The View From Wisconsin

This was born out of a comment made in passing by a fellow hockey fan friend, about wanting to do something different than the shootout to determine the winner of a tie game.

Many of the "purists" that follow the game of hockey absolutely abhor the shootout as a means to break a tied game after 65 minutes of play.

The main complaint is that the shootout is too much of an individual contest, and throws the "team" concept out the window.

However, few people have tried to come up with a better way to break a tie game in regular season play.

A simple way to get around the "individual contest" problem would be to have an exchange of power plays instead of penalty shots.

This is where the Power Play Overtime would come in.

THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME PERIOD

The Power-Play Overtime (PPOT) would be divided into three parts: the visiting team's half-period, the home team's half-period, and the sudden-death period(s).

Here is how it would work:

· If the game remains tied after the five minute four-on-four overtime period, the two teams advance to the Power Play Overtime.

· Each team shall get one two-minute power-play opportunity with a five-on-four man-advantage, called a "half-period".

· The first half-period begins with the visiting team is on the power play. Each half-period in the PPOT begins with a face-off at center ice.

· When the visitor's half-period expires, the home team shall begin their power-play attempt on the five-on-four man advantage.

· A team's half-period power-play attempt ends under one of the following situations:

o When the team with the man advantage scores a goal.

o When time expires on the man advantage.

o When one team is called for a penalty, or a penalty is called that would leave one team short-handed.

· If one team scores, and the other team does not, after both half-periods end, the game is over and the team scoring the goal wins the game.

· If both teams score, or both teams fail to score in their power play attempts, the two teams advance to a sudden-death power-play overtime period.

THE SUDDEN-DEATH POWER-PLAY OVERTIME PERIOD

The sudden-death power play overtime differs from the first in that the first team that scores a goal wins the game. Other differences between the two PPOT's:

· The power play in the sudden-death PPOT period shall be a two-man advantage (five on three) for each team.

· The two teams shall continue to exchange two-man advantages until one team scores.

PENALTIES IN THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME

Penalties shall be called on teams and players in the PPOT as they would during the rest of the game. However, the results of a penalty in the PPOT are different than in regulation, as they depend on what team commits the penalty, and when it is committed.

· If the visiting team commits a penalty while on the power play in the PPOT, the half-period ends and the home team begins their half-period.

o If the home team scores a power-play goal in their half-period, they win the game.

o If the visiting team scores short-handed during the home team's man-advantage, the home team must score a goal to send the game to the sudden-death PPOT. If they do so, they shall get the first five-on-three power play in the sudden death PPOT. If they don't, the visiting team wins the game.

o If neither team scores a goal, the home team gets the first five-on-three power play in the sudden-death PPOT.

· If the home team commits a penalty while on the power play, the first PPOT is over.

o If the visiting team scored a goal in their half-period, they win the game.

o If the home team scored a short-handed goal in the visitors' half-period, the visiting team will be given a two-minute, five-on-three power play to tie the game. If they fail to score a goal (or the home team scores a short-handed goal), the home team wins the game. If the visitors score a goal, they shall get another two-minute, five-on-three power play in the sudden death PPOT.

o If neither team scored a goal, the visiting team gets the first five-on-three power play in the sudden-death PPOT.

· If the home team commits a penalty while short-handed in the first PPOT, the following occurs:

o The half-period ends;

o They forfeit their half-period in the first OT; and

o The visiting team gets the first five-on-three power play in the sudden-death PPOT.

· If the visiting team commits a penalty while short-handed in the first PPOT, the following occurs:

o The half-period ends,

o If the visiting team scored a goal, either while on the power play or while short-handed, prior to the penalty, the home team will be given a two-minute, five-on-three power play to tie the game. If they do not score a goal to tie the game, the visiting team wins the game. If they score a goal and tie the game, they shall get another two-minute, five-on-three power play in the sudden death PPOT.

o If the visiting team did not score a goal prior to the penalty, the home team gets the first five-on-three power play in the sudden-death PPOT.

PENALTIES IN SUDDEN-DEATH POWER-PLAY OVERTIME

Penalties in the sudden-death PPOT are simpler than the first PPOT period:

· If the team that is on the power-play commits a penalty in the sudden death PPOT period, their half-period ends, and the other team begins their half-period two-man-advantage.

· If the team that is short-handed commits a penalty in the sudden death PPOT period, the captain of the team on the power play may choose one player from his team to take a penalty shot against the opposing goaltender. If the player scores, the game is over and the scorer's team wins. If he doesn't score, the power-play period continues as normal.

DELAYED PENALTIES IN THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME

· On a delayed penalty call, if the team that was fouled scores a goal, play shall continue as if the goal had been scored under circumstances listed previously.

· The only time which a team may pull its goaltender and not risk losing the extra point in the standings for forcing overtime is when there is a delayed penalty call. Any other time, the team pulling its goaltender shall lose its point in the standings should they lose the game.

· On a delayed penalty call, the team committing the penalty may not be credited with a goal unless the fouled team intentionally knocks the puck into their own net.

SERVING PENALTIES IN THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME

· A player who commits a penalty in the PPOT is given an automatic game disqualification, except for the goaltender.

· If a goaltender receives a minor penalty, the captain or alternate of the penalized team may choose any other eligible ("dressed") player to serve the game disqualification for the goaltender.

· The team of any player who is given a double-minor, major or misconduct penalty (except when said penalty is coincidental) shall lose their point in the standings for a regulation tie, if they lose the game.

· Coincidental penalties shall not result in the termination of a half-period, unless a player from one team is given a "larger" penalty (i.e., a major instead of a minor) than the other team.

· If one team runs out of eligible players due to the game disqualification process, the other team may choose to send its remaining players out on the ice, one at a time, to take penalty shots at the opposing goaltender until one player scores.

SHORT-HANDED GOALS IN THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME

Short-handed goals are treated differently than power-play goals in the overtime period.

· A half-period does not stop if a short-handed goal is scored, unless:

o The team scoring the short-handed goal has already scored a goal in the first PPOT period; or

o The goal is scored in the sudden-death PPOT period.

· In either of these cases, the game is over, and the team scoring the short-handed goal wins the game. Otherwise, play shall continue as prescribed above.

NOTES ABOUT THE POWER-PLAY OVERTIME PERIODS

· All goals, shots, ice time, penalties and other statistics shall all be credited to the individual players and teams.

· Penalties shall be credited as normal for player statistics (i.e., a minor will be 2 minutes, a major 5, a misconduct 10).

· Teams that win in the PPOT will receive two points in the standings, while the losing team will receive one point, unless they had a major penalty called against them or they pulled their goaltender in a non-delayed-penalty situation.

· Goaltenders shall be credited with the win or an OT loss in the PPOT.

· Time of goals and penalties shall be scored from the beginning of the overtime period in question. (e.g., a goal scored one minute into the first half-period shall be given a time of goal of 1:00; a penalty registered 20 seconds later in the second half-period shall be given a time of penalty of 1:20.) The clock shall continue to run until each two-minute half-period is complete.

· The timekeeper shall keep track of the two-minute half-periods by way of the penalty timer.

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