Lock-out Lessons

Lesson 1: Work-rate. Having turned to the EPL as a source of sporting distraction during the owner induced lock-out, "work-rate", the term in question, describes what some hockey pundits call 'tempo', 'work ethic', et al. But this isn't a musical or a moral play, this is a hockey game.

Work-rate is a quantifiable metric. Perhaps this tracking technology and analysis needs to hop the pond? I think it does. It is not a perfect measure of a player's worth or value, as players like Nik Lidstrom will probably have a relatively low work-rate in light of their value, but that is only because they are so economical with their movement. But for fore-checking wingers, work-rate analysis could provide insight and indisputable figures needed to jump start a floater.