Although the subject has been beaten to death earlier, I'd like to
offer my thoughts about Hockey East's shootout experiment...
 
Bleah.... Shootouts don't prove anything. I mean, what does it
really mean when Boston University comes back from a 5-3 deficit
and ties Maine 5-5 and goes on to win the shootout 2-1? Why
should BU get 3 points to Maine's 2? What makes BU one point
better than Maine?
 
Hockey's a team sport. There's no reason to have one-on-one
battles between goalies and skaters to determine which team
should walk away with more points.
 
Do shootouts make the game more exciting? I don't think so. The
game was played during 60 minutes of regulation and a 5-minute
overtime.
 
Do shootouts give the teams extra incentive to play for the tie
to ensure they get 2 points, with a chance to get an extra one
in the shootout? I don't think so. It's more important to get
those 5 points for the win than to get 2 guaranteed points and
give your opponent a guaranteed 2 points.
 
Without a shootout, is there a greater incentive to play for the
tie? I don't think so. It's better to get 2 points and your
opponent get 0.
 
With HE's scoring system giving 5 points for a win, 3 points for
a shootout win, and 2 points for a shootout loss some might say
shootouts will have little effect on the league standings, less
of an effect than the old 2-and-1 system.
 
However, if this is so, then why bother have shootouts? If the
newer scoring system is to prevent teams who are prone to tieing
and winning shootouts from being seeded higher than teams that
"outright" win games, why not just scrap the shootout? All it is
is a spectacle.
 
Some people say the fans don't want to walk away from the arena
after a game ends in a tie. I can sympathize with them; that's
why I like baseball more than hockey! Perhaps the key is to
lengthen overtime. A 5-minute overtime with virtually no break
after regulation is not going to be very effective in determining
a winner. Why not give the teams a break after regulation to
clear the ice and then have, say, a 20-minute sudden death
overtime? Both teams will have a chance to rest and more time to
score.
 
I, for one, feel cheated whether my team wins or loses a shootout.
If my team loses the shootout I'm disappointed because the other
team leaves with an extra point for doing almost nothing. If my
team wins the shootout I'm disappointed because it's just 3 points;
it's not 5.
 
Can you imagine baseball getting rid of extra innings and having a
home run derby? Yuck!
 
Hockey is a team sport. And as such, it should be kept that way.
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Ryan Robbins               "Nothing in fine print is ever good news."
University of Maine                                  -- Andy Rooney
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