Fans on the edge of their seats, the entire stadium breathless in anticipation, these are some of the emotions felt during an NHL shootout. Undoubtedly one of the most exciting parts of a Hockey game, the shootout is also extremely controversial. Die hard Hockey fans are pretty much split on whether this practice is a welcome addition to their beloved sport, or a mere gimmick that distracts from the true essence of the game.
How it works is pretty straightforward. A standard Hockey game lasts for 60 minutes with an additional five minutes allotted for overtime. If after this provided time the game remains tied, a shootout occurs. Basically, five players from both teams are chosen and are given the chance to individually skate from center ice and try to score. The team who scores the most out of the five chances given wins. However, if the game still remains tied after the five attempts from each team, the winner is decided via sudden death.
On one hand, the excitement brought about by a shootout is undeniable. Like the name implies, the entire scenario conjures up images of the Wild Wild West where gunslingers with the fastest draw wins the day. Adapted to Hockey, the player with the most accurate, fastest, and most powerful strike has the opportunity to fully exhibit his skills and has the chance to take out his opponent – in this case the goalie. Those in favor of the shootout recognize the excitement it offers and openly welcome it. They argue that like most things, Hockey is an evolving sport where new rules and setups must be made in order to keep the sport fresh and interesting to old and new fans alike.
Also, they consider the shootout format as a legitimate way for the players to exhibit their individual talent and as a result become bigger stars than they already are. Lastly, the shootout encourages a more offensive game which many aficionados of the sport claim is the true essence of Hockey. The fast paced and relentless nature of the game, they say, is somewhat diminished by the more defensive tactic that some teams prefer to use. The shootout counters this tendency by putting offense at the forefront once again.
On the other hand, as if staying true to the competitive essence of Hockey, there are those that are flat out against the shootout format. While this group admits to the excitement and hype generated by the one-on-one shootout face off, they claim it is not Hockey in its purest sense but a mere sideshow tailored to excite the crowd. They contend that Hockey is a team sport where players have to outskate and out hustle other players in order to get the upper hand. The controlled and unobstructed setup of the shootout, they say, runs counter to the skill sets a real, and good hockey player should have.
Additionally, while the pro shootout camp focuses on the advantages of cultivating a scoring mindset for the game, the anti-shootout faction points out how this rule is actually inequitable to the goalie who may have been successful at doing his job for the entire 60 minutes of the game and giving his team a tie, only to lose because the opposing team scores against him by skating on open ice unobstructed. They go on further to argue that in essence, there is nothing wrong with ending on a tie. They even say that the shootout will ruin player stats as points scored by a player on the occasion of a shootout should technically not be included since he has an easier time doing so from those that scored within the game where the defense is on and his skills are truly put to the test as his mind is not only on scoring, but on dodging all the players hell bent on stopping him.
In the end, both sides raise truly valid points. While their thoughts may be considered opposing each other’s, what is truly evident is that they have a pure love for the sport and have only its best interest in mind. As such, there have been some adjustments implemented regarding the shootout scenario such as (1) the points scored during a shootout do not count, or are not included, on a player’s stat sheet, (2) the shootout format is only used in regular season games to settle a tie between the opposing teams, and (3) if the game ends at 0-0 after the allotted five-minute overtime, the goalies of both teams are credited with a shutout on their record even if there is a winning team going to be declared from a shootout to name only a few.
These as well as some other rules have been carefully considered and placed by the NHL in an attempt to maximize and take full advantage of the positive things the shootout format can bring to the game while at the same time avoiding all the possible points of contention that fanatics of the game have rightly pointed out and possible rules that may somehow disadvantage the players.
In my opinion, all these adjustments benefit the game as a whole as both the fans and the management openly and strongly voice out their opinion and regularly scrutinize every aspect of the game so that the sport and art form of Hockey continues not only to proliferate, but adjust to the changing times. With today’s athletes becoming more and more skilful and the game becoming more and more competitive, it is but natural for the rules to adjust and the game to change. What is crucial is not whether there will be an adjustment, but in what directions and aspects the adjustments are made.
Historically speaking, certain rule changes made in the past have been proven to improve the sport such as allowing the forward pass, which up until 1911, was considered an illegal move. By continually evolving, Hockey’s future is going to be brighter than ever.