It's time to celebrate the best thing about the NHL playoffs, which begin tonight: No more regular-season overtime rules.
I'm not talking about shootouts. I laid out three fundamental principles for overtime when The Mag looked at how to fix rules across sports, and even though shootouts irritate some traditionalists, they pretty much satisfy all three. First, shootouts don't do a bad job of preserving the essential character of hockey while pushing games toward conclusive results. The skills involved in scoring on breakaway shots are much more central to overall hockey talent than, say, penalty-kick scoring is to soccer ability. And shootouts only come after a four-on-four, sudden-death OT period, anyway. Second, they're fair. Third, they're fun.
What's the real problem with NHL overtimes--and how can the league fix it? To find out, you must be an ESPN Insider.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
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Peter Keating
Keating's blog covers the world of statistics and analytics. He will examine concepts for evaluating athletes and teams across all sports, not just those commonly associated with sabermetrics. He'll introduce researchers who are developing sports analytical tools. And he will present and examine "Next Level" findings from ESPN -- data analysis that goes beyond official statistics to explain strategies and performance.
Keating is a senior writer at ESPN the Magazine, where he has covered investigative and financial stories since 1999. He coordinates The Mag's annual "Ultimate Standings" project, which ranks all pro franchises according to how much they give back to fans. His work on concussions in football has earned awards from the Deadline Club, the New York Press Club and the Center for the Study of Sport in Society.
As an athlete, Keating has always combined the speed of Lou Piniella with the glovework of Darryl Strawberry, two childhood favorites. He lives in Montclair, N.J., with his wife, Karen, and their daughters, Eleanor and Samantha.
E-mail Peter: pkeating.nj@verizon.net or follow him on Twitter: @PKStatsBlog.