How would the league respond to a tanking team throwing a game?

[SotasicA]

No different to game fixing or betting against your team.

The coach would be suspended from ever coaching in the NHL again. Team would forfeit draft picks and receive a heavy fine.

The acceptable way is to "test" unproven kids. Everyone will still play to their best ability. Players in general don't benefit at all from getting a #1 overall pick. In fact, they might lose their job because of an influx of better young players.

 

[madmike77]

It would have to be a pretty blatant tank for the league to get involved.

At this time of year all kinds of teams sit out players. The Flames' top 3 forwards are likely going to sit for the rest of the season for various reasons, but the team has no reason to tank. I'm sure a team that wanted to tank could come up with valid reasons to sit players as well.

 

[Schenn]

Forfeit 1st round pick. No sense of tanking if you don't have a first.

 

[DickSmehlik]

While we are discussing hypothetical scenarios that would never, ever happen, why doesn't Buffalo pull their goalie for an extra attacker who happens to be Elvis riding a unicorn?

 

[CrashBartley]

Players don't tank. Just look at the Sabres and Canucks over the last few games. GM's might make moves that short term weaken their team, but hopefully for them, strengthen it.
With the lottery, there is no reason to tank. NJ went from 5th to winning the lottery last year.

 

[LeafFever]

Is it just me or is this board obsessed with tanking?
Tanking is not an issue at all. The team with the worst record has terrible odds at getting the 1st overall pick.

 

[TOGuy14]

Hypothetical: It's the last day of the regular season and the Sabers sit firmly tied with Phoenix for last place and best lottery odds. The Sabers have played a good game against their opponent, a playoff bound team secured in their seeding, and lead 3-2 with a few minutes to play. Suddenly, the coach receives a phone call during one of the last TV timeouts from the owner/GM; "Throw the game".

The Sabers then pull their goalie with a minute remaining and shoot it in their own net. They then repeat this.

While literally match fixing in the sense of losing the game, the Sabers played the majority of the game well enough to win. Aside from annoyance at their fan base (or happiness), and criticism from the Media, do you think the NHL would punish them with a loss of draft pick?

All just for fun to ponder btw, we all know the correct way to do this is to tell the AHL backup used in the last game to let in some softies near the end.

Well

I don't think players would active shoot into their own net regardless of what the coach said but let's assume it is true...

If there were ever tanking that blatant I have to assume the league would go full nuclear on it. There would probably be record fines, forfeiture of many draft picks and possibly some people receiving bans

 

[MartyOwns]

interesting thread. for those saying the league would punish them in some way, is there a specific rule that they would be in violation of?

 

[MakeTheGoalsLarger]

Quebec would finally get their team

 

[someguy44]

If it's that blatant, on top of what others say, there would also be legal ramifications. You know how many people bet on these games?

On a side note, I heard that many years ago, the Pengs and Devils were throwing their game against each other so that one of them could draft Lemieux. Would love to see footage of that game (doubt it exists).

 

[TheOtherOne]

Let's say you're on a losing team, and you're about to become a free agent going into next season. What's your endgame? What are you going to say to the GMs of other prospective teams when they ask you why you shot a puck into your own net? Or, even more subtly, even if you "dial it back a little" and are subtle about it, it's going to affect every one of your stats. You may get a spot on another club, but for less money, and on a club that's not as good of a contender the next year.

I really don't understand this argument.

"Gee, I've been watching you play and you're mostly really good, but this one time I saw you shoot the puck into your own net. Can you explain why you did that?"

"The guy who's paying me millions of dollars ordered me to so he could improve his team with a better draft pick, and my loyalty to my GM and my team is more important to me than having a slightly better stat line."

"You're hired!"

 

[cactusjack]

well,in the OP exemple , it's pretty clear that there would be fine/lost of picks etc. What about a more "subtle" exemple where a tanking team goes to OT and they decide to pull the goalie to play 4 on 3 while playing his better player. Of course it could backfire and they could get possession and score.

 

[kmart]

imagine yourself as an nhl player that has to fight for a contract... and they ask u to tank or score a own goal while being very opportunistic with u in negotiations. at the end of the day everybody thinks for himself first. what good would it be for a 3liner to sacrifice himself just to watch his team play from the booth the next year... of course tanking can still be done... but its more subtile, line up a useless roster or trade away certain players etc.

i think the tanking movement is so strong only in the fanworld, since fans can find joy in losing, which cant be said for the players.. as they lose jobs.

 

[illpucks]

Repeatedly shooting puck in own net?

Why would a team make it obvious? More likely the goalie would just be told to let some more goals in, similar to how goalies used to do at the ASG

It would look closer to this

 

[Eisen]

Hypothetical: It's the last day of the regular season and the Sabers sit firmly tied with Phoenix for last place and best lottery odds. The Sabers have played a good game against their opponent, a playoff bound team secured in their seeding, and lead 3-2 with a few minutes to play. Suddenly, the coach receives a phone call during one of the last TV timeouts from the owner/GM; "Throw the game".

The Sabers then pull their goalie with a minute remaining and shoot it in their own net. They then repeat this.

While literally match fixing in the sense of losing the game, the Sabers played the majority of the game well enough to win. Aside from annoyance at their fan base (or happiness), and criticism from the Media, do you think the NHL would punish them with a loss of draft pick?

All just for fun to ponder btw, we all know the correct way to do this is to tell the AHL backup used in the last game to let in some softies near the end.

I'd not do what my GM says and will make it very public if he threatens to reprimand me over it.
If the coach does it, the NHL will punish the club somehow.

 

[Eisen]

They would revoke all draft picks for 2018, fine the franchise 5 million dollars, suspend the players involved for a season and give a lifetime ban to whoever gave the order. You guys have no grasp of how serious an open violation of the integrity of the league like that would be.

Take the team away from the owner without financial compensation would be my pick. If he wants to make the game a joke, he can do it in his own league.

 

[Flowah]

So the Jets, in their best effort to "throw" the game put their worst goalie in the net hoping for a loss. No instructions to the players to lose, but with a statistical nightmare in the net, a better shot at it. It backfires, goalie stands on his head, and the Jets win and get the #2 pick.

The good thing here is that while teams as a whole and GMs might have an incentive to tank, no player does. Players want to play well not only for their own competitive instincts (they are elite athletes after all) but also because their livelihood depends on it. You get bigger contracts if you play well. Duh. And few GMS are likely to take a chance on a guy who didn't play well, even if he claims "I only did it because my team needed a high pick!!! I swear I'm good!" Coaches too.

No matter what team you assemble the players are going to play and the coach is going to coach what they can to win. The most a GM can do is trade away good players and fill a roster with garbage. Which is effective I suppose but makes those players compete no less hard.

 

[DudeWhereIsMakar]

Lower their chances in winning the draft lottery, that's the best I can think of.

 

[THall4]

League would probably take away some kind of draft pick...then give it back to them later on..because that's what the league does.

Because remember everyone. the Sabres are the NHL's TV ratings darling in the US.

 

[THall4]

Take the team away from the owner without financial compensation would be my pick. If he wants to make the game a joke, he can do it in his own league.

Or apply Ehrhoff's cap hit to the salary cap lol

 

[guzzy]

They don't. Look at Edmonton and Buffalo the decade. The league doesn't care.

 

[Hospy]

Canucks are one step above what op is describing. This team is bad HELLA bad and sitting half their bad team to guarantee last place and a top 4 pick

I disagree here, if you're bad, and you know your team is bad, why not try and shake things up and play some guys and see what they can do?
If anything, watching the ship sink and doing absolutely nothing looks even more damning.

 

[MartyOwns]

If it's that blatant, on top of what others say, there would also be legal ramifications. You know how many people bet on these games?

On a side note, I heard that many years ago, the Pengs and Devils were throwing their game against each other so that one of them could draft Lemieux. Would love to see footage of that game (doubt it exists).

while the penguins admitted to throwing the game a few years ago (don't remember exactly when) the devils absolutely did not

 

[powerstuck]

The league would certainly be forced to intervene because it would be obvious what happened.

Heck, a more probable solution is to dress your worst possible squad including a backup of a backup of a backup goalie.
I personally would tell my two goalies to fake injuries in the first period, forcing me to have a player dress as the 3rd back up...and oh well we know how that would go.

 

[AlphaBravo]

I'm no lawyer, but I think the scenario described by OP would violate the law. Aren't there laws on the book about fixing games? There might be a need to show there was a connection to gambles made as well (about the loss or who would get the top pick etc.).

The long and short is, however, that this would never happen. I think the best teams can get away with is playing their worst goalie and calling up young players to replace vets.