What is Giveaways?

Times a player loses the puck to an opponent through a bad pass, fumble, or turnover.

What this tells us

When a player has a high giveaway rate, his team is giving the other team more scoring chances through careless play. It's a direct measure of how often he's putting his team in a vulnerable position. Lower is better — you want your players protecting the puck and making smart decisions under pressure.

Limitations

Giveaways are recorded by hand by official scorers, which means they're subjective and inconsistent across rinks and games. A turnover that one scorer calls a giveaway, another might not record — especially in fast-paced play where intent is hard to judge. That's why giveaways work best alongside takeaways and overall possession metrics like Corsi, which measure puck control more objectively.

Example

A defensive defenseman or a possession-focused center might post 1.2 giveaways per 60 minutes of ice time. A high-risk offensive player or someone playing above his skill level might creep toward 1.8 or higher per 60.