Milwaukeehockey.com

Shootout frenzy

December 26, 2007

The Tennessean (Nashville's newspaper) printed an article on Christmas about shootouts in hockey. If you haven't already, check it out. You'll notice that I'm quoted within the piece.

The writer of the article, Jessica Hopp, emailed me about a week ago asking for feedback about the controversial tie-breaking procedure. I gave a lengthy response, knowing that little, if any, of my reply would make it to newsprint. To my surprise, I saw that she not only quoted me in the article, but mentioned the web site. And you can say I'm jazzed at seeing my thoughts printed alongside those of people like Mike Keenan, Colin Campbell, Marc Crawford, Bob Miller, and others. A copy of this article will go up on my wall.

While I have the opportunity, I want to share some of my thoughts that were not featured in the article.

NHL shootouts are often criticized as being "crapshoots"... that they do not reward the better team. Because the NHL uses a best-of-three shootout format, that tends to be true. I think the NHL should go with the best-of-five format that we have seen for 18 of the last 21 seasons in Milwaukee.

The five round format is more of a "team" game. Five skaters and a goaltender. Teams that rely on a pair of sharpshooters can excel in NHL shootouts. Two rounds and it might be over. Add a few more teammates, and it rewards a more well-rounded team. Also, the extra few rounds gives a better indication of the better goaltender.

In my opinion, the article gives too much credit to that NHL preseason game in 1998 for creating a buzz that led to the introduction of the shootout in the regular season years later. As most of you realize, the shootout has been used in the minors since the late 80's, and it has always excited the crowd for as long as I can remember. You can bet every GM in the league was aware of how shootouts worked prior to 1998.

People will continue to bash the shootout format. They are in the minority. For the price of an NHL ticket, fans deserve to see a winner and a loser. Ties suck. And because of time restraints for travel, multiple OTs are not practical in the regular season.

The best part of shootouts - the tension in the air. The weight of knowing that the game is on the line. Every sport has those moments, and it's why we are fans. The last second hail mary pass... bases loaded in the bottom of the 9th... the crucial putt on the 18th green... a boxer in trouble against the ropes... the jump shot at the buzzer. Moments where we all hold our breath and prepare to scream or groan.

Other than a last minute attempt to tie a game in regulation, hockey doesn't have many drawn out moments that have so much tension in the air. Instead, we get short blasts of excitement at random moments in a game when a player unloads a nice shot on goal. Thrilling, but in a different way.

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While whipping up this column, I am watching the Predators playing in Chicago on Comcast SportsNet. Another shaky start, but this time by Dan Ellis, who was replaced by Chris Mason late in the first period. Quite frankly, it has been a boring game until the Preds began getting some decent opportunities in the third period. An empty netter gives Chicago a 5-2 win.

With each passing game, I'm becoming less and less of a fan of Dan Hamhuis. Nice guy... Ok defenseman... but over hyped. All too often, I see laziness in his own zone and overcommitment in the offensive zone. Why he leads the team in ice time (by more than 2 minutes per game) is beyond me.

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I've had several people ask why I am not keeping a Fight Card page on the site this season. I could pat myself on the back by saying that I knew this team had less muscle than in past seasons and would not provide much of a list (yeah, I said it), but I've got a few other reasons...

The main reason... I was criticized too often for my description of the fights. Because I'm usually taking pictures of the fights, I do not see everything that happens. In addition, my view differs from someone sitting across the rink who might see a few rabbit punches that are not visible from my angle. So, blame the anonymous complainers if it's something you enjoyed in the past.

Other reasons... knowing I would have less free time to work on the site this season, I felt it was something I could eliminate. Also, my new menu layout allows for 8 pages, meaning that I would have to remove one of the 9 links I previously listed.

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And yes, it's been awhile since I've posted here. Work for me gets crazy during the holiday season, leaving me with less free time and less mental energy to work on the site. Those who have visited my site over the years know that I go through spells like this from time to time. I simply do what I have time for.

Happy New Year. Drive Safely.

posted by Todd # 10:20 PM

Comments:

Did you get to see the Penguins vs. Sabres? Any thoughts on that outdoor game and outdoor games in general? I'd be interested in seeing your opinion on this topic in a blog entry.

# posted by

Anonymous : January 1, 2008 7:11 PM

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