More on bigger NHL players

by James Mirtle on Oct 21, 2009 8:24 PM CDT Comment 13 comments

With full credit to ESPN for the data, here's a look at how NHL players' heights (in inches) and weights (in pounds) have increased over time, sorted by position:

Nhlers_by_height_medium

Nhlers_by_weight_medium

You can see the levelling off of forwards and the decrease in size for defencemen postlockout (think Mike Green), as well as the continuing trend toward taller and taller netminders (think Ben Bishop). It's going to be interesting if things continue on this path, as goalies could soon be the tallest — yet still the lightest — players in the game.

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Context?

How does this compare to the population at large?

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by PRC on Oct 21, 2009 8:32 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

On the other thread, someone mentioned the average American male has gone from 5-foot-8 and 165 pounds in the 1960s to an inch taller and significantly heavier now. I haven’t looked the figures up, though.

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by James Mirtle on Oct 21, 2009 8:35 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Besides Darren Pang...

what caused the drop in goalie size during the 80s? Does it have anything to do with the higher scoring during that time period?

by Hansmoleman on Oct 21, 2009 8:42 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Mike Vernon

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by Doogie2K on Oct 21, 2009 11:52 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Alan Bester.

by eboy71 on Oct 22, 2009 8:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

35-40 had a real drop in weight too. Weird…

by Mrs @ MHH on Oct 22, 2009 9:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Maybe Tiny Thompson had people thinking you needed someone small and mobile for a while.

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by Doogie2K on Oct 22, 2009 10:43 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Purely speculation

but people didn’t have a lot of money, and food was harder to come by. I’d guess NHL players, like everyone else, were eating a lot less.

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by Jibblescribbits on Oct 22, 2009 10:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Probably not

since it’s only really goaltenders,

With as few goaltenders as there were then it’s probably purely a normal statistical glitch.

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by Jibblescribbits on Oct 22, 2009 10:55 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes. For one thing, there are no error bars on these points, and without a baseline (ie: how the general population’s height and weight have changed) it doesn’t really mean anything.

In fact, even with those additional pieces of information, this study still doesn’t mean anything. Professional athletes have grown over the years as general lifestyle, sports medicine, training and the size of the talent pool have all improved? No kidding.

by Fultron on Oct 22, 2009 12:38 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well, it tells you how large players have been in these competitions over time. The are larger masses at play, etc., and we’ve quantified just how much larger they are.

People are trying to read into this too much.

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by James Mirtle on Oct 22, 2009 1:17 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs