Yesterday, rugged defenceman Mark Borowiecki addressed some of his critics in an article that appeared in the Ottawa Citizen.
In the column penned by Wayne Scanlan, Borowiecki talked about his decision to step away from Twitter and explained that it mostly due to the negativity and criticism sent his way via social media. As Borowiecki pointed out, the majority of that criticism, which was at times personal, had to do with his lagging possession numbers.
The article has sparked a ton of discussion on Twitter.
The thing that everybody needs to understand up front is that for the most part, Mark Borowiecki is doing exactly what the Coaching staff and Management expects of him.
He’s playing a physical brand of hockey, sticking up for his teammates, finishing his checks at every opportunity and putting himself in harm’s way by blocking shots on a regular basis. Where the analytics community sees a player with dreadful possession numbers, the Coaches and Management see a hard-working player that fills his role perfectly.
Things like heart, work-ethic, leadership on and off the ice…they do matter. Being a guy that is respected in the room, that’s willing to sacrifice for the team and that plays through injury are admirable qualities in a hockey player. While these traits aren’t necessarily reflected in a stat that measures puck-possession, they make a difference.
I’m not going to get into a debate on analytics. The nerds won a long time ago. Advanced stats do matter. They are important in organizational decision-making and educating yourself on the subject is important to gaining a deeper understanding of the game.
Criticizing a player’s on-ice performance is always legitimate. It’s part of being a fan. Using possession numbers to support that criticism is justified. Personally attacking a guy just because his CF% is not to your liking is stupid. First, because it shows an ignorance toward intangible elements of the sport. And second, because these personal attacks on another person, even a pro-athlete, do have an impact.
Like almost everyone else, I too have been critical of Borowiecki’s on-ice performance at times this season. On a blueline that has struggled, he’s had moments where his game just wasn’t good enough. That’s sort of expected from a guy who’s primarily a 6th or 7th defenceman. And like he says in the article, he’s well aware. But there’s an line between criticism of a player’s performance and personal attacks on the guy.
And really, that’s the point of the article. A point that many seem to have missed. This isn’t about the validity of analytics.
This is a pro-athlete who’s social media experience had reached a point where it was impacting his quality of life. So he stepped back.
People using advanced stats as justification for personal attacks should probably do the same.
-The Senators were on the ice for practice in New Jersey this afternoon and were without a number of key players. Kyle Turris, Mike Hoffman and Marc Methot all missed today’s practice. Turris and Hoffman are considered game time decisions while Methot has been ruled out for tomorrow’s game. Cameron said he isn’t sure how long Methot will be out. Craig Anderson starts in goal vs. the Devils.
-This afternoon, CFRA revealed some additional details on the Senators’ proposal for the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats. According to their sources, the proposal includes a sports training facility, indoor and outdoor space for cultural events and public square. Some pretty vague stuff there but it gives you a sense of the type of ideas at the centre of the proposal. The public consultations are scheduled for January 26th and 27th.
–Some interesting news this afternoon as the Senators have announced that they have loaned defenceman Mikael Wikstrand to Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) for the remainder of the 2015-16 season. This ends a long and ugly dispute between the player and organization and finally allows Wikstrand to get back to playing hockey and developing as a prospect. Important element in there is that based on conversation with Wikstrand and his agent, the Sens realized that playing hockey in North America is not a priority for Wikstrand in the immediate future.
