This poll is posted to the following:
* College Hockey discussion list ([log in to unmask])
* Division III hockey mailing list ([log in to unmask])
* Usenet (rec.sport.hockey newsgroup)
 
HOCKEY EAST SHOOTOUT POLL
Please forward this poll to anyone you wish; any and all responses are
welcomed.  Results will be forwarded to the Hockey East league office.
This poll is posted on May 5, 1994; your response by May 20, 1994,
will be appreciated.  Please send all responses to Mike Machnik, email
address [log in to unmask]  All responses will be kept confidential.
 
BACKGROUND: The Bangor Daily News reports that Hockey East coaches have
voted in favor of a shootout for the 1994-95 season, and that it will be
put in place if the league athletic directors approve it this summer.
 
Please note: The vote is ONLY for a shootout to be used in Hockey East
regular season games.  Also, this poll ONLY deals with the possibility
that Hockey East would be the only one of the four Division I conferences
to experiment with this change.  The NCAA Ice Hockey Rules Committee
has not implemented a shootout for all of NCAA hockey.
 
FORMAT: As reported by the Bangor Daily News, each team would receive
one point if a Hockey East regular season game is tied after a five
minute sudden death overtime (the standard length of overtime in NCAA
hockey).  An additional point would be awarded to the winner of a
shootout immediately following.  There would be five shooters for each
team, and if still tied after five rounds, sudden death would be used
with the rounds continuing until one team led after any round.
 
QUESTION BACKGROUND: For people not familiar with Hockey East, the
conference consists of 9 Eastern NCAA Division I schools: Boston
College, Boston University, Maine, Massachusetts-Amherst, Massachusetts-
Lowell, Merrimack College, New Hampshire, Northeastern, and Providence
College.
 
QUESTIONS: Please select ONE of the choices offered.  5 questions follow.
 
1) How do you feel about Hockey East moving to the shootout format
exactly as described above?  Use a 1-5 scale where...
   5 = Completely support
   4 = Somewhat support
   3 = Don't care / Don't know
   2 = Somewhat against
   1 = Completely against
 
Please note: Even if Hockey East is the only conference to use a
shootout, shootout wins and losses would STILL count as ties for
purposes of NCAA Division I Tournament selection.
 
2) How would you describe your level of interest in NCAA hockey?
Use a 1-5 scale where...
   5 = Strong supporter
   4 = Above average fan
   3 = Average fan
   2 = Casual fan
   1 = Uninterested
 
3) About how many games did you attend or watch on tv last season
involving one or more Hockey East teams?
 
4) If you had a chance to go to a Hockey East game or learned that a
Hockey East game was available in your television viewing area, would
the knowledge that a shootout might occur at the end make you more likely
to attend or watch the game before it began?
   a) Yes
   b) No
   c) Don't know
 
5) Which of the following best describes your opinion of shootouts in
hockey in general?
   a) Exciting, and good for the game
   b) Exciting, but not good for the game
   c) Unexciting, but good for the game
   d) Unexciting, and bad for the game
 
COMMENTS.  Please use this section to offer any comments you think
might be useful, either in clarification of answers above or in
suggestions.  Thank you for your participation.  Poll results will be
posted as well as forwarded to the Hockey East league office.
 
---                                                                 ---
Mike Machnik                                          [log in to unmask]
Cabletron Systems, Inc.                                  *HMM* 11/13/93