Stephen A. Smith Rants About NHL Ties, Which Don’t Exist [VIDEO]

This is one of my favorite videos ever.  ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith goes off about NHL ties, which no longer exist in the sport.

I can’t tell you how much I love this video.  Stephen A. Smith was asked to compare two streaks; the winning streak of the Miami Heat in basketball, and the point streak by the Chicago Blackhawks in hockey.

The Miami Heat currently has a 15-game winning streak after beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night.  Miami’s streak was at 14 straight wins when Smith was asked this question.  The Chicago Blackhawks have recorded at least one point in every game this season.  The Blackhawks have a record of (19-0-3).

Now, Stephen A. Smith went on and on about the Blackhawks having three ties.  They actually don’t have one tie all season because ties no longer exist in the sport.  If there is a tie at the end of overtime, there is a shootout to determine a winner and a loser.  There is a point system in the NHL.  You receive two points for a win.  You receive one point for losing a game in overtime or via shootout.

The Blackhawks actually have three shootout losses this season.  They don’t have any ties.  There hasn’t been a tie in the NHL since 2004.  The reason this video cracks me up is because it shows how much of a niche sport hockey is right now.  A lot of people will look at the incompetence of Stephen A. Smith or ESPN, but it’s bigger than that.

Hockey is not an incredibly popular sport in this country.  It has a rabid fanbase, but it doesn’t have many casual viewers.  It doesn’t have a mainstream audience.  You’re either all in or all out.  I bet if you quizzed a ton of sports fans and athletes who play other sports, they would think the 3 in Chicago’s record is for ties, not overtime or shootout losses.

Brian Noe is the Brand Manager at 104.5 The Team, ESPN Radio in Albany, NY.  Brian also hosts “The Noe Show” weekdays from 1-3 pm ET on WTMM.