NHL will have a shootout

[ClusterFreak]

Good Golly Miss Molly.

The NHL owners ratified the new CBA today, making it official, the league will be back in October. Among long-rumoured rule changes enacted to make the game 'better' (and yes, some of the changes perhaps are worth giving a chance) they're going to have shootouts in the regular season. Gary Bettman, in all his pint-sized wisdom, figures the fans want to see ties settled by a shootout. Um, no, they don't. Be willing to bet on that one. Hockey is a TEAM sport, and winners and losers should be decided by the TEAM. I didn't know this, but apparently they decided regular season games in the AHL this past season by shootouts. Good for them. It's a stupid idea. So, 60 minutes of regulation hockey....then 5 minutes of four on four if there's a tie....then 3 players from each team are picked to take part in the shootout....if STILL tied...it goes to a sudden death shootout. Give me a break.

You want to watch a shootout? Watch a soccer game!


:mad:

[On the Road]

1. Some of the Best Hockey Games I've Ever Seen

have had multiple overtimes. Pity. Maybe they'll reconsider after a season.

[ClusterFreak]

2. I hope so...

...thank God it's only for the regular season, and they didn't dare to include shootouts in the playoffs. Can you imagine if they decided the Stanley Cup winner that way at the end of the 7th game!!

Ugh!

[Telly Savalas]

4. They probably recognize that sudden death overtime is ideal...

but not practical in the regular season where teams might be playing 4 games in a given week.

[Baclava]

9. I'll play devils advocate...the "shoot-out" concept...

-Adds some element of excitement in a long season.

-It forces teams to open the game up in OT rather than sitting back for 5 minutes.

-Will enable hockey to explode in popularity if they can put a game on the ice like you see in the Olympics.


There's no way they would ever implement this for the playoffs. Playoff hockey is the best!

[Telly Savalas]

3. Agreed.

Don Cherry said once that deciding a hockey game with a shootout is like breaking the tie in a football game by having the QB's pass the ball through tires. The guy may be bonkers on a lot of things, but I think this is a perfect analogy. I don't see what's wrong with the result of a regular season game being a draw.

Furthermore, I'm a big soccer fan, but am not real fond of games being decided by a shootout in that sport.

[MaineYooper]

5. shootouts in hockey are just like...

60 minutes of football end in a tie => FIELD GOAL contest!

9 innings of baseball end in a tie => HOME RUN derby!

48 minutes of basketball end in a tie => SLAM DUNK contest!

2 years of campaigning end in a tie => SUPREME COURT decision.

oh wait, I guess we already have that last one...

[Mugla]

6. Return of NHL

Are you as sick of owners and players playing the fans for fools as i am ? Why not a one game fan boycott of the first game of this season ? Maybe playing before an empty arena will send a message to the arrogant (jeremy roenick) assholes that we really don't give a damn about them or their silly "sport".

[Baclava]

7. All of the rule changes

- Allowing the two-line pass (no red line) like international hockey;

- Reduction in size of goalie equipment;

- Using the AHL crease and limits on goaltender puck handling;

- No tie games; using a penalty shootout after overtime; After a five minute overtime, three players will be selected from each team for the shootout. If still tied, it will then be a sudden death shootout;

- No-touch icing;

- Bringing back tag-up offside;

- Move nets back two feet towards end boards;

- Reducing the size of the neutral zone;

- A team that ices the puck cannot make a line change prior to the ensuing face-off;

- Officials will have the discretion to wave off icing if it is deemed to be the result of an attempted pass;

- A player that instigates a fight in the final five minutes of a game will receive a game misconduct and automatic one-game suspension;

- Zero tolerance on interference, hooking and holding/obstruction

- Delay of game penalties for any players shooting the puck over the glass in his defensive zone.

[On the Road]

8. No-Touch Icing is Good

Too many injuries caused by racing for the touch-up. Some of the others I don't know about -- does the AHL have a larger or smaller crease?

[Baclava]

10. A smaller crease

...and limiting the goalies playing the puck ...leads to more scoring is the theory I guess...but I can't really complain, it'll be an interesting year.

[Telly Savalas]

11. No touch icing is NOT one of the rules changes.

Changes to icing

- A team that ices the puck cannot make a line change prior to the ensuing face-off.

- Touch remains in effect but linesmen will be given more discretion to wave off icing infractions if they are deemed the result of an attempted pass.

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story.asp?ID=131130&hubName=nhl

At the press confrence Shanahan said that while no-touch icing is a good idea from an injury prevention standpoint, the icing rules actually implemented would work better with the new absence of a red line. The concern was that too many missed long passes would result in automatic icing and this would seriously disrupt the flow of the game.

[MrSlayer]

12. Horrible, sacrilegious and disgusting.

The game is completely bastardized under these new rules. This is a team game not an individual sport. You don't see quarterbacks throwing footballs through a tire to decide a tie game, it stays a fucking tie. In baseball they play until it's over, they don't have a home run derby and in basketball they have multiple OT's if necessary, they don't have a free throw contest. This is complete bush league crap. Bettman, I hope you rot in Hell.