Multiple Canadian teams lobbying to make North Division permanent

[SheldonJPlankton]

When the Leafs get bounced in an early-round playoff exit later this year the push for a continuous all-northern division will die alongside Leaf's post-season fantasies.

 

[LeHab]

Bleh we don't need more 11pm games. One season is plenty.

 

[boredmale]

So if they make a Canadian Division they would have to add 1 team. Would it be Seattle, Minnesota or Detroit?

I have to imagine Sportsnet would be for this since it almost guarantees 1 Canadian team in the final 4, not sure how ESPN views it.

 

[Blue Warriors]

They're still short a team... with 8 teams I'd say hell yea!

The pandemic has shown that the East-West balance Bettman longed for is flawed. The NHL needs four teams in Eastern Canada.

 

[Golden_Jet]

It was nice for a while, but now at the half way point, it’s too much, too many late games.

 

[Guffman]

With respect to the travel argument, players actually like how this has played out this year, where you play the same team in the same location for 2-3 games in a row. It’s less hard on the players. I wonder if that aspect will continue (I’m sure the fans won’t mind that if it’s against a Canadian team that tends to be more desirable to watch).

As a fan, I do want more games against Canadian teams. I don’t care to watch games against Arizona or Anaheim... or most US based cities.

For some fans, game times might be an issue, and also the fact that there are only 7 Canadian teams. It would be nice if we can pluck a failed franchise like Florida or Arizona and have a Quebec Nordiques team!

Anyways, would be cool to see this for one more year, if not longer.

 

[Prior]

If the intent would be to still keep 4 divisions, there’s zero chance an American team agrees to join based solely on international customs alone.

And that’s where the Canadian fantasy dies.

 

[Barrie22]

I do like the mlb style series part of the pandemic schedule, not really a fan of the strict divisional only play part.

My suggestion would be do a mix of old and new schedule going forward.

Conference play do the series style and non conference do the one and done style.

 

[CaptBrannigan]

Only in the NHL do fans proudly state they like being ignorant of 3/4 of the league like it’s some kind of merit. Missing a lot of good games if you’re judging on the location name.

Article seems like fluff until it follows up in its claim that multiple teams are interested. But it’s the kind of fluff the readers want to count them clicks!

 

[Karl Eriksson]

I assume this is being driven by Matthews’ agent.

 

[kvladimir]

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.

I'm pretty sure the Avs can't do that either, they are just more centrally located...

 

[kvladimir]

So, assuming a return to the previous schedule matrix, we would be looking at 2 or maybe 3 games between VAN/SEA, WPG/MIN, TOR/DET, TOR/BUF, and MTL/BOS per season...

Not to mention, at least 2 additional division rivalries that would span 2-3 time zones...

They would also have to eliminate conferences, and have the final four always be a draw based on record, and not based on time zone in any way... (ok, the random semi-final and final matchups could be fun)

But yeah, overall? No... give the Jets more games against EDM/CGY/TOR/MTL/OTT if you can, but otherwise, hard pass!

 

[Jaytee]

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.

I’d be curious to know what city you think the Jets could take a bus to.

 

[King Woodballs]

I have enjoyed it more than I thought I would have.
I have also had way more interest in this season than I have in the past few thats for sure.
Although I would like it to stay, from a logistical standpoint I can’t see it happening.

 

[Fatass]

The pandemic has shown that the East-West balance Bettman longed for is flawed. The NHL needs four teams in Eastern Canada.

A current US based team, not doing well, to Quebec City?

 

[tucker3434]

I'm not surprised teams don't mind avoiding Vegas, Colorado, St. Louis, Boston, and Tampa.

 

[Cotton]

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.

This needs more likes.

 

[Perfect_Drug]

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.

Weren't the Leafs and Wings in the west until pretty recently?

I'm not saying it's perfect, but I love watching us play the Habs or Leafs over.. Arizona, Nashville, or other boring sunbelt garbage.

I mean I can see it sucking for the Boston /Habs rivalry, but outside of a few awesome US hockey markets, I literally don't give 2 shits about Florida or California (which is still 100x more shits than most Californians or Floridians).

 

[razorsedge]

As a Jets fan who doesn't normally see them play other Canadian teams often enough, I'd rather the divisions go back to normal when the world returns to normal. I've enjoyed it alot this year but with the Jets already not being a preferred destination for players, adding in having to travel across multiple time zones each direction all season would be brutal for trying to attract and retain players.

 

[CaptBrannigan]

This needs more likes.

Only if you’re prepared to call any business trying to maximize growth and profits a “gimmick”. If that’s the case, like away.

 

[The Red Line]

Easier travel, easier games, fewer teams, fewer border crossings, easier competition, softer teams, no Bruins...

of course they want it.

 

[Name Nameless]

But even if it was permanent, it would be with teams playing teams from other divisions, so it wouldn't be like this year. It would be just more games between the Canadian teams. I can understand it if they like that. It wouldn't be 8 or 9 games against each other anymore.

So, if you move up Buffalo, saying it's a border-town, and that they sing the Canadian anthem there anyways. Moving Buffalo to the North, a team (edit, Detroit or Colombus or someone) to the East, the Wild or the Blues to the Central, and have one North-West conference of the North and the West. And one Eastern conference of the East and Central? Could work?

It's not entirely silly. But it would be a bit more time-zone issues than with the schedule they have for the next year, if they don't do it.

And I have no idea if Buffalo would like it. It's that.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Easier travel, easier games, fewer teams, fewer border crossings, easier competition, softer teams, no Bruins...

of course they want it.

Easier travel, lol, more time zone crossings than any division by far.

 

[NyQuil]

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?

You mean HFBoards Canada™?

 

[WaveRaven]

As a Jets fan I am in. I Hate being in an all American division with no natural rivals.