This option hides the data you don't want to see. Let's say you want to see only the Detroit Red Wings players. Simply click on the radio button for "Detroit Red Wings" and the table will show only the players for the Wings.
Another filter option is at the bottom of this page. To use the filter, type "team=detroit" in the Filter box below. Then click the Do It button.

The sorting feature takes the displayed data and lists it in descending order based on the column you specify. Simply click on the title of the column to sort the data.