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No, this is not true. The top paid players in professional hockey are almost all high-scoring forwards.

4 of the top 50 highest paid players in the NHL are goalies.

I didn't do my research there, sorry.

You hear a lot about how a good goalie is half the team in modern hockey, so I thought that would translate to salaries.

Anyway, I hope I made my bigger point clear, despite the questionable example.

They're out on the ice the entire game, and usually the only person on the team that can play that position at any acceptable level. That on top of goalies being your last line of defense, having to take 25-35 shots per game.

The same reason your team fights a lot when the other team messes with your goalie; can't afford an injured goalie.

I'm not a fan of hockey, so I'm asking this question out of pure curiosity and ignorance. I'm assuming advanced analytics have made their way to hockey. Have the analytics supported this?

No, not really. Top-line centers are usually the most valuable player on a team, followed by other scoring forwards. Scoring is a premium in the NHL, which means that a very good scorer is harder to replace than a good defensive player, all else equal.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/news/article/new-war-stat-for-h...