The 2010 Olympics have started and I’ve watched a few minutes of women’s ice hockey in preparation for the men’s hockey to begin today! I’m excited to see the best of the best face each other and actually give a damn unlike the all-star game no one plays with a sense of pride (and we often see players skip the all-star games on purpose). No one would skip out on a chance to play for their country in the world games. It is truly an honor.
Now, I was reading up on the rules and how the standings will work as my family was discussing it the other day. I didn’t know how it really played out, but the main aspect that drew my attention right away was the “3-point system” they use in the standings. Yes, the idea was thrown around in NHL meetings before and it was quickly dismissed, but in today’s game, I see almost every day a team playing to get to overtime, NOT to win in regulation. Getting into overtime guarantees the team at least 50% of the points, with a 5 minute overtime and shootout to decide who gets the extra point. Most games will not end in overtime and will almost always go into a shootout, which turns the team game into a couple of skilled players against a goalie… And suddenly, 3 points are awarded per game instead of 2 like before the shootout.
I love the shootout for the exciting element it brings to the end of a game. I hated seeing games played hard for 65 minutes and no one wins. I mean who really enjoys watching 90 minutes of soccer that ends with a final score of 0-0? The shootout guarantees that someone will skate off as the winner.
The shootout is making the standings a complete nightmare. Because they are awarding a team the same points as if they won the game outright, teams that can’t complete a game, but have a couple players that have insane moves are in the playoff running, when they really should be fighting to finish a game. The system right now is severely flawed and needs to change. The best need to be rewarded for finishing the game in regulation instead of being neck and neck with a team that can do well in a shootout.
For those that do not know, the 3-point system works like this: If a team wins in regulation, they are awarded 3 points and the loser will end up with nothing. If the game goes into overtime/shootout, the winner will receive 2 points and the loser will get 1 point. This ensures that every game played in the NHL is worth the same amount of points, so the true winners will stand out from those that can’t finish a game. This will drive teams fighting for a playoff spot to do everything they can to win a game in regulation instead of having a second chance in the shootout. It’s annoying to see teams tied with a couple minutes to go play pure defensively to ensure they get half the points.
In this manner, we’ll still have the exciting shootout, we’ll have teams fighting harder to win in regulation, and we’ll have the teams that deserve to be playing in the post season there. The NFL, NBA and MLB do not reward teams for losing a game any more regardless of how long it takes for a game to end, but having a team in the NHL get 0 points for making it into overtime would not be the best route for the NHL either. The 3-point system will do the NHL great to adopt. It will make every game and every minute count, and the playoff run that much more deserving.
MasterCosmo 
I see where you’re coming from. It is pretty frustrating to see marginal teams be in playoff races or with more points than other teams with far more wins. It’s idiotic to look at the standings and see a team with ten fewer wins with more points than another team because they have 16 overtime LOSSES. There are far too many teams with the prime examples being teams like the Blue Jackets the Wild and the Predators that play for overtime from the first puck drop. Their entire strategy is to muck up the games and make them ugly and slow in an attempt to reach overtime. They know they get rewarded for just getting there and they are going to get lucky their fair share of the time and pull two points out in a shootout. It’s just a bad system.
I don’t see them going to the three point system though. The change that gave us shootouts and points for overtime losses has already skewed season point total numbers. I really don’t see them going to a system that puts even more points up for grabs and further skews historical numbers. North American sports leagues are as much about statistics as they are about victories. Changing rules in such a way that relegates past team or player performances into irrelevancy is not a popular tactic.
I would be happier if they reverted to the old system and just had ties with each team getting a point, and you don’t get points for a loss period even if it happens in overtime. Overtime is supposed to be one more shot to win the game not to reward you for getting there.
By: Rowgue on June 3, 2010
at 5:55 pm