Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

[NorthMike]

Maybe this is another one Sean Pickett can help with. I just looked at a handful of UML box scores, and I am seeing 2:10-2:30 for all of them. Then I looked at some Maine box scores and most of your games are in the 2:40 range, one even 2:50. What's going on up there? More ads during the "tv" timeouts?

Edit - Sean posted as I was typing...

The number of tv time outs at Maine games is rediculous. I used to avoid going to games televised locally but now even those not televised locally have too many tv outs and the games are too long.

The number of penalties Maine serves may not help length either.😄

[Greg Ambrose]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

UNH's Metcalf discusses top priorities as new Hockey East commissioner:
https://www.unionleader.com/sports/c...3c768c9c4.html

It's encouraging that Metcalf wants a balanced schedule, but the only real way to do that is by adding in another school to the league. As many have noted, there are no sure candidates. During Bertagna's tenure the added UVM, UConn and (ill advised) Notre Dame. I wouldn't even hazard a guess as to what school he would be thinking of. As for reducing the number of ties, please, please, please, don't choose the alternative of a shoot out. Many have discussed an extended overtime, perhaps seven minutes where you start five on five for three minutes, go to four on four for two, then three on three for another two. I think studies have shown that just adding a couple of minutes reduces the number of ties significantly. Whether Metcalf has enough juice to get a proposal through is another story. His tenure as the chair of the national committee will help, but these different leagues can operate has little fiefdoms and really not take into consideration how what they do impacts other leagues.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Maybe this is another one Sean Pickett can help with. I just looked at a handful of UML box scores, and I am seeing 2:10-2:30 for all of them. Then I looked at some Maine box scores and most of your games are in the 2:40 range, one even 2:50. What's going on up there? More ads during the "tv" timeouts?

Here are the lengths of all UML games at Tsongas this season:
2:20
2:15
2:20
2:20
2:35
2:20
2:27
2:10
2:07
2:25
2:25
2:02
2:20
2:20
2:30
2:15
average 2:19
median 2:20
Here are the lengths of all Maine games at Alfond this season:
2:22
2:33
2:44
2:50
2:45
2:35
2:40
2:30
2:50
2:31
2:14
2:35
2:35
2:30
2:40
2:40
average 2:35
median 2:35

I have no data on why Maine's home games are running 15 minutes longer than UML's home games, sorry.

Sean

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

And what is this about TV timeouts when a game isn't on TV? That doesn't make sense. Are you sure you're not talking about the midway point in the period when they come out and clean the ice?

I believe that since most (all?) games are streamed they all use the three allowed media timeouts each period.

Sean

[Middle Street]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Not anymore. A lot of teams have tv timeouts even for games that aren’t on tv. In the last couple of years I bet the average game is closer to 2:45.

Maybe this is another one Sean Pickett can help with. I just looked at a handful of UML box scores, and I am seeing 2:10-2:30 for all of them. Then I looked at some Maine box scores and most of your games are in the 2:40 range, one even 2:50. What's going on up there? More ads during the "tv" timeouts?

Edit - Sean posted as I was typing...

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

One of the things I love about college hockey is the pace of the game and that they usually end in under 2-1/2 hrs. Adding additional OT and shootouts will add to the length of these games. Hard pass for me.

One of the things I'm researching this season is the length of games since I noticed that BU's women's home games have gotten longer since are all now streamed with three media timeouts. For men's games this season to date the average game length is 2:22 and the median game length is 2:20. Here are the numbers for each league, as well as non-league, for all games:
league - games - average - median
NC - 279 - 2:22, 2:21
AHA - 154 - 2:18, 2:15
B1G - 84 - 2:24, 2:24
ECAC - 132 - 2:19, 2:19
HEA - 132 - 2:24, 2:24
NCHC - 96 - 2:24, 2:23
WCHA - 140 - 2:21, 2:20
all - 891 - 2:22, 2:20
Here are the times for overtime games only:
league - games - average - median
NC - 57 - 2:30, 2:29
AHA - 25 - 2:31, 2:33
B1G - 15 - 2:37, 2:36
ECAC - 21 - 2:26, 2:28
HEA - 23 - 2:31, 2:31
NCHC - 14 - 2:35, 2:34
WCHA - 23 - 2:34, 2:36
all - 178 - 2:31, 2:30
Here are the times for games still tied at the end of the standard 5 minute overtime:
league - games - average - median
NC - 32 - 2:37, 2:34
AHA - 17 - 2:35, 2:35
B1G - 10 - 2:41, 2:40
ECAC - 12 - 2:31, 2:31
HEA - 13 - 2:32, 2:31
NCHC - 10 - 2:39, 2:36
WCHA - 16 - 2:36, 2:39
all - 117 - 2:36, 2:35

Sean

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

And what is this about TV timeouts when a game isn't on TV? That doesn't make sense. Are you sure you're not talking about the midway point in the period when they come out and clean the ice?

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

I will wait for Sean to tell us if game times have increased in recent years but 2:45 is a stretch. I don't think any of these Hockey East games have been going that long. Most seem to finish between 2:10-2:30. Of course, we are also using replay more than ever before so that adds time on as well.

[amkirby10]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

I don't mind ties, but I hate shootouts. Under no circumstances would I like to see a shootout added into Hockey East. Since you can't be having 4OT games during the regular season, it therefore stands to me that ties should stay as the end result after overtime. You can play around with 4x4 or 3x3, that's fine, but for the love of God don't go to shootouts. Keep ties.

[Drew S.]

I'm with you. I don't get the "well the NHL does it, so college must". Football, basketball, baseball all have significant rule differences when compared to the pro game. While I enjoy NHL 3x3, it only exists to avoid shootouts!

One of the things I love about college hockey is the pace of the game and that they usually end in under 2-1/2 hrs. Adding additional OT and shootouts will add to the length of these games. Hard pass for me.

Not anymore. A lot of teams have tv timeouts even for games that aren’t on tv. In the last couple of years I bet the average game is closer to 2:45.

His ideas all sound awful to me. You need to make it enjoyable and affordable. If you did that you would see somewhat of a return to the glory days.

[Sean Pickett]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

The other major point is trying to reduce ties. I honestly don't understand the obsession with that. Is that an American thing? Over the course of a long regular season, what is the problem with having ties? If this is something that does in fact change, please please please do not go to the shootout across the board. I'd be ok with a 5 or 10 minute 4v4 OT period. Start there. But even then I just don't understand why ties are deemed to be a problem. You have the oddity of BU this year with a ton of ties but is it really a problem across the country?

The number of ties almost tripled from 1975-76's 3.3% to 1998-99's 9.0% and more than tripled by 2008-09' 11.9%. Since 2014-15 it has fluctuated between last season's low of 9.6% and 2015-16's high of 12.6%. This season is on the high end to-date at 12.3%:

Season - Games - Ties - % Tied
1975-76 - 582 -19 – 3.3%
1984-85 – 921 – 37 – 4.0%
1998-99 – 996 – 90 – 9.0%
2008-09 – 1099 – 131 – 11.9%
2014-15 – 1110 – 112 – 10.1%
2015-16 – 1127 – 142 – 12.6%
2016-17 – 1129 – 129 – 11.4%
2017-18 – 1132 – 117 – 10.3%
2018-19 - 1121 – 108 – 9.6%
2019-20 – 891 – 110 – 12.3%

Sean

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

Only good thing a shootout would do is allow me to exit early and get out of the garage...

[J.D.]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

One of the things I love about college hockey is the pace of the game and that they usually end in under 2-1/2 hrs. Adding additional OT and shootouts will add to the length of these games. Hard pass for me.

Agree. Maybe they should start with a standard 4v4 five minute OT and see if the reduction in ties meets what they were looking for. If nobody scores, guess what, a tie is ok. Then in a couple years if you're still not getting the desired results, go to a standard 3v3 five minute OT where if nobody scores a tie is still ok!

When the players become too good and too big for the space, so the games bog down into coaches positioning players in hopes of maximizing the random puck deflections, this becomes the natural solution. Create more space by actually taking one player off the ice. Suddenly hockey becomes fun again and you can marvel at puck skills.

It also removes a lot of injury risk, because players can't overcommit to the hit.

I'd be all for a 4x4, then a 3x3. The more fans that are exposed to it, the more the game will change for the better.

Totally agree

[Middle Street]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

“We need to look at the unbalanced schedule that we currently have and there’s more than one way to solve the unbalance that we currently have,” Metcalf said. “Obviously, one of them is adding a 12th team but there are other solutions. As a league, those are the things we’ll be talking about over the next couple months because I do think we need to address that unbalance that we have.”

Other solutions? I don't see it unless you go back to the old 9 team league format where you played each team three times. Even then, is that balanced when you're playing some teams once at home and other teams twice at home?

The other major point is trying to reduce ties. I honestly don't understand the obsession with that. Is that an American thing? Over the course of a long regular season, what is the problem with having ties? If this is something that does in fact change, please please please do not go to the shootout across the board. I'd be ok with a 5 or 10 minute 4v4 OT period. Start there. But even then I just don't understand why ties are deemed to be a problem. You have the oddity of BU this year with a ton of ties but is it really a problem across the country?

I'm with you. I don't get the "well the NHL does it, so college must". Football, basketball, baseball all have significant rule differences when compared to the pro game. While I enjoy NHL 3x3, it only exists to avoid shootouts!

One of the things I love about college hockey is the pace of the game and that they usually end in under 2-1/2 hrs. Adding additional OT and shootouts will add to the length of these games. Hard pass for me.

[NCAA watcher]

Re: Hockey East: 2019/20 season is Joe Bertagna's last as commish

When the players become too good and too big for the space, so the games bog down into coaches positioning players in hopes of maximizing the random puck deflections, this becomes the natural solution. Create more space by actually taking one player off the ice. Suddenly hockey becomes fun again and you can marvel at puck skills.

It also removes a lot of injury risk, because players can't overcommit to the hit.

I'd be all for a 4x4, then a 3x3. The more fans that are exposed to it, the more the game will change for the better.