Well I'll offer a little differing opinion than the prevailing outcries: I don't think shoot-outs are all that bad. The hockey purist automatically pooh- poohs them as an unnecessary interference with the way the game should be played, but the neophytes in the stands probably look on it as an exciting climax to what may have been a boring game. Despite the novelty of seeing two goaltenders really at the top of their game, I doubt many fans like to witness 0-0 games. The same for 1-1 games. I would agree they shouldn't be used in playoff games--the players need to be the ones who decide the outcome. But OTOH, an overtime victory doesn't necessarily indicate who was the better team that night. In games which continue ad infinitum, like the Islanders/ Capitals epoch, the final score almost seems like a fluke. As the overtimes wind on the players seem to be engaged more in an endurance contest than a hockey match. And of course we know that the longer a games goes, the fewer the penalties. Not that it's right necessarily, just that it's true. But my main point is why bother with a 5 minute overtime--it rarely settles anything. And I'm not sure whether a 10 minute OT significantly increases the chances that a game will reach a resolution. So if you accept the premise that 1) games should reach a conclusion and 2)limited OT's still result in ties than experimenting with a shoot-out doesn't seem so onerous. Of course you could also opt for unlimited OT's which continue until a winner is decided, but I don't think it's fair to the players who may have to play the next night, or who may have some studying to attend to. Personally I don't mind a game ending in a tie. But what I abhor is watching a team play for a tie. Of course you can't legislate such tactics away, but as a fan watching a team which had been exciting for two periods suddenly decide it doesn't need to expend any more effort is the worst of all outcomes. I'm not overjoyed at the thought of shoot-outs,but at least during the regular season, I'm not sure they're such a bad thing. Of course, echoing a previous poster, eliminating interference, holding etc, would really make the game exciting. _ "NYS // Hockey" Go 'Gate // Brian Morris Go RPI // Albany, NY ______// [log in to unmask] (______/