News Article: What is wrong with the NHL?

[Drivesaitl]

I'm just going to note that you bolded my statement about the regular season lacking any predictive value and went on to tell me that you based your predictions on the early playoff games...

Also I haven't once seen you say that Dallas was a favourite to come out of the West. Dallas has been laughably inconsistent all year long and a one-line team - I've seen you mock them for that repeatedly.

I have several posts over the last month saying Dallas was my "Darkhorse" this season. In past seasons I was never high on Dallas, that is correct, but this season they have fleshed out the lineup, have some additions, more buy in, and the young Heiskanen, is an absolute stud. This guy has the flow and grace of a young Bobby Orr. Klingberg of course is the real deal. Dallas have solved their lineup issues. Even looking at Radulov his buy in is incredible this season. More than I've ever seen from him. He's matured.

Dallas are no longer a one line team. Hintz, Cogs, Zuc are solid players and Spezza is suddenly engaged.

Heres a post from me from April 11 calling Stars a Darkhorse candidate;

Dallas is a darkhorse for me this playoffs. I just feel they have been digging deep and playing intense hockey for awhile. So they are in the mode. Huge to win the first game in Nashville and I felt they deserved the win. Preds kind of backed into the playoff and were not sharp down the stretch. Neither were the Jets. Both teams losing the first game at home is good times but the Blues looked lucky to bag that win in Winnipeg. In anycase a huge gut blow for Winnipeg to not get the W at home with the home support.​

Drivesaitl, Apr 11, 2019 Report Bookmark

I had several more before that wishing the Stars would play the Flames and that they would destroy them and go deep in the playoffs. The Stars have been playing playoff hockey since February.

 

[SK13]

I'm not alone, heres an article supporting an all Canadian division;

Why not have all Canadian NHL teams in one division? | The Star

This would be horrible for Canadian teams because it would greatly increase travel time.

I really have no desire to watch the Oilers play the Sens, Leafs or Habs 5 times a year. It's not interesting to me. The entire concept of Canadiana in the NHL is nonsense actually.

 

[Stoneman89]

Loved to watch the Laffs gag in the first round once again, and to their old nemesis the Bruins. Watching the salty tears of their fans is rich indeed. I can hardly wait for the excuses and post mortem for them in the next few days.

 

[Stoneman89]

I have several posts over the last month saying Dallas was my "Darkhorse" this season. In past seasons I was never high on Dallas, that is correct, but this season they have fleshed out the lineup, have some additions, more buy in, and the young Heiskanen, is an absolute stud. This guy has the flow and grace of a young Bobby Orr. Klingberg of course is the real deal. Dallas have solved their lineup issues. Even looking at Radulov his buy in is incredible this season. More than I've ever seen from him. He's matured.

Dallas are no longer a one line team. Hintz, Cogs, Zuc are solid players and Spezza is suddenly engaged.

Heres a post from me from April 11 calling Stars a Darkhorse candidate;

Dallas is a darkhorse for me this playoffs. I just feel they have been digging deep and playing intense hockey for awhile. So they are in the mode. Huge to win the first game in Nashville and I felt they deserved the win. Preds kind of backed into the playoff and were not sharp down the stretch. Neither were the Jets. Both teams losing the first game at home is good times but the Blues looked lucky to bag that win in Winnipeg. In anycase a huge gut blow for Winnipeg to not get the W at home with the home support.​

Drivesaitl, Apr 11, 2019 Report Bookmark

I had several more before that wishing the Stars would play the Flames and that they would destroy them and go deep in the playoffs. The Stars have been playing playoff hockey since February.

Good call, as I didn't see the Stars prevailing against the Press, but I hate Nashville, so I'm thrilled they came through. Not as much as I enjoyed the Leafs gagging as usual against the Bruins, but enjoyable nonetheless.

 

[joestevens29]

Good call, as I didn't see the Stars prevailing against the Press, but I hate Nashville, so I'm thrilled they came through. Not as much as I enjoyed the Leafs gagging as usual against the Bruins, but enjoyable nonetheless.

I lucked out in one of my drafts and took them. Bishop had damn near his best year ever. Stastically it was his best year ever.

You get goaltending at this time of year and you can really go places. Then you add Benn back to point a game and the addition of Zuccarelo and they are quite the sleeper.

Unfortunately in another draft I have STL

 

[Aerrol]

I have several posts over the last month saying Dallas was my "Darkhorse" this season. In past seasons I was never high on Dallas, that is correct, but this season they have fleshed out the lineup, have some additions, more buy in, and the young Heiskanen, is an absolute stud. This guy has the flow and grace of a young Bobby Orr. Klingberg of course is the real deal. Dallas have solved their lineup issues. Even looking at Radulov his buy in is incredible this season. More than I've ever seen from him. He's matured.

Dallas are no longer a one line team. Hintz, Cogs, Zuc are solid players and Spezza is suddenly engaged.

Heres a post from me from April 11 calling Stars a Darkhorse candidate;

Dallas is a darkhorse for me this playoffs. I just feel they have been digging deep and playing intense hockey for awhile. So they are in the mode. Huge to win the first game in Nashville and I felt they deserved the win. Preds kind of backed into the playoff and were not sharp down the stretch. Neither were the Jets. Both teams losing the first game at home is good times but the Blues looked lucky to bag that win in Winnipeg. In anycase a huge gut blow for Winnipeg to not get the W at home with the home support.​

Drivesaitl, Apr 11, 2019 Report Bookmark

I had several more before that wishing the Stars would play the Flames and that they would destroy them and go deep in the playoffs. The Stars have been playing playoff hockey since February.

To make sure I'm not seen as avoiding a response when I'm wrong -

OK, fair enough - I was wrong and obviously missed these posts. I definitely did not see Dallas hitting the ground running this well in the playoffs, and I haven't been this wrong about various playoff performance in years.

 

[Simby]

Part of my feeling is that there ought to be around 9-10 Canadian NHL clubs. The NHL doesn't accommodate this, and I think at their ultimate peril. I wonder if there comes a time, after several decades of the current NHL arrangement not servicing any Canadian success or even significant Canadian competition whether there should be an alternate Canadian league. I would support that one instead, and forget about the NHL, gladly.

The CFL, and now the fledgling Canadian Soccer league may indicate that Canadians like to see Canadian competition. Its uncompetitive, pun intended, for the NHL to not provide this to Canadian Cities in this heartland of hockey. I wish for better than the NHL is serving Canadian markets, or Canada in general.

An alternate Canadian league???? No superstars would play in Canada for a CFL salary. It would be tough to find even decent players.

 

[Simby]

Good to see you. I was wondering where you’d gone. Shame you don’t watch hockey or post here anymore ... but you aren’t the only old timer who has vanished from the board over the last few years.

Re OP - doesn’t it all come down to money? TV money? Expansion money? Stars in the league now making $10 million plus? A salary cap that ‘needs’ to grow every season? Everybody ‘needs’ a new arena? Humans have proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that they are nothing if not avaricious. Must grow. Must gobble more market share. Must get richer. Must must must. They should do away with anthems and just play the Pink Floyd tune in every arena before every game, and the sound of an old style cash register instead of a horn or a cannon after every goal.

If anyone doubts this, please explain why the NHL goes to PRC of all places for its pre season games. It sounds so noble when Bettman says oh we want to ‘grow the game’. Only the gullible are taken in by propaganda like that. What they really want to grow is their pile of money. It motivates everything they do. **** the current fans, and especially the middle class Canadian fans who made this league. They want to sell jerseys and TV rights to people who have never skated, and will never skate, a day in their lives.

NHL is a for profit enterprise so it's Bettman's job to make more money for the league. Most entities in this world have the goal of maximizing profit.

 

[Drivesaitl]

NHL is a for profit enterprise so it's Bettman's job to make more money for the league. Most entities in this world have the goal of maximizing profit.

For reasons expressed in this thread, and elsewhere, in pursuit of that buck the NHL is in danger of biting the Canadian hand that feeds it. Both in terms of indifference to what is going on with Canadian clubs and to the Nation that supplies most of its hockey talent.

Additionally decisions like not going to the Olympics and instead playing such things as exhibition games in China for "exposure" is asinine. The NHL pulled from the Olympics because it couldn't be bothered to obtain owner consent and rearrange schedules to facilitate the Olympics. It was a classic example of short term focus vs longterm gain, by a league saying it is growing exposure to the game.

Relative to the other major pro sports just in NA the NHL is relatively going nowhere. A distant, and increasing 4th place pro league in NA, if that. MLS in time will probably pass it as well.

 

[harpoon]

Most entities in this world have the goal of maximizing profit

Given the state of the ‘world’ maybe we should rethink the goal?

 

[syz]

Given the state of the ‘world’ maybe we should rethink the goal?

You'll never convince anybody from Bettman's generation that there's more to life than money. The two oldest employed generations will ride that belief to the rest of our graves.

Though honestly, Canadian hockey markets getting shafted by the NHL is so low on the scale of "things suffering at the hands of capitalism" that it doesn't even rate.

 

[CanmoreMike]

The owners agreed to that so they get a 1/30 share of the Seattle money instead of a 1/31 share.

So for an extra one time amount of $700K these owners signed off on a ridiculous expansion rule.

And they wonder why they lose at CBA negotiations every time.