OT: Too many teams in the NHL

[BenchBrawl]

Yes, there are far too many teams in the NHL.

I would limit it to 20 max, and would prefer 6-10, with a much stronger minor league.

 

[Tyson]

Yes, there are far too many teams in the NHL.

I would limit it to 20 max, and would prefer 6-10, with a much stronger minor league.

Too many teams equals too many substandard referees

 

[NORiculous]

I know I am a grumpy old man, however do we have too many teams in the NHL?

Is the talent too diluted? When you finish out of the playoffs can you get a good talent in the teens? Are we filling arenas? Do we have good rivalries any more? Do you even care about the other conference that much anymore? Can you still name 85% of all the players in the league and have a general idea of how they are playing.

I liked the 24 team 6 teams per division pre 1993 expansion. I even didn't mind the 7 team/div 28 team league. I find the current 32 teams to be too many and I just can't get excited about half of the games, and a further 1/4 I just won't even watch if habs aren't involved.

What are your feelings and or thoughts on the current talent/team/drafting/anything you want to discuss related to it.
Thanks in advance, I may not get back to the thread in a reasonable time because my grandkids keep me busy AF.

PS if a mod want to make a poll with maybe 6 options feel free as I couldn't figure out how to do it.
1 WAY less teams the hockey sucks now!
2 Don't care but lean towards 28-30 if option was on the table
3 I like it just the way it is. Good Balance!
4 I think we need more team, the NHL needs the markets
5 Why doesn't Quebec have a team given the crap attendance elsewhere *looking at you whinerpeg*
6 Scrap it all and set it up like in soccer with a lot more semipro teams and 2 up, 2 down each season to make sure teams play their hardest instead of tanking!

Edit -Happy New Year

It all comes down to $.

If the league can grow $, it has and it will. The bigger it grows the more youth wants to play and the more the talent becomes available, etc.

I do think the NHL should be required to pay the leagues in which it selects (drafts) players though( but that is another story).

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

There's great hockey out there and plenty of talent around the league if you don't just watch the habs.

 

[BenchBrawl]

Too many teams equals too many substandard referees

I don't care too much about refereeing in the regular season, just part of the game. The few best refs should progressively be the only ones used in the playoffs.

 

[Naslundforever]

Would love to have more team with the creation of the european division. And the rink a little bigger an hybrid between NHL and Olympic size

8 teams european division

-Stockholm (Sweden)
-Helsinki (Finland)
-Riga (Latvia)
-Moscow (Russia)
-Berlin (Germany)
-Prague (Czech Republic)
-Bratislava (Slovakia)
-Vienna (Austria)

Make the league bigger, make more money, attract more talents, make hockey a bigger sport worldwide. Embrace the future we are not going backward with less teams

why? The teams will never play each other, the best players will further spread out …Imagine the habs, but sans Guhle and Dach who are now core to the amazing Berlin Butchers? So what if the league grosses more money?

There's great hockey out there and plenty of talent around the league if you don't just watch the habs.

Except I don’t

 

[Pat Riot]

why? The teams will never play each other, the best players will further spread out …Imagine the habs, but sans Guhle and Dach who are now core to the amazing Berlin Butchers? So what if the league grosses more money?


Except I don’t

By making hockey more popular worldwide , more kids want to play the game we love therefore creating more stars players. And yes if we open an european divison every team would go on play the european division during the season. Pretty simple IMO, more eyes on the sport is good and make more people want to play it

 

[OldCraig71]

There are too many teams for sure and the rivalries of the past are all but gone. The salary cap sucks, rich teams have to revenue share to prop up the weak ones. Overtime points for losses help weak teams secure a playoff spot. Refereeing is inconsistent and everything is a penalty which is also a way to falsely inflate offense league-wide. I love the grumpy old men part, I wear that badge with honor.

 

[BLONG7]

I don't see what you guys are seeing I guess. To my eyes the hockey is the best it has ever been, a modern SC winner would crush a SC team from the 70's or 80's. So much skill and speed now a days.

Hard to compare eras..................kids are bigger, better, faster..................agents when they turn 14 yrs old...nutrition, training all of these things that did not happen 50 years ago....
Millionaires at 18-19-20 years of age.

But yes, todays NHL teams would wipe the floor with teams from 40-50 years ago....but in the last 25 years, the product has become tough to watch at times............not always, but at times.

 

[Habs]

There are too many teams for sure and the rivalries of the past are all but gone. The salary cap sucks, rich teams have to revenue share to prop up the weak ones. Overtime points for losses help weak teams secure a playoff spot. Refereeing is inconsistent and everything is a penalty which is also a way to falsely inflate offense league-wide. I love the grumpy old men part, I wear that badge with honor.

I agree with almost everything you said, so that could be a first, you miserable old turd. Happy new year

 

[OldCraig71]

I agree with almost everything you said, so that could be a first, you miserable old turd. Happy new year

Whenever I am having a bad day I look forward to reading your posts which usually makes me feel better about my plight in life. Happy New year to you. I am sure my greeting won't change anything but at least I tried.

 

[Habs]

Hard to compare eras..................kids are bigger, better, faster..................agents when they turn 14 yrs old...nutrition, training all of these things that did not happen 50 years ago....
Millionaires at 18-19-20 years of age.

But yes, todays NHL teams would wipe the floor with teams from 40-50 years ago....but in the last 25 years, the product has become tough to watch at times............not always, but at times.

McDavid's talent is 10x that of #99, the players are not even the same breed. Goalies were so small, 80% of the league couldn't skate, would even smoke between periods. However Mario and Bobby Orr would be legends in any era. (Yeah I've never been a wayne fan you can tell lol)

Whenever I am having a bad day I look forward to reading your posts which usually makes me feel better about my plight in life. Happy New year to you. I am sure my greeting won't change anything but at least I tried.

no , you are still one of my favorites, I just have a hard time showing it. Did you really think I don't enjoy your posts? Yikes, I totally do, don't take my ribbing as an insult, it's out of appreciation lol

 

[OldCraig71]

Hard to compare eras..................kids are bigger, better, faster..................agents when they turn 14 yrs old...nutrition, training all of these things that did not happen 50 years ago....
Millionaires at 18-19-20 years of age.

But yes, todays NHL teams would wipe the floor with teams from 40-50 years ago....but in the last 25 years, the product has become tough to watch at times............not always, but at times.

Faster doesn't mean better, most of these kids can skate 35 km's/hr but don't accomplish much. I would say that the game is too fast and it is hampering the creativity aspect of the game. They all look like robots out there.

 

[Pat Riot]

Faster doesn't mean better, most of these kids can skate 35 km's/hr but don't accomplish much. I would say that the game is too fast and it is hampering the creativity aspect of the game. They all look like robots out there.

Faster and bigger but still the same size of the rink. I thinks that is what is hampering the creativity. Having bigger rink would allow more finesse and spectacular play.

Like in basketball , keeping the net at 10 feet high is not good for the sport. Some players dont even need to jump now to dunk the ball. When the sport was created , the net being that high was a challenge, today not so much. I feel sports failed to adapt to today reality in a way.

 

[OldCraig71]

McDavid's talent is 10x that of #99, the players are not even the same breed. Goalies were so small, 80% of the league couldn't skate, would even smoke between periods. However Mario and Bobby Orr would be legends in any era. (Yeah I've never been a wayne fan you can tell lol)



no , you are still one of my favorites, I just have a hard time showing it. Did you really think I don't enjoy your posts? Yikes, I totally do, don't take my ribbing as an insult, it's out of appreciation lol

This must be booze-talking from you.(as I wipe tears of joy off my face). If you want to show your appreciation send me some money(I have read the investment thread here and there lol) I love the ribbing from you because I know that it truly comes from a loving corner of your squirrel-sized heart lol. Old man sits back with akward smile like the one you always depict me as lol. If we meet someday you will get the shock of your life as many others would as well. Cheers.

 

[Doc McKenna]

why? The teams will never play each other, the best players will further spread out …Imagine the habs, but sans Guhle and Dach who are now core to the amazing Berlin Butchers? So what if the league grosses more money?


Except I don’t

I would agree except if you look at soccer, you don't play in your home country, you go where the money is. So you may still see Guhle and Dach, while suzy and CC are in stockholm and moscow.

 

[Doc McKenna]

Hard to compare eras..................kids are bigger, better, faster..................agents when they turn 14 yrs old...nutrition, training all of these things that did not happen 50 years ago....
Millionaires at 18-19-20 years of age.

But yes, todays NHL teams would wipe the floor with teams from 40-50 years ago....but in the last 25 years, the product has become tough to watch at times............not always, but at times.

I have the habs box set and that 60's game in there is pretty hilarious to watch...Not much going on in that game. But in some ways I do prefer watching the 80's and 90's over now. That might be because its what I grew up watching (70's I was too young to understand much beyond red guy goes in that direction, blue guy goes in other direction)

I feel everyone has a system and everything is a set play or get benched. I personally would prefer bigger ice, but you could bring back the red line at that point(I know blasphemy) it would help to slow the game down, but open up shooting lanes. Get rid of a ref that can't seem to get the calls right with even two of them, and/or allow linemen to make calls like the regular ref. One less body that is constantly in the way. Get a chip back in the puck to detect when it crosses the line fully, instead of making comets on TVs. There is so much time and momentum burned while we wait for video replays-that must of us don't trust to even get right.

And I liked the quick puck drop. Too much time messing around these days. It makes your fourth liners more valuable to allow your top guys to catch their breath. With commercial time outs, and linesmen figure skating the puck after an icing, guys have lots of time to rest between puck drops. Your 4th liners get 5 minute a game instead of say 8-10. In many cases your ice time is what allows you to play better, keep your head in the game, and contribute more to your team. Could trim a few million from the top guys in a team game and help out those lesser guys who don't get the ice time, even if they MAY have more talent. Like Arber, shouldn't be in the minors IMO he is better than a few of our Dmen and brings something most on the team don't, GRIT. AT least he is getting good ice time in laval...Sorry got a lot of ideas floating around these days. None of which would ever be implemented, but what if?

 

[MXD]

I have more issues with the amount of games (too much) than with the amount of teams.

 

[Naslundforever]

By making hockey more popular worldwide , more kids want to play the game we love therefore creating more stars players. And yes if we open an european divison every team would go on play the european division during the season. Pretty simple IMO, more eyes on the sport is good and make more people want to play it

I only see a potential lateral move there as far as new fans or players… Aren’t local leagues popular? How are we “cloning” new fans? Nhl would not “bring” hockey to Russia…

Not sure about West coast teams travelling to Europe either… Sounds impossible in fact. And there are teams as it is we’ve seen a handful of times in the last decade… I don’t see it maybe it makes sense.

 

[Naslundforever]

I would agree except if you look at soccer, you don't play in your home country, you go where the money is. So you may still see Guhle and Dach, while suzy and CC are in stockholm and moscow.

I did not even think either might be German if that’s what you mean lol I swear I picked from a hat… I just meant the players would be spread over more teams oops!

 

[RC51]

Would love to have more team with the creation of the european division. And the rink a little bigger an hybrid between NHL and Olympic size

8 teams european division

-Stockholm (Sweden)
-Helsinki (Finland)
-Riga (Latvia)
-Moscow (Russia)
-Berlin (Germany)
-Prague (Czech Republic)
-Bratislava (Slovakia)
-Vienna (Austria)

Make the league bigger, make more money, attract more talents, make hockey a bigger sport worldwide. Embrace the future we are not going backward with less teams

I know your being nice but no way i have moskow. You know Putin will arrest the entire team and call them spies and then demand billions and all the Ruskie bad guys the us has in all prison

 

[JianYang]

Alot of dud games are due to cramped scheduling.

I agree reducing the schedule and playing twice a week would give the quality and consistency of the product a big boost.

Of course, that will never happen, because quality doesn't matter if it means you are making less profit.

 

[GordonGraham]

21 team was my favorite era with the 1 vs 16 2v15..... playoffs

 

[Pat Riot]

I know your being nice but no way i have moskow. You know Putin will arrest the entire team and call them spies and then demand billions and all the Ruskie bad guys the us has in all prison

Dont want to get into politics but you must be aware there is already many american and canadian players who plays for russian team and they are doing fine. So your statement seems more like a paranoia than real life

 

[OldCraig71]

Do any of you crusty old dudes remember when the first few rounds were a 5 game series?