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Host, TSN The Reporters with Dave Hodge

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THUMBS UP
Thumbs up to Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano, Peter Forsberg, Rob Blake, Bill McCreary and the late Pat Burns, the Hockey Hall of Fame's Class of 2014, and thumbs down to any Hockey Hall of Fame debates … for the time being, at least.

It is the right time to celebrate the achievements of six great men, and it is the wrong time to wonder who got snubbed this time, or who should or shouldn't be elected in 2015 and beyond.

The HHOF will never escape controversy. It benefits from all the talk that accompanies the decisions of its selection committee, and there certainly wouldn't be as much talk if some of those decisions weren't questioned. But nothing should get in the way of the celebration that is Hockey Hall of Fame weekend.

Celebrate the people, their families, and their accomplishments and contributions to the game of hockey, and use them to remember again what hockey means to those who love it. Hockey Hall of Fame arguments? Some other time.

THUMBS DOWN
My thumb is down to the NHL for continuing to hold its nose when a shootout takes place. It probably prefers to break the nose of anyone bold enough to suggest that the shootout adds to the entertainment of a hockey game that might otherwise have been lacking in that department. 

NHL general managers are set to discuss again the merits of adding a 3-on-3 overtime component in an effort to reduce the number of games decided via shootout. Okay, I'm fine with that. But there will still be shootouts and the NHL will continue to decry their value. 

Imagine a restaurant praising its main courses and apologizing for its dessert menu. The alternative, which would be more consistent if less sensible, would be to eliminate the shootout entirely and return to the days of the old-fashioned, boring tie. And if  the NHL is not prepared to do that, it should embrace the shootout. One or the other - is that asking too much?