...but all seriousness aside...
 
Other than NC$$ rules, is there any reason to have an overtime at all if
you're going to use the shootout to break ties anyway?  Seems to me if you're
going to go the shootout route, you shouldn't bother with the extra five
minutes -- the incentive to play for the guaranteed point and take a chance
on getting the second point in the shootout will probably be rather strong.
And one of Hockey East's rationales for adopting the shootout is that it
would take less time than the 10-minute OT, would not be as hard on the
players as the longer OT would be, and would thus be preferable.  So why
not cut out the OT altogether and save EVEN MORE time?
 
A moot point, of course, since the NC$$ rulebook says you gotta have an OT
if the score is tied.  But might this not be something to think about if
the Hockey East experiment is deemed a success and ALL the leagues adopt
the shootout?
--
Bill Fenwick
Cornell '86 and '94.5
LET'S GO RED!!                                                  DJF  5/27/94
"You don't NEED drugs when you have a child.  You're awake, you're paranoid,
 you smell bad -- it's the same thing!"
-- Robin Williams