In what year did the NHL introduce the shootout?

In what year did the NHL introduce the shootout? The answer is 2005.

The NHL added shootouts for the 2005–06 season, following the 2004–05 lockout that canceled the entire campaign. The new rule gave regular-season games a decisive finish after a five-minute overtime period, preventing ties while preserving a standings point for the overtime loser.

The first official NHL regular-season shootout took place on October 5, 2005, in the Battle of Ontario between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs. Ottawa won 3–2, with Daniel Alfredsson scoring the first shootout goal against Toronto goaltender Ed Belfour. Dany Heatley also scored during that historic shootout.

A common mix-up is confusing the NHL’s shootout with playoff overtime. Shootouts decide tied regular-season games, but Stanley Cup playoff games continue through sudden-death overtime periods until someone scores. The NHL later changed overtime from four-on-four to three-on-three in 2015, but the shootout remains the regular-season tiebreaker.