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Erik Cole

#72 · Left wing · Detroit Red Wings

Born Nov 6, 1978 in Oswego, New York, USA · 6'2", 205 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 71st overall in 1998 by CAR (round 3)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2005-06

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2011-12. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Chris Kunitz PIT · 61 P in 82 GP Joe Pavelski SJS · 61 P in 82 GP Olli Jokinen CGY · 61 P in 82 GP Tomas Fleischmann FLA · 61 P in 82 GP Milan Lucic BOS · 61 P in 81 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602001-02: 40 points4001-022002-03: 27 points2702-032003-04: 42 points4203-042005-06: 59 points5905-062006-07: 61 points6106-072007-08: 51 points5107-082008-09: 42 points4208-092009-10: 16 points1609-102010-11: 52 points5210-112011-12: 61 points6111-122012-13: 13 points1312-132013-14: 29 points2913-142014-15: 39 points3914-15

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2001-02 CAR 81 16 24 40 -10 35 159 257 0.49
2002-03 CAR 53 14 13 27 1 72 125 37 0.51
2003-04 CAR 80 18 24 42 -4 93 172 175 0.53
2005-06 CAR 60 30 29 59 19 54 164 123 0.98
2006-07 CAR 71 29 32 61 2 76 166 222 0.86
2007-08 CAR 73 22 29 51 5 76 216 186 0.70
2008-09 EDM 63 16 11 27 -3 63 145 134 0.43
2008-09 CAR 17 2 13 15 3 10 33 46 0.88
2009-10 CAR 40 11 5 16 -9 29 81 94 0.40
2010-11 CAR 82 26 26 52 -1 49 201 225 0.63
2011-12 MTL 82 35 26 61 11 48 241 186 0.74
2012-13 MTL 19 3 3 6 1 10 41 43 0.32 $4.5M
2012-13 DAL 28 6 1 7 -7 10 45 58 0.25
2013-14 DAL 75 16 13 29 -17 20 139 89 0.39 $4.5M
2014-15 DAL 57 18 15 33 4 14 98 116 0.58 $4.5M
2014-15 DET 11 3 3 6 -2 0 24 18 0.55
13 seasons Career 892 265 267 532 -7 659 2050 2009 0.60

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2001-02 CAR 23 6 3 9 -2 30 68 113 0.39
2005-06 CAR 2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 12 0.00
2008-09 CAR 18 0 5 5 -5 22 32 76 0.28
2013-14 DAL 3 0 0 0 -3 2 2 6 0.00
4 seasons Playoffs 46 6 8 14 -11 54 105 207 0.30

2011-12 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 35 26 61 11 48 241 186 0.74 14.5 18:32

Contract

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
2012-13 to 2014-15 $4.5M

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2011-12 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2011-12 analytics

Rating

+10.6Goals above replacement54th of 680 skaters, 46th of 445 forwards
+1.8Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+6.4Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 445 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+5.3 90th percentileEven-strength defence-1.1 25th percentilePower play+0.6 83rd percentilePenalty kill+0.1 70th percentilePenalties+1.4 85th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

-50510152010-112011-122012-132013-142014-15Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

51.0Corsi for %1119 attempts for, 1073 against
+4.5CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.5Expected goals for %44.4 expected for, 43.6 against
+5.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
50.8Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
57.0Goals for %57 for, 43 against
102.0PDO9.4% shooting + 92.6% saves
318Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 557 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Erik Cole · David Desharnais · Max Pacioretty70705:5450.547.432-27
Erik Cole · Michael Cammalleri · David Desharnais1895:4953.064.25-2
Erik Cole · Tomas Plekanec · Max Pacioretty3150:3858.554.82-2
Erik Cole · Michael Cammalleri · Tomas Plekanec1542:5852.050.74-2

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

34Goalsnot counting empty-netters
25.9Expected goalsfrom 308 unblocked attempts
+8.1Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 1.02 expected goals per 60 minutes90th
Shot quality 8.4% chance per attempt83rd
Finishing +8.1 goals above expected96thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 410 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0102030Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 34Expected 25.9

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 7, 2012 vs TOR W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 14:35
Apr 5, 2012 @ CAR L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 21:38
Apr 4, 2012 vs TBL W 5-2 2 1 3 2 0 6 1 18:17
Mar 31, 2012 @ WSH L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 -1 0 4 2 20:39
Mar 30, 2012 @ NYR L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 18:15
Mar 27, 2012 vs FLA L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 0 0 3 4 20:23
Mar 24, 2012 @ PHI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 2 2 4 19:47
Mar 23, 2012 vs OTT W 5-1 3 0 3 2 0 7 2 20:18
Mar 21, 2012 @ BUF L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 2 3 1 18:42
Mar 17, 2012 vs NYI L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 23:43
Mar 16, 2012 @ OTT L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 16:53
Mar 14, 2012 vs OTT W 3-2 (SO) 1 0 1 1 2 3 3 21:51
Mar 12, 2012 @ BUF L 2-3 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 4 1 22:33
Mar 10, 2012 @ VAN W 4-1 2 0 2 2 0 6 0 20:29
Mar 8, 2012 @ EDM W 5-3 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 20:47
Mar 6, 2012 @ CGY L 4-5 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 19:43
Mar 3, 2012 vs TOR L 1-3 1 0 1 1 2 4 2 22:55
Mar 1, 2012 vs MIN W 5-4 (SO) 0 0 0 -3 0 2 1 24:40
Feb 28, 2012 @ TBL L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 6 1 22:32
Feb 26, 2012 @ FLA L 2-4 0 1 1 -1 2 2 6 17:35
Feb 24, 2012 @ WSH L 1-4 0 0 0 0 4 2 4 19:20
Feb 21, 2012 vs DAL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 22:53
Feb 19, 2012 vs NJD L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 20:06
Feb 17, 2012 @ BUF W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 3 20:03
Feb 15, 2012 vs BOS L 3-4 (SO) 1 1 2 2 2 3 5 19:46
Feb 13, 2012 vs CAR L 3-5 1 0 1 -2 0 5 3 22:26
Feb 11, 2012 @ TOR W 5-0 1 0 1 1 0 1 3 18:59
Feb 9, 2012 @ NYI W 4-2 0 1 1 3 0 5 3 16:11
Feb 7, 2012 vs PIT W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 17:30
Feb 5, 2012 vs WPG W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 16:23
Feb 4, 2012 vs WSH L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 2 1 3 19:12
Feb 2, 2012 @ NJD L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 4 2 2 20:59
Jan 31, 2012 vs BUF L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 19:15
Jan 25, 2012 vs DET W 7-2 1 2 3 3 0 3 1 18:37
Jan 21, 2012 @ TOR W 3-1 0 1 1 2 0 3 5 21:38
Jan 20, 2012 @ PIT L 4-5 (SO) 1 1 2 1 4 2 2 21:09
Jan 18, 2012 vs WSH L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 5 3 21:09
Jan 15, 2012 vs NYR W 4-1 0 3 3 3 0 1 1 20:39
Jan 14, 2012 vs OTT L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 3 3 20:01
Jan 12, 2012 @ BOS L 1-2 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 20:44
Jan 10, 2012 vs STL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 4 18:20
Jan 7, 2012 vs TBL W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 4 18:33
Jan 4, 2012 vs WPG W 7-3 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 27:04
Dec 31, 2011 @ FLA L 2-3 1 0 1 -1 0 5 5 20:31
Dec 29, 2011 @ TBL L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 17:50
Dec 27, 2011 @ OTT W 6-2 1 1 2 0 0 4 0 16:10
Dec 22, 2011 @ WPG L 0-4 0 0 0 -3 0 0 3 19:26
Dec 21, 2011 @ CHI L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 17:25
Dec 19, 2011 @ BOS L 2-3 1 0 1 1 0 3 2 14:36
Dec 17, 2011 vs NJD L 3-5 0 0 0 0 6 0 1 17:46
Dec 15, 2011 vs PHI L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 3 4 19:10
Dec 13, 2011 vs NYI W 5-3 1 0 1 0 0 6 6 18:49
Dec 10, 2011 @ NJD W 2-1 1 1 2 1 0 2 0 18:21
Dec 8, 2011 vs VAN L 3-4 (SO) 1 1 2 1 0 3 1 17:41
Dec 6, 2011 vs CBJ L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 4 3 18:20
Dec 3, 2011 @ LAK W 2-1 0 0 0 0 4 6 2 18:52
Dec 1, 2011 @ SJS L 3-4 (SO) 1 1 2 2 0 4 0 18:46
Nov 30, 2011 @ ANA L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 14:38
Nov 26, 2011 vs PIT L 3-4 (OT) 1 1 2 2 0 5 1 19:54
Nov 25, 2011 @ PHI L 1-3 0 0 0 0 0 5 1 18:06
Nov 23, 2011 @ CAR W 4-3 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 18:54
Nov 21, 2011 vs BOS L 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 6 5 16:37
Nov 19, 2011 vs NYR W 4-0 1 1 2 0 0 3 1 17:56
Nov 17, 2011 @ NYI L 3-4 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 16:24
Nov 16, 2011 vs CAR W 4-0 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 13:43
Nov 14, 2011 vs BUF L 2-3 (SO) 1 1 2 -1 2 5 1 19:28
Nov 12, 2011 @ NSH W 2-1 (OT) 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 15:15
Nov 10, 2011 @ PHX W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 4 5 18:35
Nov 8, 2011 vs EDM L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 5 4 17:56
Nov 5, 2011 @ NYR L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 4 6 14:09
Nov 4, 2011 @ OTT W 2-1 1 0 1 0 0 3 3 13:07
Oct 29, 2011 vs BOS W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 5 18:42
Oct 27, 2011 @ BOS W 2-1 1 0 1 1 2 6 2 14:06
Oct 26, 2011 vs PHI W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 6 2 13:33
Oct 24, 2011 vs FLA L 1-2 1 0 1 -1 0 6 0 15:30
Oct 22, 2011 vs TOR L 4-5 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 5 11:08
Oct 20, 2011 @ PIT L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 13:47
Oct 18, 2011 vs BUF L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 18:34
Oct 15, 2011 vs COL L 5-6 (SO) 0 1 1 1 2 2 6 15:06
Oct 13, 2011 vs CGY L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 6 14:53
Oct 9, 2011 @ WPG W 5-1 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 13:52
Oct 6, 2011 @ TOR L 0-2 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 14:38