Ryan's post on shootouts was kinda inspiring to me, so I figured I'd give my
two cents.  I've been involved in all of Maine's shootouts (4).  I saw the
first one on NESN, heard the next two on the radio, and watched the one live
on Saturday night.  End result, they are not all they are cracked up to be.
I think the best way to sum it up is to look at the Maine/BU game, because
it is often justified at "exciting" for the fans.  Maine fans have no
trouble getting excited when playing BU, but they did not get into the
shootout much at all.  Even when MacIsaac scored, the response wasn't
overwhelming.  The only overwhelming response was when Wright chose to put
Blair Allison in the crossbar.  Ryan is right, BU didn't deserve an extra
point, and had Maine won, they certainly didn't deserve it either.  I can
honestly say that these two teams were not playing for a tie, as it was end
to end action, heart stopping action, for the whole OT.  Both teams had
great chances to score.  Shawn Walsh, coach of Maine, thinks that every
league will adopt a shootout format next year.  I hope that is not the case,
and I hope that all you fans of the other leagues keep that from happening.
I left the game Saturday night, and I didn't say "Wow that shootout was
exciting."  Because to be honest, it just wasn't.  Ryan is completely right,
hockey is a team sport, and Maine for a perfect example is a balanced team.
They will never fare well in a shootout because they don't have those
"stars", but their record speaks for itself (11-0-4) put them all together,
and they are damn hard to beat.
I can't speak for other teams, only use a Maine perspective.  Maine to me is
a perfect example, because it shows that hockey is a team sport, and this
team wins based on teamwork, not on any Kariya or Ferraro's to carry them.
Even with the individual talent BU has, they still haven't won every
shootout they've been involved with either.  Though BU may have the best
individual players in the conference (oh, did I say that! =) ).  Shootouts
just don't determine anything, and should be done away with..
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| DERON TREADWELL - [log in to unmask]
|     The Hockey Bears are back in '94!     |
|         M-A-I-N-E  GO BLUE!  11-0-4       |
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