TV Time-outs

[Hawkey Town 18]

When were the mandatory 3-per-period TV timeouts introduced to the NHL?

Did this result in a noticeable increase in TOI/game for top players?

[Ogopogo*]

Originally Posted by JohnnyD

When were the mandatory 3-per-period TV timeouts introduced to the NHL?

Did this result in a noticeable increase in TOI/game for top players?

I think it was in the early 90s when the league needed an additional revenue stream.

I remember the good ol' days back in the 80s when networks had to try to squeeze in a 30 second commercial when they could. They would wait for a whistle, run an ad, and many times miss part of the game.

[reckoning]

I think it was the 1992-93 season, though there's no official icetimes to compare it with earlier years.

There's an amusing story in one of Dick Irvin's books about how when the changes were announced, Scotty Bowman figured that if he had Mario on the ice before the timeouts, then he could use the commercial time to rest him then put him out for the shift after the break. Bowman had calculated approximately how many extra minutes of icetime he could get out of Mario before the season even began. Meanwhile more than a month after the season began, Irvin said other coaches were asking him "How many of these timeouts are there again?, "How long are they?"

[overpass]

I ran across this quote some time ago, which addresses the question.

From the an article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch by Dave Luecking on November 1, 1992.

Penguins coach Scotty Bowman said Lemieux's ice time in games causes his lost time in practice.

"He plays a lot," Bowman said. "He averages between 30 and 35 minutes, and when you play that much, it's hard to come out the next day and run through practice."

Bowman has been able to give Lemieux breathers during games. The NHL changed its format for TV timeouts this season, using four, 70-second timeouts per period, instead of seven 30-second timeouts.

"You can play your top guys a lot," Bowman said.

Also see this:

"One of the things that has really helped Mario this season has
been the new timeout system," Bowman told ESPN radio last weekend,
referring, of course, to Mario Lemieux. "It has meant three or four more
shifts per period for him."

[greatgazoo]

Excuse me while I drool at thinking of Gretzky playing in his prime during that TV timeout era....

[pluppe]

Originally Posted by reckoning

I think it was the 1992-93 season, though there's no official icetimes to compare it with earlier years.

There's an amusing story in one of Dick Irvin's books about how when the changes were announced, Scotty Bowman figured that if he had Mario on the ice before the timeouts, then he could use the commercial time to rest him then put him out for the shift after the break. Bowman had calculated approximately how many extra minutes of icetime he could get out of Mario before the season even began. Meanwhile more than a month after the season began, Irvin said other coaches were asking him "How many of these timeouts are there again?, "How long are they?"

great story. always nice to see when the most successfull is also the smartest!

[Uncle Sam]

I dont mind TV timeouts, that much...

[Hawkey Town 18]

Thanks for the responses. Does anyone find it interesting that this change coincides with the year that saw a spike in offensive production from top players (1992-1993)?

Perhaps all of the coaches used the extra rest to play all of their top players right after the TV timeout. This may have caused the line matchups to get out of whack. For example: Before the TV timeout the top scoring line of Team A is being checked by the shutdown line of Team B. After the TV timeout, both Team A and Team B throw out their top scoring lines. It is easier for both of these lines to score against eachother as opposed to the lines they normally play against. This is just a theory...does anyone have any evidence or remember anything that may back it up?

[tarheelhockey]

Originally Posted by Uncle Sam

I dont mind TV timeouts, that much...

I mind them live. They're such an artificial interruption in the game flow.

Watching a lot of minor-league hockey probably has something to do with it.