NHL should keep its 2020-21 alignment until a Canadian team wins the Cup

[Big Z Man 1990]

With how close Canada came to ending its Stanley Cup drought, I think the COVID alignment should be kept until a North Division team finally wins the Cup. The only difference would be that while the playoff format is the same, the regular season format would return to having everyone play each other twice a year at least.

Gary Bettman owes those teams that much, he did take dominance of the league away from them after he became commish.

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[Rubi]

Canadian teams don't need no charity.
Besides, in a regular non covid season, what you suggest is teams play each other only a couple of times and that would be a real rivalry killer (We love the BOA out here) and the other way the constant travel between Ontario/Quebec and Western Canada, would be a real hardship and totally unfair.

 

[thenextone]

in the 7 years between 2004-2011, 4 Canadian teams made the finals in the post cap era. That’s with the old divisions. The new divisions are horrible and only served to inflate the Leafs belief they could win a playoff series.

 

[bland]

Maybe Canadian teams should only have to win two games in the Finals too.

Oh, wait.

 

[Rockomax]

Weird thread. Also, Bettman doesn't care for Canadian teams. All in all, any kind of favoritism should be out of the question.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I like how these threads basically admit the Canadian teams are too incompetent to win a cup in reality so they deserve a handicap to help them.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

Before further replies are made, I encourage people to read my occupation and location.

Bettman's reputation in Canada has largely suffered throughout his tenure as commissioner. I feel if he doesn't agree to keeping this temporary alignment, the Canadian teams will find some way to force him out.

AFAIC, Bettman should have never been made commish. The NHL was the one league where Canadian teams were dominant, and I felt it should have stayed that way.

Remember, I was only a toddler the last time a Canadian team won the Cup. No Canadian team ever won in my adolescence, and one has yet to win during my adulthood.

 

[Tad Mikowsky]

You know it’s the off-season when you have these really terrible ideas a day after the playoffs are finished.

 

[Big Z Man 1990]

As far as I am concerned, people in Tampa Bay are very spoiled, more spoiled than spoiled milk. As I am mainly a CBJ fan, remember they were eliminated by TB last year. An elimination that should have cost Torts his job, had it, we might have been in the playoffs this year.

 

[barbu]

As a habs fans I like this idea and at the same time think it's a bad one.

 

[Suntouchable13]

No thanks. I don't want more 9 and 10pm starts on weeknights.

 

[njdevils1982]

With how close Canada came to ending its Stanley Cup drought, I think the COVID alignment should be kept until a North Division team finally wins the Cup. The only difference would be that while the playoff format is the same, the regular season format would return to having everyone play each other twice a year at least.

Gary Bettman owes those teams that much, he did take dominance of the league away from them after he became commish.

now, that's rich

by the way, i like what you said…..it gave me a good laugh mr. occupation location

 

[King Karl]

Yeah, no. I actually wouldn't mind adjusting the schedule so there's more games between Canadian teams, but this doesn't make sense. I also don't like the whole divisional playoff system and think we should go back to the 1-8, 2-7, 3-6, 4-5 system across the whole conference.

 

[GAGLine]

So, forever.

 

[Mickey Marner]

No thanks.

 

[Rschmitz]

Underhanded dig at Canadian teams?

I can't wait for Covid to be over along with all of the things that came with it, that includes these weird divisions.

 

[Steven Toast]

Interesting to consider an all Canadian division "charity". It has by far the worst travel schedule. Spread across 4 time zones.

Get my Oilers back into the Pacific. Should be a weak division for a few years to come.

 

[MetalheadPenguinsFan]

That’s a “no...GTFO” from me

 

[74 others]

No thanks. I don't want more 9 and 10pm starts on weeknights.

Exactly. I don't want to experience this ever again. Can't wait for a new, normal season.

 

[Louie the Blue]

Weird thread. Also, Bettman doesn't care for Canadian teams. All in all, any kind of favoritism should be out of the question.

Bettman had a large role in the Oilers, Flames, and Sens not going belly up in the 90s and relocating due to the exchange rate.

Winnipeg and QC left, but it could’ve been worse.

 

[Shane Diesel]

With how close Canada came to ending its Stanley Cup drought, I think the COVID alignment should be kept until a North Division team finally wins the Cup. The only difference would be that while the playoff format is the same, the regular season format would return to having everyone play each other twice a year at least.

Gary Bettman owes those teams that much, he did take dominance of the league away from them after he became commish.

From the Scotia North to the Affirmative Action North.

 

[AvatarAang]

I like how these threads basically admit the Canadian teams are too incompetent to win a cup in reality so they deserve a handicap to help them.

No, these threads admit that the US teams are more attractive cities to live in and play for especially when you account for external factors like taxes. So it’s not really a level playing field when players prefer to sign with US teams or sign for cheaper rates to play there.

Also, try not to forget that most of the top US teams that have won a cup have been led by Canadian players. It’s nothing to do with Canadian teams being incompetent, the rules are just stacked against them.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Canadian teams are 0-4 in game 7 of the cup finals since 94.

0-6 as a whole.

They've had their chances.

 

[Empoleon8771]

No, these threads admit that the US teams are more attractive cities to live in and play for especially when you account for external factors like taxes. So it’s not really a level playing field when players prefer to sign with US teams or sign for cheaper rates to play there.

Also, try not to forget that most of the top US teams that have won a cup have been led by Canadian players. It’s nothing to do with Canadian teams being incompetent, the rules are just stacked against them.

The Leafs literally signed the best player to hit UFA in the last 10 years and you're whining about signability issues because of taxes?

You're just making excuses because it's easier to blame everyone else outside of realizing your favorite team(s) are bad at their jobs

Which do you think is greater:

1. The amount of NHL players who signed with any given low tax team because of their low taxes
2. The amount of NHL players who signed with any given Canadian team because it's where they were born

Spoiler alert, #2 is much larger than #1.

 

[CBJ goalie]

Hard NO - and I'm a Columbus Blue Jackets fan living in SW Ontario.