Playoff Formats for Suspended Seasons

[Soundwave]

This word needs to start being censored on the internet for a while.

Or people need to understand context better. The Spanish flu also was well ... a flu. It was far, far, far, far more deadly than COVID19. Thank your lucky stars that we're not dealing with something like that.

 

[T-Funk]

Or people need to understand context better. The Spanish flu also was well ... a flu. It was far, far, far, far more deadly than COVID19. Thank your lucky stars that we're not dealing with something like that.

Well yes true. I got your idea, but I fear for the masses

 

[McGoMcD]

What if all playoff teams isolate in the same city?

Eastern teams in Toronto/Ottawa

Western teams in Edmonton/Vancouver

That's 4 NHL facilities, they could have 4 games every night. Canada has fewer cases than the US so it can be easier to manage that way.

Teams live together for up 2-8 weeks in a nice luxury accommodation, this will reduce the travel risk.

If you're not going to have fans in the crowd anyway, then home ice doesn't mean that much. The Oilers have the nicest/2nd newest facility in the NHL, so it would be an ideal staging ground for the Western clubs.

Lots of people have to go to work away from family for 1-2 months, and don't get to stay in luxury accommodations to boot. Maybe there could be some allowances to let players see family members if they are screened/tested before hand.

I was discussing this with a friend. It makes the most sense. Limit travel, find the cities with the lowest prevalence of the virus, Edmonton would be a good option.

Play multiple games per day in the same rink. Can be done.

 

[Soundwave]

I was discussing this with a friend. It makes the most sense. Limit travel, find the cities with the lowest prevalence of the virus, Edmonton would be a good option.

Play multiple games per day in the same rink. Can be done.

Basically an Olympic-SC playoffs hybrid.

I think even family members could be allowed to visit/spend time with players with the caveat that they must test before coming into the controlled environment and again as they leave.

By May, rapid testing should be widely available and the NHL and NBA could purchase a mass number of tests.

Honestly Edmonton would probably be an ideal location. There are more temperate summers up here which improves ice quality and we have the 2nd newest facility in the NHL. Also if they want to have two games going at once, Calgary is just a 3 hour bus ride down the highway, no airports/airplane staff required. Also the fairly lower population density is good for fewer cases.

 

[Cloned]

Basically an Olympic-SC playoffs hybrid.

I think even family members could be allowed to visit/spend time with players with the caveat that they must test before coming into the controlled environment and again as they leave.

By May, rapid testing should be widely available and the NHL and NBA could purchase a mass number of tests.

Honestly Edmonton would probably be an ideal location. There are more temperate summers up here which improves ice quality and we have the 2nd newest facility in the NHL. Also if they want to have two games going at once, Calgary is just a 3 hour bus ride down the highway, no airports/airplane staff required. Also the fairly lower population density is good for fewer cases.

I'm not sure I want thousands of fans from other NA cities flying into Edmonton.

Edit: err..never mind, I guess you mean in empty stadiums.

 

[Soundwave]

I'm not sure I want thousands of fans from other NA cities flying into Edmonton.

I probably should've added -- no fans.

OR as silly as this might sound, they allow tested "cheer groups", but they are also have to be tested and remain in quarantine for the playoffs. The bonus -- they get to watch the best players in the world play hockey for free.

Probably another reason why such a tourney in Canada makes sense, you'd have probably no problem getting a group of 5000-10,000 willing people crazy enough to quarantine themselves just to watch hockey players in July.

 

[Cloned]

I probably should've added -- no fans.

OR as silly as this might sound, they allow tested "cheer groups", but they are also have to be tested and remain in quarantine for the playoffs. The bonus -- they get to watch the best players in the world play hockey for free.

Problem is I still think there would still be a significant number of fans flying into the city to "follow" their team. Probably in the hundreds.

 

[Soundwave]

Problem is I still think there would still be a significant number of fans flying into the city to "follow" their team. Probably in the hundreds.

I would say no to that, OR each team is allowed a small cheer section, BUT the fans have to be tested and agree to quarantine before they are allowed to enter Edmonton.

Every player, family member, fan has to be tested before they are allowed into the city.

We could build like a "NHL city" where the players stay (like an Olympic village).

I know it sounds radical, but I think it's workable if you can get rapid tests, I read that the UK government is working with a company to get mass quantities of a test that can give you results within 10 minutes.

 

[Cloned]

I would say no to that, OR each team is allowed a small cheer section, BUT the fans have to be tested and agree to quarantine before they are allowed to enter Edmonton.

Every player, family member, fan has to be tested before they are allowed into the city.

We could build like a "NHL city" where the players stay (like an Olympic village).

I know it sounds radical, but I think it's workable if you can get rapid tests, I read that the UK government is working with a company to get mass quantities of a test that can give you results within 10 minutes.

This could happen in Toronto, but highly unlikely in Edmonton IMO.

 

[Soundwave]

This could happen in Toronto, but highly unlikely in Edmonton IMO.

You could be right. To be honest I really don't care about the location, but sure Toronto would obviously be one such candidate. I know Connor probably wouldn't mind.

I brought up Edmonton just because we have a newer/better facility than the Leafs have and we have a lower population density (which means most likely we'll have fewer COVID19 cases than Ontario) and there is a secondary NHL facility nearby in Calgary to boot.

Vancouver could also be another candidate, their experience with the Olympics especially. BC/Banff/Kelowna area is quite beautiful in the summer time, not a bad place to "quarantine" if you have to.

 

[Cloned]

You could be right. To be honest I really don't care about the location, but sure Toronto would obviously be one such candidate. I know Connor probably wouldn't mind.

I brought up Edmonton just because we have a newer/better facility than the Leafs have and we have a lower population density (which means most likely we'll have fewer COVID19 cases than Ontario) and there is a secondary NHL facility nearby in Calgary to boot.

Vancouver could also be another candidate, their experience with the Olympics especially. BC/Banff/Kelowna area is quite beautiful in the summer time, not a bad place to "quarantine" if you have to.

I think all of this is still months from being finalized. We are at least two to three weeks away from peaking, still.

 

[Soundwave]

I think all of this is still months from being finalized. We are at least two to three weeks away from peaking, still.

True, but it's likely Toronto area remains well ahead of the Edmonton region in terms of infections. You never know though I guess.

 

[Soundwave]

OK so crunching it all together. This is what I propose, and this would be contingent on rapid testing (10 minute tests) being available by late May and the spread of COVID19 slowing by then.

- Stanley Cup Tournament in beginning in late May. Held in one centralized location in Canada. Could be Vancouver area, Alberta area (Edmonton + Calgary + Banff region), Toronto/Ottawa, or Montreal area.

- Players stay in a luxury environment similar to an "Olympic Village" experience, isolated from the general public. They are tested before they come into the environment multiple times and are tested repeatedly during the duration of the tournament.

- Players and staff are allowed a set number of close family/friends who can visit them, *however* all family/friends must be tested twice before being allowed access to players. Family/friends stay at a nearby location, but in a seperate location away from players. Family/friend members can leave the quarantine but have to be tested again to re-enter it to gain access to players/games.

- No "traditional fans". Family members who have been tested and cleared around allowed to sit in the stands and create a manageable vetted/tested cheer section for each team.

- Media members are tested daily and are not allowed locker room access or allowed to get close to coaches/training staff/players.

- The Wild Card teams have a quick best of 3 to determine the bottom seeds. 1st and 2nd rounds are best of 5, Conference Finals and SCF switch to best of 7.

- Or they could split it ... Western teams start in Vancouver or Edmonton, Eastern teams are in Toronto. SCF is played in Toronto.

 

[OilerTitanFan]

Here is my playoff format. End the season. Top team in each conference based on points does a one game win all. Other teams can call it a season. It is what it is.

As for the draft position. Every team gets the same percentage of winning the lottery. One ball per team while stanley cup finalists holds no balls. Winner of cup picks last overall.

Imagine if ottawa with 2 picks end up with picks 27th and 28th. Oilers win the lottery and goes first overall. HF collapses in a frenzy.

 

[edmoil3]

East and west top 4 points percentage make it.

5-12 in each Conference play a 3 game series to get into round one of the playoffs.

 

[Mr Positive]

If we're picking an arena to have all teams go to, we shouldn't be picking any arena that is in a central location.

There are some arenas that are just outside their cities, and usually with ample room for accomodations, etc. You could take over a big chunk and make it truly isolated.

Off the top of my head, aren't the Arizona and Ottawa arenas like that?

 

[5 Mins 4 Ftg]

If we're picking an arena to have all teams go to, we shouldn't be picking any arena that is in a central location.

There are some arenas that are just outside their cities, and usually with ample room for accomodations, etc. You could take over a big chunk and make it truly isolated.

Off the top of my head, aren't the Arizona and Ottawa arenas like that?

Arizona is in Glendale in the east valley. Millions of people in other words.

 

[McJadeddog]

I like the idea of playing in isolated areas. Pick 2 arenas in each conference, and play all games there. Could do 2 games per night, as others have said. Could take extreme precautions by having separate dressing rooms (all the new arenas have multiple), and by rigorously cleaning all "shared spaces" between each game. This really would be exceptionally low risk, as long as all the players were cleared to play and tested regularly.

The problem with this idea, even though I think it would work, is that the optics of doing this would be very, VERY bad. Millionaire players getting tested once every couple of days in order to do something that is 100% not an essential service of any sort. There is no chance of this actually happening.

This season is gone, and next season likely looks very different as well, if it happens at all. It would be pretty shocking if teams didn't play to empty arenas for the majority of next season. I would also expect that the travel will be different as well next year. It could be that teams all play out of a few designated buildings next year, the same way we are talking about playing the playoffs in this thread.

How many owners can even afford to pay their players next year though, if there is zero attendance revenue coming in? There are some that can do it for sure, but there will be lots that will be hemorrhaging money. What happens to the cap in a world where the league loses 50-60% of its revenue?

 

[Soundwave]

If they're not going to do playoffs at all, this is what I'd suggest.

"Corona Cup" (not the actual name, just what I'll call it here). Not a real SCF, but a summer tournament featuring NHL teams (1-12 are in). Best of 3 with the final being best of 5.

I have some concern about having a Stanley Cup "playoffs" done in a gimmick fashion, it reduces the integrity of the Cup and without fans it's just not the same.

But that doesn't mean you can't have something, hence a "Corona Cup" tournament.

Single location, from the looks of it, Alberta is going to be one of more manageable COVID19 spots, so that could be one, Toronto maybe another.

Players self isolate in a "hockey village" location and are tested regularly for COVID19 for duration of tournament. You can't get into hockey village (player, press, staff, anyone) without being tested for COVID19 at a point of entry. There's now a 45 minute test. Fans aren't allowed, but family/friends of players are allowed (up to 5 per player).

Sportsnet + NHL + NBC agree to donate a certain amount for general hospital equipment and testing for their communities and also NHL stars run fundraiser TV spots encouraging people to donate to charities for those impacted by COVID19 (ie: people who have lost their jobs) but they have to go through the same testing protocol as everyone else -- test before you enter, no entry granted to anyone who tests positive for COVID19.

I mean if you have players just sitting around in June/July who are perfectly healthy and able bodied, why not give people some entertainment at least. Mental health is going to become an issue for some people if you force them to stay stuck inside their house for months on end.