Fischler on Tonelli Becoming an Islander He doesn't look like an emperor. He doesn't walk like a monarch. Nor does he talk as if he's the best in the world. Doesn't matter. There's a simple, un-analytic way of summing up Eric Hornick [https://twitter.com/ehornick] and his impact on the hockey industry. The New York Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/islanders-backcheck-projected-lineup-martins-camp]' numbers man -- among all of puckdom's numbers men -- is the ice world's best stat man. Period! No questions required. And if there's anyone in second place, let that person contact me by phone -- collect, if you please. READ MORE: Kenny Albert, Long Island & The Islanders [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/new-york-islanders/features/kenny-albert-new-york-islanders-stan-fischler-long-island-dom-emrick] It's too bad that there aren't three Eric Hornick's because the guy does so much, so well we deserve another one or three more Erics. But this is not the time nor place to complain but rather to wonder how Sir Eric ever reached the NHL numbers stratosphere over a matter of four decades. Not that he became the figure filbert with a snap of an adding machine; far from it. Plus, his timing has been as impeccable as his accuracy. The guy began doing stats during the Islanders Dynasty years. Nothing could possibly be better than that. But, enough of me; let's hear directly from His Majesty Hornick. I tossed some topics at him, and Eric eased them back as follows: HIS DISCOVERING HOCKEY ON LONG ISLAND: "I started with the (Eastern League) Long Island Ducks at the old Commack Arena. I was eight when the Islanders played their first game. The day before I turned nine, I watched them beat the Champion Bruins 9-7 in Boston. Later that season, on March 3, 1973, I attended my first NHL game; it was 'Stick Night' at the Coliseum. A journeyman named Bob Cook had a hat trick that night against Vancouver. That made me believe that he was the best player in hockey." GETTING INTERESTED IN HOCKEY STATS: "I know that I always was interested in statistics because I 'kept score' at any game I attended. By the time I was 14, I was keeping score for every Islander game, home and away. At the time, the Islanders were winning a lot, so that made it very fun for me." MAKING HIS FIRST USEFUL CONTACT: "In the fall of 1980 -- after the Isles won their first Cup -- broadcaster Jiggs McDonald came to New York as the team's play-by-play man. I immediately befriended him -- he couldn't have been nicer -- and before the 1981 playoffs, I prepared a whole set of statistics. I attended most of the home games in that year's playoffs, including the Cup clincher against Minnesota. For each game, I brought Jiggs stat notes. Later -- during the summer -- Jiggs sent me a message that I should call the Islanders. As it happened, the Isles stat man, Jay Arbour, was moving to Denver, and a replacement was needed. I was called in for an interview and, frankly, I thought it had gone well." WHY HE DIDN'T GET THE JOB AT THE TIME: "Once I got home, I learned that Bill Torrey had called my mother; he wanted to know where I was. My Mom told Bill: 'He was in your office because he knows more about Isles numbers than anyone else.' (After all, it was MY mother.) However, Mr. Torrey told her that he didn't want to hire someone still in high school." HOW DID HE FINALLY GET THE GIG: "In mid-January 1982, Jiggs McDonald's daughter, Kelly, came up to me in the high school hallway and asked me to call him. It turned out that Jiggs had received permission to add me to the SportsChannel telecasts. Since the Isles were going on the road, my first game came two days after my 18th birthday -- January 21, 1982. The Islanders beat the Penguins, 6-1, that night to begin their 15-game winning streak." DIFFERENCE BETWEEN STATS THEN AND NOW: "It's technology. It has changed a lot of things over the past 42 seasons. Nowadays, there's so much more information available. In other words, I have near instantaneous access to almost everything I could need. Plus, I can contact the NHL directly for further support. The other important thing that has changed is my ability to get more and more information on the other team. In the old days, I was limited to a media guide and The Hockey News. Now I have access to coverage of every team." THE LATEST ADDITION TO WORLD OF HOCKEY STATS "The NHL and SMT have introduced player-tracking technology over the past couple of years. For example, tired players lead to scoring chances, penalties, and goals. That means I have to monitor live ice times. It also lets us know when a player has gone to the dressing room and when he's returned. That enables the play-by-play man, Brendan Burke, to let the fans know as soon as that happens. The same technology also shows us shot speed as well." CHANGE IN VALUE OF 'SHOTS ON GOAL' STAT "Back a few decades ago, the shots on goal stat was the only one tracked by the NHL. Nowadays, shot attempts -- missed shots and blocks -- are also tracked. In fact, several websites track more advanced stats such as 'high-danger attempts' and 'goals saved over expected.' Neither of these are considered 'official' stats but often they tell the story to our viewers." HIS PROFESSIONAL LIFE INTEGRATED WITH HOCKEY LIFE: "I've worked in the actuarial profession since 1988 but still manage to work nearly every Islanders telecast -- either at UBS Arena or at my kitchen table for road games. Following each of the last 927 Isles games, I've published 'The Skinny' to my blog which is (nyiskinny.com [http://nyiskinny.com/]), and to the Isles' website. I've written it from all over North America, including Hawaii, as well as the Caribbean and even Thailand and Vietnam!" HOCKEY COMBINED WITH LOVE OF FAMILY: "I have a very understandable family. I married my college sweetheart, Diane, in 1990, and we have two boys, Adam, 26, and Evan, 23. And I love bringing them to games. Thankfully, I'm very good at catching up on sleep; and when the boys were very young, I'd often combine their games and Islanders games into a fun-filled weekend. I’m so proud of all of them!" THE GAME ERIC NEVER WILL FORGET: "The saying is that 'You never forget your first great one,' and, with that in mind, I have to say it was Bobby Nystrom's goal to win the club's first Stanley Cup. Put it this way; it must be near the top of my list. That said, I must say that the first-round playoff comeback against Pittsburgh two seasons later ranks right up there as well. After all, it saved the Dynasty. Upon further review, I'd say that that one tops the list." HIS SPECIFIC MEMORY OF THAT PRECIOUS MOMENT: "That happened so long ago that it was even before I was using the famed 'White Boards.' In those 'primitive' days, I still was using index cards for my stats. When John Tonelli scored the tying goal with 2:21 to play and then, later, the overtime winner, at that point, I wrote a note to Jiggs, 'Save My Press Pass.' Remember, I was only a high school senior at the time, yet it's a moment that really stuck with me to this day." PAYING IT FORWARD -- HELPING OTHERS: "I've always have enjoyed speaking with young people about what I do. I try to help them to further their own careers. I recall -- a few years back -- speaking to a pair of SUNY Cortland students; one of them was Stefen Rosner, who's now the Hockey News' correspondent. I also enjoyed meeting with Denis DaSilva, who has become the Islanders photographer. He had reached out to me, and I was happy to be helpful to him."
