When Jake Oettinger attended NHL games in Minnesota growing up, he loved when the two teams playing got through regulation and overtime and then went to the shootout.“You feel like you won the lottery: You get to watch a shootout,” said Oettinger, whose perspective hasn’t changed much after five seasons tending goal in the league for the Dallas Stars. “I see how some people are like, it’s stupid, but then also it’s fun. You get to be basically in the spotlight, and you get decide the game.”After 5,729 ties in the NHL’s first 87 seasons, a controversial change was made in 2005 to eliminate what many considered to be a relic of a bygone era of the tradition-heavy sport. In the past 20 years since, 2,486 games have gone to a shootout. Fans love the format, which is a mainstay in international compeititions like the Winter Olympics.An entire generation of players and fans have never seen a tie in an NHL game, just the 1-on-1 competition for a minimum of three rounds to ensure one side goes home with a win and the other with a loss. It is part of the fabric of hockey.“It was a big transition,” said Erik Christensen, the most successful shootout specialist in league history with goals on more than half his attempts. “I think if you’re a true hockey fan, you can be happy with a great game that ends in a 2-2 tie. But we’re in the entertainment industry, and people want to walk out of there seeing a winner and a …
