The Athletic - Boston Sean McIndoe - How I’d fix the NHL’s playoff format

[Fenway]

There are not many negatives with this format.

Down Goes Brown: How I'd fix the NHL's playoff format

The Bruins playing a Stanley Cup Final against Toronto, Pittsburgh or Poutineville? Sign me up.

If the season ended today - the first round in the East would be

#1 Tampa vs #8 Pittsburgh
#2 Toronto vs #7 Montreal
#3 Washington vs #6 Boston
#4 Buffalo vs #5 Columbus

In the West

#1 Winnipeg vs #8 Edmonton
#2 Calgary vs #7 Anaheim
#3 Nashville vs #6 Vegas
#4 San Jose vs #5 Colorado

Then everything is reseeded for the second round and in the third round you have a possible crossover

The NHL did this before as saw the Bruins and Kings meet a couple of times and of course meeting Montreal twice in the SCF.

The schedule would need to be tweked but it is doable when Seattle joins.

Play each team in your conference 3 times which would be 45 games, play every team in the other conference twice which would be 32 games to bring it to 77.

Then for the other 5 games, each team would select rivals they want to meet 4 times in the season - Bruins could select Montreal, Toronto, Rangers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It would require a little horse trading but it can work and it could really pay off with some great matchups in later rounds.

Click to read more...

 

[bbfan419]

I love this idea, I despise this stupid division playoffs where the same teams seem to meet every year like the old Adams Division setup. I remember a time when not only divisions, but conferences went out the window and the payoffs were 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15 etc. with each round reseeded, which means any two teams could meet at any time and possibly the finals. At least this setup would rekindle that somewhat, bring it on! It would also guarantee the best teams have the best chance to meet when it really counts.

 

[missingchicklet]

Not sold on his idea of the final four since I still think there is something fun about having the two conference winners go at it in the Cup finals, but certainly think the other parts are superior to what is in place now. I absolutely cannot stand the current way things are done since to some degree it takes away the incentive of being seeded high. It's dumb to be punished/rewarded for simply being in a certain division.

 

[C77]

Hockey fans are fickle. When there was the 1-8 setup no one like it and wanted the rivalries of divisional playoffs. Now that there is the divisional setup few seem to like it.

I for one love the divisional setup but would get rid of the wildcards. Hockey is better when there is hatred...more regular season divisional games would be better.....and would mean less travel which would make Andrew Ference happy.

 

[Bruinsfan88]

Of the four major sports, which one do you all feel has the best playoff format? I have to go MLB playoffs, but I also think it's crazy how many games they play and might miss the playoffs by 1 game. 162 game season and the playoffs are over in the blink of an eye since there is a 1 game wild card and then 8 total teams in the playoff bracket.

Now if you brought something similar into the NHL, I think that would be awesome. Same 82 game season but more divisional games. Whoever wins the division gets a spot, and with a wild card team we would still get to see some Canadiens v Bruins playoff series. Unfortunately it's tricky with an odd number of teams and when we get to 32 teams it wouldn't work.

This brings me to the second best playoff format in my opinion - the NFL. This would bode really well I think for the NHL. 8 divisions with 4 teams each. Our division could be Bruins, Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Senators for example. Winner of each division goes to the playoffs so 4 teams in each conference. The NFL then brings in 2 wild card teams in each conference an incorporate a bye week for the top 2 seeds. I can't see the NHL doing something like this. And with no wild card you have no inter-divisional playoff matchups.

Anways, just me thinking out loud here. I don't hate the current system, but it could definitely be improved. And now that I think about it, playoff hockey is the best and I think the sport is fine having more teams make the playoffs than MLB.

 

[Olden McGroin]

I love this idea, I despise this stupid division playoffs where the same teams seem to meet every year like the old Adams Division setup. I remember a time when not only divisions, but conferences went out the window and the payoffs were 1 vs 16, 2 vs 15 etc. with each round reseeded, which means any two teams could meet at any time and possibly the finals. At least this setup would rekindle that somewhat, bring it on! It would also guarantee the best teams have the best chance to meet when it really counts.

1 vs 16 would be wild, but I would settle for 1 vs 8, not this current junk format where a 2 or 3 seed is guaranteed to be eliminated in the first round each and every year

 

[Budddy]

Hockey fans are fickle. When there was the 1-8 setup no one like it and wanted the rivalries of divisional playoffs. Now that there is the divisional setup few seem to like it.

I for one love the divisional setup but would get rid of the wildcards. Hockey is better when there is hatred...more regular season divisional games would be better.....and would mean less travel which would make Andrew Ference happy.

Fair comment but I'm tired of seeing the same teams in a division playing each other all year and then again in the playoffs plus the debacle of 2/3 seeded teams in a strong division getting knocked out in first round

Don't agree with the hatred factor tho...Vancouver and Boston had zero rivalry prior to 2011 and that still resonates 7 years later...I would much prefer to play someone different each year...

 

[jgatie]

No byes, no wild card games, no reseeding, no nothing! The Stanley Cup playoffs are the best in sports and the gimmicks MLB and the NFL uses are not going to make them better. Anything that goes away from "16W" can kiss my ass, and so can you millennials thinking this shit up.

 

[Pay Carl]

a little OT but if you've got some extra Christmas money lying around, McIndoe's book he just put out is really great and I never read books

especially for a person who doesn't know a ton of hockey history its perfect, and has tons of funny little history stories that I bet 99% of people on here don't know and would be shocked to hear

 

[22Brad Park]

Playoff setup now sucks so I support just about anything new.How can any team with more points be seeded lower?That is just all wrong.

 

[TD Charlie]

Once Seattle is involved they could have legitimate divisional playoffs, a conference round, then the cup final. They’d be stupid not to do it...they won’t do it.

I want no part of Montreal in the cup final. I’d like to live a long healthy life, and that all but guarantees i won’t.

 

[Boston Bandit]

There are not many negatives with this format.

Down Goes Brown: How I'd fix the NHL's playoff format

View attachment 169209
View attachment 169211

The Bruins playing a Stanley Cup Final against Toronto, Pittsburgh or Poutineville? Sign me up.

If the season ended today - the first round in the East would be

#1 Tampa vs #8 Pittsburgh
#2 Toronto vs #7 Montreal
#3 Washington vs #6 Boston
#4 Buffalo vs #5 Columbus

In the West

#1 Winnipeg vs #8 Edmonton
#2 Calgary vs #7 Anaheim
#3 Nashville vs #6 Vegas
#4 San Jose vs #5 Colorado

Then everything is reseeded for the second round and in the third round you have a possible crossover

The NHL did this before as saw the Bruins and Kings meet a couple of times and of course meeting Montreal twice in the SCF.

The schedule would need to be tweked but it is doable when Seattle joins.

Play each team in your conference 3 times which would be 45 games, play every team in the other conference twice which would be 32 games to bring it to 77.

Then for the other 5 games, each team would select rivals they want to meet 4 times in the season - Bruins could select Montreal, Toronto, Rangers, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. It would require a little horse trading but it can work and it could really pay off with some great matchups in later rounds.

 

[Prince Pasta]

Do away with conferences, have the divisional playoffs play out within the divisions, then reseed the remaining teams for the finals to 1v4 2v3. The schedule is going to have to change with 32 teams, cant play your division 4 games and then balance everyone else, going to have to shuffle it, add regular season games, etc. will be tricky can play teams in your division 6 times, then 2 other divisions twice with one division only once a year, dont know how else to do it other than sacrifice divisional games or add regular season games (there are enough already).

 

[rocketdan9]

I like this idea but at the semi finals the format would have to change to

2-3-2 due to potential long distance travel restrictions

Otherwise it is a fresh idea that the best teams can meet at the finals

 

[rocketdan9]

Another cool idea could be that the 8th and 9th seed play a one game do or die game in order to make it into the playoffs like they do on baseball

Then it becomes the best of 5 for 1st vs 8th seed matchups only. Giving the 1st seeded teams potentially more time to rest to prepare for the 2nd round

 

[sarge88]

I like the playoff format he suggests, but for the regular season, I'd go with:

Unbalanced schedule: Play each team in your Division 6x each = 18 Games
Play non-division teams in your Conference 4x each = 48 Games
Play each team in the the other Conference 1x each = 16 Games


Divisions:

Boston, Montreal, Quebec, Buffalo

NYR, NYI, NJ, Philly

Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit, Pittsburgh

Wash, Carolina, TB, Columbus

(Perfect world, Pitt/Philly would be in the same division..but sacrifices need to be made)

Nashville, Minnesota, Chicago, Winnipeg

Dallas, Houston, Colorado, St. Louis

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle

SJ, LA, Vegas, Anaheim

 

[crimsonace]

There are not many negatives with this format.

Down Goes Brown: How I'd fix the NHL's playoff format

Basically, it's the old 1994-2013 system with one minor tweak - reseeding again before the semifinal round.

IMO, that was the best playoff system in pro sports and the NHL made a significant mistake by going away from it.

 

[Rubber Biscuit]

I like the playoff format he suggests, but for the regular season, I'd go with:

Unbalanced schedule: Play each team in your Division 6x each = 18 Games
Play non-division teams in your Conference 4x each = 48 Games
Play each team in the the other Conference 1x each = 16 Games


Divisions:

Boston, Montreal, Quebec, Buffalo

NYR, NYI, NJ, Philly

Toronto, Ottawa, Detroit, Pittsburgh

Wash, Carolina, TB, Columbus

(Perfect world, Pitt/Philly would be in the same division..but sacrifices need to be made)

Nashville, Minnesota, Chicago, Winnipeg

Dallas, Houston, Colorado, St. Louis

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle

SJ, LA, Vegas, Anaheim

I just can't see them ever going to 4 team divisions. There's no way to split the Eastern Conference teams up into groups of 4. They won't separate Pittsburgh and Philly or Toronto and Montreal/Buffalo/Boston.

 

[sarge88]

I just can't see them ever going to 4 team divisions. There's no way to split the Eastern Conference teams up into groups of 4. They won't separate Pittsburgh and Philly or Toronto and Montreal/Buffalo/Boston.

I agree. And I just noticed that I left out Florida completely.....lol.

Selfishly, I love the idea of going back to the old 4 team division format.

Re-thinking it. (Because it's dead at work and I have time to kill)

I guess they could do this -- (even though they won't).

Move Arizona to Quebec and Detroit to the west - giving each conference 16 teams.


East

Boston, Toronto, Quebec, Montreal

Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Philly, Ottawa

NYR, NYI, NJ, Caps

Columbus, Florida, TB, Carolina


West

Detroit, Minnesota, Chicago, Winnipeg

Dallas, Nashville, Colorado, St. Louis

Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, Seattle

SJ, LA, Vegas, Anaheim


If Arizona stays -- put Detroit with Pitt, Philly and Ottawa and move Buffalo to the Bruins division.

Put Arizona with Dallas, Nashville and St. Louis and put Colorado with Minnesota, Chicago and Winnipeg.

Fun to think about, but, sadly for me, it won't happen.

Unbalanced schedule: Play each team in your Division 6x each = 18 Games
Play non-division teams in your Conference 4x each = 48 Games
Play each team in the the other Conference 1x each = 16 Games

 

[Morris Wanchuk]

With the extinction of fighting, rivalries, and remotely interesting regular season hockey, we might as well do away with conferences all together. Regular season divisional games were once a time to air the grievances of playoff the spring before. Now? BORING.

I think I have watched 2 regular season games this year.. all of them Zzzzzzzz's. And this is from a former STH. I'll watch the playoffs, sure but the regular season is a snooze fest these days.

Concussions are killing people, I get it. My son will not play hockey because of this. But as soon as we accept that, the NHL should ditch the "rivalry" aspect of it and just do best on best, regardless of region of the country.

 

[missingchicklet]

a little OT but if you've got some extra Christmas money lying around, McIndoe's book he just put out is really great and I never read books

especially for a person who doesn't know a ton of hockey history its perfect, and has tons of funny little history stories that I bet 99% of people on here don't know and would be shocked to hear

Thanks for the recommendation. Ordered it and it came in the mail today. Looking forward to checking it out.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

a little OT but if you've got some extra Christmas money lying around, McIndoe's book he just put out is really great and I never read books

especially for a person who doesn't know a ton of hockey history its perfect, and has tons of funny little history stories that I bet 99% of people on here don't know and would be shocked to hear

I love this book. I work at a bookstore here in good ol Canada and got an advance copy of it. I was surprised at how much history it really got into and how well it worked as kind of a biography of the league.

We sold a lot of copies over the holiday season even though DGB isn’t near as known out here in the West as it is in Ontario.

A TON of hockey books this year. Some really good ones.

 

[Mr. Make-Believe]

This idea is messy as hell, but man I can’t deny how interesting it would be.

The current setup is just awful to me. And don’t get me started on overtime and shootouts

 

[ODAAT]

certainly seen worse proposals

 

[crimsonace]

This idea is messy as hell, but man I can’t deny how interesting it would be.

The current setup is just awful to me. And don’t get me started on overtime and shootouts

If you're going to tinker with the rules and play OT as a 3v3 pond hockey fest and then follow it with a shootout, 3-point regulation wins have to happen. Otherwise, there is no incentive to try to win in regulation.