Hockey news seems never-ending.
The Stanley Cup playoffs are in full swing, plenty of NHL teams have recently either changed coaches or executives, many prestigious awards are being handed out, there is hype regarding the June 28-29 Draft in Nashville and the Memorial Cup was in the spotlight until it ended with a Québec Remparts victory on Sunday.
Lost in the shuffle is the BCHL and its decision to extend overtime.
The following is from a league news release late last month.
Overtime Format
The league governors unanimously approved a new overtime format for the 2023-24 season. Next year, the BCHL will move to a 10-minute 3-on-3 overtime period in an attempt to limit the number of games decided by a shootout.
If a game is still tied after 10 minutes, then a shootout will occur.
Under the previous five-minute overtime format, 41.5 per cent of overtime games went to a shootout.
2023 Annual General Meeting Recap
The BCHL held part two of its AGM on May 25 in Victoria. Here’s a quick rundown of what came out of the meeting, including league staff updates, year-end awards and a new overtime format. https://t.co/kPf6DyysyY pic.twitter.com/AwwJYlMTcK
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) May 30, 2023
The objective of going from a possible five minutes to a possible 10 minutes is to reduce games that are decided by a shootout.
I certainly applaud the concept of having fewer games determined by a skills competition.
With that in mind, this could prove taxing on players when a team is required to play three games in as many days especially when they are on the road.
Let’s take the Prince George Spruce Kings for example.
Going by the 2022-23 regular season schedule they only played on three consecutive days twice.
One of those occasions was home against Trail on January 27th, 28th and 29th.
With no travel between games that isn’t too much of a concern.
However, the Spruce Kings played Feb 3rd in Cranbrook, Feb 4th in Trail and early Sunday evening Feb 5th in Salmon Arm; three road games in some 48 hours.
As it turns out none of those three in early February required overtime but in the future that is a possibility.
How would that be fair to the players to ask them to potentially play 70 minutes on a Friday, another 70 on a Saturday and another 70 on Sunday with shootouts on top of that?
I realize by going 3-on-3 in OT there is little chance of this happening but the possibility exists.
The league schedule should be coming out later this month and with this new overtime rule in place, three games in three days in three different cities should be scrapped entirely regardless of the team.
Schedules can become complicated to finalize and no team gets a perfect one, especially with a team like Prince George that has no opposition closer than six hours away (Merritt).
As for the shootout, I hold a minority opinion that it should be scrapped altogether.
Play five or 10 minutes of overtime and if still tied, end it there with each team getting a point.
I know nobody wants a tie!
Okay, I have accepted the shootout is here to stay in the regular season, but can one notable hockey league get the ball rolling by finally doing away with the loser point?
Now that would be progressive!
Teams likely won’t want to do it because it will blemish their record.
Those free loser points add up but I ask where else does a team get rewarded for losing?
Baseball doesn’t say if tied after nine innings each team gets a point with a second point awarded to whoever wins in extra innings.
Basketball doesn’t say if tied after regulation each team gets a point and the overtime winner gets a bonus point.
(MLB and NBA do not use the point system because they don’t need to; a win is a win and a loss is a loss and the win-loss record determines the standings that hockey should adopt)
Football (NFL) actually has it right; if tied after 60 minutes, play up to 10 more and if still tied it ends that way.
To me it seems straightforward, the winner of a hockey game (whether it is in regulation, overtime or a shootout) gets two points and the loser of the game gets none.
With that not in the cards, perhaps hockey leagues should seriously have a format far more fair and one that emphasizes winning in regulation and not waiting around for overtime.
Does it not make sense to award the winning hockey team in regulation three points, the winner in either overtime or a shootout two points and the losing team in overtime or a shootout one?
The 3-2-1 points system isn’t a new concept as it has been used in international hockey tournaments as well as many soccer leagues around the world.
Maybe one day this will become a reality in the NHL, WHL or BCHL but that day still seems far off, unfortunately.
BCHL Q & A:
After the BCHL announced its independence on May 1, many people have had additional questions, not included in our original FAQ document.
To clarify these points and dispel any rumours, the league has updated its FAQ to include these common inquiries.https://t.co/4JP9VjWBxP pic.twitter.com/QNpTdPJgoJ
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) June 8, 2023
FROM THE QUOTE RACK:
Tiger Woods becoming less of a star player meant many people lost interest in watching golf. The PGA – LIV merger just did the same for many of the rest.
*Comedy writer Janice Hough of Palo Alto, California
Since her Eras tour included every NBA conference semifinal city except Miami, they’re now talking about a possible Taylor Swift Curse. ’Nonsense’, the singer reportedly commented. ’I don’t even own a billy goat.’
*Contributor Bill Littlejohn of South Lake Tahoe, California
A California black lab is recovering after stomach surgery to remove broken glass it ate after a break-in. Owners thanked the vet and asked, “How much is that window in the doggy?”
*Comedy writer RJ Currie of Winnipeg
Hartley Miller is the news and sports supervisor plus morning news anchor for 94.3 the GOAT and Country 97fm. After growing up in Winnipeg, he has lived in Prince George for the last 44 years and completed his 10th season as the radio colour commentator on the Prince George Cougars home games. Hartley is the author of You Don’t Say (sports quotes).