For the Record, Lightning Not That Bad

In each of the past four seasons, Tampa Bay Lightning head coaches and goalies have reached the 50-loss mark. However, according to the NHL record keepers, the Tampa Bay Lightning themselves have not.

Confused? Well, you aren’t alone.

The complications are caused by the newly created overtime loss, formerly known as the regulation tie--last season’s invention.

The NHL started awarding teams a point once overtime was reached. The extra session was then used to try to earn a second point in the standings for the winner, hoping to reduce the number of ties.

In the 1999-00 season, a team that lost in overtime was given a loss and a regulation tie, which carried one point. That caused confusion because adding the four columns (W, L, T, RT) across would not give an accurate accounting of games played.

Thus the NHL changed the name of the regulation tie to overtime loss, marking those games only in a fourth column and not tacking on to the team’s loss total. This, is turn, makes the records of bad teams seem somewhat better.

Now, back to the Lightning.

Tampa Bay was in danger of becoming the first team in NHL history with 50 or more losses in a season four times in a row. It also would appear to the naked eye that they had done it this season.

Through Thursday’s games, the Lightning were had 46 losses in regulation time and five defeats in overtime. Added together that would total 51 losses and give the Lightning their unwanted piece of history.

Not so fast, says Benny Ercolani, the NHL’s chief statistician.

The NHL now only treats losses in regulation as true losses, he said, and overtime losses are a separate entity not to be included in the regular loss total.

“Only the losses will be recorded,” Ercolani said in claiming that the Lightning avoided the black mark by managing to reach overtime five times.

The tricky thing is that losses, whether they occur in regulation or overtime, count fully against the mark of the goalie of record and the head coach. So the fired Steve Ludzik, and John Tortorella combined for 51 losses behind the bench, as did the men in goal.

What’s even stranger is that the NHL, in its “Official Guide and Record Book,” completely ignores the regulation tie from its standings of last season. The Lightning were listed as 19-54-9, instead of the more accurate 19-54-9-7, which was reported all season long in the standings.

If this season’s policy were in place last season, the Lightning could have avoided joining the Pittsburgh Penguins as the only clubs with three straight 50-loss campaigns, as they were only beaten 47 times in regulation.

As the Lightning have learned very often, you can’t win them all.

*

FAMILY AFFAIR: It’s been quite a good year for a royal hockey family: the Kings--father, Dave, and son, Scott.

Dave King, the coach of the expansion Columbus Blue Jackets, has done very well in building the new team. Scott was the leading scorer and MVP of the ECHL.

“I just wish I could have watched him more, while he was growing up and now,” said Dave King, who planned a trip to Dayton, Ohio to see the Blue Jackets’ affiliate in a playoff game against Scott’s Charlotte Checkers.

“Having Dad coach the Columbus Blue Jackets doesn’t do a thing for me, but that’s all right,” Scott said. “All I’ve been trying to do is score a lot of points in hopes it gets me noticed.”

The 24-year-old Scott had 40 goals and 61 assists for a franchise-record 101 points.

Dave King is certainly drawing attention of his own. The Blue Jackets had a surprising 27 wins and 69 points with two games remaining.

*

KNEED HELP: The New York Rangers can’t get to the end of their fourth straight non-playoff season fast enough.

With the season drawing to a close, the Rangers keep adding to their list of serious knee injuries.

Promising 22-year-old defenseman Tomas Kloucek wrecked his left knee last Sunday while trying to check Atlanta’s Ray Ferraro. Kloucek tore both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments and will have surgery in six weeks.

His rehabilitation is expected to take six months after that, stretching well into next season.

In New York’s next game, young left wing Jan Hlavac sprained his left MCL, which knocked him out of the final two games and the world hockey championships in Germany. Hlavac, who was to represent the Czech Republic, was hurt in a collision with Carolina’s Craig Adams.

Those were added on to the knee injuries that ended the seasons of defenseman Vladimir Malakhov, who played only two games, and goalie Mike Richter. Richter was injured in February and underwent surgery, as did Malakhov.

*

WORKING THE WEB: The Ottawa Senators have made things easier for info-starved fans.

By going to the Senators’ Web site (www.ottawasenators.com), an official Internet browser can be downloaded that will give instant access to key links.

With this browser, fans can find information on the Senators through Web links no matter what page users have on their screens.

Special promotions and contests will also be shown within the browser itself.