I especially hate it because it's yet another Bettmanizing of the game to make the game "not so wierd to people". The insulting undertones/assumption is that "Well, North American fans don't understand ties and they want to see a winner." Give the fans some gahdamn credit!! They're not that stupid. In fact I've never heard anyone say they like the game less due to the existence of ties. The only time it's really important is in the playoffs and then... no ties means it's not an issue.
It's a glitzy cheezy marketing stunt that cheapens the very essence of the contest it is "deciding". I wish we had a comissioner and other people in charge of the direction of the game that worried more about on ice product and being true to the game, instead of being obsessed with guiding everything by whoever's perception of "what the fans want" is. Hockey has very different fans from other sports which yes, is also the likely reason it's not as popular as games any Joe off the street can understand and appreciate in 2.5 seconds; like basketball and football. It's not chopped down into neat little pieces with action that stops every 5.2 seconds for people's attention spans to catch up to it. Freaking deal with it; it is what it is... an amazingly intricate ebb and flow game that is always moving with grace and ferocity, speed and power. And it takes an entire team giving their all for 60 minutes if they want to call themselves the victor.
This amazingly exciting climax to a game is only that in concept, in execution it is the most boring anti-climactic out of place event known to professional sport. Well the teams have battled for 65 minutes so to decide who wins let's take a ten minute break just to assure that any of the games momentum and passion and importance has the chance to completely fade away like trying to hold a fart in a mitten.
Okay, now we have three people picked from each team to skate from mid ice on the goaltender to see who scores. Stunning. Amazing. I'm holding my breath at the sheer awesomeness of this moment. Figuratively of course though because I'm still waiting now for the referee to measure everyone's sticks to make sure they are legal first. Were I to actually be holding my breath this might be interesting because by now I'd be seeing stars and birdies... Okay, here goes the first player and there is actually one moment in which it's all very cool, that moment when the shooter either beats the 'tender or the goalie stops him. But even that only happens in one of every three or four shootout attempts and is gone like a big word passing through Paris Hilton's brain. After that? Nothing. Until the next bit of nothing though? Well, we wait of course!!
What follows is the actual timeline from tonights Vancouver/Edmonton game: No need to allow any excitement to build back up here so we're pausing again. Ah, I see it's because we're measuring sticks again. Okay next shooter; no goal... but wait let's see that replay again. Hmm, hard to tell really. The ref said it wasn't a goal. I guess it will go to a video review. Hmm... still no word.
Six minutes later everyone in the crowd is standing around in a collective sense of profound anti-climax and growing frustration. I see, the delay is that now we're on the phone with Toronto so the league office can tell us what we just spent six minutes looking at without a decision and make their own non-decision. NINE MINUTES AND FORTY-SEVEN SECONDS LATER. Wait, no, sorry I guess it is a goal even though there is no way to see the actual puck without an xray, it seems like it's probably under his elbow there and that probably could have been completely over the line if that is indeed where the puck was at the time
If you want to recapture the excitement of the moment this weekend rent a big action flick and just when it gets right to the peak of that big car chase, pause the movie. Stand up and watch your clock for 10 minutes to go by. Then finish your movie.
We need to put a stop this travesty, now!! I have been rolling with it but I knew I'd really hate it around now as 10 minute long goal reviews are now deciding who makes the playoffs instead of the novel concept of, I don't know, playing hockey. I've seen enough to know the "excitement" and "what fans want to see" arguments have been fully contradicted so there is no possible merit left to this rediculous parlor trick and we should end it now and try to forget it ever happened.
It's fun to watch if it doesn't involve your team.
Heh.