a plea for ties in NHL hockey

I'm tired of the NHL shootout. It has run its course. It should just end. I cringe whenever I see it in a box score. I turn off the game if it goes to shootout. I avoid watching shootout highlights.

Maybe the shootout had a purpose back in the reforms introduced in 2005. That was a generation ago now. Hockey can change, as it changed when the shootout came in.

My proposal is to bring back the tie in regular season NHL hockey. I never minded tie games. One point each team, an honourable and hard earned split. Shootout does not increase excitement or fan satisfaction. Shootout is mathematically distorting, as some games award three points, and some award just two. 

Shootout messes up and distorts the standings. It's hard to tell if a team is really a winning team or a losing team. At least if nothing else, as a start, fix the standings. The won-lost-overtime/shootout lost is so unsatisfactory. You look at a team like LA Kings, 12-11-6. that doesn't look that bad, 12-11 a winning team. the third number means they lost those 6 games, so does that make them 12-17?

if there must be shootout then properly distinguish clean regulation wins from lesser overtime, and even lesser cheesy shootout wins. so 4 numbers, regular time wins, regular time losses, OT-SO wins, OT-SO losses. it would at least highlight how a team is really doing. we effectively can't really tell now.

the format of overtime is now also lacking. I'm sure the 3-on-3 overtime was meant to create action and excitement. what I've observed is there is often a lack of intensity to the overtimes, players not seeming to skate or defend all that hard. also 3 on 3 limits the number of players who can participate, making half the team spectators; same problem as shootout, not a team effort.

so getting to my point. a solution. I'll call it 4:4:4. four-on-four overtime for four minutes. winning team two points, losing team zero points. ties are back, one point each. I think this would restore intensity to overtime, get rid of shootout which has run its course, get more skaters involved in overtime, still more room to skate and score in overtime