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 internati

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