What Is Plus-Minus In Ice Hockey? NHL Stats

Another ice hockey stat we will be looking at today is the plus-minus in ice hockey. This plus-minus stat is represented by the symbols “+/-”. If you have gone through the stats of a few players in the NHL you would notice that some of them have a positive plus-minus stat while others have a negative stat. 

Do you know the reason for this? What is even the meaning of these stats, how is it calculated and what does it say about a player? We will be looking at all this and more in this article. 

What Is Plus-Minus In Ice Hockey?

The plus-minus in ice hockey is a stat that shows the offensive and defensive (focuses more on defense) influence of a player when playing on the ice. The reason it is called a plus-minus is that players earn a plus point when a goal is scored while they are on the ice and a minus point whenever a goal is scored against them.

Not every goal scored for or against a team is legible to receive a plus-minus in ice hockey. For these stats to be added to a player’s stats the following must occur:

• The player must play on the ice when the goal is scored for or against his team. If a player is on the bench, it does not count toward his stat.
• Only skaters can earn plus-minus points (+/-) in ice hockey. Goalies do not earn these stats as they are always on the ice as do not undergo shifts as skaters do. 
• The team scoring the goal must be of even strength with their opponent (having the same number of players) or short-handed (having fewer players).

History Of Plus-Minus In The NHL

The plus-minus in ice hockey was first used by the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s. As the years progressed other NHL franchises began to implement the use of the stat as a metric to track players ability. 

Emile Francis, the coach of the Canadiens is often acknowledged for starting the use of plus-minus in the league even though he only adapted its use to the Montreal Canadiens. However, the league officially began the use of the plus-minus stats during the 1967-68 season. 

How Are Plus-Minus Points Awarded In Hockey

The nature of awarding plus-minus in ice hockey (+/-) is different from the regular stats. Here are how the stats are allocated. 

If a player is on the ice and his team scores a goal when they are of even strength with their opponent or shorthanded, he receives a plus point (+1). 

However, if the player is on the ice when an even-strengthed or short-handed team scores a goal against them, he earns a minus point (-1). 

In instances where a player’s team scores a goal when they are on the powerplay (when they have the man advantage), they do not get a plus point and the opposing team does not get a minus point. But if the shorthanded team scores, a plus, and minus point is given accordingly.

Lastly, if a team scores an empty net goal, they are awarded a plus point while the opposing team is awarded a minus point. 

Scenarios Of Plus Minus In Ice Hockey

To understand how plus-minus is calculated in ice hockey, I’ll make a scenario for most of the possibilities. 

Let’s say a game starts up between the Bruins and the Panthers and in the first period, Pastrnak (right winger for the Bruins) scores a goal during first period when they are on a power play, here is what their plus-minus stat will say:

+/- = 0

This is because the goal was scored while they are on the power play. 

Moving on, let’s say 10 minutes into the second period and Matthew Tkachuk (left winger in of the Panthers) scores a goal against the Bruins while the Bruins are on a power play, here is what the plus-minus stats of the Florida Panthers will read: 

+/- = +1

This is because they are shorthanded when they scored a goal against the Bruins.

At the end of the game, the Bruins win the game with a 4-2 lead against the Panthers. Of the four goals 3 goals were scored when both teams were of even strength and one goal on power play. And the Panthers scored two, one while on the power play and the other when shorthanded. The table shows the plus-minus stats of a player for the Bruins during the game.

(Bruins- Panthers)	Bruins (+/-)
1-0 (Bruins scored on a power play)	0
1-1	-1
1-2 (Panthers scored on a power play)	0
2-2	+1
3-2	+1
4-2 (Player not on ice)	0
Total	+1

When Does A Player Have A Good Plus-Minus Point Count

Players are considered to have a good plus-minus count in ice hockey when the stat is positive. If a player’s plus-minus stat is 0 or above +1, it is considered to be a good ice hockey stat because it means that the influence of the player on the team during offense is just as good during the defense. 

In simple terms, it means the player is good at stopping goals.  

Controversies Relating To Hockey Plus-Minus

Here are some of the reasons ice hockey fans give as to why the plus-minus stats is not as reliable and accurate in determining how a player influences attack or defense in a team.

Poor Players On A Line

If a skilled player is playing with a line of players that are not as good, he would not be able to play to his full potential. If there is only one star playing with two poor ice hockey players in a forward line, the poor players will make the attack difficult no matter the skill level of the star player.

Poor Goaltending

The competence of a goalie affects the plus-minus of an entire team in ice hockey. This is because if he is unable to save avoidable shots, the plus-minus point of the players on the ice will move to the negative side even though it is not under their control.

This is another reason for the controversy because if poor goaltending can affect the stat then it doesn’t take into account the actual performance of a player on the ice.

Coming On The Ice At The Wrong Time

Coming into the ice at the wrong time is another reason why hockey fans are skeptical about plus-minus stats. If a player comes onto the ice a few seconds before a goal is scored against his team, he will be awarded -1 as his plus-minus stat.

Even though he had no influence on the game and the goal was a result of the former players, he still has to carry the stat. The same also goes for a positive plus-minus stat.

If a line of players enters the ice, a few seconds before their team scores a goal, they are awarded a +1 whether they had anything to do with the goal or not. This instance does not measure a player’s influence but rather is based on luck.

Poor Team

Similar to having a bad line or players, a team that has a bad formation will also have a negative plus-minus in ice hockey. This is because even though there are a few good players, the fact that the team is not efficient will also see that the team loose games with its players earning more negative plus-minus points than positive.

Players With The Best Plus-Minus Stat In NHL History

The player with the best career plus-minus stats in NHL history is Larry Robinson with +722 plus-minus points. The NHL Hall of Famer played for the Montreal Canadiens and Los Angeles Kings. The next player to Larry in plus-minus points in the NHL is Bobby Orr, with +/- of +582.

The table shows the top ten players in the NHL with the highest plus-minus.  

Players	Plus-Minus (+/-)
Larry Robinson	+722
Bobby Orr	+582
Ray Bourque	+527
Wayne Gretzky	+520
Bobby Clarke	+507
Serge Savard	+462
Denis Potvin	+456
Nicklas Lidstrom	+450
Bryan Trottier	+449
Brad McCrimmon	+448

NHL Plus-Minus Leaders

In this section, we will be exploring the best plus-minus stats among NHL players in the league for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.

Best Plus-Minus Stats For The 2021-22 Season

The player with the best plus-minus stat for the 2021-22 season in the NHL is Johnny Gaudreau. Gaudreau topped the league with a plus-minus score of +64. Next to him is Elias Lindholm with +61.

Ranking	Players	Plus-Minus (+/-)
1	Johnny Gaudreau	+64
2	Elias Lindholm	+61
3	Matthew Tkachuk	+57
4	Devon Toews	+52
5	Cale Makar	+48
6	Justin Faulk	+41
7	Gustav Forsling	+41
8	Alex Goligoski	+41
9	MacKenzie Weegar	+40
10	Aaron Ekblad	+38

Best Plus-Minus Stats For The 2022-23 Season

The NHL player with the best plus-minus in ice hockey for the NHL 2022-23 season was Hampus Lindholm. Hampus leads the NHL in plus-minus with +49. Next to Hampus in second place is Matt Grzelcky with a plus-minus score of +46.

Ranking	Players	Plus-Minus (+/-)
1	Hampus Lindholm	+49
2	Matt Grzelcyk	+46
3	Brandon Carlo	+44
4	Joe Pavelski	+42
5	Tomas Tatar	+41
6	Devon Toews	+37
7	Jason Robertson	+37
8	Patrice Bergeron	+35
9	David Pastrnak	+34
10	Ryan Graves	+34

Conclusion 

Plus-minus in ice hockey is not easily understood by many ice hockey fans but I hope with this you have been able to grasp the concept. Even though there are controversies surrounding plus-minus, it is still an acceptable hockey stat that displays a player’s strength in protecting the net.

More on ice hockey stats read: Understanding Ice Hockey Stats: Players & Teams

This is especially true for goalies as that is their major function on the ice. Thanks for reading.