By Ron Hobson for Everyrule.com
BOSTON --- There are times, although few, when professional sports comes up with an idea that makes perfect sense.
The National Hockey League's new overtime rule is a prime example of satisfying all areas of the sport, including the players, coaches and fans. The rule was put in to effect, in an effort to resolve more tied games. The results have been more exciting games, less ties, and a new scoring system. However, this new scoring system has taken some coaches a longer time to understand.
The league introduced a 4-on-4, five-minute overtime period after a regulation tie. Each team is awarded one point for the regulation tie. The winner of the overtime is awarded an additional point. That, of course, is different than in the past, when a point was rewarded for a game than ended in a tie. Two points were awarded to the team that won in overtime and the losing team received no points.
"I think what you have seen with the new overtime rule change is teams have become a little more conservative in the final five or ten minutes of the third period," said Dale Arnold, the veteran television broadcaster of the Boston Bruins on New England Sports Network. "The thinking is, at least let's just get a point. Then when we get to overtime, we'll go like crazy and get that extra point."
Arnold says some coaches, like the Bruins' Pat Burns, understood what the added point would mean in the long run. Some teams will play overtime in a wild frenzy if it is against a team that doesn't play in the same division or conference. But, against a team in their own division, the play even in overtime would be a bit more conservative.
"A case in point was a situation that the Bruins were involved in the other night when they were playing Vancouver, a western division team," said Arnold. "If you lose the extra point to them it really doesn't matter, where if you are playing New Jersey and you are playing them for a playoff berth, you don't want to give up that point."
The Bruins were flying all over the rink in overtime. It was the most exciting hockey of the night.
"It was unbelievable for the fans," said Arnold. Burns said early on in the year it would take a while for coaches to get a feel how you were supposed to play the overtime. He has gotten the feel for it quicker than others."
There was an overtime in New Jersey recently where the two Bruins' defensemen, Ray Bourque and Tim Sweeney, were behind the New Jersey net at the same time. They were going for the win.
"It was like it didn't matter, they were going to go for it," said Arnold. "I really like the 4-on-4. It's like east/west hockey, where guys from western Canada would play guys from eastern Canada 4-on-4 in practice. The fans love it. I think the players love it. The whole idea is a big winner for everyone."
There are, however, a few detractors of the new system. Roger Neilson, the coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, has said that it has become a challenge to follow the league standings. Under the old system the three-column standing format signified wins, losses and ties. Now they are required to have a fourth listing of wins in overtime.
"I don't want to come out against 4-on-4," said Neilson in a recent Hockey News article. "I don't mind it, but I do mind the standings, I think they are a mess. I just think that overtime losses should be ties, like they were meant to be. And like they really are."
Basically, Neilson is more worried about bookkeeping than the new overtime rule. Despite the fact there's a little more figuring in the tallying of points, the end result of the new rule is better hockey for the fans and that's what it's all about.
