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From The Archives: AHLers Debate Shootout
By: Robin Short
MANCHESTER, N.H.
All agree it was a fine way to close out an All-Star Game, but Ryan Miller and Jason Spezza aren’t convinced the shootout is the best way to finish an NHL contest.
The shootout rule was one of a handful the American League introduced this season designed to speed up the game and make it more entertaining.
Other changes include: the tag-up offside rule; no-touch icing; the bluelines and red line being widened from 12 to 24 inches; and moving the goal line back to 11 feet from the end boards, which widens the neutral zone. As well, goalies are limited to where they can play the puck behind net.
Fan reaction to the new rules, said AHL president Dave Andrews, has been positive. And the biggest reaction has come as a result of the shootout, used when teams remain tied after regulation and five minutes of 4-on-4 overtime.
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The shootout was employed to determine a winner in the 2005 Dodge All-Star Classic Feb. 14, when PlanetUSA, comprised of players from the U.S. and Europe, and Canada were deadlocked 4-4 after regulation time. For the All-Star Game only, OT was bypassed and the teams went immediately to the shootout.
Miller, the Rochester Americans star backstop who’s enjoying an MVP season, stopped each of the Canadian shooters he faced to earn the win for PlanetUSA, which overcame a 4-0 first-period deficit.
Miller said afterwards he enjoys the challenge of a shootout, but that opinion could change should the Buffalo Sabres prospect secure NHL employment.
“Once you reach that level, you have to be right on your game because those guys can really shoot the puck,” Miller said. “And with the shootout, guys are watching more film, looking for the tendencies of the goalie.
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“If it becomes part of the NHL, it’s going to become another science of the game.”
At the all-star break, the AHL had played 724 games. Of those, 165 went beyond regulation time and 98 were decided by shootout.
Hall of Famer Larry Robinson, a guest of the AHL during all-star weekend, said the shootout may be great from a fan’s perspective, but the former Los Angeles and New Jersey bench boss has a different outlook from a coach’s perspective.
“You could play a great game and still lose in the shootout,” he said. “That may not be the best way to decide a point.”
Spezza, the Ottawa Senators prospect, agrees: “When you’re on a bit of a skid and you lose a couple of shootout games, that’s a lot harder to take than a tie.”
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Spezza, who’s toiling for Binghamton during the lockout, was foiled by Miller in the shootout. The Amerks goalie also stopped Chuck Kobasew of Lowell and Kyle Wellwood of St. John’s.
At the other end, Tomas Plekanec of the Hamilton Bulldogs, Zach Parise of the Albany River Rats and the Providence Bruins’ Andy Hilbert beat Manchester Monarchs Mathieu Garon, thrilling a proU.S. sellout crowd of 9,916.
“You could feel the buzz,” Spezza said. “It’s all about the fans. If they are saying they like it, you have to decide what’s best for them and the game.”
Miller, however, might not be so certain. “Do you really want to award that many points on the basis of entertainment? That’s what it comes down to.
“It’s a tough way to lose. When it comes down to playoff time, that’s when you’re going to see the guys looking back to the shootout and saying we’ve got the better team, but the other guys have a better shootout percentage. This is a team game.”
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