MOST PENALIZED NHL TEAMS
See who keeps it clean, and who lives on the wrong side of the whistle.
The Infraction Index™ uses penalties and penalty minutes to measure how heavily NHL teams, divisions, and conferences are penalized, measured against the prior season's league average of 100.
Scores above 100 indicate a team is being penalized more heavily than the prior season's league average; scores below 100 indicate it is being penalized less heavily.
How the Infraction Index™ Works
The Infraction Index™ combines penalties and penalty minutes into a single measure of how heavily teams are penalized. Each part is measured against the prior season's league average, which is set at 100.
Scores above 100 indicate a team is being penalized more heavily than the prior season's league average; scores below 100 indicate it is being penalized less heavily. Every penalty that carries penalty minutes counts, including coincidental penalties; only regular-season games are included.
The visual scale runs from dark gray for lower scores, through white at 100, to blue for higher scores.
Infraction Index™ figures are calculated by Pick A Penalty from SportsDataverse data.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is the Infraction Index™ for the NHL?
It is Pick A Penalty's score of how heavily NHL teams are penalized, combining penalties and penalty minutes in each game, measured against the prior season's league average of 100. It ranks the most penalized NHL teams, along with the league overall.
What does 100 mean?
100 is the prior season's league average. An Index of 110 means a team is being penalized 10% more heavily than that average. Above 100 is where the interesting teams live.
Is the ranking a raw penalty count?
No. Teams are ranked by Infraction Index™, which combines penalties and penalty minutes per game, so the team with the most total penalties is not necessarily first. A team with fewer penalties that carry more minutes can rank higher.
Which penalties count?
Every penalty that carries penalty minutes counts, including coincidental penalties; only regular-season games are included. Each team's penalties and the minutes they cost are averaged per game, then compared with the prior season's league average, which is set at 100.
Where does the data come from?
Infraction Index™ figures are calculated by Pick A Penalty from SportsDataverse data. Pick A Penalty is not affiliated with the NHL or SportsDataverse.
How often is it updated?
During the season, it's updated at least weekly, often more.