Multiple Canadian teams lobbying to make North Division permanent

[Hunter368]

Just have the Canadian teams play each other more.
48 - Play the 24 teams outside of your division 2 times
28 - play the 7 other teams in your division 4 times

That's 76 games, have the other 6 as flexible games which for Canadian teams can be used to play the other Canadian teams.

Something like that also could be plausible.

 

[MarkovsKnee]

No! Just no. Travel sucks and too many 11pm/9pm eastern start times.

Plus, there's only 7 teams, which means another division would have 9. Just seems extremely unfair.

 

[jetsforever]

What some people don't seem to realise is that they like this division because it's actually more exciting for the fans in the stadium and watching on TV
For example consider if Winnipeg fans would rather play a bunch of teams against Dallas/Nashville/Colorado or Toronto/Edmonton/Montreal
Now it still seems unlikely due to time zones and whatnot, but from a purely entertainment point of view it's a good idea

 

[jetsforever]

Can you imagine how many asterisks HFBoards would want to put on McDavid, Draisaitl, Matthews, and Marner’s career stats if they spent their careers in the North division?

The wail that arose from these boards would be like that scene from the Princess Bride movie where the dude lets out the cry of ultimate suffering.

I assume you're joking but the only reason why people seemingly want asterisks now is because by coincidence, the North division teams mostly have high-offence, low-defence styles that lead to many goals. That won't be the case forever.

 

[TheTotalPackage]

I’d be okay with it under the usual divisional scheduling where, yes, there are more intra-divisional games, but all other teams are played twice.

This year’s division setup has gotten stale at this point. For me.

 

[BruinsFan37]

That article doesn't even say which teams, which makes it sound more like the sportscasters spitballing ideas than actual credible news.

The one thing I get from that is Bettmans' comment about possible greater emphasis on divisional play, so maybe rather than a 4(divisional)/3(conference)/2(non-conference) format that they're using now they move to a 5(divisional)/2(everyone else) format when Seattle joins.

 

[AussieBomberJet]

What some people don't seem to realise is that they like this division because it's actually more exciting for the fans in the stadium and watching on TV
For example consider if Winnipeg fans would rather play a bunch of teams against Dallas/Nashville/Colorado or Toronto/Edmonton/Montreal
Now it still seems unlikely due to time zones and whatnot, but from a purely entertainment point of view it's a good idea

Agreed. I have far more interest in watching the Jets play other Canadian teams. It's not stale for me in the slightest.

 

[Mobiandi]

Probably Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal

 

[JasonRoseEh]

Of course, who wouldn't want a cake walk every year?

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

If this happens, you might as well change the league name to the National Gimmick League.

Even moreso than it has already become.

 

[Hunter368]

No! Just no. Travel sucks and too many 11pm/9pm eastern start times.

Plus, there's only 7 teams, which means another division would have 9. Just seems extremely unfair.

Jets actually travel far less in this format, so imagine how Jets fans feel about travel in the normal format. Normal format travel for the Jets is possibly the worse in the NHL and we’ve lived that way for 10 years....now that sucks

 

[AussieBomberJet]

If this happens, you might as well change the league name to the National Gimmick League.

Even moreso than it has already become.

You mean as opposed to the 'let's cater mostly to an American market because that is where the potential money and growth lies and focus less on Canada because they are already a hockey market nation as a whole' mantra that has been shoved down Canadian throats by the US in this league for years?

Yup, no gimmick there eh.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

You mean as opposed to the 'let's cater mostly to an American market because that is where the potential money and growth lies and focus less on Canada because they are already a hockey market nation as a whole' mantra that has been shoved down Canadian throats by the US in this league for years?

Yup, no gimmick there eh.

I meant overall. The on-ice product has become almost unwatchable.

 

[AussieBomberJet]

I meant overall. The on-ice product has become almost unwatchable.

That is your opinion. I see it in a completely different light and am loving watching the Canadian teams face off against each other regularly.

 

[muddywaters]

I'm getting kinda sick of it . Maybe play more games against each other ... I like the games between our traditional rivals Edmonton and Van City but for me personally I can take or leave the games against the rest of the Canadian teams ... I don't have any real feelings either way with the cities to the east and I also don't like the early start times that comes with playing them ... just my opinion .

 

[Sempiternal]

I like it. It will be much better when they can play against other divisions.

 

[Harbour Dog]

Breaking news: every other team in the league to lobby to be a part of North Division next year.

 

[libertarian]

I hate to say "I told you so" - but, well, yeah. I told you so.

Multiple Canadian teams will lobby for North Division continuing after 2021 - Sportsnet.ca

This is totally fake news.

SN headline is " Multiple Canadian teams will lobby for North Division continuing after 2021"

Read the article and it never mentions which teams if any that are lobbying for a continued Canadian North division.

Why would SN not put print the teams that want this North division to continue if this is true?

The reason is they don't exist.

There are no teams pushing for this to happen. Financially a permeant North Division is not viable for any team in the North. The time zone differences alone do not work for local TV broadcast and for the players which would have to play many games in up to 3 hours different start times.

So why would SN put out fake news?

The answer is obvious. TV Ratings. Profit.

SN/Rogers spent a lot of money for exclusive Canadian National NHL broadcast rights. Up until this year their rating were not where Rogers needed them to be to make their 12 year TV deal with the NHL profitable. All of a sudden because of Covid Rogers get a NHL North Division that only plays Canadian teams every game guaranteeing 2 Canadian cites are playing against each other. This has guaranteed much higher National ratings for every SN game featuring Canadian teams so increasing Rogers ratings/profits big time.

Rogers through SN put out fake news to push a agenda that makes them more profitable.

 

[Drewcifer]

A consequence of this is that one of Minnesota, St Louis and Dallas will be in the Pacific playing mostly west coast teams with tons of road games that start at 9pm and end at midnight. Those teams would throw a fit if this became a permanent arrangement. The Wild spent the first ten years of their existence trying to get out of the Northwest because of all the late starts. Dallas lobbied hard not to be in the west this year.

Should we screw up the Pacific and the Central just to make Canadian fans happy?

 

[Chet Manley]

Nor enough teams. Maybe with QC or Ontario getting another team someday. TO spent years trying to get out of so many non-eastern-time away games.

 

[flying v 604]

Jets actually travel far less in this format, so imagine how Jets fans feel about travel in the normal format. Normal format travel for the Jets is possibly the worse in the NHL and we’ve lived that way for 10 years....now that sucks

Vancouver in a normal year has the worst.
Only team in hockey that can't take a bus from home to another team.
That being said no thanks to an all Canadian division.

 

[Eternal Leaf]

With fans in the arena, it would be the most entertaining division in hockey.

 

[JPeeper]

Give us Seattle and we got 8.

Play each other 4-5 times and it would easily work.

 

[canuckster19]

It would work if in some way they went to 8 divisions of four.

Doubt there'd be much of any difference in game time starts, most 4-5 games a year get affected, I mean considering that every team has to play every team twice.

"Der CaNaDa ShOuLdN't HaVe An AuToMaTiC sPoT iN tHe CoNfErEnCe FiNaLs, BuT wE'lL gLaDlY tAkE tHeIr ReVeNuE sHaRiNg MoNeY."

 

[KaseMeOutside]

Put all the sunbelt teams into 1 division by default so there's one in the CF every year