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One for Sure or Maybe Three: Empirical Evidence for Overtime Play from a Comparison of Swiss Ice Hockey and the NHL

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Listed:
  • Franck Egon
  • Theiler Philipp

    (Department of Business Administration, University of Zurich, Plattenstrasse 14, 8032 Zurich, Switzerland)

Abstract

In order to avoid too many tied games after playing the five-minute overtime period, the National Hockey League (NHL) introduced two rule changes in the 1999-2000 season. First, a team that loses in overtime receives one point instead of zero points. Second, the number of skaters in overtime is reduced from five to four. The theoretical literature analyzing these rule changes predicted that they would also produce the unintended side-effect that more games would reach overtime and recommended that a team that wins in regulation should receive three points (instead of two) in order to counterbalance the converse effect. We are the first to empirically support this theoretical prediction using NHL data and data from Swiss ice hockey, in which the rule changes of the NHL were copied in the 2006–2007 season and in which the three-point rule was also introduced.

Suggested Citation

  • Franck Egon & Theiler Philipp, 2012. "One for Sure or Maybe Three: Empirical Evidence for Overtime Play from a Comparison of Swiss Ice Hockey and the NHL," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 232(3), pages 210-223, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:jns:jbstat:v:232:y:2012:i:3:p:210-223
    DOI: 10.1515/jbnst-2012-0303
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Anurag N. Banerjee & Johan F. M. Swinnen & Alfons Weersink, 2007. "Skating on thin ice: rule changes and team strategies in the NHL," Canadian Journal of Economics/Revue canadienne d'économique, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(2), pages 493-514, May.
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    3. Neil Longley & Swaminathan Sankaran, 2007. "The Incentive Effects of Overtime Rules in Professional Hockey," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 8(5), pages 546-554, October.
    4. Stefan Szymanski, 2010. "The Economic Design of Sporting Contests," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: The Comparative Economics of Sport, chapter 1, pages 1-78, Palgrave Macmillan.
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    6. Alexander Dilger & Hannah Geyer, 2009. "Are Three Points for a Win Really Better Than Two?," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 10(3), pages 305-318, June.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Michael J. Lopez, 2015. "Inefficiencies in the National Hockey League Points System and the Teams That Take Advantage," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 16(4), pages 410-424, May.
    3. Qi Ge & Michael J. Lopez, 2016. "Lockouts and Player Productivity," Journal of Sports Economics, , vol. 17(5), pages 427-452, June.
    4. Mueller-Langer Frank & Andreoli-Versbach Patrick, 2017. "Leading-Effect, Risk-Taking and Sabotage in Two-Stage Tournaments: Evidence from a Natural Experiment," Journal of Economics and Statistics (Jahrbuecher fuer Nationaloekonomie und Statistik), De Gruyter, vol. 237(1), pages 1-28, February.

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