Unlike many on social media, I don't believe NBC analyst Mike Milbury and others should be exiled to the Arctic Circle for suggesting that the NHL's overtime format needs to be altered.
I just disagree. Passionately. Intensely.
I have a difficult time understanding how anyone who watched the Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Columbus Blue Jackets' five overtime classic could come away thinking it would have been more desirable to decide that outcome with three-on-three OT or, heaven forbid, a shootout.
When Brayden Point finally scored, I was disappointed it was over. I was hoping the game might push into a sixth overtime, perhaps flirt with the Mud Bruneteau 1936 game for the honor of being the longest playoff game in NHL history.
Blue Jackets goalie Joonas Korpisalo posted 85 saves. Columbus defenseman Seth Jones played more than 65 minutes. The two teams combined for 151 shots on goal. It seemed like both teams blocked a million shots.
Was anyone bored by that game? Every time the puck turned in the other direction you were on the edge of your seat.
I understand the argument for "modernizing" the playoff overtime format. The first person to ever bring that up to me -- and it was 18 years ago -- was Russian great Igor Larionov.
A couple of days after Larionov scored a triple-overtime goal for the Detroit Red Wings to win a Stanley Cup Final game, he told me he didn't appreciate long NHL playoff games because the longer the game lasted the more it became about luck.
He said fatigue was too important in long playoff games, and fatigue usually leads to bad breaks. Larionov told me he preferred a reasonable length overtime and then go to a shootout, like in World Cup Soccer. Larionov's argument is that a playoff game is too important to let it be determined by luck. It should be determined by skill. In a shootout, at least skill is required to be successful.
He pointed that World Cup Soccer is much bigger on the world stage, and a shootout is accepted in that sport.
Although I have unwavering respect for Larionov and his opinions, I was not persuaded. I argued that the NHL overtime format makes our sport unique. And I felt that fighting through the fatigue is a tradition of our sport. Our gauntlet is more difficult to handle. Plus, how often do we get the marathon overtime games? It's not an everyday occurrence. That's what makes them special.
Both the Lightning and Blue Jackets played impressively throughout Tuesday's five-overtime game.
Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper said he was amazed by the plays the athletes were making in the midst of their fatigue. "It was remarkable," Cooper said.
Yes, it was.
I believing it's important that we keep reviewing how we play our sport. We shouldn't be afraid of change. It's important Milbury and others raise these issues. Regular analysis is crucial to a healthy sports world.
But we shouldn't change just because we have been doing it this way for many years.
This way works. What are talking about this morning? The five overtime game. We are talking about it because it was entertaining and compelling The idea that we keep playing until we score in overtime is a tradition that needs to be maintained.