The NHL is once again shaking up how the game is played on the world’s most professional level.
Starting next year, games that are tied at the end of regulation will be decided during a 3-on-3, sudden death overtime period. If no team scores during the five-minute frenzy, a shootout will decide the winner.
“We want a higher percentage of games decided in overtime,” said Red Wings GM Ken Holand before NHL general managers met yesterday to decide on the revised format.
The move was partly meant to console hockey purists who’ve been overwhelmingly against games being decided in a shootout, which was introduced before the 2005-2006 season. Adding another flashy gimmick to the game will do little to curb their dissatisfaction, as is evident across most comment boards about this news.
It’s a weird twist of logic, really: Instead of abolishing the shootout on account of it being a terrible idea, the NHL chooses to introduce a radical change to reduce the likelihood of games being decided by it. Sometimes it’s best to just admit you f*cked up a decade ago.
Teams who lose in OT or a shootout will still earn a point – another major point of contention for any sports fan with a reasonable mind.
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