Q&A: Sharks’ Dave Barr on analytics, appreciating Justin Braun, and more

TORONTO - Dave Barr has a rule about video meetings: players must leave the room feeling good about themselves.

"I don’t want them feeling like they’re a piece of s---. I don’t want them going, ‘Jesus, f--- me, Dave doesn’t believe in me,’" explained Barr, the colorful San Jose Sharks assistant coach, during a presentation about post-game analysis and analytics at this past weekend's TeamSnap Hockey Coaches Conference.

"What I want them doing is, I want them feeling good. So, I might say, ‘Look at this clip here. Where is your stick?’ And he’s like, ‘It’s in the air.’ ‘Exactly, stick on the ice, stick on the ice.’ And I’ll have another clip ready to go - (from) the game before or maybe that (same game) - and I’ll say, ‘Look at your stick here, look at what happened to the puck, look at what happens in the play. Big difference.’

"We use post-game video a lot of times to support good things. You want that."

The Sharks, still hunting for that elusive first Stanley Cup championship, are returning a similar lineup for the 2018-19 season. They lost the John Tavares sweepstakes, but re-signed some key forwards - Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, Chris Tierney, and Tomas Hertl - and will once again contend for the Pacific Division title.

Following his presentation, theScore caught up with Barr - a 57-year-old ex-NHL winger who's been on the coaching payroll for six teams - to talk all things Sharks.

Note: This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.

theScore: You mentioned in your presentation that you were originally a skeptic of hockey analytics. How or why were you won over?

Barr: "I think, because of all the work that we do with video, we have a pretty good idea of what’s going on by a game-by-game basis. What I think helps us - how we can use analytics - is that it covers a lot of categories and a lot of things that happen during a game. You might miss an area or two, where it says that we’re doing this very well and we’re not doing this very well. ...

"Say it’s turning pucks over off the forecheck and the other one that you were doing extremely well was breakouts. You want to understand why you’re doing the breakouts well - what you were doing, what was the reason - and why your forecheck was not very effective.

"There’s so many things to cover - especially in the NHL, when you’re playing 82 games and you’re back to back a lot and three games in four nights - so it’s hard to cover every single category. Analytics help us do our jobs better. It’s not the end-be, be-all … whatever the hell that saying is."

theScore: Be-all and end-all.

Barr: "Thank you. Insert that, please!" (laughs and points to recorder)

"(Analytics) is not everything but, at the same time, it certainly helps us. I know it has helped us this (past) year. I run the PK so I use it for penalty kill as well."

theScore: It’s a marriage, right, of video and whatever is being counted.

Barr: "That’s a perfect description."

theScore: Speaking of the penalty kill, Tierney (two-year contract) and Hertl (four-year contract) recently signed deals. You must be happy.

Barr: "They are very cerebral players, very smart players. Two of my better PKers, for sure. Offensively, they’re very good on the PK and at the same time they know where the puck’s going most of the time. Tommy’s a great worker. Chris is a very smart player - knows where to be, where not to be. We’re very fortunate to get them signed and playing for us again."

theScore: What’s the No. 1 skill required for a forward on the PK? Is it good stick work, good positioning?

Barr: "Probably positioning, coupled with stick (work). If you’ve got your stick in there, it doesn’t matter if you’re in position or not. A little bit of it is the ability to get there quickly, get from A to B quickly. If you have slower PK players, especially forwards, they can be three feet short of getting a stick on the puck and all of a sudden that shot or that pass gets through. Quickness is a big element. …

“(Joe) Pavelski is one of our best penalty killers and he’s not a fast player. But, because he knows where to go and how to get there as quick as he can get there, he’s a very effective player.”

theScore: It helps with that great hand-eye coordination. Pavelski can knock pucks out of the air easily.

Barr: “Oh, it’s incredible. He works at it, too. That’s why he can do it: He’s a talented guy who works at it.”

theScore: And he’s a good golfer.

Barr: “He came third! I was watching (the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship) on TV and he had a chance to go into extra holes. Didn’t make the putt, unfortunately.”

theScore: You brought up Justin Braun in your presentation, calling him an underrated NHLer. What is it about his game that people maybe don’t appreciate?

"Watch his body positioning.

"He worms his way into getting here on guys." (Barr reenacted Braun’s ability to maneuver around opponents and gain the inside track.)

"It’s unbelievable. You’ll have position on him, and this guy will figure out a way to get there. Unbelievable."

theScore: Have you ever asked him about that "worming" talent and where it may have originated?

"Oh, I don’t want him to be conscious of that. And he is the nicest kid. He’s a great kid."

theScore: You told a fun story about Jagr in your presentation. Do you have anything to share about Thornton, another beloved veteran?

"I can just tell you that he is one of the most fun, positive, energetic (players around). Every single day he brings energy to the dressing room. The guys love him. At the same time, he holds players accountable in a great fashion.

"He’s honest, straightforward. (He’ll tell players), ‘We need you to be better.’ He’s absolutely fantastic. I’ve got nothing but praise for him."

theScore: There’s a theory out there about Evander Kane and why he’s been such a nice fit in San Jose. Do you think the leadership group welcoming him with open arms has contributed to his success?

"For sure. I think it helped a lot that he felt really good about where he was. Within five-10 games, he was part of the team. He wasn’t the new guy; he was part of the team. He got a lot of minutes playing on the power play, the penalty kill a little bit, tons of minutes at 5-on-5. He made a difference, he scored goals, so that really helped him feel good about himself.

"At the same time, I think we have strong leadership. Brent Burns, Joe Thornton, and Pavelski, for sure. Especially Thornton and Pavelski - their resumes speak for themselves, they come to play every day in practice, they come to play every day in games.

"(Kane) is just a good kid. He’s a good kid who has a little bit of celebrity in him - if you want to call it that - but at the same time there’s nothing wrong with that. He comes to play every day. He’s a real help to our team. … He’s sharp, he gets it."

(Feature photo courtesy: The Coaches Site/F10 Sports Photography)