[Jay Random]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

However, it needs to be pointed out that the "giveaway" and "takeaway" statistics in the NHL are not two sides to the same on-ice event. They are different events altogether, that occasionally happen to overlap. A "giveaway" can occur if a player throws a blind pass up the middle that lands on the stick of an opposing player, but this is not a "takeaway." A "takeaway" can often occur when a player forechecks hard, lifts the stick, and strips the puck, but this again does not necessarily constitute a "giveaway" for the other player. Sometimes a "giveaway" and a "takeaway" are recorded for the same event, but this is not necessarily so all the time, and for good reason it is not a reflection of the subjectivity of these particular statistics.

Here is a good piece on the subjectivity of those stats, from 2009:

http://www.arcticicehockey.com/2009/...-and-takeaways

If hit totals in the official NHL statistics are a little dubious, then giveaways and takeaways are on a whole other level. While the average rink records 14% more hits by the home team than by the visitors, home team takeaways (and visiting team giveaways) are 30-40% higher. In fewer than 3% of cases did official scorers report more takeaways by visiting teams or giveaways by their own team. And the rinks with the highest totals often record eight times as many as those with the lowest totals. The Phoenix Coyotes, as bad as they were last year, somehow gave the puck away just 83 times at home; the Sharks, with shutdown defense, recorded 375 in San Jose.