Do you like the shootout?

We know how Terry Murray feels about the shootout. He hates it. He said it last night and then, just to make sure everyone knew, he repeated it for the benefit of a local radio reporter who joined his postgame press conference late.

How do you feel about the shootout, now that it’s in its fifth year? I think not only has the novelty worn off, but I don’t really like it. The first year, especially, you could almost feel the excitement of fans when a shootout loomed. Now it’s just another part of the game. And not a particularly good one, to have two points awarded on the basis of a novelty. Is it an American thing to dislike tie games? When I look at the Kings-Sharks game on Wednesday, that was a tie game, in every sense. I don’t think anyone would have had a problem walking away from that game knowing that each team got one point.

Or how about — if we really need a winner — after 4-on-4 for five minutes, going to 3-on-3 for five minutes? It’s still a novelty, but at least it more closely resembles hockey.

What do you think?