Schedule

[Tommy Hawk]

Ok I'm fine with being wrong....my point was and still is that in a conference payoff set-up, playing outside of the conference is not helpful as you aren't battling those teams for a spot. And how bad would it suck to lose a spot to a team that you never even played that year. Maybe if you beat them you go into the playoffs and they go home, but because you didn't play them you'll never know.

This was the argument last summer that wendell young brought to the BOG, it isn't fair in a conference setting to not play all the teams in your conference, because that 2 points against that opponent might just be the difference between making the playoffs over them and going home and them making it.

Perfect example, Charlotte in 2012-2013.

 

[adsfan]

Be sure to come back and tell me this again if you get beat by 2 points for a playoff spot by a team in the conference that you didn't play during the regular season.

A few seasons ago that was Milwaukee and Rochester. They didn't play each other and were competing for a playoff spot. I think they both got in as 7 and 8. I would have been really angry to see my team end up in 9th without a chance to play the 8th team in the same conference the entire season!

 

[adsfan]

Can't help it - on those rare occasions when you and I see eye-to-eye on something, I have to trumpet the idea.


21 AHL teams are east of Cleveland, if I'm not mistaken. Iowa, Chicago, Rockford, Grand Rapids, Texas, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Charlotte & Cleveland could be unto themselves - wouldn't bother me in the least, and it'd make Western fans happy. The best part about it would be that, with all the NBA arena conflicts in the west, our schedule could come out at a reasonable time.

Hey, you left out Milwaukee!

Second time in this thread, so far.

The 30th largest US city by population. The Bucks don't want the Admirals in their proposed new arena. There have been vague media references.

 

[Rumblick]

Hey, you left out Milwaukee!

Oops - could feel there was one missing, but my brain couldn't make the connection. Mad Cow moment - apologies.

 

[adsfan]

Oops - could feel there was one missing, but my brain couldn't make the connection. Mad Cow moment - apologies.

It is humorous that this has happened twice in this thread. I blame it on craft beers!

Just remember that Chicago is Milwaukee's largest suburb. I told that to a guy from Chicago at a Panthers game. He just looked at me for about 5 seconds before laughing.

 

[axecrew]

It is humorous that this has happened twice in this thread. I blame it on craft beers!

Just remember that Chicago is Milwaukee's largest suburb. I told that to a guy from Chicago at a Panthers game. He just looked at me for about 5 seconds before laughing.

Another thing to keep in mind for all you people out there....while chicago maybe milwaukee's biggest suburb....If they ever decided to close the border between wisconsin and illinois.......wisconsin would go bankrupt.

 

[tigervixxxen]

Thanks for the replies but let me be more specific. I'm an Avs fan so I follow Lake Erie. A friend of mine lives in St Johns and would like to see the Monsters come up there. Toronto and Hamilton, from the same division as the Monsters at the time last year, were on their schedule. That's where my confusion comes in. Was it just a Canadian thing, to get all Canadian teams to play eachother or what? Meanwhile the Monsters had zero eastern conference opponents when they easily could have fit a few in (Albany for example) instead of playing Utica and Rochester 10x each. I don't care how exciting a rivalry is, playing any team that much is the opposite of entertainment.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Another thing to keep in mind for all you people out there....while chicago maybe milwaukee's biggest suburb....If they ever decided to close the border between wisconsin and illinois.......wisconsin would go bankrupt.

And I wouldn't be able to see my cows!!

Thanks for the replies but let me be more specific. I'm an Avs fan so I follow Lake Erie. A friend of mine lives in St Johns and would like to see the Monsters come up there. Toronto and Hamilton, from the same division as the Monsters at the time last year, were on their schedule. That's where my confusion comes in. Was it just a Canadian thing, to get all Canadian teams to play eachother or what? Meanwhile the Monsters had zero eastern conference opponents when they easily could have fit a few in (Albany for example) instead of playing Utica and Rochester 10x each. I don't care how exciting a rivalry is, playing any team that much is the opposite of entertainment.

It is very frustrating for those of us that ant to see other teams and the future NHL talent. It is, apparently, not frustrating for the majority of owners.

 

[adsfan]

Another thing to keep in mind for all you people out there....while chicago maybe milwaukee's biggest suburb....If they ever decided to close the border between wisconsin and illinois.......wisconsin would go bankrupt.

I am pretty sure that those toll booths are on the Illinois side of the border. The state where the income taxes went up from 3% to 5% in one shot. Ouch!

We can import money, food and corrupt politicians from Michigan instead.
I have a Palestinian friend. Maybe he could dig a tunnel under the border for cars!
Or I could drive through the sewers like in the Blues Brothers.

I can't wait for the AHL schedule to come out!

 

[axecrew]

I am pretty sure that those toll booths are on the Illinois side of the border. The state where the income taxes went up from 3% to 5% in one shot. Ouch!

We can import money, food and corrupt politicians from Michigan instead.
I have a Palestinian friend. Maybe he could dig a tunnel under the border for cars!
Or I could drive through the sewers like in the Blues Brothers.

I can't wait for the AHL schedule to come out!

LOL.....nice post...exactly those toll booths are on the Illinois side, but we still drive to wisconsin to spend our tourist $$$$. I mean how many people who live here vacation here?

Palestine.....tunnels....where the heck do you live....downtown Beirut?

 

[WolfKeeper]

There's a reason it's called Illinois' largest state park.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

There's a reason it's called Illinois' largest state park.

Home of my cows Rosie, Jessica, Page, Sookie, and Lady Grimlock.

 

[axecrew]

Home of my cows Rosie, Jessica, Page, Sookie, and Lady Grimlock.

You can still visit them....just moooove them to rockford with all the rest of the farm animals.

 

[adsfan]

LOL.....nice post...exactly those toll booths are on the Illinois side, but we still drive to wisconsin to spend our tourist $$$$. I mean how many people who live here vacation here?

Palestine.....tunnels....where the heck do you live....downtown Beirut?

Near Milwaukee. Not all Palestinians live in the Middle East. This one lives in the "Middle West".

Only two more weeks until that schedule comes out!

 

[Tommy Hawk]

Near Milwaukee. Not all Palestinians live in the Middle East. This one lives in the "Middle West".

Only two more weeks until that schedule comes out!

Two more weeks until we find out the 14 dates Chicago plays Milwaukee and Rockford!! And find out which 10 teams in the western conference we won't play at all!!

 

[Lunatik]

Two more weeks until we find out the 14 dates Chicago plays Milwaukee and Rockford!! And find out which 10 teams in the western conference we won't play at all!!

The AHL schedule always irks me in that regard. I understand they want to (and maybe even need to) have lots rivalry games to boost attendance, but if playoffs are determined by a teams standings in the conference then all teams in the conference should have a similar schedule, not potentially have one weighted in their favor because they play 10 games against a bad team in another division/conference and then 0-4 games against a conference or division opponent.

 

[Tommy Hawk]

To me, rivalries are best created when they teams play each other 4 to 8 times total. The games become more intense because it is not like they will get 10 more game to make a point.

 

[axecrew]

To me, rivalries are best created when they teams play each other 4 to 8 times total. The games become more intense because it is not like they will get 10 more game to make a point.

Ahhh.....you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Rivalries are what Dave Andrews tells you they are.

 

[wildcat48]

Look for the schedule to be out at some point next week.... It would have been out today, but LeBron messed up those plans.

 

[Rumblick]

Ahhh.....you don't know what the hell you're talking about.
Rivalries are what Dave Andrews tells you they are.

Andrews has less to do with "who plays who" than you or I do.

 

[axecrew]

Andrews has less to do with "who plays who" than you or I do.

Rum my comment was based on a conversation with Lord David the 1st from a number of years ago. We approached him here in Chicago to inquire why we never saw Portland, Albany and the likes......his reply was a classic..."You mean you'd give up a rivalry game against Milwaukee or Grand Rapids to see one of those teams?" Our reply..." In a freakin second."

So needless to say it was kinda an inside joke for tommy. And to be totally honest I don't give a crap about the schedule anymore...it's going to be what it is and about 70% of the time in june the cup will be awarded to the latest western conference team to beat the far superior eastern representative. Funny they talk about the great advantage the east has because of all the "extra" time they have to practice....yet come june they are sitting there watching the western conference parade around the ice with that silver chalice. Guess Alan Iverson was right after all huh.

 

[Rumblick]

Rum my comment was based on a conversation with Lord David the 1st from a number of years ago. We approached him here in Chicago to inquire why we never saw Portland, Albany and the likes......his reply was a classic..."You mean you'd give up a rivalry game against Milwaukee or Grand Rapids to see one of those teams?" Our reply..." In a freakin second."

So needless to say it was kinda an inside joke for tommy. And to be totally honest I don't give a crap about the schedule anymore...it's going to be what it is and about 70% of the time in june the cup will be awarded to the latest western conference team to beat the far superior eastern representative. Funny they talk about the great advantage the east has because of all the "extra" time they have to practice....yet come june they are sitting there watching the western conference parade around the ice with that silver chalice. Guess Alan Iverson was right after all huh.

Since the merger, it's 7-6. You're being a touch liberal with the word "about". Must be using the same math they use in a Chicago election.

 

[axecrew]

Since the merger, it's 7-6. You're being a touch liberal with the word "about". Must be using the same math they use in a Chicago election.

Absolutely....early and often. What's that the person is dead....ok then they can only vote twice this year.


In regards to the 7-6 split, with the exception of Binghamton....what do all of the eastern conference teams who won have in common?
They have all been willing to travel to the western conference and play. And going to play the heat doesn't count since the heat paid for those trips and not the eastern team.

 

[ZekeA]

So needless to say it was kinda an inside joke for tommy. And to be totally honest I don't give a crap about the schedule anymore...it's going to be what it is and about 70% of the time in june the cup will be awarded to the latest western conference team to beat the far superior eastern representative. Funny they talk about the great advantage the east has because of all the "extra" time they have to practice....yet come june they are sitting there watching the western conference parade around the ice with that silver chalice. Guess Alan Iverson was right after all huh.

"Axecrew":

I just checked and going back 10 years the Eastern conference won the Calder Cup 6 times out of the 10..............

Somehow during that 10 yr time frame the West did Not win the cup 70% of the time??????????


2004–05 Philadelphia Phantoms (2) 4–0 Chicago Wolves Antero Niittymaki
2005–06 Hershey Bears (9) 4–2 Milwaukee Admirals Frederic Cassivi
2006–07 Hamilton Bulldogs (1) 4–1 Hershey Bears Carey Price
2007–08 Chicago Wolves (2) 4–2 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Jason Krog
2008–09 Hershey Bears (10) 4–2 Manitoba Moose Michal Neuvirth
2009–10 Hershey Bears (11) 4–2 Texas Stars Chris Bourque
2010–11 Binghamton Senators (1) 4–2 Houston Aeros Robin Lehner
2011–12 Norfolk Admirals (1) 4–0 Toronto Marlies Alexandre Picard
2012–13 Grand Rapids Griffins (1) 4–2 Syracuse Crunch Tomas Tatar
2013–14 Texas Stars (1)


Could you explain this difference to me as I am confused, as how you are saying the West wins 70% of the Cups??????

 

[UticaHockey]

Since the merger, it's 7-6. You're being a touch liberal with the word "about". Must be using the same math they use in a Chicago election.

And if you want to narrow it down to to the past 10 years the East won 6 times and the West 4 times. This includes Hamilton who I would argue is in the West only to balance conferences not because of geography. Say if Utica, Adirondack or Rochester win the cup this year it would technically be a Western Conference win by name only.