I don't really see it as a skills competition. It's more of just stripping the extraneous crap out as you get further past regulation to get down to the essence of the game, which is a skater trying to put a puck past a goaltender. 5-on-5, 4-on-4, 1-on-1. There are more ways to win a ballgame than the home run (tell that to the Cubs), whereas hockey only has one way to score, so I don't see it as just a skills competition. Of course, I'd rather see a 10-minute overtime so that the shootout is more of a last resort (I sure see a lot of 'em on Sportscenter), and for it to count as a full win and full loss, but I takes what I can gets.