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Burke on advanced stats: “I don’t feel they add any value at all”

Brian Burke

Tuesday at a sports conference in Toronto, Leafs GM Brian Burke reiterated his stance on the use of advanced hockey stats for evaluating players.

“I don’t feel they add any value at all,” said Burke, as per the Toronto Star.

Instead of numbers, he places “great value” on character, explaining that “a lot of great athletes never make it in a team sport. To me, over time, I think character is the ingredient of the stew that is championship teams.”

Burke has shared his views on advanced stats before.

“There has not been a statistical breakthrough that I’ve seen in hockey,” he said in March at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference.

“Everybody is looking for these Moneyball breakthroughs…I have yet to see anything that has value in terms of an alternative way of evaluating players.”

At the very least, Burke’s presence at a conference for advanced stats suggests he’s willing to listen (though some are arguing he should listen a little harder.)