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Wensink
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Member since: April 26, 2012
Last visit: May 02, 2012

Wensink has posted 1 link and 2 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.

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Power (Dis)Play? Teams In Black Draw More Penalties : Hockey teams wearing darker-colored jerseys are more likely to be penalized for aggressive fouls than teams wearing white jerseys, according to new research. Teams wearing black jerseys in particular get penalized the most, according to an analysis that may offer a window into the hidden psychological dynamics of the ongoing NHL playoffs.

"Teams that wore black jerseys were penalized more, significantly more, than teams wearing other colored jerseys," said researcher Gregory Webster of the University of Florida, Gainesville.
Except when they're not.

posted by Wensink to hockey at 04:54 PM on April 26, 2012 - 16 comments

Recent Comments

Power (Dis)Play? Teams In Black Draw More Penalties

@BoKnows Twelve reds, eleven blues, one orange. And one yellow (Nashville, your next Stanley Cup winner.) (Unless it's the St. Louis BLUES.)

posted by Wensink at 01:36 AM on April 27, 2012

Power (Dis)Play? Teams In Black Draw More Penalties

@yerfatma Heh. Don't get me started about the post's deletion from MeFi. Four hours of number crunching down the drain. Just happy it has found a home here at Sportsfilter. (And thanks to the mods for keeping it in tact.)

My point is, the Bruins are (relatively) heavily penalized because they're the Broons, not because they wear black sweaters. If the researchers really wanted to dig deep, they'd look at the Dallas Stars' PIMs when they went from green unis to black.

posted by Wensink at 09:17 PM on April 26, 2012

Power (Dis)Play? Teams In Black Draw More Penalties

Setting aside the researcher's correlation/causation confusion, and goofy assertions ("One possibility is that players wearing darker colored jerseys are more visible on the ice than players wearing white, allowing referees to spot fouls more easily."), the study's findings aren't exactly supported by recent PIM [penalty in minutes] numbers from the NHL.

Five teams wear black jerseys: Anaheim, Boston, Dallas, Los Angeles and Pittsburgh. According to Webster, they should be among the most penalized in the league, right?

Ranking for total PIMs, among 30 NHL teams:


2011-12 season

#3. Boston [1103 minutes]

#8. Dallas [1032]

#10. Anaheim [980]

#14. Los Angeles [923]

#19. Pittsburgh [880]

2010-11 season

#2. Pittsburgh [1388]

#5. Anaheim [1178]

#8. Boston [1115]

#13. Dallas [1066]

#16. Los Angeles [962]

2009-10 season

#3. Anaheim [1321]

#6. Pittsburgh [1195]

#16. Los Angeles [979]

#18. Dallas [963]

#20. Boston [953]

2008-09 season

#2. Anaheim [1426]

#12. Los Angeles [1207]

#15. Dallas [1144]

#18. Pittsburgh [1114]

#25. Boston [1028]

And what % of those penalties were received while playing in their black jerseys on home ice?

2011-12 season

Los Angeles [54.60%]

Dallas [49.03%]

Boston [46.96%]

Anaheim [46.22%]

Pittsburgh [45.91%]

2010-11 season

Boston [58.39%]

Dallas [48.59%]

Los Angeles [48.34%]

Pittsburgh [43.30%]

Anaheim [39.13%]

2009-10 season

Boston [51.52%]

Anaheim [47.77%]

Dallas [47.25%]

Los Angeles [44.84%]

Pittsburgh [41.67%]

2008-09 season

Pittsburgh [53.41%]

Boston [51.95%]

Anaheim [51.05%]

Los Angeles [45.65%]

Dallas [45.28%]

posted by Wensink at 05:21 PM on April 26, 2012