Ties are a killer for sports I think and the NHL needs every bit of help it can get to make their game exciting and interesting to EVERYONE. Ties are a bigger drag then on the slumping NHL than other sports I believe, so I'm ok with the shoot-out format.
If the NHL would enforce rules in general though, I think you'd see a hell of a lot less ties, but that's just my opinion.
Anyway, I'm optomistic with the new format and will watch anxiously to see how it's received.
Sigh, again, I'll disagree. Not in general, just from a purist point of view. It's the same mentality from soccer as viewed by the US as hockey. Nil-nil is boring in the US. Not for hockey in Canada (though high scoring games are more entertaining, low scoring ties are not necessarily boring) or Europe for soccer (de rigeur).
That said, for the NHL to have any measurable success in it's desired markets ( the US
) it's going to have to have 8-6 hockey games with dancing girls in the stands
Ok, that's harsh, but yeah, it needs more scoring.
So while the purist in me screams
blasphemy, being in an IHL/AHL town with shootouts, they're actually fun and do something tremedously important - they keep people in the seats until the end of the game. Shoot-outs are cool (though I steadfastly think they have absolutely zero place in playoff hockey anywhere, any league) and fun for the fans.
As JesseJ indicates though, simply enforcing the rules through the season would probably take us back to the glory days of the NHL, the Lemieux/Gretzky years, prior to the dreaded TRAP. That's all they have to do. Penalize the teams for hooking and interference and the game is one heck of a lot more entertaining and the new rules only enhance that.
Busy day of signings, here's the "highlights":
Sabres resign Briere
Canadiens sign Koivu
Preds agree to terms with Legwand
Pens-LeClair
St. Louis signs Brewer
San Jose signs Marleau, Sturm
