Multiple NHL players call on league to abolish the shootout

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Liam McCormick
August 25, 2024 (1:23 PM)

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The NHL shootout has long been a polarizing method to end a hockey game, and now a few players have called for the league to move past it entirely.

Insider Elliotte Friedman recently asked a handful of players at the European Media Tour if there was any changes they'd make to the NHL. Sam Ersson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Tomas Hertl all said they'd like to get rid of the shootout. David Pastrnak mentioned that the game winning shootout goal should count towards individual statistics.

Not many hockey purists accept the shootout as a legitimate and fair way to settle the score of a hockey game - it's basically an individual skill competition that is the complete opposite of the team sport that hockey truly is. It's interesting to hear two goalies specifically mention banning the shootout too, considering that the goaltender is the only player repeatedly featured and the one who takes all the consequence if it's a loss. The fact that playoff games would never end in a shootout is a recognition that it's not really a fair way to end a game.

The reality is that the NHL needs to have games reliably end an a short window of time for television purposes, but some even believe that could be achieved with amendments to overtime. It's not out of the question that when the next CBA agreement comes up in the 2025-26 season that the NHL may discuss some changes to shootout and overtime, especially if enough players are talking about it.