Shootouts

[Gogie]

I am not a fan of shootouts to decide hockey games. That said, I guess I must accept the fact that they're here to stay. What really annoys me is the fact that a team can "earn" 1 point by losing a hockey game. To make things more interesting why not adopt the following:

If a team wins a game in regulation, the winner receives 2 points, the loser receives 0 points.

If a team wins a game in overtime, the winner receives 2 points, the loser receives 1 point.

If a team wins a game in a shootout, the winner receives 1 point, the loser receives 0 points.

This would at least preserve the dignity of a "team" win (i.e., you only earn two points if you win as a "team", not by having a "penalty shot" competition). Also, it might make for more entertaining overtimes - there would be a real penalty for not winning before the shootout - both teams would forfeit 1 point.

Any thoughts?

[Deleted]

I don't think the shootout will be here to stay. There's still a lot of people who don't like them. A lot of fans find them exciting. I don't, however.

Personally, they should go back to the way it used to be ages ago:

Wins, Losses: Self-explanitory;
Tie games: If the game is tied at the end of regulation, the game ends with both teams taking one point each.

No overtime, no shoot-out, nothing. 60 minutes should be the most minutes played in the regular season.

[Habs_fan_in_LA]

It would make for wide open no-defense overtimes. No point in going to the shootout where if you win you still are stuck at 1 point. It makes it worth losing in overtime to ensure that you get at least one point. Not a good idea!

[Gogie]

habsfaninla said:

It would make for wide open no-defense overtimes. No point in going to the shootout where if you win you still are stuck at 1 point. It makes it worth losing in overtime to ensure that you get at least one point. Not a good idea!

Excellent point! Perhaps a solution would be to award 0 points for a loss, be it in regulation, overtime or a shootout. You could still award only 1 point for a shootout win - at least then there would be an incentive to win in overtime rather than in a shootout but there would be no "incentive" to lose in overtime.

[M. Beaux-Eaux]

mattdhf said:

I don't think the shootout will be here to stay. There's still a lot of people who don't like them. A lot of fans find them exciting. I don't, however.

Personally, they should go back to the way it used to be ages ago:

Wins, Losses: Self-explanitory;
Tie games: If the game is tied at the end of regulation, the game ends with both teams taking one point each.

No overtime, no shoot-out, nothing. 60 minutes should be the most minutes played in the regular season.

That's draconian and old-fashioned enough for me to agree.

Have the "new" rules consistently and stringently called during the games and we'll still see plenty of exciting hockey, even in games that end in a draw. Besides, coaches and players know that 2 points are worth more than 1 point in the standing—don't they?