Do the playoffs start too late?

[Rob]

No.

If it starts earlier they'll line up against the entire NFL season. The league doesn't need to get it's teeth kicked in by the NFL on scheduling for 5 months

I don’t think all the league’s decisions should be based on trying to get more viewers in middle America

 

[ricky0034]

yes but I wouldn't start the season earlier

82 games is too many just cut like a month or so of games

edit: although that would mean less money so obviously neither the owners or players would ever agree to that

 

[CokenoPepsi]

I don't know why the playoffs are starting a week later this year

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

Definitely

 

[Satoru Gojo]

This season? Yes for sure

I think it’s more because of the late start to the season. Mid October is too late for the start of the season. They should move it up to mid/late September.

I always liked when they started on the weekend of Canadian Thanksgiving but they did away with that some time ago

 

[Xspyrit]

The playoffs should be starting this week. Begin the season earlier if you must. Hockey in late June is ridiculous.

No, hockey needs to be 12 months a year

 

[shakes the clown]

Also, you know what starts too late? The f***ing games.

"7:00 PM" local time and if it's any kind of national game, they're playing hockey at 7:34.

That's going to be the entire playoffs.

agree 100%.

I wish playoff games started at 6:00 central or 5:00 if there's a double header. I'm in bed asleep by 10:30 every night. And I own this crazy invention called a DVR so I'm capable of recording a game and then starting it a couple hours later when I get home from work.

 

[ACC1224]

I miss the COVID summer playoffs.
Start the season in December and run it to August.

 

[Suntouchable13]

Playoffs should begin at least 10 days earlier than they do this year. At least. Quite frankly, the regular season feels like it’s really dragging. We should be starting the playoffs next week. Not on the freaking 20th of April

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Playoffs should be done completely before June. Unless it's my team in the finals, I lose all interest in watching hockey that time of year.

 

[MasterofGrond]

Yes.

Also, the season should be shortened. Absolutely a pipe dream in general, and especially in a more gate driven league, but I'd cut it down to 70 games.

 

[Dog]

Yes.

Also, the season should be shortened. Absolutely a pipe dream in general, and especially in a more gate driven league, but I'd cut it down to 70 games.

The 70 range or 72 games is what I would do

 

[Golden_Jet]

Yes.

Also, the season should be shortened. Absolutely a pipe dream in general, and especially in a more gate driven league, but I'd cut it down to 70 games.

Ya would like the same, 70-72, just get the players to take a 10% cut, cut the TV contracts the same, and anything else needed, and all is well.

 

[Brodeur]

I suppose I might be harping too much on SCF TV ratings, but just wanted to point out the viewership for the NBC games:

2010: Chicago/Philadelphia
Game 1: 4.428 million viewers
Game 2: 5.892 million
Game 5: 5.858 million
Game 6: 8.279 million

2013: Chicago/Boston
Game 1: 6.358 million
Game 2: 6.459 million
Game 5: 5.632 million
Game 6: 8.16 million

2015: Chicago/Tampa
Game 1: 5.547 million
Game 2: 6.649 million
Game 5: 5.267 million
Game 6: 8.005 million

The outlier was Chicago/Philly Game 1 (which was a wild 6-5 game). That went head-to-head against Lakers/Suns Game 6. The other games went unopposed.

If you finish the season earlier, just know that the noticeable chunk of the US audience would choose the NBA playoffs over the NHL. I get how that might be a difficult concept to accept if you live in an area where hockey is #1.

I just know how difficult it would be for me to get a sports bar here to put on playoff hockey over playoff basketball and even regular season baseball. Even at my go to Canadian owned hockey bar in San Diego, I got relegated to a smaller TV for Devils/Panthers Game 7 in 2012 because the rest of the bar was more interested in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

Unfortunately hockey is lower on the totem pole and playing in June is a byproduct of maximizing the audience for what should feel like the climax of the season.

I personally wouldn't mind a shorter season that ended earlier, but I understand that making money would take precedence.

 

[a mangy Meowth]

I got relegated to a smaller TV for Devils/Panthers Game 7 in 2012 because the rest of the bar was more interested in the 1st round of the NFL Draft.

Do you not own a television?

 

[Brodeur]

Do you not own a television?

Going to that bar was more a thing when my friend lived in that area. Usually I'd rather be at home especially if it's a stressful game. A couple other friends joined us. Now that I'm thinking about it, it might have been a going away for one of them that night.

Now that I'm in that head space, I now remember how annoyed I was during that series because 4 games were on NHL Network which wasn't offered by my provider until 2014. I remember having to watch Game 1 at a friend's place. I forget if I had to do the same for the other games. Game 6 I remembered being a Taco Tuesday as my buddy was waiting on me to finish the game before we grabbed dinner.

Probably doesn't help with my short attention span, but I've had a two TV setup in the living room since 2007.

 

[HanSolo]

Just start the season sooner

 

[Boreal01]

Start on October 1st (or Oct 3rd if it's a year where the 1st and/or 2nd are on Sun/Mon) so you can reduce the number of playoff games in June and completely eliminate preseason games in October

 

[David Suzuki]

Love hockey in June not sure what there is to dislike about it. A lot of hockey fans only get a few months at most of nice weather, it's pretty sick to be able to enjoy the finals when it's 30 degrees out and can watch on the deck etc...

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Regular season should start 1st week of September, move the All-Star game to the offseason and the regular season should end in March...playoffs start in April.

 

[pb1300]

Think NHL playoffs are the best of the bunch. Why go against the NBA? Start it a few weeks earlier, and build momentum.

 

[MessierII]

The whole thing should shift just a couple weeks. Camp should start mid September. Game 1 early October. Season ends late march. Playoffs begin right at the start of April. There should never be a playoff game in June.

 

[majormajor]

Having the hockey playoffs when everyone is busy out in the sun is the most discordant feeling.

Ideally the season would be about 65 games, and start in like early September, so the playoffs would run from late February to April.

I understand that they won't shorten the schedule, but they could at least start it all a month or so earlier. June hockey is silly. That and the ice is bad when things get warmer. A big part of the reason why unskilled hockey takes over in the playoffs is because the ice is so bad.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Yes.

Season opener should be Oct 1st each year. Cut out a week of the garbage preseason. If it started Oct 1 the regular season should have ended around April 4th. Playoffs April 8th.