In the NHL, in the regular season, if a game is still tied after the end of the overtime period, the game is decided by a best of 3 shootout where a skater gets a free shot on the goalie. It then moves to a sudden death shootout. I’m not a fan of them. It feels gimmicky and removes the team aspect of the game. In my beer league, slightly different story.

Last night was round one of the playoffs for the league I play goalie in. My team played well, but ended the game tied 2-2. In the regular season, this would have been the end of the game. We’d finish with a tie and would each receive a point in the league standings. With the playoffs, someone has to win.

In the NHL in the playoffs, there’s no shootout. It’s replaced by 20 minute sudden death overtime periods until a team scores a goal. This, in my opinion, is some of the best and most fun hockey to watch.

Unlike the NHL, the rink I play at is constrained by time and the schedule. The staff at the rink can’t stay forever, and there could be games on the rink after our game. Our game has to end relatively quickly. This means that the games that can’t end in ties, move to the shootout.

As a goalie, shootouts are nerve-wracking. It’s a one-on-one matchup between myself and the shooter. He gets to skate up the ice undefended to make whatever move they want to try to put the puck past me and into the net. You don’t want to bite too early, but you can’t wait too long to react either.

Our league goes with a best of 5 shootout format and despite the heart-pounding pressure, I faced 4 shooters, and saved all 4 shots (we scored twice, so their 5th shot never happened). We walked away with a win in what was a fun, evenly-matched game.

So while I still think the shootout is a gimmick and removes the team aspect to the game, I can't deny that they can most definitely be exciting when you're the one on the ice.