This makes me faintly ill

[Salviaman 104]

If it aint broke dont fix it

[royedwards 0]

Someone has probably mentioned this already, but the Wings were not exactly stellar in 4v4 overtime this season. It doesn't suit their pass-around style of play. Changing the format of playoff OT would put some teams (like ours) at a real disadvantage.

[Pokeroo 0]

If 4-on-4 is the solution then maybe we should be looking at the problem -- why is 5-on-5 so deficient?

IMHO 5-on-5 is *real* hockey and I love sudden death. The legs start going, the plays get more desperate and yes, 5-on-4 or 5-on-3 or 4-on-4 or whatever is exciting for a change (like a powerplay) but shouldn't become the status quo for overtime, just because we don't like the way 5-on-5 plays out. Maybe the problem is that the rules allow teams to play a crappy version of 5-on-5 (like basically playing 5 defensemen and waiting for an opponent mistake).

Maybe we should take even more pads off the goalies, maybe get rid of the instigator rule to allow skilled players more freedom, maybe get rid of the red line, maybe think about contraction so that we don't have so many mediocre teams compensating for lack of talent by playing some version of the neutral zone trap...

Do things that make 5-on-5 better.

Edited April 30, 2007 by Pokeroo

[Guest Tunbo Batman]

These players are paid absolutely exorbitant amounts of money to play this game. Were they paid minimum wage to play hockey then I'd look at giving them a break. However, probably most of them make more in a week than a minimum wage worker makes in a year. As such, they really have the obligation to give the fans what they want.

Broken? An NHL poll disagrees with you; fans voted massively in favor of keeping the present playoff overtime format, as opposed to 4v4 or shootout. IMO, overtime is one of the things that makes the playoffs special, and I wouldn't change it for the world. Evidently many of hockey's diehard fans agree.. I'd call the present format pretty damned unbroken, possibly as unbroken as it could be.

-the salary issue? way to beat a dead horse. brain surgeons make 600K a year, i guess its okay to make them do 12 in a row right? oh, and players have no salasry during the playoffs.

-nhl poll : exactly my point. fans like it, but fans ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE GAME.

Someone has probably mentioned this already, but the Wings were not exactly stellar in 4v4 overtime this season. It doesn't suit their pass-around style of play. Changing the format of playoff OT would put some teams (like ours) at a real disadvantage.

this problem might concern the entire league and not just us plus, we always find ways to adjust. the nhl has been trying everything to bring us down for how long? if we survived cutting our salary in half, we can adapt to this

[wingsgirl001 983]

If 4-on-4 OTs or the shootout ever makes it to the playoffs, I'm organizing a mob to knock down Gary Bettman's door.

Playoffs = 5-on-5 endless overtime and nothing else.

'Nuff said.

[Chelios57 31]

Whatever the barf thing is, insert it here->

[Yzerfan1999 81]

Im all for 5-5 then 4-4 after the first OT period. Some of these playoff OT's have been painfully boring, and at least 4-4 would be exciting.

[Kp-Wings 3]

If 4-on-4 OTs or the shootout ever makes it to the playoffs, I'm organizing a mob to knock down Gary Bettman's door.

Playoffs = 5-on-5 endless overtime and nothing else.

'Nuff said.

Our buddy Shanahan would be the main one to blame here.

I've really began to dislike Shanahan lately. No, not because he doesn't play here anymore, but because of all these stupid new changes that he would be in favor of. Like I remember when the whole fighting debate was going on, and he really sounded like he wanted fighting gone. And now this? Sorry Shanahan, but you aren't ranked very highly in my book right now.

[Guest GodofHockeyStevieY19]

Honestly, there is no way the NHL will EVER add the shootout to the playoffs. Yes, they might switch it up from 5 on 5, to 4 on 4, but that will be the extent of it. But, if that does ever happen, the NHL will lose almost all of their hardcore die-hard fans. Which will include almost all of Canada. Which is why they will never add a shootout to the playoffs.

[Dabura 12,207]

Less talk about playoff OTs, more talk about disbanding expansion clubs.

[Echolalia 2,961]

4 on 4 maybe after the first OT seems intriguing, but never a shootout.

[Guest Crymson]

-the salary issue? way to beat a dead horse. brain surgeons make 600K a year, i guess its okay to make them do 12 in a row right? oh, and players have no salasry during the playoffs.

-nhl poll : exactly my point. fans like it, but fans ARE NOT THE ONLY PEOPLE INVOLVED IN THE GAME.

Neurosurgeons indeed a lot of money per year. They are paid for their jobs; they do not do 12 in a row because they are not required to, and because they are working on brains. It would be unwise.

Hockey players, meanwhile, are paid to play hockey, up to and including any number of overtimes. They are in good shape for this reason.

Fans are not the only people involved in the game, true. However, they're the earth that the players live on, as they pay the players` salaries. This makes fans effectively the most important part of the NHL.

[Guest REDWINGS4LYFE]

i guess shanny is geting senile with age, he might even be lazier than mr donut eating, butter licking pizza eater chip lover hamburger eating mc donalds #1 customer MR ROBERT LANG

[Lou_Siffer 1]

ugh, sounds like Shanahan is up to his shannygans again..

Edited May 1, 2007 by Lou_Siffer

[CAredwingsfan91 28]

the day the NHL brings the shootout into the playoffs is the day i'm officially done with the NHL and Bettman.

[Kp-Wings 3]

the day the NHL brings the shootout into the playoffs is the day i'm officially done with the NHL and Bettman.

That's the traditional Maple Leaf purist attitude I like to see. Right on!

Edited May 1, 2007 by Kp-Wings

[ILWingsFan1 0]

OT is the ONLY way to decide a playoff game. I don't even like shootouts in the regular season, but no way in h-e-double hockey sticks should a shootout be seen in playoff hockey.

[eva unit zero 271]

Moving to 4-on-4 OT would not be a problem.

The NHA, the forerunner to the NHL in which the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Queec Bulldogs, and Montreal Wanderers played (That's four of the original five NHL teams), they used a 6-on-6 system including the positions we know as well as the rover.

Early competitor leagues for the NHL also used the rover--the PCHA, which competed yearly with the NHL for the Cup until 1926, had possibly the most famous player to ever play the position--Fred 'Cyclone' Taylor, who was Bobby Orr before Bobby Orr was.

[Guest Tunbo Batman]

dont get me wrong : i hate SOs with a passion. 0 team play and dangerously inflated staistics for everyone, especially bad teams. but 4-on-4 would make sure it doesnt end at 4:15AM.