PIB Weighs In: Sharp or Toews For Canadian Olympic Team?

Jim Neveau, PIB Co-conspirator

An interesting dilemma was presented yesterday in TSN’s NHL Quiz: Which Chicago Blackhawk is more likely to be on Team Canada at the Olympics: Jonathan Toews or Patrick Sharp?

Now, before we get to what the guys had to say, let’s get some back-story first.

Most pundits who are knowledgeable about such things had Toews pegged for this team from the get-go. He is not only younger, but he also is a gifted two way center, a precious commodity in Olympic play. He also netted 34 goals last year, and probably has a higher ceiling than that. At the age of 21, bigger years are not out of the question.

Jonathan Toews (Photo Property of Pam Rodriguez)

Sharp, on the other hand, was coming off an injury-shortened season where he scored 26 goals, and really just seemed like another goal scorer from a nation full of gifted snipers. He also only had 18 assists, a low number that pales in comparison to Toews’ 35.

Toews would be a no-brainer, right?

Well, not according to the gents at TSN. Here is what they had to say on the matter:

Keith Jones: Sharp. If you think back, it was one of the more lopsided trades in the NHL – Patrick Sharp coming over from Philadelphia for Matt Ellison, and what has Sharp done since? Nothing but score goals. He’s a tremendously gifted offensive player, and what I like most about him is that he’s a multi-purpose winger. He can kill penalties, he’s a smart hockey player, and he has the ability to play with players who are better than he is, and he would be a great fit on that team.

Bob McKenzie: I’d like to see them both make it, but I’ll say Toews because he offers so many intangibles and can play a fourth-line role, and can do a lot of things like faceoffs and penalty kill, and shot-block, and not just score goals – although he’s off to a slow start in that regard.

Craig MacTavish: Sharp can do all of those things. He’s a very versatile player. I had him at one of the World Championships that I was at, and he’s a very underrated player. I like him a lot, and he can play a lot of roles. Patrick Sharp for me.

So two of the three TSN panelists would take Patrick Sharp over Jonathan Toews for the Olympic team, and even McKenzie, who voted for Toews, said that he would like to see them both make it. So really, the final tally was 2 1/2 to 1 in favor of Sharpie.

Before I provide my two cents on the issue, let’s take a look at the two players’ stat lines from last season:

Jonathan Toews: 82 GP, 34 G, 35 A, +12, 12 PP, 17.4 Shot %, 54.7 FO%

Patrick Sharp: 61 GP, 26 G, 18 A, +6, 9 PP, 14.1 Shot %, 45.8 FO%

To be fair, if Sharp’s had kept up his pace for a full season, he would have had 34 goals, 24 assists, a +8, and 12 PP goals.

If you add playoff stats into the equation, both players had seven goals, two game winning goals, Toews had two more assists, and Sharp played an average of three seconds more per game than Toews.

With all of these numbers floating around in our heads, the question really becomes: what’s the difference between the two? Toews has a significant advantage in the face-off dot, but outside of that, what sets these two players apart?

To me, there are two statistics that give the advantage to Mr. Toews. The first is the amount of time each guy spends on the ice in short-handed situations. Guys who are involved in the penalty kill are generally viewed as better defenders, and thus could be considered to be more versatile. Jonathan has averaged nearly two minutes a game on the penalty kill so far this season, while Sharp has averaged….23 seconds.

This would indicate that Toews is out there to actually kill penalties, while Sharp is there to possibly add offense in the waning moments if the team wants to try to break-out a short-handed opportunity.

Last year, the numbers were more even in this category, with Sharp spending about 45 seconds in short-handed situations, with Toews only getting about 40. This was inflated slightly in Sharp’s favor by Quenneville’s propensity to send him out to get short-handed opportunities after his marvelous seven short-handed goal effort in the 07-08 campaign.

Bottom line is that, especially early on in this season, Joel Quenneville has sent Jonathan Toews out to kill off virtually every penalty the team has had to, while Sharp has been relegated mostly to late-game heroics type situations.

The other statistic that Toews leads in that can’t be ignored is his face-off percentage. In crucial situations, a won face-off can be more important than just about anything other facet of the game, and Toews has proved time and again that he can do that. Already this season, he has a 60.4% success rate in the dot, and last season, he won 54.7% of his draws. In last year’s playoffs, he won 59.4% of his draws, which led the league.

Toews is extremely gifted in this area of the game, to say the least. Sharp, while he would probably be used as just a winger in the Olympics, played some at the center slot last year, and racked up slightly less impressive numbers. He only won 45.8% of his regular season face-offs, and that number sank to 40% during the post-season.

As much as I would love to see both of these guys make the Canadian team, I have to give the edge to Toews based on the two statistics mentioned here. His 6′2″ build, his propensity to screen goaltenders with his size, and also his ability to win the big draw, are simply overpowering when compared to a sniper like Sharp. Flashy play may win over fans, but it’s grit and determination that determine Olympic champions, and Toews has that in bunches.

Tags: Chicago Blackhawks, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Sharp, TSN