Choosing Shootout Shooters in Adult Rec

[Davetronz 109]

I want to get opinions on how you choose shootout shooters on your adult rec teams.

As the C on my team I'm usually the one responsible for choosing the shootout shooters when necessary.

I'm all about fairness on my team and trying to give everyone an opportunity regardless of skill.

I've played on teams where the Captain and his two buddies or the ringers are always the guys who get to shoot and it sucks.

In the regular season I try to give everyone a chance at the shootout, if possible.

I try to consider whoever is having an awesome game, whoever is sitting a goal away from a hat trick, etc. But sometimes it comes down to who hasn't had a chance to shoot yet.

Sometimes this ends up costing me games in the regular season, but hey, it's adult rec - and I'm happy to have a team with nearly zero player turnover.

In playoffs I tend to rely more on my stronger sticks and the guys who are having an above average game.

I've tried making it into a democratic process and the guys otherwise take too long to decide, or choose our three strongest players all the time, which isn't necessarily "fair".

There's always the guys too that won't shoot, or won't suggest anyone else to shoot too.

Thoughts? What do you guys do on your teams? What's the best trade off between successful shootouts and happy players?

[Chadd 916]

I believe in putting guys in a position to succeed. If you have guys that never score on breakaways, putting them in a shootout doesn't seem like a good idea to me.

[Law Goalie 147]

No reason not to reward good play, but Chadd's right: putting a guy who's had a good defensive effort in a position to blow the game isn't necessarily a great idea.

Generally speaking, the guy most likely to succeed in a shootout is a guy who can pick his spot and place his shot. Great hands and slick moves are well and good, but against a goalie of equal calibre, they're less successful than a well-placed shot -- unless the shooter has a terrifically convincing fake shot, and then they'll do much, much better. Sub-pro goalies typically have *very* weak fake resistance, unless they're so slow and inept that they can't even respond to the fake.

[x-axis 44]

My old team picked shooters based on who scored goals that game. It was very fair and everyone agreed. When there were more shooters needed than we had goals scored, we went based off of play. Not best play, but whomever was making their best effort that game. Everyone deserves to be the "hero," but you only deserve that chance when you play your best.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

My old team picked shooters based on who scored goals that game. It was very fair and everyone agreed. When there were more shooters needed than we had goals scored, we went based off of play. Not best play, but whomever was making their best effort that game. Everyone deserves to be the "hero," but you only deserve that chance when you play your best.

I agree totally with giving the goal scorers first dibs. After that, as the lowest level guy on the ice on any given night, I'm totally fine with putting our snipers out there. I'm a team guy, so if sitting on the bench means we win, I'll do it.

In fact, I'll often sit out if we're down a goal with under 2 mins left. No sense in not putting better guys on the ice.

[interpathway 9]

^^ And people are blown away with how humble hockey players can be.

The shootout does suck, it takes a 15 man unit and places three players on a pedestal for a half-assed tie breaker. But it's adult league. The rink needs to close eventually, or other people are waiting for the zam.

The ice is always crap at this point, you take the three guys that can put it where they want it, because getting fancy will bounce the puck right off your stick.

Meaningless game, nothing riding on the SO other than small Sunday night pride?, let some off-the-wall picks get their shot.

[hunt3rsean 44]

I agree totally with giving the goal scorers first dibs. After that, as the lowest level guy on the ice on any given night, I'm totally fine with putting our snipers out there. I'm a team guy, so if sitting on the bench means we win, I'll do it.

In fact, I'll often sit out if we're down a goal with under 2 mins left. No sense in not putting better guys on the ice.

I'm in the same boat. I'm a team guy and will do whatever is asked of me. Normally, this only means to fill in as center if we're short guys. Once, this meant I had to fill in on D when we were very short on players.

I'm not the greatest player on our team but I'm also not the worst. I play hard every game. I am usually good for 1 or 2 points per game and play a strong 2-way game. I'm often congratulated on strong plays along boards, in the d-zone, and setting up scoring plays. I am often sent in when down a goal with only a couple minutes left or if it's a tie game and we end up on the PK.

But despite all of this...I am not a shootout person. I do not do well on breakways as far as faking out the goalie. I either have to pre-decide on a move or make the decision to look for a weak spot and just shoot. The latter typically works best for me. But, this makes me a weak shoot-out option on a stronger goalie who can play his angles. I understand this and have no problem not being included. In my 4 or 5 years with the same team I've been chosen maybe twice for a shootout.

My thought process is that if you've made it to the shoot-out....you win to put the game away and hit the lockerroom with a W. If choosing the same select group of players makes this happen. . .then I would do so. My team does it and no one complains. We all know our strengths/weakness' and no one wants to be the cause of a loss. While we never get down on the shooters (or goalie) for not getting us the W....we'd prefer to have that good shot at winning the shootout.

I agree that being fair to keep team unity together is a valid point. And depending on how your teammates are...that may be the better way to go. But my team is very competative so it's a non-issue for us.

In you're position....I would rotate through your compitant shoot out persons. May not even have to use the best guys all the time, but definitely don't put your stay at home defensemen in the shootout unless you absolutely have to.

[ibeck 38]

On my team we rotate in who has scored that game, who played well that game and who hasn't had an attempt during the season. When it's playoff time you go with your top guys/most likely to score. It is only adult league and people want to have fun but people also want to win.

[Doctor Hook 0]

Best shooters get the nod, IMHO. I have no problem sitting myself down in waning moments to get a more offensive player in my spot when the game is on the line. I get it's only beer league, but I'm a team first kind of guy and I'm willing to sacrifice for the W and the squad.

[Davetronz 109]

On my team we rotate in who has scored that game, who played well that game and who hasn't had an attempt during the season. When it's playoff time you go with your top guys/most likely to score. It is only adult league and people want to have fun but people also want to win.

This basically sums up what we do as well.

Good to see the different perspectives and opinions. Chadd brings up an interesting point, but for the sake of player development though (especially at a lower rec level), I would have no problem giving someone a chance, even though they might fail. If I was playing on one of my top division teams I'm more focused on the win at all costs/competitive aspect, but with rec it's more to me about giving everyone a go, and building skills and confidences.

[ibeck 38]

Chadd brings up an interesting point, but for the sake of player development though (especially at a lower rec level), I would have no problem giving someone a chance, even though they might fail.

Just like with the wife, you gotta pick your battles until the games really count

[Davetronz 109]

Just like with the wife, you gotta pick your battles until the games really count

Well, I guess it counts for something that I've run this team longer than I was married... LOL

[ibeck 38]

Married to the game forever!

[Munsons 2]

In my league the teams all make a list based on player number, then we just go through the list in order throughout the season. In the playoffs it's up to each team, though. This pretty much only works if all teams are willing to do it. It's nice to get a chance to shoot when the games aren't as important.

[Chadd 916]

Just like with the wife, you gotta pick your battles until the games really count

I agree completely. I haven't had a shootout in three or four years, so it's more theoretical for me. If this happens in a regular season game, my thinking would be very different from a playoff game.

[fatwabbit 93]

Regular season game, I think just give everyone a chance? Maybe a rolling roster of people for the shootouts. I havent had the chance to take a shootout for close to 3 years, and the last time I did was because it was my last game for the team before moving to another state.

[Tikkanen 1]

I think the best way is to go survivor mode. Start with your best guys, if they miss in the shootout they get bumped to the back of the line. If you score the next time you take another shot. The problem I've had on a team is the best guys always went in the shootout and they always missed. Not once or twice I'm talking repeatedly. At some point guys need to sit their asses down and give somebody else a chance but they have egos the size of Kansas so they won't. You score, you're in for the next time, you miss you're out. Will make guys think twice about trying to go top shelf on their back hand and putting it into the glass.

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

No reason not to reward good play, but Chadd's right: putting a guy who's had a good defensive effort in a position to blow the game isn't necessarily a great idea.

I agree with this, and coming from one of those players who probably only gets called on when a captain is trying to be 'fair,' I actually hate it when they do that (unless it's a totally friendly and non competitive skate)... not because I'm loathe to take the shot (I know I have no shootout skills but I don't mind the practice), but because it's kind of insulting. When a captain puts out the weaker players or D-men who haven't been an offensive threat in the entire game, it can feel a little patronizing. I appreciate the generosity, but in a league game, even if it's just recreational, I still like to win, and I hustled my ass off all game tying up sticks in front of the net or digging pucks out of corners to help that effort. When you put me up against the other team's sharpshooter because it's 'nice' to put the girl in the shootout or whatever, it ends up insulting me and my entire game-long efforts more than anything else. From time to time, if I have a strong game or I've played several shifts on offense or had some good shots, then I appreciate the nod but I think generally when captains over think the decision, what might be a good intention to keep things 'fair' ends up trading potential success for charity. Not a great trade in my opinion.

[Chadd 916]

From time to time, if I have a strong game or I've played several shifts on offense or had some good shots, then I appreciate the nod but I think generally when captains over think the decision, what might be a good intention to keep things 'fair' ends up trading potential success for charity. Not a great trade in my opinion.

Most of the guys I play with agree that "fair" doesn't always mean "equal".

[Stewie 721]

as one of the better scorers on my teams, i get picked for shootouts a lot. i am not sure how i feel about this because the competitor in me wants to win it for my team during the game, but after the game i have a quick rebound ability and could care less if we won or lost because in the end, all teams make the playoffs in my leagues and record matters little. That and its just the beer leagues. Truth be told, I am not the greatest shootout guy yet, its one of the areas in my game that still needs to be improved after my long team play layoff.

[technophile 0]

I think it depends on the league (and your team). In a casual beer league/developmental league/C-league, I say start at the top of the roster (or the bottom) and work your way down, so everyone gets a chance to try it. I did this when I captained a C-league team and we had a blast (didn't hurt that in our last playoff game we went 12 skaters deep in the shootout). Then again, I explicitly picked people who I knew were there to have fun and wouldn't get bent out of shape if we did stuff like that.

In a more competitive league, or a team with a couple of players who just can't handle not worrying about competitiveness, I'd go with another solution (ask for volunteers, pick the game's scorers, whatever), but I'd discuss it with the team first to make sure nobody was really upset at how it was going to work.

[IPv6Freely 2092]

Honestly, I think the only ones who would ever get bent out of shape over not getting to take a shot are the ones that think they are better than they are. I can't speak for all the crappy players out there (like myself), but I'm pretty sure those who KNOW they aren't very good "know their role".