Vanilla Playoffs: Where has the Hatred and Nastiness gone?

[Lou Sassole]

Isn't this what we want hockey to become? The 'beautiful' game where skill and speed are put on display and barbarism and violence are non-existent? Where player's wellbeing, both physically and mentally, are of utmost importance?

You forgot to mark this as satire.

 

[GeeoffBrown]

Well, there were 8 series, 1 ended in 4 games and 4 ended in 5 games. Lots of one-sided matchups this time

 

[aufheben]

I don’t know I feel like the Rangers have been pretty dirty lol. And Trouba hasn’t even done anything yet.

 

[x Tame Impala]

The lack of division games

Playing 32 cross conference games every season has killed rivalries and eliminated most excitement from the NHL. Only 4 out of 82 games against division opponents (4.8% of the season). Sometimes just 3 games!

Meanwhile, the NFL dedicates 2/17 games to divisional opponents (11.7%). That’s the equivalent of 9 NHL games per season.

Teams play 39% of their games against the other conference meaning they don’t play division/conference opponents enough for hatred to be present for game one of a series

What used to be there at the drop now takes to game 3 or 4 to develop…

Personally I think it's boring to play the same 7 teams 56 times a year. Especially with a playoff format where you play divisioinal opponents the first 2 series almost no matter what. It's just the same teams over and over and over and over.

Seems to be rivalries are an organic process and the league's mistake was trying to force teams into having them. There hasn't even been that many the last 20ish years. CHI vs VAN, PIT vs PHI, MTL vs BOS are the most notorious ones off the top of my head and I'm not sure what else has come close recently.

CHI vs VAN was heated because they were both 2 great, young, up and coming teams who stood in each other's way for a shot at a Cup 3 years in a row. There were also specific players and their personalities on both teams that fueled that rivalry to the point it was so compelling. McDrai's Oilers have played LA what, 3 times now? 3 times in a row even? There's nothing close to the level of hatred we've seen from Flyers and Penguins for example.

I think it has more to do with league and player culture than anything else. Rivalries are going to happen on their own, I don't think switching up the playoff format was a good idea at all and I definitely don't want to start playing the Utah Coyotes and Minnesota Wild 8 times each every season

 

[MikeyMike01]

Personally I think it's boring to play the same 7 teams 56 times a year. Especially with a playoff format where you play divisioinal opponents the first 2 series almost no matter what. It's just the same teams over and over and over and over.

The only NHL regular season that I enjoyed was the bubble one. Every other NHL season feels like the Bataan death march. 32 worthless, boring, uninteresting games against western conference teams. Oh boy! a 10:30pm game against Edmonton!

If we’re going to have a divisional playoff, we must have a divisional regular season. It makes zero sense otherwise.

 

[vcanuck]

you get penalized for throwing big hits now..

 

[Ratsreign]

Games were too close score wise for things to get crazy. Teams toning aggression down a bit (especially post-whistle) to avoid giving power plays to the opponent in a close game.

 

[Elysian]

Been plenty of nastiness in the Stars-Vegas series, IMO.

 

[KeydGV21]

The only NHL regular season that I enjoyed was the bubble one. Every other NHL season feels like the Bataan death march. 32 worthless, boring, uninteresting games against western conference teams. Oh boy! a 10:30pm game against Edmonton!

If we’re going to have a divisional playoff, we must have a divisional regular season. It makes zero sense otherwise.

We don’t even have true divisional playoffs thanks to the wild card spots…

And I LOVED the post full season lockout matrix of 8 games division (32), 4 in conference (40), 10 games total against the other conference…something like that would be great with true divisional playoffs…

 

[Bourne Endeavor]

Canucks and Preds is probably the only series with real “nastiness”. Both those teams are already top 10 in NHL history for most hits through 5 games in a playoff series.

I wouldn't call that nastiness though. Neither team really cares about each other beyond winning the game. If Vancouver advances to face Edmonton, that'll be a series where both teams absolutely despise one another.

 

[Matty Sundin]

Teams maybe saving energy. Why have a series in first round where you beat the hell out of each other and be too banged up for the 2nd round. The last fee finals have definitely had teams entering no gas left

 

[TheOrganist]

Hits are way up according to the stats but in general the game has obviously changed and the old days of playoff insanity are long gone. It’s really irrelevant regarding playoff format or anything else. Tis what it tis.

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Refs go misconduct happy when things get rough.

 

[EdmFlyersfan]

Wait until you see the 2040 playoffs where OT has been in effect for a few years and then is decided by who can land a perfect sowcow.

 

[DamonDRW]

There is no place in this league for Marchments or Tuckers anymore. We also didn't see a dominating power forwards in ages. Benn is his prime, 7 years ago, was probably the last one. That essentially removes a way how to defend skill when your team doesn't have a comparable talent. One huge hit by say Byfuglien on Makar might have changed the whole Jets - Avs series.

And no, second round is going to be very similar. You can't except "on the edge" hockey from Fox and Panarin against Aho and Jarvis.

 

[Dynamic]

It seems like the trend is that the teams that make it know it is a four round grind and there is no way to make it to the end giving it 100% each round, not to mention trying to not get injured. Watching the Oilers and it just seemed more calculated with the way they expended energy. The one game they literally just let the Kings hit them all night and they absorbed the punishment knowing they could conserve energy.

There are probably 4 or 5 teams with the end goal in mind. And it will ratchet up a notch in the 2nd and 3rd rounds. The goal is to make it to the final round. And the team that makes it there healthier, with more gas in the tank, and less miles on the odometer will have a huge advantage.

 

[TheNumber4]

Incompetent Refs in this League has ruined it. Can’t retaliate cause refs don’t see the initial infraction. Penalties and even up penalties make no f***in sense.

Best to just play a clean game and hope and pray the refs have their contacts in that night.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Refs are already hanging all over players when they drop the gloves.

 

[barkovcanfinnish]

I bet the nastiness will pick up in round 2

 

[trilobyte]

It's early.
Good wholesome hatred matures and ages like cheese

 

[BB79]

Isn't this what we want hockey to become? The 'beautiful' game where skill and speed are put on display and barbarism and violence are non-existent? Where player's wellbeing, both physically and mentally, are of utmost importance?

Go watch golf (I know you're being sarcastic)

Don't we all hate Boston and Vegas?

No, we all hate Toronto and Montreal.

 

[El Travo]

1. It's the first round and there were a lot of series' that were lopsided. There's also a lot of hockey left to be played, no point in burning yourself out right away.
2. There were still plenty of big hits and emotion despite point 1.
3. Penalties. Is being a tough guy after the whistle really worth putting your team down a man? Let's take Edmonton/LA for example: LA wouldn't want to give Edmonton a powerplay because that's scary shit, and Edmonton wouldn't want to give LA a powerplay because that would be one of the few times they stop trapping and actually try to score.
4. Teams are trying to win, not prove how tough they are. The only time a team feels comfortable gooning it up is if they are losing heavily and want to make the other team hurt.
5. Goons don't exist anymore in the same way they did back in the day.
6. Suspensions. Do you want to take yourself out of the next game or more because you couldn't moderate your emotions?

 

[bacon25]

Fans always whine about wanting more physical play and whatnot, that is until the top player on their team gets Scott Steven'd into retirement. Blame the CTE's, they are what causing the rule changes in most sports.

 

[Goptor]

First round is usually hit or miss.

Sometimes you get pretender teams that aren't particularly good. This year had more than usual and 5 of the 8 series ended by game 5. It also may be the reason for the lack of exciting OT games.

 

[NorthStar4Canes]

Hockey is no longer a sport played by tough Saskatchewan farm boys but rather rich kids from privileged backgrounds.

Damn cake-eaters.