NHL Shootouts Have Destroyed Hockey...

[10000Days]

The Sabres have already participated in 4 shootouts. They have played 7 games. Give me a break. The NHL is run by a bunch of idiots. Oh and now it looks like the "wide open" style of play that was so attreactive right after the lockout is long gone. These games are boring and cheap. NOT a good combination.

Sabres won the shootout tonight against Colo.

 

[tartanterrier]

I guess it's the best way to finish a game if it's carrying on to be a stalemate.

 

[Chrism86354]

It's better than a tie, i hate ties.

 

[10000Days]

It's better than a tie, i hate ties.

It cheapens the integrity of the game.

Overtime should be 10 minutes of 4 on 4 hockey. Then a tie.

The fact is it doesnt represent how good a team is. Last year the Sabres had an awful shoutout percentage. They missed out on the playoffs by like 2 points.

Its designed for less intelligent people who just want to see something "exciting" when they cant see how patheitc it really is.

 

[Mauser98k]

it's the most exciting way to end a game. it's perfect. 4 on 4 for 5 minutes then a shootout. ties made the game boring as hell. if you'l notice, there are about (on average) 20,000 fans in any arena who will also disagree with you on this.

 

[10000Days]

it's the most exciting way to end a game. it's perfect. 4 on 4 for 5 minutes then a shootout. ties made the game boring as hell. if you'l notice, there are about (on average) 20,000 fans in any arena who will also disagree with you on this.

You know what those 20,000 fans would also love?

1 on 1 basketball by each teams best player to decide a tie NBA game.

Removing an outfielder in a tie overtime MLB game.

The fact is that it cheapens the standings, it doesnt happen in the playoffs, and it appeals to fans who arent fans of the game.

 

[Mauser98k]

You know what those 20,000 fans would also love?

1 on 1 basketball by each teams best player to decide a tie NBA game.

Removing an outfielder in a tie overtime MLB game.

The fact is that it cheapens the standings, it doesnt happen in the playoffs, and it appeals to fans who arent fans of the game.

you may be the only one who feels that way.

and don't speak for me. i've been a hockey fan since 1993 when i was just a little kid. i like this format better than the previous.

 

[Jagger69]

It's a tough call. I hate shootouts but hate ties worse. How many NHL playoff games have you seen go 3 or 4 overtimes due to the fact that both teams go into a defensive shell and hope for some kind of break? Shootouts are not the best answer for sure but having a clear winner is better than a tie.

 

[10000Days]

It's a tough call. I hate shootouts but hate ties worse. How many NHL playoff games have you seen go 3 or 4 overtimes due to the fact that both teams go into a defensive shell and hope for some kind of break? Shootouts are not the best answer for sure but having a clear winner is better than a tie.

Why not continue tweaking the rules so it benefits the wide open free wheeling teams? Hocky the year right after the lockout was fun to watch. Now its like pre lockout. Its just boring.

Tweak the rules so theres more scoring. Heck, get those goalie pads smaller. and extend OT to ten minutes. This way you would only get 4 or 5 ties per year.

 

[Chrism86354]

what is the benefit of a tie? explain to me that one? two teams fighting for a playoff spot at the end of the season, same exact record and it ends in a tie? How is that good? Ties suck!

 

[Civickiller80]

I dont know why the NHL still uses points as a system for team standings...if the game ends in a winner or a loser....why doesnt it use the NBA's or MLB's standing system of Games back of the division leader....being Canadian I love Hockey...but to the casual fan Overtime loses gives the team 1 point..which imo is stupid...so in theory you can lose every game of the year finish with 82 points and still possibly qualify for the playoffs?....weird....

 

[Dawn]

I disliked the idea of the shoutout since day 1.

Being a hockey fan since 1976, and a Hab fan at it, i saw the great *intimidation* NHL with the Broad Street Bullies, *offensive* NHL in the Gretzky era, the TRAP/Left Wing Lock era pre-lockout and now... this overtime and shoutout.

I have to admit that the greatest years of the NHL for the past 30ish years was the Gretzky era: the game was offensive-minded, lots (and i mean lots) of goals.

In that era, hooking was allowed, butterfly style was just a rough idea (thanks to Tony Esposito) and Jacques Lemaire havent came with his trap system.

The current NHL have the problems of goals, which basically depends of a great offensive system while since the '90s ALL coaches, ALL players, everyone and their dog thinks defensive-first.

New Jersey (when Jacques Lemaire was coaching there) had the perfect formula for this kind of hockey. Everything was organised around Martin Brodeur for 2 reasons: he is one of the greatest goalie of all time and he was like a 3rd defender in his own zone with his stick handling...

Hopefully, to kill the TRAP/puck handling goalie system that was the most boring style to watch as a hockey amateur, the NHL ruled out (actually limited) the goalie puck handling.

To kill the trap, they removed the red line and started to apply the rulebook regarding hooking.

Results? The hockey is faster but there isnt as much goals as expected. What is the only thing that havent been adressed? The butterfly style, the defense-first mentality.

Back in the days, the Gretzky Oilers couldnt care less about allowing 6 goals. They were confident to score 1 more.

1 more...

Thats all it takes to win a damn hockey game. 1-0 like the NJ Devils or 7-6 like the Oilers.

Thanks God, there is few teams which had success with offensive systems (like the Lightnings the year they won the cup). But sadly there have been more teams who achieved nothing that way (Senators anyone?).

So basically, it isnt the shootout that killed hockey in my opinion (i still hate the shootout but i can live with it) but Jacques Lemaire TRAP / Left Wing Lock that is still played by most successful teams (like the current Red Wings)... And we have to consider as well all the improvement in the goalie position, including specialised coaches and the butterfly style - some sports analysts even say that the hockey goalie is the position of all team sports that most improved in the past 30 years.

So how to score more goals?

We need to get an offensive genious which can invent the exactly opposite of the TRAP/ Left Wing Lock system. I mean, an offensive system that will be as much if not more effective than the trap.

And i honestly dont see the day it will happend.

I just hope the NHL wont decide to make bigger nets or anything silly like that... With Bettman in charge, we never know what can happend...

Sorry for the long rant... :o

 

[D-rock]

Why not continue tweaking the rules so it benefits the wide open free wheeling teams? Hocky the year right after the lockout was fun to watch. Now its like pre lockout. Its just boring.

Tweak the rules so theres more scoring. Heck, get those goalie pads smaller. and extend OT to ten minutes. This way you would only get 4 or 5 ties per year.

You complain shootouts would ruin the integrity of the sport, but you have no problems with a constant "tweaking" of the rules?

I also think ties suck.

 

[10000Days]

You complain shootouts would ruin the integrity of the sport, but you have no problems with a constant "tweaking" of the rules?

I also think ties suck.

I care about integrity because I want to see the better team win. I could care less about the history of the game.

 

[10000Days]

I disliked the idea of the shoutout since day 1.

Being a hockey fan since 1976, and a Hab fan at it, i saw the great *intimidation* NHL with the Broad Street Bullies, *offensive* NHL in the Gretzky era, the TRAP/Left Wing Lock era pre-lockout and now... this overtime and shoutout.

I have to admit that the greatest years of the NHL for the past 30ish years was the Gretzky era: the game was offensive-minded, lots (and i mean lots) of goals.

In that era, hooking was allowed, butterfly style was just a rough idea (thanks to Tony Esposito) and Jacques Lemaire havent came with his trap system.

The current NHL have the problems of goals, which basically depends of a great offensive system while since the '90s ALL coaches, ALL players, everyone and their dog thinks defensive-first.

New Jersey (when Jacques Lemaire was coaching there) had the perfect formula for this kind of hockey. Everything was organised around Martin Brodeur for 2 reasons: he is one of the greatest goalie of all time and he was like a 3rd defender in his own zone with his stick handling...

Hopefully, to kill the TRAP/puck handling goalie system that was the most boring style to watch as a hockey amateur, the NHL ruled out (actually limited) the goalie puck handling.

To kill the trap, they removed the red line and started to apply the rulebook regarding hooking.

Results? The hockey is faster but there isnt as much goals as expected. What is the only thing that havent been adressed? The butterfly style, the defense-first mentality.

Back in the days, the Gretzky Oilers couldnt care less about allowing 6 goals. They were confident to score 1 more.

1 more...

Thats all it takes to win a damn hockey game. 1-0 like the NJ Devils or 7-6 like the Oilers.

Thanks God, there is few teams which had success with offensive systems (like the Lightnings the year they won the cup). But sadly there have been more teams who achieved nothing that way (Senators anyone?).

So basically, it isnt the shootout that killed hockey in my opinion (i still hate the shootout but i can live with it) but Jacques Lemaire TRAP / Left Wing Lock that is still played by most successful teams (like the current Red Wings)... And we have to consider as well all the improvement in the goalie position, including specialised coaches and the butterfly style - some sports analysts even say that the hockey goalie is the position of all team sports that most improved in the past 30 years.

So how to score more goals?

We need to get an offensive genious which can invent the exactly opposite of the TRAP/ Left Wing Lock system. I mean, an offensive system that will be as much if not more effective than the trap.

And i honestly dont see the day it will happend.

I just hope the NHL wont decide to make bigger nets or anything silly like that... With Bettman in charge, we never know what can happend...

Sorry for the long rant... :o

Not a single member on these forums will read this post.

 

[Jagger69]

I disliked the idea of the shoutout since day 1.

Being a hockey fan since 1976, and a Hab fan at it, i saw the great *intimidation* NHL with the Broad Street Bullies, *offensive* NHL in the Gretzky era, the TRAP/Left Wing Lock era pre-lockout and now... this overtime and shoutout.

I have to admit that the greatest years of the NHL for the past 30ish years was the Gretzky era: the game was offensive-minded, lots (and i mean lots) of goals.

In that era, hooking was allowed, butterfly style was just a rough idea (thanks to Tony Esposito) and Jacques Lemaire havent came with his trap system.

The current NHL have the problems of goals, which basically depends of a great offensive system while since the '90s ALL coaches, ALL players, everyone and their dog thinks defensive-first.

New Jersey (when Jacques Lemaire was coaching there) had the perfect formula for this kind of hockey. Everything was organised around Martin Brodeur for 2 reasons: he is one of the greatest goalie of all time and he was like a 3rd defender in his own zone with his stick handling...

Hopefully, to kill the TRAP/puck handling goalie system that was the most boring style to watch as a hockey amateur, the NHL ruled out (actually limited) the goalie puck handling.

To kill the trap, they removed the red line and started to apply the rulebook regarding hooking.

Results? The hockey is faster but there isnt as much goals as expected. What is the only thing that havent been adressed? The butterfly style, the defense-first mentality.

Back in the days, the Gretzky Oilers couldnt care less about allowing 6 goals. They were confident to score 1 more.

1 more...

Thats all it takes to win a damn hockey game. 1-0 like the NJ Devils or 7-6 like the Oilers.

Thanks God, there is few teams which had success with offensive systems (like the Lightnings the year they won the cup). But sadly there have been more teams who achieved nothing that way (Senators anyone?).

So basically, it isnt the shootout that killed hockey in my opinion (i still hate the shootout but i can live with it) but Jacques Lemaire TRAP / Left Wing Lock that is still played by most successful teams (like the current Red Wings)... And we have to consider as well all the improvement in the goalie position, including specialised coaches and the butterfly style - some sports analysts even say that the hockey goalie is the position of all team sports that most improved in the past 30 years.

So how to score more goals?

We need to get an offensive genious which can invent the exactly opposite of the TRAP/ Left Wing Lock system. I mean, an offensive system that will be as much if not more effective than the trap.

And i honestly dont see the day it will happend.

I just hope the NHL wont decide to make bigger nets or anything silly like that... With Bettman in charge, we never know what can happend...

Sorry for the long rant... :o

Wow....excellent insights. I agree 100%....the 1980s were the heyday for entertaining hockey (from an offensive standpoint). The games now have indeed become quite mundane. Thing is, even if some offensive genius comes up with some way to unlock the trap, you'll still need a mechanism to decide a game that ends 5-5 in regulation. I can't imagine what it could be that wouldn't either take forever to possibly finish a game or be too gimmicky. There's no easy answer and the NHL is in trouble from a lot of angles these days so not having a solution is not good for the future of the league. Maybe outlaw the trap (the NBA outlawed the zone defense so why not)? I don't know....

 

[Jagger69]

Not a single member on these forums will read this post.

Just curious to know what would prompt a comment like this?

 

[titsrock]

Shootouts haven't destroyed hockey, but they haven't made it more exciting. They were a cheap fix.

A large problem with Hockey is that it relies on the American Fan and American Fans can not tolerate low scoring games. Low scoring = boring. That's what's happened with the country.

You have to have a brain to appreciate the excitement of the 1-0 or the 0-0 score, assuming that there are scoring chances all over the place, within the game.

I think Hockey used to have charm in the ways that Baseball had charm--unique home ice arenas much like baseball stadiums are unique. Hockey became dull when the Boston Garden shuttered and the homogenously dull FleetCenter/TD Banknorth whatever center opened. The old Garden gave Hockey character. Other teams had "specialized" arenas too. Now, they're all the same. The NHL should encourage teams to build intimate arenas for the fans--as long as a basic set of ice dimensions are upheld--let teams design rinks to cater to their own teams (give or take a couple meters wider if they want a speed team or a couple meters shorter if they want to pound opponents)...

Fighting must return as a legitimate aspect of the sport. The fans want it--the players want it. Only some NHL and TV execs don't want it, for fear of "offending corporate sponsors"...guess what NHL execs...the game is losing its foothold in America because of catering to corporate sponsors, to some extent.

Most of the recent changes in the game have been for the "benefit" of corporations and all we've seen is the retreat of the sport into the background.

So, in order to get back to a "purer" form of the game, most of the recent offensive-minded changes should be reversed. The corporations will come because of attendance and television ratings. The sporting product doesn't need to be "watered-down" or "de-violenced" in order to appease companies.

I think the current GLOBAL ECONOMIC MELTDOWN should give the NHL the needed cover to change back to the purer form of the sport, for the sake of the sport...

 

[lost1dc]

Bring back the smaller goalie equipment and skater's equipment. With the goalies, they would have less of the net protected when they do the butterfly. For the players, it means they don't have the armour that they wear now and would force them to learn how to block shots. Heck even get rid of the composite sticks and keep them wooden like MLB only has wooden bats.

I grew up in the 80's and watched games every weekend. Now with specialty channels, I spend time watching much more hockey that have the older days of playing.

 

[Marlo Manson]

Somebody already mentioned this ( I HATE SHOOTOUTS, BUT I HATE TIES EVEN MORE!!!)

IMHO I felt games that ended in a tie was like wasting three hours of my life, Face it Ties are very unsatisfying to the fans, spectators, viewers, and MOST IMPORTANTLY the home crowd that PAID too see a game!!

I guess we have too deal with it!! cuz I felt cheated watching a NHL game that ended in a tie, whether I watched the game on TV or especially if I paid my hard earned $$$ too attend the game live!! :dunno:

Logically the shootout is the best fixture too a complex problem / situation!! play sudden death like the playoffs?? that would be very demanding on players and fans alike!! :2 cents: