What to do with the Shootout

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What is now labeled the "skills competition", shootouts in the National Hockey League have become far too common since their creation following the lockout. Winning and losing in sports has always revolved around a team effort, but the shootout has worked its way around that concept by putting a game, or even a season in former Ranger Olli Jokinen's case, in a single player's hands. That, to me, is unfair and takes away from the sport. It proves nothing because anyone could become consistent in the shootout even though they are most often a fourth line player (remember Fred Sjostrom?), and any goaltender can be unstoppable one-on-one even though they have a goals against average of five during regulation time.

This has been a growing issue that is sitting on the league's plate right now, and is also a topic that was discussed at this week's research and development camp. With the Rangers having their playoff hopes crushed at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers in a shootout in the final game of the season last year, this issue has come to the attention of league officials a bit quicker than they may have expected. The format must be changed because an entire 82-game season should not end with a one-on-one match-up. It should be the team's responsibility if they win or lose, not just one player's.

They could always go back to the old format where games end in a tie after a five minute overtime period goes by without the game-winning goal scored. Or they could make overtime like it is in the playoffs where it is continuous until a team scores and wins, but that would result in some long nights and extra fatigue that players would not want if they have to play the next day or are on a road trip.

So the league has a big decision to make when it comes to the shootouts, because I do not see them figuring out a way to totally get rid of them. I do not think that is their goal in all of this anyway, the objective here is to make them less frequent. Although the Rangers have always seen an advantage in going to the shootout since they have Henrik Lundqvist back there who is one of the best netminders in the game one-on-one.

In fact, Lundqvist is second in the league in shootouts played so he has a boatload of experience in that area. His ability to out-wait forwards is incredible and is something that not all goaltenders are able to do. In the 2008-09 season it almost felt like the Blueshirts would coast through overtime and try to get to the shootout because they knew they had a better chance at winning. Most often they did with Hank in net and Zherdev, Sjostrom and Naslund shooting on offense.

But nonetheless this is something the league is looking into and I agree with it. Like I said, winning and losing in sports has always been about a team effort and it should not come down to a single member coming in on a goalie. As a hockey player myself, I was never a fan of them because I always felt there was too much pressure. I must admit that I was pretty good at them as a shooter, but even still, it did not sit well with me taking credit for the win because of a goal I scored one-on-one with the goalie. I would think players in the NHL would feel the same way, especially since they are on a much larger stage.

Also, head over to Blueshirt Banter and read my feature story on Brendan Shanahan, who we picked as the best Ranger to ever wear the number 14.