News Article: 2020-21 Season

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

For those who don’t subscribe- a) you should and b) here is the gist of the article

2020-21 NHL realignment

CANADA DIVISION
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens

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U.S. EAST DIVISION
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

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U.S. PACIFIC(ISH) DIVISION
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Vegas Golden Knights
Colorado Avalanche
St. Louis Blues

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U.S. MIDWEST/SOUTH DIVISION
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

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Canadian teams play in 7 game increments in 2 bubble cities in Canada (Edm, Tor) for 41 games and US cities do the same in 3 bubble cities in a strict divisional play with no need to cross the border.

By March hopefully things are under control and revert to a normal schedule with fans before late spring/summer playoffs.

Click to read more...

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

 

[doulos]

Can't read the article, but realignment like that might work if they decide on the 4 bubble city setup. No idea if the players would agree to that.

 

[Stoneman89]

For those who don’t subscribe- a) you should and b) here is the gist of the article

2020-21 NHL realignment

CANADA DIVISION
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Toronto Maple Leafs
Ottawa Senators
Montreal Canadiens

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

U.S. EAST DIVISION
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

U.S. PACIFIC(ISH) DIVISION
Anaheim Ducks
Arizona Coyotes
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Vegas Golden Knights
Colorado Avalanche
St. Louis Blues

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

U.S. MIDWEST/SOUTH DIVISION
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

https://twitter.com/jshannonhl/status/1298019076116295695?s=21
Canadian teams play in 7 game increments in 2 bubble cities in Canada (Edm, Tor) for 41 games and US cities do the same in 3 bubble cities in a strict divisional play with no need to cross the border.

By March hopefully things are under control and revert to a normal schedule with fans before late spring/summer playoffs.

Wishful thinking.....

 

[Soundwave]

4 bubble cities

Los Angeles + Las Vegas for Western Conference

Miami (Panthers) + Tampa Bay for Eastern Conference

Start on Dec. 1. No need to reallign the divisions or do anything crazy like that. You can bus from those two locations so you eliminate the need for air travel.

I don't think players will agree to Canada in December, they're already going to be far away from family, being stuck in very cold winter with nothing to do outside in a bubble environment for weeks on end isn't going to fly I don't think.

It has to be a fun, warm weather market.

The NBA has shown a bubble can work even in a COVID hotspot so long as you maintain the integrity of the bubble and don't let outside people come in without testing.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

Wishful thinking.....

Why? If borders can’t be crossed it’s the only thing you can do unless all the games are held in either Canada or the US. Do it for half a year and if circumstances allow for it revise the 2nd half schedule accordingly.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

4 bubble cities

Los Angeles + Las Vegas for Western Conference

Miami (Panthers) + Tampa Bay for Eastern Conference

Start on Dec. 1. No need to reallign the divisions or do anything crazy like that. You can bus from those two locations so you eliminate the need for air travel.

I don't think players will agree to Canada in December, they're already going to be far away from family, being stuck in very cold winter with nothing to do outside in a bubble environment for weeks on end isn't going to fly I don't think.

It has to be a fun, warm weather market.

The NBA has shown a bubble can work even in a COVID hotspot so long as you maintain the integrity of the bubble and don't let outside people come in without testing.

They wouldn’t stay in one bubble for the entire season. They would be in it for like 2 weeks in and then go home to their families for 1 week. Then jet off to another bubble for 2 weeks and then back home for a week and so on until some normalcy with travel and border crossings can be achieved.

 

[Soundwave]

Canada was a good choice for a summer tournament, but there's a world of difference in Edmonton/Toronto in Dec + Jan + Feb versus August.

Having players locked in hotels with miserable weather outside isn't gonna fly I don't think.

Choose LA/Vegas and Florida for the East.

Players can do things like go bike riding, golfing, lounge by a pool, go hiking, even go to a closed off beach area.

 

[Soundwave]

They wouldn’t stay in one bubble for the entire season. They would be in it for like 2 weeks in and then go home to their families for 1 week. Then jet off to another bubble for 2 weeks and then back home for a week and so on until some normalcy with travel and border crossings can be achieved.

What's the point of having any border crossing at all. Just have the games in LA/Vegas and Tampa/Miami.

Those are also ideal because you can drive from city to city in 4 hours for both of the regional hubs.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

What's the point of having any border crossing at all. Just have the games in LA/Vegas and Tampa/Miami.

Those are also ideal because you can drive from city to city in 4 hours for both of the regional hubs.

Read my previous post and read the actual article. Players will be going back to their home cities for a week at a time, 7 of which are in Canada and won’t be driving from city to city.

 

[Soundwave]

Read my previous post and read the actual article. Players will be going back to their home cities for a week at a time, 7 of which are in Canada and won’t be driving from city to city.

The article is behind a paywall, I still don't think this idea is great (games in Canada).

You can do the same thing in LA/Vegas and Tampa/Miami, and for the time in the bubble at least players will have the option of going outside and doing fun things.

There's no real benefit to having it in Canada that I can see. When the period of time in the bubble is up they can go back to their home city, that's fine but I don't see why the cities hosting the games must be Canadian cities, it actually probably is more of a pain in the ass here.

You're going out of your way to play games in freezing cold locations where the players can't really do anything but stay in the hotel. In LA/Miami they could possibly have family trips or situations where the family can join as well.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

The article is behind a paywall, I still don't think this idea is great (games in Canada).

You can do the same thing in LA/Vegas and Tampa/Miami, and for the time in the bubble at least players will have the option of going outside and doing fun things.

There's no real benefit to having it in Canada that I can see. When the period of time in the bubble is up they can go back to their home city, that's fine but I don't see why the cities hosting the games must be Canadian cities, it actually probably is more of a pain in the ass here.

You're going out of your way to play games in freezing cold locations where the players can't really do anything but stay in the hotel. In LA/Miami they could possibly have family trips or situations where the family can join as well.

So pay and read the actual article before making concerted opinions about something you haven’t read.

 

[Soundwave]

So pay and read the actual article before making concerted opinions about something you haven’t read.

I'm not paying shit to read some speculation. A Canada based hub doesn't make much sense in winter months.

You can't lock players inside a hotel even for 2 weeks and let them do nothing but stay inside because it's -15 outside and go to practise/games when you have perfectly good other hub cities that would allow for 10x more activities.

If players are going to be away from families for large chunks of time and then only have 1 week bursts to see them and actually feel like a normal human being where they can go outside, you have to throw them a bone and give them a hub city that is enjoyable to be in.

 

[doulos]

"Here's an article you can't read. What do you think about it?"

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

"Here's an article you can't read. What do you think about it?"

“Here’s an article I didn’t read but here’s my opinion about it.”

I can’t tell who does and doesn’t have the Athletic nor who can’t afford the $3.33 per month it costs.

 

[Soundwave]

What is it 1999 again? Who the f*** pays monthly for any kind of online content, lol.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I'm not paying shit to read some speculation. A Canada based hub doesn't make much sense in winter months.

You can't lock players inside a hotel even for 2 weeks and let them do nothing but stay inside because it's -15 outside and go to practise/games when you have perfectly good other hub cities that would allow for 10x more activities.

If players are going to be away from families for large chunks of time and then only have 1 week bursts to see them and actually feel like a normal human being where they can go outside, you have to throw them a bone and give them a hub city that is enjoyable to be in.

The Athletic is well worth the $3.33 per month but whatever.

In any case the point being is that these wouldn’t be permanent bubbles and teams would be coming and going from them without having to worry about quarantine.

Canadian teams remain in Canada so they don’t cross the border and can return to their families every week or two. American teams remain in America.

You do realize that most of the road trips in the NHL are to cities that are under winter conditions right now hey? Only a few are in the sun belt.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

What is it 1999 again? Who the f*** pays monthly for any kind of online content, lol.

People who want to be well informed.

 

[Soundwave]

The Athletic is well worth the $3.33 per month but whatever.

In any case the point being is that these wouldn’t be permanent bubbles and teams would be coming and going from them without having to worry about quarantine.

Canadian teams remain in Canada so they don’t cross the border and can return to their families every week or two. American teams remain in America.

You do realize that most of the road trips in the NHL are to cities that are under winter conditions right now hey? Only a few are in the sun belt.

So the Canadian teams play the same 6 Canadian teams over and over and over and over again and don't get to play any of the US teams until who knows when?

That's stupid.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

So the Canadian teams play the same 6 Canadian teams over and over and over and over again?

That's stupid.

For the first half of the year yes - as I wrote above (free content). That’s 5-6 games versus each other within the division - roughly the same as there is right now with divisional play.

The difference is instead of divisional games being spread out among the entire year they all take place in the first half of the year.

The hope being that after 40 games (end of March perhaps) the teams then can cross the border freely and they finish the rest of the schedule as normal.

Playoffs would also be the normal 16 teams but under the one year Covid divisions and reverting back to normal divisional alignment in 2021-22, the first year of Seattle.

 

[Soundwave]

For the first half of the year yes - as I wrote above (free content). That’s 5-6 games versus each other within the division - roughly the same as there is right now with divisional play.

The difference is instead of divisional games being spread out among the entire year they all take place in the first half of the year.

The hope being that after 40 games (end of March perhaps) the teams then can cross the border freely and they finish the rest of the schedule as normal.

Playoffs would also be the normal 16 teams but under the one year Covid divisions and reverting back to normal divisional alignment in 2021-22, the first year of Seattle.

I don't think it's a good idea. Like what happens for example if the Canadian division has two teams with massive injury issues ... all of the sudden your Canadian division has a massive advantage because 2/6 teams could be bad and then you have Ottawa too.

Right now the Oilers play Canadian teams like what? 15 times? If you increased that to 40 games it's kind of like a farce season. Or it could the other way where it's unfair ... we don't get to play teams like the Kings, Coyotes, Ducks, etc. as much. The only "bad team" in Canada is Ottawa.

 

[Messrules11]

Canada was a good choice for a summer tournament, but there's a world of difference in Edmonton/Toronto in Dec + Jan + Feb versus August.

Having players locked in hotels with miserable weather outside isn't gonna fly I don't think.

Choose LA/Vegas and Florida for the East.

Players can do things like go bike riding, golfing, lounge by a pool, go hiking, even go to a closed off beach area.

Who cares about their extra curricular activitiy, they’re there to work. Ask them if they want a paycheque next year.

 

[Soundwave]

Who cares about their extra curricular activitiy, they’re there to work. Ask them if they want a paycheque next year.

That's nonsense, and even if they're there to work, most jobs offer people the option to go out on the town, not be trapped inside of a location. This is a weird situation and I think you have to take into consideration the mental health of the players, they're not hockey robots.

The other issue is Canada by December/January/February could have more problems with COVID than the US, since the US has been reckless and dumb handling it the flipside to that is more people have been exposed to the virus so it could become harder for the virus to spread.

Whereas in Canada not many people have been exposed to it (which is good), but if an outbreak occurs that also means its more likely to spread faster.

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

I don't think it's a good idea. Like what happens for example if the Canadian division has two teams with massive injury issues ... all of the sudden your Canadian division has a massive advantage because 2/6 teams could be bad and then you have Ottawa too.

Right now the Oilers play Canadian teams like what? 15 times? If you increased that to 40 games it's kind of like a farce season. Or it could the other way where it's unfair ... we don't get to play teams like the Kings, Coyotes, Ducks, etc. as much. The only "bad team" in Canada is Ottawa.

What happens if any teams in any divisions have massive injury issues? Same thing.

Our division for 1 year is the Canadian division. We play the other teams as much as we do now but our division is different. Benefits are no border crossings for anyone and buys time for a vaccine to allow society to return to normal.

I don’t see any other way. Players won’t be away from families for an entire year. Canadian government won’t allow border crossings.

While it’s not perfect this solution solves those problems. Players are home with families. Teams don’t have to cross borders. Teams won’t play divisional opponents any more than they do now. It just happens before the second half of the season starts.

Makes sense to me.

 

[Soundwave]

What happens if any teams in any divisions have massive injury issues? Same thing.

Our division for 1 year is the Canadian division. We play the other teams as much as we do now but our division is different. Benefits are no border crossings for anyone and buys time for a vaccine to allow society to return to normal.

I don’t see any other way. Players won’t be away from families for an entire year. Canadian government won’t allow border crossings.

While it’s not perfect this solution solves those problems. Players are home with families. Teams
don’t have to cross borders. Teams won’t play divisional opponents any more than they do now. It just happens before the second half of the season starts.

Makes sense to me.

Have the games in the US and remove the Canadian government from the equation period probably works better.

I think your family would rather visit Los Angeles or Las Vegas to see you rather than freezing Winnipeg or Calgary or Edmonton or Toronto even.