Entry Draft Lottery results a big secret

[helicecopter]

There WILL be 30 teams' representatives behind these closed doors too you know- all of whom would love to get Crosby. It's not just Bettman and a bottle of Jack Daniels.

This is obviously a good point that surprisingly enough none had done before.

BUT:
A televised lottery this season would grab great interest for sure from the real fans. More importantly, it would help keeping down speculations about conspiracy and saving NHL left credibility if one of the suspicious teams will the draw.
Now, my question is: what NHL has to lose televising the lottery? Apparently nothing. What would they lose aside from the chance of being able to fix it easily and with certainty? Then WHY NOT televising it?
I don’t get it.
(As for those ready to answer that the lottery was never televised in the past, that’s NOT a reason to not televise it now. Or do you think the shootouts, or salary cap should not be used because they were never used in the past?
Oh, and past drafts didn’t feature the most hyped prospect of the last 20yrs. More importantly there never was in the past a lottery destined to determine the whole draft order. As for the supposed complexity fo doing it on TV, FIFA and UEFA regularly show on TV complex draws without any problem).

Unfortunately, it seems to me that IF the lottery won't be televised there are only two possibilities:
1-they are complete morons
2-they are cheaters

True, there are going to be 30 teams’ representatives behind those closed doors, but we can’t know if/which agreements take place behind those closed doors.

Take out each ball, from 1st through 48th, in front of my eyes: when is see there are the planned number of balls in and that the 3 NYR balls don’t come out all within the first 4 or 5 I am probably going to believe you.
Besides, I think that if you really want you can organize in front of cameras a not ‘fixable’ draw.

 

[EventHorizon]

This is obviously a good point that surprisingly enough none had done before.

BUT:
A televised lottery this season would grab great interest for sure from the real fans. More importantly, it would help keeping down speculations about conspiracy and saving NHL left credibility if one of the suspicious teams will the draw.
Now, my question is: what NHL has to lose televising the lottery? Apparently nothing. What would they lose aside from the chance of being able to fix it easily and with certainty? Then WHY NOT televising it?
I don’t get it.
(As for those ready to answer that the lottery was never televised in the past, that’s NOT a reason to not televise it now. Or do you think the shootouts, or salary cap should not be used because they were never used in the past?
Oh, and past drafts didn’t feature the most hyped prospect of the last 20yrs. More importantly there never was in the past a lottery destined to determine the whole draft order. As for the supposed complexity fo doing it on TV, FIFA and UEFA regularly show on TV complex draws without any problem).

Unfortunately, it seems to me that IF the lottery won't be televised there are only two possibilities:
1-they are complete morons
2-they are cheaters

True, there are going to be 30 teams’ representatives behind those closed doors, but we can’t know if/which agreements take place behind those closed doors.

Take out each ball, from 1st through 48th, in front of my eyes: when is see there are the planned number of balls in and that the 3 NYR balls don’t come out all within the first 4 or 5 I am probably going to believe you.
Besides, I think that if you really want you can organize in front of cameras a not ‘fixable’ draw.

Why did you quote the first guy if you just contradicted it with everything else you said.

Showing it on TV does nothing to change the credibility. People who believe it will be fixed will believe it whether they see it or not. It's like the moon landing conspiracy theorists. All of the scientific evidence we have prooves that we landed on the moon, so what do the conspiracy theorists do? Either ignore it or question the science. This lottery will be the same way. If people think it's fixed even if it's shown on TV, they will say "Ah ha! The weights of each balls must be different, it fixed!". You can't avoid it.

Not to mention the lottery will be boring to watch. As was mentioned before, when a team that has multiple balls in the machine gets picked, all their remaining balls must be removed to keep the odds correct. That would be time consuming and boring.

 

[helicecopter]

Just to point out, they can't do the balls live on TV.
Why you ask? Because once the first team is determined, they need to remove the remaining balls of that said club..... down the line after each pick

Not really.

Couldn't they just ignore the remaining balls of that team instead of stopping everything and reaching into the machine to remove balls after each pick (of a team with balls remaining)?

Exactly.

Does it really matter if the percentages are off, as long as they don't affect the relative odds of each team?

No.

 

[EventHorizon]

Oh, and if I were an owner or GM and I found out one of my representatives made a deal to screw me out of the first pick, not only would he be fired on the spot, he wouldn't be able to get a job in hockey again. Is that a risk that anybody would be willing to take?

 

[LordHelmet]

I can't think of any reason NOT to televise it. Making it a 30 minute show seems a little overboard, but at least set up a feed for sports news stations to tap in to.

CBC & TSN would surely show the whole thing. ESPNews would show a chunk of it - if nothing else just because of the novelty of the situation. Heck, they televised 2 or 3 hours worth of 'season cancelled' press conferences back in February. The first pick would get some coverage on Sportscenter...

At the very, very least it should be streamed on the internet.. I'll be PO'd if that doesn't happen.. Here's how it should go..

"We're pleased to announce the ratification of the new CBA. The document as well as the schedule of games for the 05-06 season will be made available to all present, as well as on our respective websites immediately following this press conference.."

"Here are the on-ice rules changes. These should make for a more exciting game, blah blah.."

"Here's the timeline for the offseason. The lottery will be held in a few moments, RFA's signings & buyouts will occur by ___, and the UFA period will open up on ___, training camps will open up ___.."

"And now, we proceed to the draft lottery.. Here are each teams balls. (show GB counting & placing each ball(s) in the hopper).. And now, the first pick will go to.. <___>.. (Show that team's GM celebrating & maybe give a short interview while the remaining balls for his team are removed..) The 2nd pick will go to.. (again, celebration & a short interview while balls are removed..) repeat this for the top 5 teams, then continue on w/o the interviews for the rest of the 25 teams.."

The time to remove balls from the hopper in between picks would be minimal - especially if you put the teams' logo in several places on each ball. The whole thing would take 30-40 minutes tops.. After the draft lotto take a break, then proceed with details of the CBA and a Q&A session. At this point, you could probably drop the video stream and go to audio-only for people tuning in over the internet..

 

[helicecopter]

Why did you quote the first guy if you just contradicted it with everything else you said.

I didn't contradict anything he said. He only said that quote, which is eventually the only reasonable objection i've heard so far about an eventual fixing.

Showing it on TV does nothing to change the credibility. People who believe it will be fixed will believe it whether they see it or not.

Only some people. For example i would change my mind if the lottery was properly done in front of cameras.

It's like the moon landing conspiracy theorists. All of the scientific evidence we have prooves that we landed on the moon, so what do the conspiracy theorists do? Either ignore it or question the science. This lottery will be the same way.

Won't be the same at all if it's done behind closed doors. We have scientific evidences that prooves we landed on the moon, we won't have Tv evidences, let alone prooves that lottery has not been fixed.

If people think it's fixed even if it's shown on TV, they will say "Ah ha! The weights of each balls must be different, it fixed!". You can't avoid it.

You can if you want.

Not to mention the lottery will be boring to watch. As was mentioned before, when a team that has multiple balls in the machine gets picked, all their remaining balls must be removed to keep the odds correct.

False. See post #78.

 

[BackToTheBrierePatch]

Sweet, so the Rangers would have the 1st and 31st picks. Where are the Flyers picking?

The team picking 1st overall gets the last pick in the 2nd round

 

[CatscratchFever]

Fixing? Conspiracies? We're talking about hockey not the U.S. government. Fixing a lottery for a sport that, in the U.S., has rendered itself non-exisitant? Wow! Double-wow! I don't think anyone cares enough about a 5th tier sport here to fix it. Nobody cries that in the N.B.A. Nobody cried foul during the last N.H.L. lotteries.


Most paranoid and ignorant idea.....


Ever.

 

[ranold26]

Not really.

Exactly.

No.

Insightfull. Please elaborate.
Yes they do have to remove them, as the sample, if you even understand statistics, would be invalid.

 

[DARTH SATHER]

The team picking 1st overall gets the last pick in the 2nd round

He posted in repsonse to another poster who mentioned the Leafs getting the 30th pick and since the Rangers own their pick they would get the 31st pick.

 

[HockeyCritter]

Montrealer
Couldn't they just ignore the remaining balls of that team instead of stopping everything and reaching into the machine to remove balls after each pick (of a team with balls remaining)?

From a purely statistical standpoint, the chances would remain the same if you removed a “dead†ball if it were selected. However, the probability changes.

 

[GSC2k2*]

bettman doing things the NBA way? wherever would he know to do that from?

Yeah, i mean, he spent all of three whole years there ...

 

[GSC2k2*]

I have refrained from posting on the lottery, and for a good reason. Only the true loons would not be able to see that a sport that reduces its commissioner to looking like the old guy at the front of the bingo parlour on Saturday night has truly and finally debased itself. It is never wise to debate with loons.

Wait, does that make me one now?? Auugghhh!!!

 

[HckyFght*]

Who wants to see little ping pong balls come out of a tumbler on live TV? Are you guys THAT bored?

The excitement would be over in three seconds, when the first ping pong ball comes out.

The actual "lottery" was never going to be on TV - EVER! The results yes, not the drawing of little coloured plastic balls.

The only conceivable reason NOT to have us watch the ping pong balls is to fix the selection. That's why I want to see it. Y must assume that to be the case.
-HckyFght!

 

[CatscratchFever]

The only conceivable reason NOT to have us watch the ping pong balls is to fix the selection. That's why I want to see it. Y must assume that to be the case.
-HckyFght!

 

[Epsilon]

Problems Hockey Can't Solve

Non-hockey fans couldn't care less about "Sid the Kid". Hell, the NFL draft only gets watched by die-hard fans, and I'd wager that at least 90% of the players drafted are more well known in the USA than Crosby. Some of them are even legitimate stars and household names coming out of college.

 

[Rakiet*]

Come on guys. The NBA way is great, but since when has the NHL ever done it like this? It's not going to be fixed, even if NYR or Toronto wins it.

IMO, since the players aren't going to be at the draft, and it's in a hotel, the best way to do it would be to keep everything secret till the draft. People will disagree, but the suspense would be great, and the draft ratings would be through the roof. Obviously, they'd have a tough time keeping it all secret, but that'd be awesome if they somehow could. Every fan, even the casual ones, would be watching.

BobMckenzie!!!

 

[codswallop]

Sombody can correct me if I'm wrong, or if this has already been mentioned in this thread (didn't read through every reply). I know there will be representatives from each team at the drawing. I reasonably assume that various others from outside the league will be invited to watch the proceedings. And I can't imagine it being much of a stretch that a camera or two would be there to tape the drawing, for the sake of posterity if nothing else.

The chances the drawing gets aired live is pretty low; with all the fiddling around they will have to do between picking each ball, it would make for bad TV. Many minutes of boredom, and maybe a few seconds of actual suspense.

If there are cameras, they may send a clip of which ball is drawn for the top pick to news and network outlets after all is said and done. I'm sure a few would find it worthy enough to air. But probably not much more, if anything. At the least, there would be a taped record of the drawing for the league to keep in its archives and to debunk anyone who might suggest the drawing was fixed. By anyone, I don't mean us fans. We know people a few people around here are going to shout conspiracy no matter what the outcome is.

Would that be too easy or should we keep going with the paranoid, X-Files type conspiracy theories? Just asking

 

[free0717]

So what are you saying? The fix is on?

I cant see how the other Franchises would stand for a "FIX". But if it is on,

 

[free0717]

So what are you saying? The fix is on?

I cant see how the other Franchises would stand for a "FIX". But if it is on,

 

[Captain Ron]

I cant see how the other Franchises would stand for a "FIX". But if it is on,

Deja-vu.

 

[kdb209]

no because it decreases the odds.. say

NYR get picked first they still have 2 balls in there.. even if they get picked second take that one out they have 1 more... the odds are still incorrect... 1 extra ball will throw of the system...

No. It doesn't affect the odds at all. It just would make for boring TV.

If all balls for teams already selected are just ignored, tossed aside, and the pick repeated until an unselected team comes up, it has absolutely zero effect on the odds. Of course in the worst case you could be looking at 18 straight pick, look, opps, pick agains.

 

[Off The Wire]

I just don't get it...

You just come off a 301 day lockout.

Fans are hungry for anything new that is not the same old CBA run around.

You have the most anticipated prospect since a Gretzky/Lemieux.

For the first time in history, all 30 teams have a shot at the number 1 pick.

You are trying to re-market the game again and can easily make stars out of the first 5 picks before they even step on the ice.

You just spent a year crying about how we have no money, and pass on the tv deals this could generate.

Everyone will watch this thing even if it is only 5 minutes long.

What's the NHL's decision?.....Not to televise the draft? WTF!?! It makes no sense.

 

[Oil_slick9416*]

You just come off a 301 day lockout.

Fans are hungry for anything new that is not the same old CBA run around.

You have the most anticipated prospect since a Gretzky/Lemieux.

For the first time in history, all 30 teams have a shot at the number 1 pick.

You are trying to re-market the game again and can easily make stars out of the first 5 picks before they even step on the ice.

You just spent a year crying about how we have no money, and pass on the tv deals this could generate.

Everyone will watch this thing even if it is only 5 minutes long.

What's the NHL decision?.....Not to televise the draft? WTF!?! It makes no sense.

http://www.hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=151373

 

[bcrt2000]

the draft will be televised (30th), the revealing of the draft lottery results will be televised as well (21st).. i'm assuming they are doing the lottery ahead of time (at the BOG meeting just before the press conference) just because they want to make it glitch free in the short amount of time they have, and they probably want to do a reverse reveal of the draft order, because once its revealed who is picking #1, no one will care about who is picking #2 or #30.. i'm guessing they'll have crosby in the jersey of the team that gets #1 ready to come out as well