NHL: 5 Reasons Why the NHL Should Drop the Shootout

The NHL overtime format is something that has been messed with constantly to try and add more excitement to the game.  Some changes were good, like the decision to make the overtime period four on four instead of five on five.

Other changes haven't been that great.  Namely, the decision that every game must have a winner and a loser.  This idea led to the shootout.

At first, the concept of the shootout seemed exciting, new and edgy, but enough time has passed that people have grown tired of seeing it—and it is now to a point where the NHL would be better off without the shootout.

What Was so Wrong Wih the Tie?

Rob Carr/Getty Images

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 29: Goalie Cam Ward #30 and teammate Brandon Sutter (16) of the Carolina Hurricanes celebrate their 3-2 win in a shootout against the Washington Capitals at the Verizon Center on March 29, 2011 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Car

Hockey existed for a very long time with the tie and we all managed to get along just fine.  There never really ever seemed to be a good reason to get rid of ties, just to try and appeal to the casual fan.

In the countless appeals to the casual fan, several things have been taken out of the game.  Rather than the Campbell Conference and the Wales Conference, we now have West and East.  Instead of allowing players to police themselves—to a certain extent—on the ice, we now have the fight instigator penalty.  Then the tie was taken out so that the casual fan could be given the "satisfaction" of one team winning the game.

Rather than changing long-standing rules and/or traditions to help attract the "casual fan," perhaps the NHL should concern itself with improving the game as a whole for ALL fans.

We Have a Skills Competition During the All-Star Game

Call me a buzz-kill if you want, but it is at least plausible to say that part of the appeal of the shootout, from the beginning, was the spectacle that it brings with it.  I mean, when are you ever going to see a guy do a move like that during a game?

Never, because a player is never going to have a completely and totally unhindered path to the goal, with no other players within 50 feet of them, in a real game situation. 

The NHL, or advocates for the shootout, might refer to this as just letting the skilled players showcase their skills.  That's all well and good, but if you're not too careful, players are going to start planning their next showstopping shootout move the way that Ochocinco plans out his end zone dances.  Do we really want that?

Trouble with the Standings

Victor Decolongon/Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 24: Dustin Brown #23 of the Los Angeles Kings scores against goaltender Antti Niemi #31 of the San Jose Sharks to win the game 4-3 in shootout overtime in their NHL game at Staples Center on March 24, 2011 in Los Angeles, Californ

The standings used to be fairly simple to figure out when there just wins, losses and ties.  It was even pretty simple with wins, losses, ties and overtime losses because not every single game had to have a winner and a loser.  The introduction of the shootout has impacted the standings in a negative way.

There isn't that much of a difference if your team loses the shootout, but teams with shootout victories, if they get enough of them, are capable of moving up several spots in the standings.  We've all seen how close the playoff races are in each of these conferences.  A team can gain a benefit from having 10 shootout victories that they wouldn't have had with just wins, losses and ties.

Then there is the tie-breaking confusion.  There had to be a whole rule made that went into effect this year regarding victories and shootout victories.  While the races are closer, the shootout has blurred the final standings quite a bit.

The Playoffs

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

CHICAGO - OCTOBER 09: Members of the Chicago Blackhawks carry the Stanley Cup Championship banner across the ice past the Stanley Cup in a ceremony before the Blackhawks season home opening game against the Detroit Red Wings at the United Center on Octobe

One of the fears that I have, in regards to the shootout, comes down to the playoffs.  Allow me to be clear, I don't believe that anybody in the NHL has proposed that the shootout be included in the playoffs, but at least one person has mentioned it on this website. 

The playoffs are a time when a team needs to be the most together as a unit and to introduce the shootout into the playoffs would be a gigantic mistake. 

Again, I don't believe that anybody has actually proposed that, I just get the feeling that that is something that Gary Bettman would try to do.

Yes, international play has the concept of the shootout to decide medals and yes, it is an incredibly nerve-wracking thing to sit and hope that your country can pull one out; however, that does not mean that it is the best thing to have in-place.  The team should win the game, not a test between three people you hope can score unmolested on a breakaway.

Hockey Is a Team Game and Should Be Decided That Way

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

ST. LOUIS, MO - MARCH 29: Members of the St. Louis Blues wacth the pentalty shootout against the Minnesota Wild at the Scottrade Center on March 29, 2011 in St. Louis, Missouri. (Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Hockey is a team game, by its nature.  It requires that everybody perform as a well-oiled machine in order for success to occur.  Yes, sometimes there is the situation where one player steps up and basically wins for his team, but he still needs his teammates in order to do that.

The shootout undermines this team mentality.  It goes from, "may the better group of players prevail" to, "may your collection of three individuals see how many times they can score."

If a team wants to win the game, then they need to be the better team as a whole, throughout the course of the game, not just have three guys who are good at breakaways.