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Shootout
Shenanigans Gimmickry keeps making mockery of the
game 11/19/07 - By Paul Krill
Several years ago, I was witness to a gem of a game that would not be
possible today. What I saw was game at the Meadowlands between the New Jersey
Devils, with Martin Brodeur in goal, vs. the Buffalo Sabres, with Dominic Hasek
between the pipes. The final score of 0-0 put the final touches on this duel
between elite goaltenders, two of the game's best ever.
Today, of
course, this wouldn't happen. Fighting its inferiority complex and striving for
those elusive big TV bucks, the NHL decided to implement its silly shootout
spectacle. Thusly, before the lights went out on that Brodeur vs. Hasek
matchup, at least one of them would have to let in a goal in the shootout,
under today's rules.
Now we all know the Sharks' 4-12 shootout record
is the worst in the league. But I thought the shootout was a sham before any of
this started.
It's really unfortunate that the league is constantly
thinking it needs to tweak the game (as in changing basic tenets) to make it
more popular and attract more people.
If the NHL ran pro football, tie games would be decided
by quarterbacks standing on the 50-yard-line and trying to throw the ball
through a swinging tire in the end zone. Tie baseball games would be decided by
home run derbies and the fences would be moved in to 200 feet from home plate
to give the fans more of what they supposedly want - home runs.
Somebody needs to tell me, though, exactly how many new fans has the NHL picked
up from with its shootout travesty. One? Two? Three? Zero, maybe?
It's
time to put the shootout to bed. A nice experiment, but it's time to move on.
Penalty shots
It is really disconcerting that the
Sharks still can't beat the Ducks even when Anaheim has lost three of its best
players from last season (Dustin Penner, Teemu Selanne, Scott Niedermayer). Are
the Ducks really that much better than the Sharks? It appears so
Contact Paul at at pjkrillsharks@yahoo.com
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