By Justin Aucoin
WickedGoodSports.com
Were big hockey fans over here at Wicked Good Sports. Absolutely love it. And over the years the NHL has been tweaking the rules of the game, trying to make the game more exciting and more appealing to a wider audience.
Some of the rule changes weve liked (nixing the two-line pass infraction), others were meh about (the silly goalie trapezoid) and then theres other we downright cant standlike the shoot out.
For the hockey-impaired, the shoot out happens if theres still a tie at the end of an extremely shortened overtime period. A lot of fans love it; a lot of fans hate it.
Were more on the hate it side. Why? Because it boils down to nothing more than a skills competition to decide a winner. It turns a team game into an individual game. In short: we feel like it cheapens things.
Doesnt help when players are allowed to do stunts like this:
For those wondering why this is a big deal, heres the official NHL rule:
"The puck must be kept in motion towards the opponent's goal lineand once it is shot, the play shall be considered complete. No goal can be scored on a rebound of any kind (an exception being the puck off the goal post or crossbar, then the goalkeeper and then directly into the goal), and any time the puck crosses the goal line orcomes to a complete stop, the shot shall be considered complete."
Looks like both happened. Yet even after a video review they let the goal count.
What a joke. That wouldnt fly on a penalty shot in-game, so why in a shoot out?
Imagine if every major sport ended their games like this? With skills competition?
Basketball could end on a dunking contest. Best jam wins.
Or if that is too subjective for your taste, maybe a quick game of HORSE.
Football could end on a field goal contest. Best out of threeeach kick moving further and further back. Pretty sure Buffalo would hate this idea.
Baseball would end on a homerun derby.
That might actually be better than waiting for a 19 inning game to end. Also, is there such thing as an exciting pitchers duel?
And soccer could end also on penalty shots.
Wait never mind. It already does.