Hockey Players' Personality
Contribution to Team Performance
by M. Gordon Hunter

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A great deal of research has been done on the quantitative indicators used in hockey player evaluation, but for the most part, the analysis of qualitative factors has been elusive. Until this book. Hockey Players' Personality Contribution to Team Performance examines many of the statistical tools and quantitative measures used to assess hockey players—such as goals, assists, and save percentages—and then moves beyond this with new research to help measure a player’s qualitative characteristics—or “spirit”—with an objective, scientific approach. Based on extensive interviews and research with both Canadian and Swiss hockey players, Hunter reveals six key themes or characteristics that contribute to a hockey player’s success as a “team” or “character” player—including what happens during a stoppage in play, on the bench, or in the dressing room. From these, he then offers a Player Assessment Form as a practical tool for hockey coaches, scouts, and team assistants (as well as for coaches in other team sports) to measure players’ characteristics and strengths that have previously been hard to evaluate. Informative and innovative, Hockey Player Contribution to Team Performance will appeal to all with an interest in the science of sports statistics and evaluation.

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"Physical, technical, and tactical skills form the primary starting point of player evaluation, but my own research suggests that the importance of a player’s character (i.e., the person behind the player) in the evaluation process should also be considered. If physical, technical, and tactical skills provide evaluators the current playing capabilities of an athlete, then personality characteristics or 'intangibles' might also be used to determine a player’s future potential. In other words, these 'intangibles' might provide an indication of the ceiling of a player’s potential." —Ryan W. Guenter Mental Performance Consultant at Pivotal Physiotherapy (Edmonton) Scout – Winnipeg Ice (Western Hockey League) "Relevant information, as I assume everywhere else, is everything in hockey management. The industry has opened up these times to some new perspectives - Gordon Hunter's is certainly one to consider." —Andreas Haenni Managing Director, 49 Mining, Analytics & Consulting, Switzerland Former European professional hockey player “Statistics are like gauges in a boiler room. One must understand the essence of the task. Are you creating steam to purify salt or blending peat and barley to create mash for scotch? The tools are the same. It’s how they are used. You can’t teach experience. There are no short cuts for time. “You gotta shoot pucks!” It’s important to find who wants to be a team player and to provide leadership. They must have the passion. Gathering this intangible data will help coaches, scouts, and managers to identify those players who will contribute to team success. The perspectives presented in this book are well worthwhile to investigate." —Keith Fair Leventina Holdings Ltd. Polar Boilers, Switzerland Former European professional hockey player Competed in World and Olympic Championships in 1992

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Dr M Gordon Hunter was appointed Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in July 2016 Gordon has held academic positions at universities in Canada, Hong Kong, and Singapore He has held 23 visiting positions where he has conducted over 150 invited presentations at universities in Australia, England, Germany, Monaco, New Zealand, Poland, Turkey, and USA Gordon has a Bachelor of Commerce Degree from the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, and a PhD from Strathclyde Business School, University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland He has extensive experience as a systems analyst and manager in industry and government organizations in Canada. Gordon has written 4 academic books, edited 16, and published over 110 combined peer reviewed chapters, journal articles, and conference papers Gordon’s research approach takes a qualitative perspective to conduct in-depth interviews He applies qualitative techniques in interdisciplinary research such as small business and cross-cultural investigations His research interests in the information systems (IS) area include the effective management of IS with emphasis on the personnel component; the role of Chief Information Officers; and the use of IS by small business In his retirement Gordon has employed the same qualitative research techniques to investigate various aspects of hockey players and their teams.

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Contributors

Author

M. Gordon Hunter

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