Leksand, Sweden — Let the stars shoot.
That's the philosophy of the International Ice Hockey Federation, when it comes to shootouts. And it explains why Jonathan Toews was able to score three times during the shootout in Canada's win over the U.S. on Wednesday at the world junior championship.
In NHL shootouts, no player gets a second chance until all of his teammates have taken a shot. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals each went through 15 players in a game Nov. 26, 2005 before Marek Malik finally scored to end the shootout.
In international hockey, only the first three shooters have to be different. After that, a team can go with the same player over and over if the coach chooses.
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"The rationale behind introducing the shootout was to give the fans an increased element of entertainment and more exciting moments," IIHF spokesman Szymon Szemberg said Thursday.
"You want to have the most skilful players perform this most exciting entertainment. Do you want to see Jonathan Toews take the shot or a defensive defenceman?"
The IIHF approach, however, removes the drama of less offensive-minded players having to step up to the plate when the game is on the line.
Toews was third among Canada's initial three players to take the shootout in Wednesday's semifinal. He scored and was sent back in as Canada's fifth and seventh shooter, winning the game for Canada with his third shootout score.
Bryan Little got two chances in the shootout and went 1-for-2. The Americans went with Peter Mueller, who was good on two of three tries.
Another difference between international and NHL hockey is Toews was awarded a goal for scoring the winner, bringing his total to three. Shootout goals don't count in NHL individual statistics.
In the NHL, the home team has the choice of shooting first or second in the NHL.
In international hockey, the order is decided by a coin flip but if the game is still tied after three players from each country have taken their shots, the order is supposed to be reversed. That was overlooked in Canada's game against the U.S.
Also, an NHL goaltender can't be replaced during the shootout unless he is injured.
In international hockey, teams are free to change goaltenders after each shot. Russia made a substitution during a shootout in the 2000 world junior final, but ended up losing to the Czech Republic.
Soccer shootouts mirror the NHL approach, requiring teams to rotate through the lineup before players can go again.
