Schedule Change Again

[FLYLine27*]

Froms Brooks:

Under a new schedule format, the Rangers, Devils, Islanders and all teams in the Atlantic Division will play one home game this year against clubs in Central Division (Detroit, St. Louis, Columbus, Nashville, Chicago), one away game against teams in Northwest (Vancouver, Colorado, Calgary, Edmonton and Minnesota), and none against teams in Pacific (San Jose, Dallas, LA, Anaheim, Phoenix). Teams will play eight games against division opponents, four against foes in remainder of conference. Inter-division schedules will rotate annually.

I like this MUCH better. Bash Brooks if you please, but his info is always accurate. (INFO I said..not opinions)

http://www.nypost.com/sports/50118.htm

Click to read more...

 

[Crows*]

Yeah so instead of just playing each team in one division twice. You play two divisions and each team once.

Only missing 5 teams a year. 2out of 3 years youl play every team. It's a little better.

 

[Realm]

that sucks, no Toronto or Montreal in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton this year

 

[ColoradoHockeyFan]

Agreed, it is better. At least this way, there's only one division in the other conference that you don't play at all in a given year. I was glad to see this too. Interestingly, I first noticed this in Eklund's blog over the weekend (the "Schedule Correction" entry). Good to see it mentioned elsewhere now too.

 

[PecaFan]

Wow, major Veja Du. When the rumours first started about the playing one division only, many here suggested it would be better to split the 10 games into playing two of the other divisions, instead of one. And now here we are.

I swear the NHL reads us.

Well, except for all the other great ideas we've posted that they don't listen to.

 

[bcrt2000]

I guess this way we will have one West Coast Hockey Day in Canada, one East Coast Hockey Day in Canada, then no hockey day in Canada every third year... it actually sounds neat to me

 

[bcrt2000]

Wow, major Veja Du. When the rumours first started about the playing one division only, many here suggested it would be better to split the 10 games into playing two of the other divisions, instead of one. And now here we are.

I swear the NHL reads us.

Well, except for all the other great ideas we've posted that they don't listen to.

nope, its because Eklund and one other news reporter (forgot who) reported it this way

 

[Crows*]

that sucks, no Toronto or Montreal in Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton this year

Not neccesarily.

I Bet the NHL on their first year back relaunch to make The Canadian fans happy they will have the Northwest play the Northeast.

There's a 2 out of 3 shot anyway.

 

[rockon83]

does the article mention which divisions the northeast will play home and away? i cant read it, damn membership

 

[kdb209]

does the article mention which divisions the northeast will play home and away? i cant read it, damn membership

Nope. The article just mentions the schedule for the Atlantic - home vs Central, away vs Northwest.

BTW, www.bugmenot.com is your friend.

 

[rockon83]

Nope. The article just mentions the schedule for the Atlantic - home vs Central, away vs Northwest.

BTW, www.bugmenot.com is your friend.

sweet! thanks

 

[katodelder]

The AHL has an imbalanced schedule based on natural rivalries and teams' proximity to each other, disregarding strict aherence to divisional egality altogether. I think it's quite interesting and the NHL might want to consider something like this down the road.

http://www.theahl.com/AHLImages05a/05-06_format.pdf

Notice how two upstate New York teams -- Syracuse and Albany -- who not only happen to be in different divisions but different conferences, still play each other six times.

This could work in the NHL for extra-conference rivals like Nashville and Atlanta, or Columbus and Pittsburgh, for example.

To use Montreal as an individual team example, the Habs could very rarely (once every 4/5 years?) play Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Columbus, or Minnesota, and no one would really notice.

However annual home-and-home games (at minimum) against Detroit, Chicago, Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver would be ideal.

Take any team and you could draw up an ideal imbalanced schedule that would increase fan interest.

 

[Phil333]

I hope this isn't the case. I go to school in Chicago and my gf in St. Louis and I'm a Ranger fan, meaning I'll never see them. I'll wait to hear it from Gary before I believe it.

 

[tmg]

To use Montreal as an individual team example, the Habs could very rarely (once every 4/5 years?) play Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Columbus, or Minnesota, and no one would really notice.

However annual home-and-home games (at minimum) against Detroit, Chicago, Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver would be ideal.

Take any team and you could draw up an ideal imbalanced schedule that would increase fan interest.

But _every_ team would want to schedule games against Colorado and Detroit in its 'ideal schedule', and nobody would want the games against Nashville and Los Angeles.

Aside from the Roy trade so many years ago (editor's note: Roy isn't there anymore), what claim does Montreal have to a Colorado series, other than the same claim every other team would have (we want big gate receipts!) ?

 

[growne]

But _every_ team would want to schedule games against Colorado and Detroit in its 'ideal schedule', and nobody would want the games against Nashville and Los Angeles.

Aside from the Roy trade so many years ago (editor's note: Roy isn't there anymore), what claim does Montreal have to a Colorado series, other than the same claim every other team would have (we want big gate receipts!) ?

The relatively recent Nordique - Habs rivalry?

 

[kdb209]

The AHL has an imbalanced schedule based on natural rivalries and teams' proximity to each other, disregarding strict aherence to divisional egality altogether. I think it's quite interesting and the NHL might want to consider something like this down the road.

http://www.theahl.com/AHLImages05a/05-06_format.pdf

Notice how two upstate New York teams -- Syracuse and Albany -- who not only happen to be in different divisions but different conferences, still play each other six times.

This could work in the NHL for extra-conference rivals like Nashville and Atlanta, or Columbus and Pittsburgh, for example.

To use Montreal as an individual team example, the Habs could very rarely (once every 4/5 years?) play Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Phoenix, Dallas, Nashville, St. Louis, Columbus, or Minnesota, and no one would really notice.

However annual home-and-home games (at minimum) against Detroit, Chicago, Colorado, Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver would be ideal.

Take any team and you could draw up an ideal imbalanced schedule that would increase fan interest.

I hate schedules like this that institutionalize an unbalanced and unfair schedule. How would you like to be a team whom the league has decided was a "natural rival" of Detroit or Toronto or Philly and be competing for a playoff spot with a team whose "natural rivals" are Nashville or Atlanta or Phoenix. If you are going to have an unbalanced schedule and maintain the integrity of the schedule you have to have a fair rotaion over time so that certain teams don't get an easier or tougher schedule every year.

This is a major problem with the MLB unbalanced interleague schedule. The Mets get to play the Yankees every year and the Marlins the pathetic Devil Rays. There have been several examples where the wildcard spots have been stronly influenced by the difference in schedule strength in interleague play.

Consider. Cleveland plays the Yankees nine games while the White Sox play New York six games. Houston plays the AL West Rangers six games even though their AL Central rivals never play Texas. The Astros play the last-place Rangers as often as they play the NL West Diamondbacks, Giants, Dodgers and Rockies, against whom they may battle for the wild-card spot.

These ugly effects ripple throughout the schedule as surely as the Wave through Anaheim's stadium. To allow for the all-Texas matchup, the NL West Diamondbacks wound up with six games against the NL Central's Tigers and Royals, two of the worst teams in baseball. And this is supposed to be fair to their NL West opponents?

Then again, the schedule is no longer fair nor consistent, which is no surprise. You simply can't have interleague play, an unbalanced schedule, the wild card and maintain schedule integrity.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/columns/caple_jim/1222611.html

 

[tmg]

The relatively recent Nordique - Habs rivalry?

In all likelihood, there will be exactly one player on Colorado this year that ever wore a Nordiques sweater. I just don't see this 'rivalry' as still-existing.

 

[Realm]

Not neccesarily.

I Bet the NHL on their first year back relaunch to make The Canadian fans happy they will have the Northwest play the Northeast.

There's a 2 out of 3 shot anyway.

There is a good chance those 3 teams will visit Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa but I was just stating those teams wont visit the Northwest.

 

[Face Wash]

Once again this is a win for the California teams who will now play almost 2/3 of their season within a one hour plane ride (or less) and will not have to make at least one of the east coast swings they use to have to make.

It also saves them money in travel expenses I'm sure... Smart decision by the league for everyone.

 

[ti-vite]

Well, except for all the other great ideas we've posted that they don't listen to.

Like speedskating uniforms to reduce clutching and grabing...

 

[labatt50]

Smart decision by the league for everyone.

Unless you are a Detroit fan with your team playing Columbus and Nashville far too many times, but not Boston, Toronto, NYR, Montreal, etc. etc. etc.

 

[Timmy]

Unless you are a Detroit fan with your team playing Columbus and Nashville far too many times, but not Boston, Toronto, NYR, Montreal, etc. etc. etc.

You're assuming Columbus and Nashville aren't going to be exciting teams, while Boston et.al. will be.

 

[SmokeyClause]

Wow, major Veja Du. When the rumours first started about the playing one division only, many here suggested it would be better to split the 10 games into playing two of the other divisions, instead of one. And now here we are.

I swear the NHL reads us.

Well, except for all the other great ideas we've posted that they don't listen to.

They mainly read the board in an attempt to take in every possible loophole. A lot of the ingenious loophole schemes produced by this very board are invaluable to the CBA drafters in their attempt to make the contract airtight.

 

[Timmy]

They mainly read the board in an attempt to take in every possible loophole. A lot of the ingenious loophole schemes produced by this very board are invaluable to the CBA drafters in their attempt to make the contract airtight.

On the downside, the owners' daughters' dogs are going to be awefully scruffy, not having had the services of a $5 million dogwasher.

 

[rockon83]

Based on the original post in this thread, and info from the isles/preds board which was reposted here (http://hfboards.com/showthread.php?t=152576)

The interconference games will be:

Northeast: Northwest at home, Pacific on road.
Atlantic: Central at home, Northwest on road.
Southeast: Pacific at home, Central on road.

Northwest: Atlantic at home, Northeast on road.
Pacific: Northeast at home, Southeast on road.
Central: Southeast at home, Atlantic on road.