Draft lottery rigged?

[MarkhamNHL]

it was pretty well rigged before the draw even took place...
from NHL.COM

"Under the weighted lottery system, the clubs that neither qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs in each of the 2001-02, 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons, nor were awarded the first overall selection in each of the 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004 Entry Drafts, had the greatest chance of receiving the first overall selection, 6.3 per cent. These clubs were the Penguins, Buffalo Sabres, Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers."

so Crosby either goes to a market that needs help or Broadway..

 

[No Fun Shogun]

Honest question for anybody that thinks that the NHL would rig the draft lottery....

Why on earth would they allow the Oilers to win three consecutive first overalls?

I don't mean that to disparage Edmonton, but c'mon.... if the NHL were in the rigging business, I doubt that a small market Canadian team would've grabbed first overall more than once before the nefarious boogeymen that many seem to think inhabit the NHL head offices would've had a fit and made sure that a few American markets got their picks instead.

 

[Fenway]

The audit firm witnessing the lottery would unravel if it ever came out that they signed off on a rigged lottery. Look at Arthur Andersen. A 100 year old firm was gone in mere months, no one is going to take that risk.

In theory I agree with you but what if they were unaware that the ping pong balls may have been tampered with.

 

[MarkhamNHL]

Honest question for anybody that thinks that the NHL would rig the draft lottery....

Why on earth would they allow the Oilers to win three consecutive first overalls?

I don't mean that to disparage Edmonton, but c'mon.... if the NHL were in the rigging business, I doubt that a small market Canadian team would've grabbed first overall more than once before the nefarious boogeymen that many seem to think inhabit the NHL head offices would've had a fit and made sure that a few American markets got their picks instead.

same reasons as pittsburgh

edmonton needs new arena
seattle relo rumours
help save the team

worked in pittsburgh
worked in edmonton

 

[Kimi]

In theory I agree with you but what if they were unaware that the ping pong balls may have been tampered with.

It would be their job to know they've not been tampered with. That's why they're there.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

I think this is the case. The league commissioners would have to risk alienating a good portion of his bosses to save one team--- and why would they support it?

However, the more you engineer something mathematically to increase certain odds, the more teams can use that to actually manipulate their results. I firmly believe some teams do indeed tank, and these newer approaches where they tilt the field even further towards low performers offers too much incentive for them to do it!

The league needs to go back to why they have these mechanisms in place, especially in a world where a hard cap and parity are now in place. You cannot just keep punishing successful management. Random chance is realistically the only way to rid the league of these poor performers. If great teams end up with too many top picks, there's no way they can keep most of them with a cap system, especially the tougher one now with term limits and penalties for cap circumvention.

Successful management is its own success. The draft exists to restore parity. Give the Oilers the ability to sign or trade for elite FAs in their prime for zero assets (Hossa, Pronger, Heatley, Vanek from just the Oilers alone) and you can make the draft random. Until then, the draft NEEDS to exist to restore parity to the less desirable franchises. Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg will always have a much more difficult time attracting FAs compared to Los Angeles, Boston, and New York.

same reasons as pittsburgh

edmonton needs new arena
seattle relo rumours
help save the team

worked in pittsburgh
worked in edmonton

I take it you aren't aware of the sports culture in Edmonton. Edmonton would have gotten a new arena, lottery or not. The Oilers still sellout despite being consistently at the bottom of the league.
The Seattle relocation rumours were a stunt by Katz AFTER the picks. The Oilers are not moving unless the CDN dollar falls to insanely low levels.

 

[Howboutthempanthers]

No the lotto was not rigged. If you believe that, I don't know why you watch the game. If they're willing to rig that (which is absurd to think), why not rig everything they feel that needs to be rigged to suite whatever need they have at the time? What's not rigged?

 

[MarkhamNHL]

Successful management is its own success. The draft exists to restore parity. Give the Oilers the ability to sign or trade for elite FAs in their prime for zero assets (Hossa, Pronger, Heatley, Vanek from just the Oilers alone) and you can make the draft random. Until then, the draft NEEDS to exist to restore parity to the less desirable franchises. Edmonton, Calgary, and Winnipeg will always have a much more difficult time attracting FAs compared to Los Angeles, Boston, and New York.



I take it you aren't aware of the sports culture in Edmonton. Edmonton would have gotten a new arena, lottery or not. The Oilers still sellout despite being consistently at the bottom of the league.
The Seattle relocation rumours were a stunt by Katz AFTER the picks. The Oilers are not moving unless the CDN dollar falls to insanely low levels.

i never said they didn't sell out, just that they need a new arena... and were trying to get one for years !!

 

[Bjorn Le]

Not worth it to rig it. If it gets out you kill your league. The problem with conspiracy theories is that in the real world people can't keep their mouths shut. Tell someone at the water cooler a "secret" and see how long it takes to go through the whole office.

People keep secrets all the time.

Lottery probably isn't rigged, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be. NBA Lottery being rigged is a much easier argument to be made. Only NHL lottery you can really make a strong case for (albeit strictly circumstantial) is 2005. No reason for any other lottery to have been rigged. Pittsburgh, the team that would have surely moved if they had not got Crosby, had a 6.25% chance to win the 2005 Lottery. I don't necessarily believe it was rigged, but if it wasn't, Pittsburgh got mighty lucky.

 

[madhi19]

The lottery is rigged, and openly so to give the worse team the best odds. My solution to end tanking is simple 30 teams, 30 balls and we roll for every spot in the first round. To compensate and help the losers the worse 15 teams get two picks in the second round.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

i never said they didn't sell out, just that they need a new arena... and were trying to get one for years !!

Yea but what do the 1st overalls have to do with it? It makes no sense for the league to give the Oilers 1st overalls when there are other teams that are struggling fanbase-wise.

The Oilers were on track to get a new arena regardless. The old arena is one of the oldest in the league.

 

[Mc5RingsAndABeer]

The lottery is rigged, and openly so to give the worse team the best odds. My solution to end tanking is simple 30 teams, 30 balls and we roll for every spot in the first round. To compensate and help the losers the worse 15 teams get two picks in the second round.

This kills parity, which is one of the most important things in a healthy sports league.

The NFL has it figured out. We need to implement compensatory draft picks for players leaving in FA.

 

[KarmaPolice]

Not worth it to rig it. If it gets out you kill your league. The problem with conspiracy theories is that in the real world people can't keep their mouths shut. Tell someone at the water cooler a "secret" and see how long it takes to go through the whole office.

Yeah, I agree. It's just not worth the risk.

 

[Del Preston]

i never said they didn't sell out, just that they need a new arena... and were trying to get one for years !!

That's just how things work in Edmonton. It takes forever for things to get done unfortunately. The new arena was going to happen whether the Oilers were the best or worst team in the league.

 

[King Mapes]

The Penguins also finished dead last in points in 2003-4. Why is the crappiest team getting the top pick so controversial?

They also lost the draft lottery in 2004. Washington won it. Why would they rig it for them?

 

[bobbyt911]

Honest question for anybody that thinks that the NHL would rig the draft lottery....

Why on earth would they allow the Oilers to win three consecutive first overalls?

I don't mean that to disparage Edmonton, but c'mon.... if the NHL were in the rigging business, I doubt that a small market Canadian team would've grabbed first overall more than once before the nefarious boogeymen that many seem to think inhabit the NHL head offices would've had a fit and made sure that a few American markets got their picks instead.

I don't think all drafts are rigged, just the ones with a generational talent. I fully expect this one to go to a financially struggling team, watch the Devils win it but finish 20th

 

[Gnashville]

My problem is they don't show us the part when the ping pong balls are picked. What is the big secret?



Connor McDavid and Jack Eichel could both go #1. Eichel looked excellent last night in the BU/BC game.

I posted the link to the ping pong ball draw on the nhl website

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Honest question for anybody that thinks that the NHL would rig the draft lottery....

Why on earth would they allow the Oilers to win three consecutive first overalls?

I don't mean that to disparage Edmonton, but c'mon.... if the NHL were in the rigging business, I doubt that a small market Canadian team would've grabbed first overall more than once before the nefarious boogeymen that many seem to think inhabit the NHL head offices would've had a fit and made sure that a few American markets got their picks instead.

I haven't seen enough evidence to convince me of the Crosby lottery being rigged, but at the same time I think it is entirely possible for the NHL to have rigged JUST that lottery because it was such unusual circumstances coming out of a lockout with a can't miss player like Crosby up for grabs and the possibility of the NHL wanting to repay Mario Lemieux for all he did to save the Pittsburgh franchise.

 

[King Mapes]

I haven't seen enough evidence to convince me of the Crosby lottery being rigged, but at the same time I think it is entirely possible for the NHL to have rigged JUST that lottery because it was such unusual circumstances coming out of a lockout with a can't miss player like Crosby up for grabs and the possibility of the NHL wanting to repay Mario Lemieux for all he did to save the Pittsburgh franchise.

I heard back then that they were going to rig it for the Rangers though. A massive fan base struggling to make the playoffs. Then as soon as Pens won everyone speculated they still rigged it.

 

[Gnashville]

They also lost the draft lottery in 2004. Washington won it. Why would they rig it for them?

Pittsburgh only won 1 lottery which was the Crosby lottery. In 2003 they traded up to the first pick. Then lost the Ovechkin lottery. Funny thing is had they won that one their odds in the Crosby year would have been lower.

Honestly the best way to end tanking is to have the first 14 picks be in the lottery. The last 5 teams get 3 balls the next five get 2 and the next 4 get one then draw picks 1 through 14.

 

[Michel Beauchamp]

I don't doubt the Crosby draft was rigged at all. I would put it at a 98% certainty. Anything can be corrupted. Even the World Series. This league is about money. They don't care about fans, competition, fairness, right or wrong. They care about money. Saving the Pens was a high priority for the league. Low and behold a miracle happened and they got Crosby, Malkin, and Fleury and the franchise was saved.

Holy crap...

You don't seem to be aware that the Pens did not win the 2004 lottery. Malkin was drafted second.

Nor do you seem to be aware that the Pens did not win the 2003 lottery. The Panthers did and traded that pick to the Pens.

But anything for a conspiracy theory, as bad as it might be, right?

 

[Never]

Wouldn't surprise me if the Crosby draft was rigged. Pens were floundering and there was a very real chance of them re-locating. Good way to prevent that? Draft a bonafide franchise player.

 

[penguins2946*]

Wouldn't surprise me if the Crosby draft was rigged. Pens were floundering and there was a very real chance of them re-locating. Good way to prevent that? Draft a bonafide franchise player.

Actually, there wasn't. Lemieux owned the team, and he threatened relocation to convince the city of Pittsburgh to pay for a new arena.

The league had absolutely no reason to rig the draft to give the Pens Crosby. If they wanted to rig the draft, they would have given Crosby to the Rangers.

 

[Aceonfire*]

I think there is a possibility it could be rigged. Obviously we have no prove and likely never will.

I doubt they rig it every year though.

And people still forget that Edmonton only won the lottery twice. NJ won in 2011 and picked Larsson after moving up 4 spots.

The Oilers retained the pick in 2010 and won it over Lumbus in 2012.

Florida has won the lottery 3 times since 2002 yet Edmonton gets brought up constantly as a reason they want to change the draft rules..

In a draft with such a significant prospect like McDavid. I doubt the NHL will leave it up to chance. I am willing to bet that he ends up on an American team.

 

[aqib]

In theory I agree with you but what if they were unaware that the ping pong balls may have been tampered with.

I would imagine (and I am basing this off my brief stint with a Big 4 firm) that they would be auditing the entire process. Including examining the balls. You would be amazed what they make junior staff do. Once PricewaterhouseCoopers had Scores (yes the old strip club that Howard Stern talked about) as a client when it was going through a bankruptcy and we had people go there at night and track the funny money. Of course they didn't assign any men to that project.