I’m not going to punch a gift horse in the wickets but that morning drive seemed somewhat uneventful compared to what was being warned. Oddly, it appeared to be more the responsibility of people driving intelligently and responsibly and less about preparation as snow removal had either not begun or was in the early stages for the tour from Bolton to the 410/401 interchange. I have a feeling a good 30-50% of the people who are normally accompanying on my morning drive decided to stay home, and those that took the challenge on did so with two hands on the wheel and a whole lot of patience. Good to see.
Lots of talk on the FAN590 about shootouts with some morning team members (*cough*Landry*cough*) continuing to have a strong dislike for the regular season method of settling NHL conflicts. I, personally, continue to have love for shootouts and strong dislike for awarding points to losers. It’s had me thinking lately about what I deem is the optimal solution to NHL game pointing:
Three 20-minute periods
One five-minute 4-on-4 overtime
One five-minute 3-on-3 overtime
Shootout
This delivers 10 minutes of exciting overtime hockey featuring the fast-paced scoring folks you’d expect on a power play, with the shootout being the last resort to rid the game of ties altogether. My optimal pointing system is one point for a win and none for a loss, but I understand this is stressful to the masses. How about three points for a regulation win, two points for an overtime win, one point for a shootout win, and zero points for the loser, no matter when they lost?
Oh, and fire Gary Bettman. Hire a smart Canadian CEO with a love for hockey and a reputation in business. But fire Bettman. Live. On Hockey Night in Canada.