Hartley Miller's Slap-Shots April 28th Edition

Friday, April 28, 2006 03:45 AM

-by Hartley Miller

Playoff hockey in the NHL and WHL is much more exciting than in the regular season because gimmicks aren’t needed to determine a winner. If tied after regulation, games are decided the old fashion way, until one team scores. Imagine that!

Both leagues have completed one season with the shootout, and I still remain strongly opposed to the idea. It doesn’t matter how many highlight reel goals Marek Malik or Sidney Crosby score in a shootout, this skills competition ruins a great game. Hockey Pundits are not calling for the shootout at this time of year because in the post-season they wouldn’t dare end a hockey game with something
other than one “real” goal wins.

If you haven’t noticed, the shootout obscures statistics. For instance, the Dallas Stars, set a franchise record with 53 wins, but 12 of them came in a one on one showdown. In other words, without the shootout (which has nothing to do with the actual game of hockey) the Stars recorded 41 victories, hardly a team record. The Stars’ first round opponent, the Colorado Avalanche, compiled 43 wins, with only three shootout victories. In other words, the Avalanche ended up with 40 real wins, which is one shy of the Stars. Yet, many hockey observers are surprised that Dallas, a number two-seed in the Western Conference, is having so much trouble with #7 Colorado. In reality, was their any difference between the two clubs in the regular season?

Here’s something else to ponder. The Edmonton Oilers earned the 8th and final playoff spot in the West with 95 points, while the Vancouver Canucks finished with 92. Can you guess where those three points were made up? You got it; the Oilers had three more shootout wins (7 to 4) than the Canucks.

It is worth noting that in the NHL, 22 of the 30 teams finished with so-called winning records
(more wins than losses) and in the WHL only 7 of the 20 teams had a losing record. This is due to the free points awarded.

Are you curious about the PG Cougars record? Officially, they finished 35-31-2-4. This is not bad for a team that generally loses a lot more than they win. The Cougars were 5-4 in shootouts. In other words, that’s 30 real wins (one of them in overtime), 31 regulation time losses, two overtime losses and 9 games that went to a backyard playground type of shootout. Any WHL or NHL team can be analyzed in a similar fashion.

Conversely, the BCHL, a few seasons back, saw the light and eliminated the shootout as a way to determine a winner.

It’s too bad we just couldn’t combine the best of all these leagues. Come to think of it, we have. It’s called the playoffs, which means real hockey, real results and real drama. And for just these couple of months, or so, you and I should be “real” pleased.

From the quote rack:

• "Even before the current sex scandal, members of the Duke Lacrosse team were known for boorish behavior like urinating in public. And, the men’s team was even worse!
Comedy writer Jerry Perisho

• "Once a Dodger, always a dodger."
An attorney, to the LA Times, on attempting to collect a $235,000 debt owed by former major league first baseman Steve Garvey.

• "Until now, I’d always thought it referred to the other four Lakers on the court with Kobe Bryant."
-Jim Greene of San Francisco, in Tom Fitzgerald’s syndicated column, after learning that the "Frozen Four" refers to the NCAA men’s hockey championship.

• "I’m taking notes of a few liberties that have been taken and need to be addressed,......Pause....."Now, if I could only remember where I put the piece of paper" !
San Jose Sharks tough guy Scott Parker, after suffering a concussion.

• "Just imagine all those red-light districts in Germany? Of course visiting members of the Leaf Nation will feel right at home, like having a box seat behind Eddie Belfour.’’ .
Toronto comedian Frenchie McFarlane, on Germany expecting some 40,000 prostitutes for the World Cup.

And how was your week?

Hartley Miller is the sports director for radio stations 94X and the Wolf@97fm. He also writes for the PG Free Press.

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