By reducing division games, the NHL has reduced the rivalry excitement

Neuf

Leaving HFBoards for now
Dec 17, 2016
6,217
9,290
What happens if the league hits 42 teams? Can't do a home and home anymore
 

ClydeLee

Registered User
Mar 23, 2012
11,715
5,263
It's good to play every team... and that is what is replaced by these division playoff systems. When you yearly make the playoffs you get that rivalry against each other
 
Jan 9, 2007
20,118
2,088
Australia
Real rivalries are developed in the postseason. The worst thing the league has done in years was when they lopped 6-8 games with every divisional opponent onto us. So season ticket holders in Dallas or Nashville may not even see Crosby, Ovechkin, etc. in their barn even once a season. Now THAT was ridiculous.
 

Jamin

Registered User
Aug 25, 2009
4,924
778
I'm personally the exact opposite. The least I ever cared for rivalries was when the league did 8 games. After game 4 or 5 could not care what happened when we played Manny or Calgary.

And as others have said I like being able to see every team in home and home
 

Devil Dancer

Registered User
Jan 21, 2006
18,440
5,406
Forced rivalries are the weakest rivalries. Just look at the Rangers and Caps. Forced together over and over again in the playoffs, zero rivalry.

I like the current schedule format.
 

Butch 19

Go cart Mozart
May 12, 2006
16,526
2,831
Geographical Oddity
This is a totally bogus myth that keeps getting repeated. Someone broke down the #s on this in a similar discussion on the BoH forum last year and the resale prices on inter-conference games are across the board LOWER than division ones in basically every market.

30 boring inter-conference games are way too many. NHL needs to cut that down in half (or hell barely any, works fine in MLB and NFL) and replace them with more division games, much more interesting.

LOL - who cares about resale prices?

I just want to see every team every season. That's boring to you?

This is one thing the NHL got right. 6 games vs each division rival is plenty, 8 was 2 too many
 

Marmoset

Registered User
Apr 4, 2015
712
362
GTA
This is a totally bogus myth that keeps getting repeated. Someone broke down the #s on this in a similar discussion on the BoH forum last year and the resale prices on inter-conference games are across the board LOWER than division ones in basically every market.

When you're at the games it's also pretty easy to sense the energy is much lower than the buzz on a division game.

30 boring inter-conference games are way too many. NHL needs to cut that down in half (or hell barely any, works fine in MLB and NFL) and replace them with more division games, much more interesting.

I totally disagree with the sentiment, even if you're right about resale prices.

I want the chance to see my favourite players or teams come in every year. If my favorite player is McDavid, Subban, Gaudreau, Mackinnon, etc. I shouldn't have to go a whole season without the chance to see him, so that I can see the Leafs vs. the Bruins AGAIN. Back in that era, that's what is like. The Bruins ... again? The Sabres ... again? It's nothing against those teams at all, it's just that it got tiring to watch the same teams over and over and not even see other teams at all.

The only thing I see that might work is to make it so that it's also 2 games against the other division in your conference (instead of 3 currently), and add those games within the division. Even there, it would lead to an unbalanced schedule competing for the wild card spots, which is something that I dislike in MLB where it exists. (I give the NFL a pass just because they play so few games).
 

Theodoriph

Registered User
Jul 16, 2009
892
79
I feel like people wanting a reversion to 8 games don't remember just how godawful it was for many teams to have to play divisional opponents 8 times a year. Take 2002-2003 for example. In the Western Central Conference, The Wings finished with 110 points, the Blue with 99. The other teams in their division were shit: Chicago had 79, Nashville had 74, and Columbus had 69. Imagine being Wings and Blues fans and having to watch shit hockey for 24/32 divisional games. I wonder who the Wings are playing this week? Oh, they're playing the same shitburgers they played last week. Yay!

Eight divisional games got old real fast.

The current 4 or 5 divisional games does seem like too few, but that's a product of having bigger divisions. I wouldn't mind going to 4 divisions in each conference after they add another team, which would allow them to have more divisional games. WTB an Eastern Conference division comprised of Montreal, Toronto, Boston, and Detroit.
 

The Panther

Registered User
Mar 25, 2014
19,114
15,573
Tokyo, Japan
I agree with the OP (and this relates to the concurrent Tortorella thread).

The NHL has crapped the bed by not allowing more and natural rivalries to grow by having more games between rivals. Speaking as someone who remembers the latter half of the 80s in the NHL, Oilers' fans from 1986 to 1988 (and then only interrupted by the Gretzky trade) cared only about the Calgary-Edmonton games, of which there were a couple every pre-season, 8 in the regular season, and two playoff series from '86 to '88.

Last year, the Oilers and Flames played on opening night, and then didn't meet again until February or something, by which point the Oilers were already dead in the water so nobody cared. The last time the franchises met in the playoffs was 27 years ago.

It's completely ridiculous, but the NHL has always been good at being idiotic with showcasing its best aspects to fans.

As the NHL is getting too large and unwieldy for anyone to follow, I do think the day is coming soon when the League will need to split into two separate 'leagues' or whatever they want to call it (like MLB), where one league does not play the other at all. That might be good for rivalry development, actually.
 
Jan 9, 2007
20,118
2,088
Australia
This is a totally bogus myth that keeps getting repeated. Someone broke down the #s on this in a similar discussion on the BoH forum last year and the resale prices on inter-conference games are across the board LOWER than division ones in basically every market.

When you're at the games it's also pretty easy to sense the energy is much lower than the buzz on a division game.

30 boring inter-conference games are way too many. NHL needs to cut that down in half (or hell barely any, works fine in MLB and NFL) and replace them with more division games, much more interesting.
The only way to make sure every fan can see the superstars is to make across the board changes.

I would like to compare the numbers you bring up to those against division foes back when they played like 8 games against every divisional opponent. That 8th game against the Yotes was a beating.
 

member 305909

Guest
Does anyone know: What is the record early date that a team has lost even its theoretical chances of reaching the play-offs? My guess is well before Christmas.
On second thought, more probably around the 60th game which is some time in Fenruary-March. Practically many teams have lost chances for play-offs before Christmas.
 

Burke the Legend

Registered User
Feb 22, 2012
8,317
2,850
The only way to make sure every fan can see the superstars is to make across the board changes.

Everyone who keeps saying this, never heard of centre ice? NHLTV? highlight clips? That's the most caveman argument possible. There's more options than ever to check out your favourite player beyond going down to the arena and spending a few hundred bucks for a ticket or two.
 

KingsFan7824

Registered User
Dec 4, 2003
19,356
7,445
Visit site
The league/owners want McDavid, Crosby, Ovechkin, etc, and the Bruins logo, Canadiens logo, Flyers logo, etc, in every building every year. I'm sure it'll change at some point, since these things have rarely been static.
 

Midnight Judges

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Feb 10, 2010
13,491
10,046
I like it. Every team plays in every city every year which is a nice change from the way it was. As far as rivalries go, you play division rivals less in the regular season, but are more likely to play them in the playoffs, which is when real rivalries happen.

Meh, forcing the two best teams to play each other in the second round every year might seem sexy, but it comes at the expense of having a merit-based playoff system.
 

IU Hawks fan

They call me IU
Dec 30, 2008
28,516
2,813
NW Burbs
Rivalries have been reduced by the lack of fighting and physicality, and overall respect that players of today have for each other.

It has nothing to do with 2 games being clopped off.
 
Jan 9, 2007
20,118
2,088
Australia
Everyone who keeps saying this, never heard of centre ice? NHLTV? highlight clips? That's the most caveman argument possible. There's more options than ever to check out your favourite player beyond going down to the arena and spending a few hundred bucks for a ticket or two.

Do I have to explain to a hockey fan how the experience of live hockey is completely different from watching on TV? Weird. Oh, and tickets don't cost hundreds of dollars everywhere. I've seen Crosby in decent seats for less than 50 bucks. It was a much better experience than watching on TV.

You didn't bring anything to the table regarding my point about playing the same teams 8 times a season. Yeah, that was awesome.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Captain And Coke

Kamiccolo

Truly wonderful, the mind of a child is.
Aug 30, 2011
26,828
16,944
Undisclosed research facility
I would hate that honestly. Some of my favorite games are outside the division. For example the Jets games I love them. I love watching Matthews vs McDavid.

We get enough Habs, Sens, Bruins, etc. I want variety. I want to see the other stars play against my team once in a while.
 

Duke749

Savannah Ghost Pirates
Apr 6, 2010
47,782
22,672
Canton, Georgia
I think I speak for most hockey fans when I say I think Nashville and Winnipeg should be playing about 10 times a year right now.
 

MNNumbers

HFBoards Sponsor
Sponsor
Nov 17, 2011
7,627
2,486
I'll say it again....

When Seattle joins, the NHL will have almost a perfect schedule available to them.....If they want it.

4 conferences. No divisions. Each conference with 8 teams. Each conference will play 2 rounds of playoffs within themselves.

And, the schedule will be:
6 games against all 7 conference opponents for 42 games (half the schedule - perfect)
2 games against all teams in 2 of the other conferences for 32 games
1 game against all teams in the remaining conference for 8 games.

And, rotate which conferences meet only once in a given year. In this way, LA would still see Pittsburgh in LA 5 times in 6 years. You miss 1 year against everybody else every 6 years. And, in return, you get the full 6 games against all conference opponents.

To me, perfect balance.
 

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->