Is there a way we can make the regular season more meaningful?

[Long Live Lyle]

I don’t have a dog in this fight tonight (Boston vs Florida). In fact, my team (CBJ) is one of the biggest beneficiaries of a huge playoff upset and the “variance” of playoff hockey.

But I’m starting to get to a point where I’m wondering what’s even the point of watching hockey October through March? Seems like it’s only meaningful if you’re a bubble team (which is maybe 1/3 of the league). If you’re above that, it doesn’t matter at all. (And if you’re below, it of course doesn’t matter, either, but I have less issue with that than it being meaningless for teams at the top.)

Home-ice is meaningless. Seeding is not particularly meaningful. Is there anything that can be done to at least make it feel/be somewhat more meaningful?

Click to read more...

 

[Djp]

Closet Boston fan?

 

[Ace]

…I mean they got to play the lowest seed to make the playoffs.

Should they be spotted two wins too?

 

[Djp]

You could have a 5-3 home advantage for division winners instead of 4-3

the highest team could choose who they want to play in round 1.

 

[swiftwin]

2020-style playoffs

Top 25% of the league get a bye. Middle 50% have to go through the playins. Bottom 25% miss the playoffs.

 

[BayStBullies]

Change the playoff format back

 

[Long Live Lyle]

2020-style playoffs

Top 25% of the league get a bye. Middle 50% have to go through the playins. Bottom 25% miss the playoffs.

Wouldn’t necessarily mind this. Would give a benefit to getting into the top-8 in the league/top-4 in the conference during the regular season. Would also almost all-but-eliminate tanking.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

You could have a 5-3 home advantage for division winners instead of 4-3

the highest team could choose who they want to play in round 1.

Presuming you meant 5-2 not 5-3 in your first sentence, but that’s an interesting idea (although I don’t think home-ice is particularly meaningful, so don’t know how impactful it’d actually be). But games 1-2 at home, 3-4 on the road, and then 5-7 at home (including game 6) for division winners in the first round is creative and something I think actually could reasonably be implemented, kudos.

Having the teams pick their opponent would probably never happen bc NHL owners/GMs are risk-averse, so would probably never implement that change.

 

[Luigi Lemieux]

It's fine the way it is, maybe some fewer games to keep the quality higher. But it's a lesson that playoff hockey is a different ballgame.

 

[holy]

Refs should call in favour of the higher seed teams in elimination games.

 

[JaegerDice]

Change the playoff format back

In this case, wouldn’t Boston/Florida been a 1v8 matchup anyway?

 

[Dirty Dog]

Bruins: “yes! Please god yes!”

 

[82Ninety42011]

The playoffs are brilliant as is what other sport is the first round this exciting? Regular season is fine as is. If anything make it 80 games again 82 is weird.

 

[Cursed Lemon]

You do know that watching hockey for the hockey is a thing right?

 

[TheTotalPackage]

If they really want to make the regular season not be meaningless, award the Stanley Cup for the regular season, and another trophy for the playoffs, which is essentially a tournament. I'm being serious.

It'll never happen with the historic prestige of the Stanley Cup. But the only way to make the regular season have serious credibility, especially nowadays with so much parity that involves so many "upsets" , is to put something major on the line than just a President's Trophy.

 

[93LEAFS]

If they really want to make the regular season not be meaningless, award the Stanley Cup for the regular season, and another trophy for the playoffs, which is essentially a tournament. I'm being serious.

It'll never happen with the historic prestige of the Stanley Cup. But the only way to make the regular season have serious credibility, especially nowadays with so much parity that involves so many "upsets" , is to put something major on the line than just a President's Trophy.

You could probably accomplish the same thing by reducing the season to 72 games, while making it so only the top 2 teams in each division make it. But, the NHL would never entertain giving up that type of revenue.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Give the #1 seed a 1-0 series advantage. So only six potential games (2-6) in the series.

 

[Svencouver]

Make it shorter

 

[wasunder]

You could have a 5-3 home advantage for division winners instead of 4-3

the highest team could choose who they want to play in round 1.

I would dig higher teams choosing who they want, make a playoff draft sort of night, it would be a blast. Watching teams get swept by a team they chose to play, or some players having a fire lit under them when they’re chosen first, watching GMs do weird shit for dumb reasons. Would be great

 

[majormajor]

Here's a way: Start acting like winning each game matters, and drop the idea that the only thing that matters is winning the cup.

The cup or bust attitude ruins it for a lot of fans too, with the tanking talk taking over for many teams.

 

[Djp]

Presuming you meant 5-2 not 5-3 in your first sentence, but that’s an interesting idea (although I don’t think home-ice is particularly meaningful, so don’t know how impactful it’d actually be). But games 1-2 at home, 3-4 on the road, and then 5-7 at home (including game 6) for division winners in the first round is creative and something I think actually could reasonably be implemented, kudos.

Having the teams pick their opponent would probably never happen bc NHL owners/GMs are risk-averse, so would probably never implement that change.

I’m referring to the better division winner picking which wild card and not necessarily taking the one with the worse record. because they might be one of the hottest teams in the league fighting for the final spot.

 

[ijuka]

Bruins would have been fine and would have steamrolled into a 4-0 victory if Pittsburgh Penguins had managed to defeat the tanking Chicago Blackhawks who were trying to lose.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

Here's a way: Start acting like winning each game matters, and drop the idea that the only thing that matters is winning the cup.

The cup or bust attitude ruins it for a lot of fans too, with the tanking talk taking over for many teams.

Good in theory but just not the nature/culture of North American sports. (Pretty much the only NA sport like that is college football, and sadly that’s been changed with the 4-team playoff and will get even worse with the 12-team playoff.) It’s even worse in a sport like hockey with the mystique/aura around “The Cup.”

 

[Dynamite Time]

It's fine the way it is, maybe some fewer games to keep the quality higher. But it's a lesson that playoff hockey is a different ballgame.

Agree. I’m 50/50 on the divisional format vs the division winners getting seeds 1 and 2 and then reseeding but this has been a fun 1st round and it’s not even finished.

 

[Long Live Lyle]

I’m referring to the better division winner picking which wild card and not necessarily taking the one with the worse record. because they might be one of the hottest teams in the league fighting for the final spot.

Right, I knew that, what I meant was the GMs/owners are not going to want to put themselves up to potential scrutiny because they’re risk-averse, so rather than allow themselves the potential to pick opponents and set themselves up to that potential scrutiny if they lose, they’d prefer to just stick to the status quo.