that features the Penguins and Capitals, and a surging Rangers team. Their lopsided victory over Montreal may very well be the highlight of the season.

It could be a long year for Torts following USA's rough World Cup showing in which he probably (definitely) wasn't the right coach for.

One thing remains clear, and it's that Torts still doesn't need any of your hippy, analytical bullshit.

h/t NBC Sports