Sorry to previous writers and readers of MHH as I am too lazy to look back in the archives to see if this idea has been mentioned before, but here it goes anyway....

As well as being a diehard Avs fan, I do enjoy football quite a lot. No, not American football, but rather European football or Futbol or the boring term - soccer. As hopefully most of you know their scoring system is typically 3 points for a win and 1 point for a tie (no OT in most soccer matches, unless in a tournament). I personally think the NHL should adopt a similar system. Give me a second to explain here... I still want OT and shootouts in hockey, but I want Wins=3 points and I want OT losses=1 point.

We have seen teams at times, especially late in the season, that are in the lead in a playoff race just settle for OT so they both at least get a point for a dreaded 3 point game. I HATE this, even if/when the Avs do it,because they are playing the system. I feel there would be greater intensity to get the win if it was worth 3 points. Comments like "we're happy to get the point" or "an OT loss is ok" bother me. A loss is a loss no matter what, and just because it went to OT doesnt mean a team deserves 50% of a win. Now, 33.33∞% seems more justified to me. Your team still gets a point, but it does not reflect nearly as much in the standings as it did before. I believe this would also be more fair in separating which teams are really better than the others rather than a clusterfuck of: Avs, Ducks, Stars, Yotes, Kings, Wild etc. For example:

W. Conference standings (partial), seen as: Current System - New System

Phoenix 69 pts. - 99 pts.

L.A. 66 pts. - 93 pts.

Calgary 65 pts - 93 pts.

Dallas 64 pts. - 94 pts.

Colorado 64 pts. - 94 pts.

Minney 61 pts. - 87 pts.

Anaheim 60 pts. - 85pts.

Maybe my argument isn't as strong as I thought seeing these numbers playing out nearly as bad as they are now... but in theory, I feel the players would play harder to get 2 more points if it went into OT and I still stand behind the idea that it would be harder to "play" the system if a total of 4 points was being awarded rather than 3 in OT. Overall, just an idea of mine but feel free to rip it to shreds as I crawl back into my hole. btw, GO AVS