Abstract
Evidence from professional soccer suggests that time spent preparing for shootouts predicts shootout performance. Using a liberal alpha level, Jordet and Hartman (2008) found players who prepared their shots slowly were 73% more likely to have scored in soccer shootouts than players who prepared quickly (p = .098). The authors surmised that, to get the stressful shootout "over with," some players rushed their shots, resulting in poor performance. Building on research examining shootouts in the National Hockey League (NHL; e.g., McEwan et al., 2012), the main objective of the present study was to explore whether player approach speed predicted performance in NHL shootouts. Based on Jordet and Hartman's findings, we hypothesized that players with slow or moderate approach speeds would be more likely to score than players with a fast approach speed. We conducted frame-by-frame video analyses of 2,551 shootouts (357 games) from the 2013-2014 through 2015-2016 seasons. We then created groups representing different player approach speeds: slow, moderate, and fast. Logistic regression analyses indicated player approach speed did not predict shootout performance. Additional analyses indicated neither shot type (i.e., shot or deke) nor approach tactic (i.e., direct or indirect) predicted shootout performance. However, shooter quality was related to performance (OR = 1.06, 95% CI [1.05-1.06]), suggesting players with higher average shootout scoring percentages had slightly greater odds of scoring. Our findings concerning player approach speed do not align with those concerning preparation time in soccer. The dynamic nature of hockey shootouts relative to soccer shootouts might explain this discrepancy.
