I think this idea, while a drastic one, might make the standings a little more readable to the average joe…

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 02/08/08 at 05:00 PM ET

If anything, the idea isn’t drastic, it simplifies things tremendously.  Any time you can both make the game better and eliminate rules or complexity, that’s a good thing.

Prime example, the two-line offsides.  Getting rid of that was a great move.

Posted by The Forechecker from Tennessee on 02/08/08 at 05:19 PM ET

I agree that it would be a great improvement, it’s just that a lot of the hockey “purists” (which I consider myself in some respects) would try not to let this happen, or would likely keep it from ever even being considered.  Also, the teams that have gained all of the points from the shootout and OT losses will complain.  Either way, I think this idea is the way to go.

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 02/08/08 at 05:24 PM ET

Maybe it’s just me, but I’ve yet to hear about people being turned away from watching NHL hockey due to the standings being too complicated to decipher.

Posted by dash_pinched on 02/08/08 at 05:33 PM ET

Yeah, you’re probably right that that isn’t a reason that someone doesn’t watch, but it’s the little htings that add up.  Like if an average Joe is reading the sports section of USA Today, he might glance over the NHL standings.  If he takes a quick look it might make him a little more interested if he can understand it.  Then, maybe he’s from D.C. and realizes the Caps are leading their division (I realize he would be able to see that in the current standings, but the confusion might have led him not to bother looking them over)and decides to catch a game or watch the next one on T.V.  Maybe he’ll ust be flipping through the channels later and see a Caps game on and decide to stop flipping because he saw that their at the top of the division and that they need to keep winning because Carolina is only .5 a game back...anyway, maybe that scenario is too convoluted, but my point is that little things can make a difference.

Posted by NHLJeff from Boston, MA on 02/08/08 at 05:39 PM ET

I never found standings with wins, losses, and ties difficult to understand, either.

And for all the protestations about how “fans deserve a decision” it stinks more to lose than to tie.  The only way to avoid bad feelings would be to mandate that all teams must win at home - or at least not get blown out 8-0 - and that would be scripted entertainment, not a real sport.

And most of the hockey fans I know are capable of seeing through PR spin.  If they can’t, maybe the solution isn’t to get a bigger spoon to feed them the numbers, but hook a jumper cable up to each ear and actually use that mass of nervous tissue for something other than keeping their skull from collapsing.

Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 02/09/08 at 07:55 AM ET