John T Whelan wrote:

> I disagree completely.  4x4 overtime is a stupid gimmick; the rules
> should be the same in overtime as they are in regulation.  Note that
> in the games that people actually care about, the playoffs, the NHL
> uses the real 5x5 overtime (and no TV timeouts, but that's another axe
> to grind).  At least Whitehead didn't propose giving a consolation
> point for losing in overtime, or a wretched shootout.  If you really
> need to change the rules to reduce the number of ties, change to a
> single 20-minute sudden-death overtime period and stay faithful to the
> structure of the game.
>
> I also disagree that college should try to track the NHL in every one
> of their desperate attempts to attract more basketball fans.  In
> almost every respect, I find the NCAA rules superior to the NHL ones.

I start with questioning why ties are something that need to be avoided 
so fanatically.  If you have a tie after 5 minutes of OT, it means that 
the two teams played pretty much as well as each other.  Why slice 
things more and more narrowly in order to determine which team gets two 
points and the other none?  Giving them each one point accurately 
describes what happened; the two teams played equally well.

Of course, what do I know; I like cricket, where playing for the draw is 
a common and perfectly acceptable tactic.


-- 
J. Michael Neal
http://idonotlikeyoueither.blogspot.com/