The Club | The butterfly style, Logan Mailloux and… the least productive players

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Which side ?

In baseball, which side will an ambidextrous hitter be on in relation to the pitcher’s arm? Will it be on the same side as the thrower’s arm, or on the opposite side?

rock stone

Response from Alexander Pratt:

Hello. Usually, batters will choose the left side when facing a right-handed pitcher, and the right side when facing a left-handed gunner.

Butterfly Effect

Regarding the number of goals often scored over the shoulder of goalkeepers, would the butterfly style be the cause or is it overused or misused?

Jacques Tanguay

Response from Richard Labbé:

You’re quite right: there are more and more goals under the bar, and the players have become accustomed (and very skilful!) when it comes time to shoot at this very precise spot. This is not without irony; in the past, players would throw low because the goalies were up, and now it’s the complete opposite. Can we say that the players ended up adjusting and “understanding” the butterfly style, to the point of exploiting its weaknesses? I would say yes, and I predict a far too distant future where goalkeepers will have to adopt a hybrid style, between the standing position and the butterfly. Also, studies will eventually show that the butterfly style is very harmful for the knees, hips and back. That too is not to be overlooked.

All that for this

I’m always fascinated to see a player who, after a long run in the minors, scores his first NHL goal. Do you know how many players have scored at least one goal in the league, how many have not had any goals and which are the five players who have played the most games without a goal?

Michael Menard

Response from Alexander Pratt:

Hello. To facilitate the search, we have taken into account only the statistics in season. A total of 6,151 attackers and defenders scored at least one goal. On the other hand, 1310 position players were cleared. The five least productive skaters?

Steven Halko: 155 scoreless games
Matt Smaby: 122 games
Dallas Eakins: 120 games
Gordie Dwyer: 108 games
Kim Clackson: 106 games

The future of Mailloux

I confess to being perplexed as to the future of Logan Mailloux. Is he the expected exceptional player? Will he be traded or will he be at the big club’s training camp? Please enlighten me!

Gaetan Quenneville

Response from Katherine Harvey-Pinard:

Unfortunately, the only two people who could answer you are Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton. What we do know for the moment is that Hughes does not “intend” to negotiate with Mailloux during the offseason. “Logan is still being evaluated, less as a hockey player than as a person, as a member of a community,” the GM recently explained. As the young man evolves in Canadian junior hockey, the CH has two years after his draft to get along with him, which brings us to 1^er June 2023.

If the Habs do not hire him by that date, he will receive a second-round pick as compensation. As you indicate, Hughes could also decide to trade the rights of Mailloux to another team. Otherwise, the young defender should take part in training camp … if the team invites him (which was not the case last year).

Mailloux has long been seen as a top prospect. In other circumstances, he would already have a contract in his pocket at this point. However, the fact that he has only played 16 games in the OHL (due to the pandemic, his suspension and his shoulder injury) is a factor of uncertainty.

Crowds

Back in the days when I checked the results of NHL games in the print newspapers, you could see the attendance in the summary. Today I usually go to the NHL site where there is a lot of information on each player, but nothing on support. Is it published somewhere and where?

Yvon Veilleux

Response from Guillaume Lefrancois:

Hello, it is true that information is not as easily found as before. However, the NHL continues to publish it in its official documents for each game. At NHL.com, go to the “Results” section, then click on “Gamecenter” for the game you’re interested in. Scroll down the right column and under the three stars you will see the ‘Official Match Reports’ section. All documents in this section show the attendance figure at the top, in the middle.

The HockeyDB reference site presents interesting historical data on attendances. There is therefore a way to consult them by season, but also by team. Hoping to enlighten you!