Would 2 Canadian NHL divisions work?

[Alpine]

I already know this is a stupid question, ridicule me if you want.
But really if you took the 6 current teams and added ......I dunno, Quebec, Winnipeg and pick 'em....Halifax, Victoria, Saskatoon, Regina, Hamilton, Trois Rivieres (for the sake of argument).
Hockey is a national religion here in Canada. Would this sell? Americans on this board are constantly complaining about ratings and lack of media attention. Canadian teams probably aren't a big draw States side. We probably don't care .
But think about it.....maybe two Canadian divisions of 5 or 6 teams. One in each conference. With the new schedule of divisional/ conference play, maybe this is the time.We breathe hockey and we always want the CUP to come home.
I'll have another Moosehead now.

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[Mr BLUEandWHITE]

I would say that at this time it is the most realistic chance of that happening because of the strength of the canadian dollar but this would never happen because there is not enought money in canada too bad though

 

[Evil Genius]

Interesting idea. Maybe one Canadian division with the existing 6 teams? Travel would be a killer but it certainly would be cool to have more intensity between all Canadian based teams.

 

[LadyJet26]

Interesting idea. Maybe one Canadian division with the existing 6 teams? Travel would be a killer but it certainly would be cool to have more intensity between all Canadian based teams.

Well at least they'd play each other every year. There won't be a Hockey Day In Canada next season because the Northwest and Northeast don't play each other.

 

[Evil Genius]

Well at least they'd play each other every year. There won't be a Hockey Day In Canada next season because the Northwest and Northeast don't play each other.

That stinks - I hadn't thought of that. They really need to recognize the uniqueness of the Canadian rivalries more. Let the Canadian teams only play some of the conference teams three times in favour of more east-west Canadian games. And have the East & West Canadian teams play one game each in each other's barns. The did that with the Leafs for the past few seasons when they'd play an imbalanced amount of games in order to visit Detroit + the western Canadian teams more regularly after they moved to the Eastern conference.

I mean God forbid the Leafs & Habs only play the stinkin Islanders three times a season instead of four....

 

[LadyJet26]

That stinks - I hadn't thought of that. They really need to recognize the uniqueness of the Canadian rivalries more. Let the Canadian teams only play some of the conference teams three times in favour of more east-west Canadian games. And have the East & West Canadian teams play one game each in each other's barns. The did that with the Leafs for the past few seasons when they'd play an imbalanced amount of games in order to visit Detroit + the western Canadian teams more regularly after they moved to the Eastern conference.

I mean God forbid the Leafs & Habs only play the stinkin Islanders three times a season instead of four....

I don't know what the heck was wrong with the old schedule... it's not like it cut down Vancouver's travel time by much. Not to mention, those Canadian teams draw a lot more then say Florida

 

[Realm]

I don't know what the heck was wrong with the old schedule... it's not like it cut down Vancouver's travel time by much. Not to mention, those Canadian teams draw a lot more then say Florida

The schedule change is because Vancouver fans requested playing 8 games against the Wild every year!

 

[joshjull]

I don't know what the heck was wrong with the old schedule... it's not like it cut down Vancouver's travel time by much. Not to mention, those Canadian teams draw a lot more then say Florida

Draw more? I thought Canadian teams sold out all their games regardless of opponent . As for Hockey day in Canada, why should the league care? Thats was a CBC created event not some long standing tradition. Hell the double headers on HNIC didn't start until after the lockout in 1994.

 

[Leaf Lander]

CBC needs a hockey chn

The habs would be on cbc in french the regular english cbc most saturdaynights and other teams fan could pay to see there oilers flames senator candiens etc

 

[Evil Genius]

As for Hockey day in Canada, why should the league care? Thats was a CBC created event not some long standing tradition. Hell the double headers on HNIC didn't start until after the lockout in 1994.

The league should care because it's a popular addition to the NHL TV package up in Canada. It's a good idea and it draws ratings.

 

[bictron]

And Hockey Day in Canada is always a fun day of hockey to watch for any fan of the game. It's like 12+ hours of hockey programming, how can you not like that? It's not a tradition, but it's sure enough heading towards one.

As for 2 Canadian NHL divisions, I guess it would work, creating more rivalries within Canada and generating more fans among the cities of the respective teams.