More on loser points . . .

The theory put forth by Bill Motiuk and expounded upon in this space on Thursday has prompted some response.
For starters, Dan Russell, who is the host of SportsTalk, the Vancouver open mouth show (it is heard nightly on CKNW in Vancouver and numerous stations throughout B.C.) that is the longest-running show of its kind in Canada, bandied it about a bit Thursday night. Like me, he wasn’t enthused about it upon first reading. But the more he thought about it, the more he liked it. And by the end he was positively enamoured of it.
Now here’s a note from Garth MacBeth, who supplies this blog with the MacBeth Report on a regular basis:
“I liked your bit on points - I've always contended that a loss is a loss is a loss. Period. Does nobody remember when the WHL (and the WHA) played 10 minutes of 5-on-5 OT?
“At least this is somewhat addressed in Europe (and in IIHF tournaments). Three points for a win in regulation, two points for a win in OT or shootout, one point for a loss in OT or shootout, no points for a regulation loss. Everyone knows that there are three points awarded in every game.
“In the WHL and NHL, some games have two points awarded (all regulation games) while all OT/shootout games have three points awarded. As a result, mathematically, .500 is different for every team. A team that wins in regulation gets 100 per cent of the points awarded for the game, but if they win in OT/shootout, they get only 67 per cent of the points available.
“However, there is no way a team could get 100 per cent of the points in an OT/shootout.
“I think that it should be two points for a win and no points for a loss, no matter when the game finally ends.
“(Going into this weekend), Kamloops has 23 points in 23 games, so the WHL says that they have a .500 winning percentage. Their record is 10-10-0-3 with one OT win and a 1-3 record in the shootout. So they have played in five games where three points were awarded and 18 games where two points were awarded. Thus, there were 51 points awarded in their games so far. So really, they are playing at .451 (23/51). Silly . . .
“Another way to look at the absurdity of it all: you could lose every game in OT/shootout and still be at .500. Think about that. You could lose every game in OT/shootout and still have 72 points at the end of the season. Seventy-two (72) points in the Western Conference would have put you in seventh place last season.
“Of course, you still could miss the playoffs because you would give an extra point to each opponent but it could be possible to make the playoffs with no wins.”
MacBeth, with some time on his hands, decided to take this a little bit further.
“I took a look at what would have happened last season if a team went 0-0-72-0 or some combination of 72 OT and shootout losses in the WHL.
“I picked the Edmonton Oil Kings because they had the worst OT/shootout record in the league: 0-4 in OT, 4-7 in the shootout. Edmonton finished 22-39-4-7 for 55 points and 11th place in the 12-team Eastern Conference. Had it lost every game in OT/shootout, it would have finished with 72 points. If you add the extra points to the records of the teams the Oil Kings beat last season, they would have finished in ninth place, one point ahead of the Saskatoon Blades.
Original standings:
1 – Calgary, 99
2 – Regina, 94
3 – Lethbridge, 96
4 – Medicine Hat, 93
5 – Kootenay, 92
6 – Brandon, 90
7 – Swift Current, 89
8 – Moose Jaw, 88
9 – Saskatoon, 67
10 – Prince Albert, 57
11 – Edmonton, 55
12 – Red Deer, 43
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If Edmonton had gone 0-0-72-0:
1 – Calgary, 103 (no change)
2 – Regina, 94 (no change)
3 – Lethbridge 99 (no change)
4 – Kootenay, 96 (+1)
5 – Medicine Hat, 93 (-1)
6 – Moose Jaw, 92 (+2)
7 – Swift Current, 91 (no change)
8 – Brandon, 91 (-2)
9 – Edmonton, 72 (+2)
10 – Saskatoon, 71 (-1)
11 – Prince Albert, 61 (-1)
12 – Red Deer, 47 (no change)
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"There would have been no change in position of the Western Conference teams, although Kamloops, Portland, and Prince George would have picked up two points each and Everett one.
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"So . . . while it didn’t affect the Oil Kings’ playoff run, they finished two places higher without ever winning a game. Granted the chance of this happening is pretty slim but . . .
"Overall," MacBeth concludes, "it's probably a moot point but the possibility is there.”
And the fact the possibility is there proves the absurdity of it all and should be enough to force a change.
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For more on all of this, zip on over to Alan Caldwell’s blog (Small Thoughts at Large) and check out the breakdown he did Thursday.