Running time in HS Hockey.

In high school hockey, if there is a 6 goal or more lead in the 3rd period, time doesn't stop for stoppages in play. What's everyones thoughts on this? Mine are that it should be at the discretion of the coach that's losing the game. I was at a game in Faribault tonight and Faribault took a 6 goal lead. A penalty was called and the timer area seemed lost as to when to start the penalty time.

The reason I say it should be at the coach's discretion is that having running time may take away from icetime for players that wouldn't normally see much of the ice in the 3rd period. Therefore taking away from the players development.

Thoughts?

I say just play it out. You're not teaching the kids anything by going to running time. All you are saying is, that you think they suck so bad, you want to save them embarrassment.

I say go to running time. Because even with running times, the jerk teams are still going to run up the score like Edina did by beating someone 17-0, or Moorhead in a playoff game where they won 33-0. If my team is losing, let the clock run and so you can put the game behind you. Having the stoppages makes it painful for everyone in my opinion. Any coach with any respect at all should be just rolling its 3rd and 4th lines if they're up by 6 without any threat to lose the game. Just a thought.

TaLoN wrote:

I say just play it out. You're not teaching the kids anything by going to running time. All you are saying is, that you think they suck so bad, you want to save them embarrassment.

Do what exactly? Save them embarrassment; yes let the other team's role players have time to set things up and get a good practice from having the stoppages that way they can dominate you that much more completely.

Having stoppages also gives the winning team extra chances to showboat and that's even worse IMO.

I did notice that even with running time tonight, the game predictably got pretty chippy. I feel the losing teams coach should dictate whether running time should be used or not. They know their personnel well enough to know what's better for their team. Getting the icetime or getting the game over with.

Ah ye old high school hockey, agree with the losing coach getting the decision, frankly i'd rather get my guys out there get them some experience teach them to play and work hard not just coast till the game is over.

(yawn) If your mind is made up then why come here and ask what we think? So when there top liners are trying various crazy moves on my guys they're supposed to learn what? How to be humiliated? Its ok guys, your gaining experience. Yes, its 12-0 now early in the 3rd period...keep your heads up...its ok...we're going to gain so much from experiencing this big loss. Sorry, I'm not seeing it. As a coach, I don't see what my players get out of prolonging a lopsided loss against a team that obviously is crushing us. So do you think the team that got beat 17-0 by Edina gained from that experience or the team that got rocked 33-0 by Moorhead in the playoffs gained from that experience? What do you think the lockeroom was like? Was it complete embarrassment or was it "Hey guys we got a lot of experience in that game...woo hoo!"

Of course it gets chippy, which is why running time lessens the time your team has to be out there to get some stupid penalty that may have ramifications for future games or worse...hurt.

I got to see both lopsided losses watching the Dells. When they were up big; their players would often become extra thuggish and also showboat in effort to entertain themselves as they padded their stats. When they were down big they started fights. Run the clock and get the idiots off the ice before they do something even more stupid or before they manage to hurt someone.

KillerCarlson wrote:

(yawn) If your mind is made up then why come here and ask what we think?

Because this is hockey talk so I decided to talk hockey and get other peoples input?

faribogopherguy wrote:

KillerCarlson wrote:

(yawn) If your mind is made up then why come here and ask what we think?

Because this is hockey talk so I decided to talk hockey and get other peoples input?

So what does a team gain from losing 8-0, 9-0 or worse? At what point does it become more traumatizing than a learning experience. I have fortunately never been on the losing end like that playing hockey. I've been in some bad football losses and I know as a coach I am often more infuriated by the other team than thinking my players are gaining anything from getting stomped by a ridiculously high score.

So what do you tell your kids as the other team trots out its 1st liners on the power play yet again...as they're up by 8 or more? Sorry, I don't think they get much out of the "this isn't classy" speech. I think they just feel they completely suck and would like for it to end sooner rather than later to appease a few purists.

I've been on both sides of this issue a few times.

-When I was on the winning team, the league didn't have a rule to have running time... but it was painfully obvious that the other team had no prayer of winning. We were up 8-0 and I had faced MAYBE 9 shots all game long. In the 2nd period they stopped trying to really do anything (they'd skate across the red line and dump it in and go for a change... zero pressure was put on.) When I noticed how they were just trying to get the game over (and kept getting pinned in their own zone and could hardly make it to the bench for a change,) I told the ref to inform the other team if they started to ice the puck, I'd play it (I was the goalie) so there wouldn't be an icing call and I'd leave the puck behind my net every time. The 3rd period was basically running time as they would just send the puck down if they were tired (some of their team would try a breakout and my team would play "off" of them.) So what it really ended up being was a glorified practice for the losing team. Both their captain and the refs thanked me for doing that.

-During a mentally hard game, we were down 13-0 (it was mentally hard because my father had died a couple days before and this was the first time I played in goal after his death knowing that he'd never be actually standing in his usual place.) Well they kept sending pickers, putting guys right on top of my goal crease, take extra whacks at the puck, etc. So finally I started to actually hit them with my blocker and told them "you keep playing like this, and you'll be calling into work from the hospital."

-Another game we were down 2-1 when they scored and I re-injured my knee (I had sprained it a few weeks earlier.) Well with a bad wheel (and no back up) the score quickly turned into 7-1. I asked the ref at that point if we could go to running time (our league had put that rule in that year... 6 goals or more and the losing team can ask for running time.) By the time it was over... 10-1 we lost. I knew several of the other teams players, and all of them asked if I was ok (they knew I hurt something after it was 5-1.)

-Yet another injury game was one where I went to deck my pads, caught an edge and basically forced a back spasim in my lower back. Every time I would drop to my knees, I could hardly keep upright due to the pain. The ref asked if I wanted to go to running time (he noticed that I kept falling onto my stomach after catching the puck) which I happily agreed to.

-lastly... I was on a team that was CRUSHING the other team... I mean the other kids were on the bench comparing who had completed their hat trick.. and who had 1 more goal to go. The coach actually pulled me in the first period (we were up like 11-0 already) so the backup could play, he put D's on forward, forwards on D, etc. And the last thing he said (after it had already gotten REALLY out of hand... to the point the scorekeeper quit keeping track) was that if anyone celebrated another goal, they were benched the next 3 games. Too bad he didn't think of that earlier.

So my take is that it's up to the losing coach, but it should actually be set at 6 goals and the ref should ask after every goal scored by the winning team (if they say "no" when previously asked.) That gives a coach a chance to play around a bit not to mention some coaches might want his players to suffer the embarrassment so that they play harder at the next game. Some decent teams just play bad some nights... and if I have a good team... I'd want them to own up to sucking. Now if the team is just outmatched... (EP vs Sleepy Eye for example)... then I can easily see a coach just wanting the nightmare to stop for his kids.

There's no crying in hockey. Take your loss and go home.

zamboni14 wrote:

I've been on both sides of this issue a few times.

-When I was on the winning team, the league didn't have a rule to have running time... but it was painfully obvious that the other team had no prayer of winning. We were up 8-0 and I had faced MAYBE 9 shots all game long. In the 2nd period they stopped trying to really do anything (they'd skate across the red line and dump it in and go for a change... zero pressure was put on.) When I noticed how they were just trying to get the game over (and kept getting pinned in their own zone and could hardly make it to the bench for a change,) I told the ref to inform the other team if they started to ice the puck, I'd play it (I was the goalie) so there wouldn't be an icing call and I'd leave the puck behind my net every time. The 3rd period was basically running time as they would just send the puck down if they were tired (some of their team would try a breakout and my team would play "off" of them.) So what it really ended up being was a glorified practice for the losing team. Both their captain and the refs thanked me for doing that.

-During a mentally hard game, we were down 13-0 (it was mentally hard because my father had died a couple days before and this was the first time I played in goal after his death knowing that he'd never be actually standing in his usual place.) Well they kept sending pickers, putting guys right on top of my goal crease, take extra whacks at the puck, etc. So finally I started to actually hit them with my blocker and told them "you keep playing like this, and you'll be calling into work from the hospital."

-Another game we were down 2-1 when they scored and I re-injured my knee (I had sprained it a few weeks earlier.) Well with a bad wheel (and no back up) the score quickly turned into 7-1. I asked the ref at that point if we could go to running time (our league had put that rule in that year... 6 goals or more and the losing team can ask for running time.) By the time it was over... 10-1 we lost. I knew several of the other teams players, and all of them asked if I was ok (they knew I hurt something after it was 5-1.)

-Yet another injury game was one where I went to deck my pads, caught an edge and basically forced a back spasim in my lower back. Every time I would drop to my knees, I could hardly keep upright due to the pain. The ref asked if I wanted to go to running time (he noticed that I kept falling onto my stomach after catching the puck) which I happily agreed to.

-lastly... I was on a team that was CRUSHING the other team... I mean the other kids were on the bench comparing who had completed their hat trick.. and who had 1 more goal to go. The coach actually pulled me in the first period (we were up like 11-0 already) so the backup could play, he put D's on forward, forwards on D, etc. And the last thing he said (after it had already gotten REALLY out of hand... to the point the scorekeeper quit keeping track) was that if anyone celebrated another goal, they were benched the next 3 games. Too bad he didn't think of that earlier.

So my take is that it's up to the losing coach, but it should actually be set at 6 goals and the ref should ask after every goal scored by the winning team (if they say "no" when previously asked.) That gives a coach a chance to play around a bit not to mention some coaches might want his players to suffer the embarrassment so that they play harder at the next game. Some decent teams just play bad some nights... and if I have a good team... I'd want them to own up to sucking. Now if the team is just outmatched... (EP vs Sleepy Eye for example)... then I can easily see a coach just wanting the nightmare to stop for his kids.

Those are some great examples and perhaps that's the best way to do it; I just think if I was the coach on the losing end I'd opt for the running clock more often than not.

I say do it. Nothing good comes out of dragging out a blowout. God knows I have been on the wrong end of blowouts. I would've welcome real time running to end the pain and let us put it behind us. Unless you are an uber competitor like Messier when you're down by 5, 6, or 7 goals you've pretty much thrown in the towel at that point. Those games are no fun for the players or the fans.