Richard Snipes <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
 
>It appears the Canada/Sweden shootout has received quite a bit of negative
>press, so I couldn't help but submit my opinion (yes, it's just an
>opinion).  That gold medal game was one of the most exciting ever.  And
>the shootout at the end made it even more so.  True, I wasn't rooting
.heart and soul for either team, but I still nearly had a heart attack
>watching the penalty shots take place.  I'd like to compare it to the
>penalty kicks in soccer.  I'm sure any soccer fans out there will recall a
>fantastic semifinal game in the 1990 World Cup between Argentina and
>Italy.  It ended with one of the most dramatic shootouts I've ever
>witnessed.  For those of you out there that can't relate to this analogy,
>I'm not sure what else to say.  But I don't agree that the shootout is
>"not hockey".  The penalty shot involves the skills on the part of the
>shooter and goaltender that form the framework of the game itself.  The
>same is true of the penalty kick in soccer.  I don't want to bore anyone,
>so I'll rest my case here.  Congratulations to both the Swedes and the
>Canadians for a wonderful game.
 
i disagree. I happen to think that, while shootouts may be fine for
regular season games, it's awful that a GOLD MEDAL game was decided by
a shootout.
 
Canada and Sweden got to the finals because of excellent TEAM efforts.
A shootout is determined by excellent INDIVIDUAL efforts. How is this
fair?
 
Really, though, the penalty kick in soccer has less to do with skill and
more with luck. The keeper has to guess where the shooter will shoot, dive
that way, and hope he guessed right. Since the goal is so big relative to
the keeper, it's difficult to react AFTER the shot. The same can not be
said for hockey. Goalies do have time to react in hockey.
 
Let's face it. Canada and Sweden got to the finals because of excellent
TEAM efforts. A shootout is based solely on one individual effort at a time
(per team). How is this fair?
 
Even as someone who didn't really like either team, I was on the
edge of my seat during the shootout. The shootout was exciting; continuing
to play overtimes would have been more exciting (and more fair).
 
************
Bri Farenell
[log in to unmask]                Clarkson Univ. '95
Glens Falls High Class of '91                   Go Erin Whitten (GFH '89)!
AHL and NCAA contact for rec.sport.hockey
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I'm glad Canada lost but shootouts are a pathetic way to decide the gold medal.