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. _____________________________________________________________________ Ryan Robbins "Nothing in fine print is ever good news." University of Maine -- Andy Rooney _____________________________________________________________________ [log in to unmask] ____________________________________________