Prior to the start of the 2002/2003 season, the NHL removed some of the scoring statistics that the league deemed irrelevant, such as hits, blocked shots, giveaways, and takeaways. The league felt these stats were too difficult and subjective to track.

These stats were often used as comparables in arbitration cases, usually to the player's benefit. Tracking them gave agents more ammunition and theoretically drove up salaries. Players felt that these were indeed very relevant when it came to negotiating contracts, especially players who might not be big names or big goal scorers.

The union filed a grievance, which they won, and had the statistics reinstated on Feb. 11, 2003.

"It will not be part of the game sheets or distributed publicly because we have no confidence in those statistics. We have no interest in using those stats," said Gary Bettman after the reinstatement decision was made. "We didn't believe they accurately reflected performance to begin with and while the arbitrator said we need to reinstate them, we don't have to use them for public dissemination."

The league is not happy about losing the grievance, and the NHLPA is still angry that it ever became an issue. Word on the inside is that we have not seen the last of this and that it will become a thorny issue when the time comes to renegotiate the CBA.