Rabu, 25 Februari 2009
Senin, 16 Februari 2009
Egg on my face...
By Mike
I don't think too many bloggers call themselves out when they're wrong, but when I made the prediction that the Coyotes were going to fly high after beating the Wings, I couldn't have envisioned that they'd drop 9 of their next 10 and go from 5th to 14th in the Conference.
To paraphrase my brother, Fucking Barf, bro!
Coyotes, why you wanna break my heart?
I don't think too many bloggers call themselves out when they're wrong, but when I made the prediction that the Coyotes were going to fly high after beating the Wings, I couldn't have envisioned that they'd drop 9 of their next 10 and go from 5th to 14th in the Conference.
To paraphrase my brother, Fucking Barf, bro!
Coyotes, why you wanna break my heart?
Senin, 09 Februari 2009
Jumat, 06 Februari 2009
Trading Seasons: How you can miss Detroit from California
By Dave
Editors Note: While Mike's the analytical one that usually dissects the issues, Dave's more along the lines of an editorial style. Take a moment to read and enjoy.
I'm one of the lucky ones.
I woke up one day and told myself that I was going to leave charcoal colored skies and abandoned sky lines. I saved nickels and dimes for months in order to do one thing I’ve always told myself that I would do. With a heavy heart and stars in my eyes, I decided to engage my Manifest Destiny and make the move from Detroit, Michigan to beautiful San Diego, California.
This morning I took a beautiful walk through Balboa Park. It was a warm day. Close to eighty degrees, if not just above. The birds were out singing their summer songs. Children were laughing and playing soccer, showing their grass-stained knees and scabbed elbows with pride. There were groups of tourists in khaki-colored shorts and sunscreen waiting in line to get into the world famous San Diego Zoo. The afternoon sun made my skin expel a slight sweat; enough to where I needed to stop and buy a bottle of water from a hot dog vendor near the dog park. This is a great way to spend an afternoon before I start my new job; a new job that starts on Valentine’s Day.
That’s right, it’s February.
My friends and family in Detroit that I telephone daily tell me how much snow I’m missing out on. What should I be jealous of, that I don’t get to wake up in the morning and play the “reverse, drive, reverse” game that I love to play at six in the morning before work? My friends also remind me how great it is to involuntarily spin your freshly salted 2004 Saturn Ion three hundred and sixty degrees into a snow bank packed ever-so-neatly in the fast lane on southbound I-75 just past the Warren exit as you're on your way home from some conch bar in Royal Oak that you didn’t even want to go to in the first place.
I interpret their stories as a way to make me home sick to the point I can come be a regular part of their lives again. They express their concerns that my job paying me nearly twice as much in southern California may make me soft and not respect the value of a dollar.
Sorry guys, try harder.
They tell me about how the city is almost done tearing down Tiger Stadium. How the corner of Michigan and Trumbull is nothing but a giant fence and a blast crater. How there is a half finished hotel in the middle of Greektown because the Casino that was building it ran out of funding and stopped paying the builders. They say words like 15-18% when referring to unemployment.
Try harder.
I heard Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks. In six weeks the surf starts picking up.
Try again. Try harder.
The Wings have nine home games in February. (Slight inhale).
You don’t need to try anymore my friend. You win.
I see the twenty minute walk to 2.9 miles of circular track, raised about fifteen feet off the icy, gray concrete below. Yes, I’m speaking of Detroit’s answer to the L-Train, The People Mover. Only nine stops away from the largest staircase I’ve ever climbed. I see the most expensive Molson XXX I’ve ever drank, along with the best damn Little Caesar's pizza in the world. By now I know I'm at my home away from home: The Joe Louis Arena. Thinking of the smell of those troughs in the bathroom makes me home sick every single time. The endless sea of Winged Wheels, thinking of it brings a tear to my eye.
Granted, I have been lucky enough to watch the Red-and-White defend their championship in some great venues. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Honda Center in Anaheim, and The Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ all come to mind. In all of these places I have met many Yzerman’s, Shannahan’s, and Osgood’s. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few Konstantinov’s, Coffey’s, Datsyuk’s, and Zetterberg’s. I even met a five year old Doug Brown impersonator in a jersey that was way to big for her. (I think it’s funny that you can tell how long someone has lived in California by whose name is on their sweater). Whenever the red light sparkles and the horn doesn’t sound, all of my new friends and I jump up, cheer, slap hands... and get told to sit down by someone in a different colored jersey. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Except, of course, if I could hear the horn when that red light goes off.
Except, of course, if I could find the one or two people not proudly representing the Motor City and welcome them to my city by chanting “YOU!” in unison with 20,066 of my neighbors.
Except, of course.
I miss bundling up during my eighteen minute breaks to go smoke a cigarette and talk about Hossa’s team leading 28 goals, Pavel’s 42 assists, and Conklin’s 5 shutouts. Overhearing talks of how opening day is right around the corner and how our boys of summer, the Tigers, are going to snap out of that funk we got ourselves into last year. Someone asks me how to get to The Well on Gratiot because they hear it’s a great place to get a beer after the game, and that sometimes Cheli stops in there to get a Budweiser before heading home.
Instead, I’m stuck rolling up the sleeves on my hoodie so not to over heat on the smoking patio. Sore losers heckle my friends and I about our 0-16 Detroit Lions. We laugh and say there is nowhere to go but up. People tell us to go back to Detroit. Emotionally beat up, we smile and ask them to tell their fellow Californians to quit paying us so much. Some “tie under my jersey” over-served DUI waiting to happen type mumbles something about Allen Iverson becoming a sixth man. We chuckle and talk about how well Chauncey Billips is doing in Denver. When the smart-ass Fox News advocate yells something about our mayor going to jail, we stand up, proud and united, and proclaim that we are Detroiters at hockey game; nothing you can say will affect us because today, we will win.
I guess I’ll sit here in eighty-two degree San Diego, checking stats in between sips of my fancy imported beer and bites of my avocado-spinach-olive oil pizza. I'll be calling my friends to ask if they heard anything about Aaron Downey being called up for a game as I walk barefoot down the beach. I'll be opening letters from my Grandmother in which she writes stories of the six or so feet of snow piled in her backyard, with a postscript that reads “I hope you don’t become a Ducks fan.” Don’t worry Grams; that will never happen.
I’ll do all of this, and I’ll sit here and be miserable.
Nine home games in February;
You know how to cut me deep...
Editors Note: While Mike's the analytical one that usually dissects the issues, Dave's more along the lines of an editorial style. Take a moment to read and enjoy.
I'm one of the lucky ones.
I woke up one day and told myself that I was going to leave charcoal colored skies and abandoned sky lines. I saved nickels and dimes for months in order to do one thing I’ve always told myself that I would do. With a heavy heart and stars in my eyes, I decided to engage my Manifest Destiny and make the move from Detroit, Michigan to beautiful San Diego, California.
This morning I took a beautiful walk through Balboa Park. It was a warm day. Close to eighty degrees, if not just above. The birds were out singing their summer songs. Children were laughing and playing soccer, showing their grass-stained knees and scabbed elbows with pride. There were groups of tourists in khaki-colored shorts and sunscreen waiting in line to get into the world famous San Diego Zoo. The afternoon sun made my skin expel a slight sweat; enough to where I needed to stop and buy a bottle of water from a hot dog vendor near the dog park. This is a great way to spend an afternoon before I start my new job; a new job that starts on Valentine’s Day.
That’s right, it’s February.
My friends and family in Detroit that I telephone daily tell me how much snow I’m missing out on. What should I be jealous of, that I don’t get to wake up in the morning and play the “reverse, drive, reverse” game that I love to play at six in the morning before work? My friends also remind me how great it is to involuntarily spin your freshly salted 2004 Saturn Ion three hundred and sixty degrees into a snow bank packed ever-so-neatly in the fast lane on southbound I-75 just past the Warren exit as you're on your way home from some conch bar in Royal Oak that you didn’t even want to go to in the first place.
I interpret their stories as a way to make me home sick to the point I can come be a regular part of their lives again. They express their concerns that my job paying me nearly twice as much in southern California may make me soft and not respect the value of a dollar.
Sorry guys, try harder.
They tell me about how the city is almost done tearing down Tiger Stadium. How the corner of Michigan and Trumbull is nothing but a giant fence and a blast crater. How there is a half finished hotel in the middle of Greektown because the Casino that was building it ran out of funding and stopped paying the builders. They say words like 15-18% when referring to unemployment.
Try harder.
I heard Punxsutawney Phil says six more weeks. In six weeks the surf starts picking up.
Try again. Try harder.
The Wings have nine home games in February. (Slight inhale).
You don’t need to try anymore my friend. You win.
I see the twenty minute walk to 2.9 miles of circular track, raised about fifteen feet off the icy, gray concrete below. Yes, I’m speaking of Detroit’s answer to the L-Train, The People Mover. Only nine stops away from the largest staircase I’ve ever climbed. I see the most expensive Molson XXX I’ve ever drank, along with the best damn Little Caesar's pizza in the world. By now I know I'm at my home away from home: The Joe Louis Arena. Thinking of the smell of those troughs in the bathroom makes me home sick every single time. The endless sea of Winged Wheels, thinking of it brings a tear to my eye.
Granted, I have been lucky enough to watch the Red-and-White defend their championship in some great venues. The Staples Center in Los Angeles, The Honda Center in Anaheim, and The Jobing.com Arena in Glendale, AZ all come to mind. In all of these places I have met many Yzerman’s, Shannahan’s, and Osgood’s. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few Konstantinov’s, Coffey’s, Datsyuk’s, and Zetterberg’s. I even met a five year old Doug Brown impersonator in a jersey that was way to big for her. (I think it’s funny that you can tell how long someone has lived in California by whose name is on their sweater). Whenever the red light sparkles and the horn doesn’t sound, all of my new friends and I jump up, cheer, slap hands... and get told to sit down by someone in a different colored jersey. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Except, of course, if I could hear the horn when that red light goes off.
Except, of course, if I could find the one or two people not proudly representing the Motor City and welcome them to my city by chanting “YOU!” in unison with 20,066 of my neighbors.
Except, of course.
I miss bundling up during my eighteen minute breaks to go smoke a cigarette and talk about Hossa’s team leading 28 goals, Pavel’s 42 assists, and Conklin’s 5 shutouts. Overhearing talks of how opening day is right around the corner and how our boys of summer, the Tigers, are going to snap out of that funk we got ourselves into last year. Someone asks me how to get to The Well on Gratiot because they hear it’s a great place to get a beer after the game, and that sometimes Cheli stops in there to get a Budweiser before heading home.
Instead, I’m stuck rolling up the sleeves on my hoodie so not to over heat on the smoking patio. Sore losers heckle my friends and I about our 0-16 Detroit Lions. We laugh and say there is nowhere to go but up. People tell us to go back to Detroit. Emotionally beat up, we smile and ask them to tell their fellow Californians to quit paying us so much. Some “tie under my jersey” over-served DUI waiting to happen type mumbles something about Allen Iverson becoming a sixth man. We chuckle and talk about how well Chauncey Billips is doing in Denver. When the smart-ass Fox News advocate yells something about our mayor going to jail, we stand up, proud and united, and proclaim that we are Detroiters at hockey game; nothing you can say will affect us because today, we will win.
I guess I’ll sit here in eighty-two degree San Diego, checking stats in between sips of my fancy imported beer and bites of my avocado-spinach-olive oil pizza. I'll be calling my friends to ask if they heard anything about Aaron Downey being called up for a game as I walk barefoot down the beach. I'll be opening letters from my Grandmother in which she writes stories of the six or so feet of snow piled in her backyard, with a postscript that reads “I hope you don’t become a Ducks fan.” Don’t worry Grams; that will never happen.
I’ll do all of this, and I’ll sit here and be miserable.
Nine home games in February;
You know how to cut me deep...
You can always come home again: An ode to the New Jersey Devils
By Mike
Cool story: One time I was at an old job when I went to do some computer service for a fellow employee who happened to be from New Jersey. When I told her I was from Detroit she said "Are you still mad about it?"
I said "The fact that you even said that rules!"
While the story out of the East for this season is Boston, and to a certain degree Washington, I can't help but feel happy for New Jersey being the top of their division. I thought they'd be done for the season after losing Brodeur, but they've proven time and time again to be a smart organization that has a knack for developing talent and displaying great leadership both on and off the ice. While I typically pay most attention to the Coyotes and Red Wings, I wanna take a minute and give praise to one amazing yet rather unheralded team considering how lesser teams get better attention.
New Jersey intrigues me because I take a look at their roster and think I've seen them around before...
- Scott Clemmensen was drafted by New Jersey in 1997 during the 8th round, played backup to Brodeur for several seasons before going to Toronto for a season only to return during the off-season.
- Brian Rolston was New Jersey's first round pick in 1991 and came back after spending time with Colorado, Boston, and Minnesota.
- Brendan Shanahan, the second overall pick in 1987, returned to the team after a storied career that has seen him win Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings.
- Bobby Holik, who was initially drafted by Hartford but was a significant part in New Jersey's Cup victories from 1995 to 2003.
- Michael Rupp, who's carved a career out of being a checking-line player, was a NJ draft pick who went on to spend time with Phoenix and Columbus before returning to the team.
All and all, when you look at the 23 guys on New Jersey's active roster (including Brodeur), more than half of them were drafted by the team, three were signed specifically as undrafted free agents, and in Holik's case, he spent significant time with the team just to return. Call me biased, but I think it's great when I see a team built off of American talent. Splash some Czechs and Canadian talent in the mix and the formula for success is amazing.
The other thing to consider is their success. Granted, there was a time The Great One referred to them as a Mickey Mouse organization, but from the span of 1995 to 2003, they were the only other team aside from Detroit to win the Cup three times. That wasn't by accident folks, as Lou Lou Lamoriello built and developed a strong and winning team, regardless of whatever questionable moves occurred in the process (see the dismisal of Claude Julien right before the playoffs two seasons back.)
But while they've proven to be winners, there always seems to be a team that gets more love than the Devils based on their name rather than what they've done with themselves. Being the "second" team in a three-team market, the Rangers always seem to get better recognition as "the team" in the area despite having their last Cup victory in 1994, 9 years prior to New Jersey's last Cup victory. The Canadian media focuses almost exclusively on the Canadiens or the down-trodden Leafs over the Devils, while the American media is more concerned about the young guns playing for Washington or the far overrated Pittsburgh Penguins. You can point to the Sidney Crosbys of the world and say how talented they are, but when a team displays a constant model for winning, that's what should be respected most in my opinion.
So to the New Jersey Devils and their fans, I raise my glass and say a cheers to you. May you never lose faith in your team and may you always manage to find a way into the Top 8, if not the Top 3.
Cheers!
Kamis, 29 Januari 2009
I don't care if the Wings lost tonight...
... He taught everything that Todd McLellan knows and what Wayne Gretzky's jealous of. Respect the hair, people!
Senin, 26 Januari 2009
Contraction? How about expansion and revision?
By Mike
Editors Note: Sorry for the lack of updates. I worked in excess of 50 hours last week while Dave's in the middle of a move to San Diego. Thanks for your patronage in the meantime.
Ah, so we get to talk about the league having some problems with revenues during the recession and what not. People like to see the problems that the Coyotes and the Predators are having financially and ask "Was the expansion worth it? Was the lockout worth it? Why didn't they just stop at 21 or 24 or 28 teams? Why didn't they put teams in Canada or a Northern market that would be sustainable for a team?"
You can say that having a team in Phoenix, Nashville, or suburban Miami might not be the best place for having a team because hockey isn't as popular there as it is up North, but how in the world do you expect the southern part of the country to get into hockey when there isn't a major league team there in the first place? Simply stated you have to expand into those markets and if there's anything that's been a hindrance to the teams in those regions it has less to do with interest in hockey and more to do with the performance of those franchises and how they've managed (or rather mismanaged) themselves as opposed to a lack of interested in the game in those areas.
While the Nashville Predators may be the exception (who've had attendance issues in spite of four straight playoff appearances), the Coyotes haven't made the playoffs since the 2001-02 season, and the Florida Panthers haven't made an appearance since the 1999-2000 season! Maybe Toronto can take a year off from playing well and still have decent attendance, but if markets like Edmonton or Boston are an indication, people are going to go in droves to teams that are winning. Look at the Chicago Blackhawks in 2004,when they were losing left and right, versus 2009, when they have a dynamic team to root for. Should they have been subject to relocation rumors? No, because they're an Original Six franchise. People like to see winning teams, and while the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers get a free pass for actually improving as of late, I think the league needs to intervene in certain situations to address organizational issues that affect fan support in certain markets (this especially holds true with the Atlanta Thrashers in regards to making them get rid of Don Waddell as their General Manager. How ever this guy has managed to remain at the helm of this team is something I can't figure out for the life of me. Bizarre.)
So my suggestion proposal to this is... Expansion? Expansion?! Did I forget that it's puff-puff-pass and not puff-puff-puff-puff?
Not at all. I think the league needs to do three things:
1. Award two teams to new cities. The first would be Winnipeg. While it lacked corporate support when the team set sail to Phoenix, their economy is performing more favorably and considering the amount of corporations based in Winnipeg, there's no reason to suggest that a new group of owners couldn't help prop a team up there. MTS already invested in an arena there and with some modification, it could ready for NHL action.
The second would be somewhere in Southern Ontario. Ideally, it would be in a spot that would be equidistant between London and Kitchener, but the only cities between the two, Stratford and Woodstock, only have populations barely over 30,000 and wouldn't be sustainable enough to dedicate a hockey team to. Considering that the league doesn't want a team in Hamilton and that Toronto could sustain two teams, Mississauga is probably a better destination.
I chose these locations because while having an upstart team in the United States can be a mixed bag, Canada's love of hockey will assure that a new team will get decent support, winners or not. Both would be in markets where they'd get both corporate and fan support, which is something necessary to a team's survival.
2. Relocate two of the existing teams.
So which teams would I pick?
The New York Islanders would be the first team I'd look to move. The third team in a market already filled by the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders have consistently been ranked last in attendance in the league for quite some time. Meanwhile, Kansas City is not only hungry for a hockey team, they've got quite the facility to host a team.
For the second team, like I said before, the Predators are having attendance problems in spite of the fact that this will be their first season in 5 that they're not poised to make the playoffs. Not even a playoff team can thrive there, so what good is it doing the league to keep the team in Nashville? I say that there's another city that wants a franchise back... The Whale! Hartford has recently talked to the NHL about getting a team. A team that lost their first home meets a city that lost it's first team. Frankly, I couldn't think of a better match.
(And when Quebec City can get significant support toward bringing an NHL team back, I'd give them consideration over anyone else if someone were to relocate.)
3. Change the Divisional, season, and playoff formats.
First off, with 32 teams, you could realign the conferences and have divisions that make sense. Assuming that teams either relocate or start anew at the places I listed above, this is how I'd align the divisions (and if you want to rename them something to the effect of when the teams played in the Campbell or Wales Conferences, awesome.)
4 Divisions with 4 teams per division.
So how would scheduling work out under that suggestion? Glad you asked:
16 Inter-conference games (West Vs. East, every team would face each other once. Two divisions from the East go out West while two divisions from the West would go out East.)
48 Intra-conference games (each division faces a non-division Conference Opponent twice in each of their respective buildings per season.)
18 Divisonal Games (each division opponent would face each other three times in both of their respective buildings.)
For a total of... well look at that, 82 games!
Now on to the playoffs. When the NHL first went to the current 16-team playoff format, there were 21 teams in the league. That meant that roughly 24% of the teams in the league didn't make the playoffs. Yet now that there will be 14 teams missing the cut, however, nearly half of the teams in the league will miss out on making the playoffs. I would suggest that with a 32-team league, 12 teams per conference would make it to the playoffs. However, I would suggest a preliminary round precede the Conference Quarterfinals. The winner of each division would draw a "bye" while seeds 5-8 would take on seeds 9-12 in a best-of-three game series, where the first game would be at the lower-seeded team's arena and the second and third game (if necessary) would take place at the higher-seeded team's arena. The winners of that would go on to face seeds 1-4 per usual.
So how would all that help the league out?
1. If you give people the illusion that their team is playoff bound, the fans will come. Even if it's a chance, the fanbase of teams like Columbus and Florida would be more hopeful that their team actually has a shot at seeing the playoffs. You bet that would drive up fan support and, if nothing else, give an owner an extra game to help off-set what he owes towards hockey operations.
2. With abundance of talented players like Ray Emery, Kyle McLaren, and Ville Leino playing in either the minor leagues or Europe, given how national hockey programs have evolved to develop top-tier players, there's going to be enough talent to go around to fortify teams and make the league more competitive with the European leagues. The NHL is losing ground on the KHL and the Swedish Eliteserien because of this principle. North America alone develops an astounding amount of prospects and while the minor league teams may not be as deep initially, it could only flourish with the development of the game in non-traditional markets.
Crazy? Perhaps, but when has a game that endorses fighting as part of its curriculum ever been sane? By putting hockey back in places where some feel it belongs, it will no doubt help generate revenues for the league and help keep teams in places where some may consider it doesn't belong (except for those who know better.) When you consider that the NHL is now in an era of "cost-certainty", teams are not only more competitive as ever, but the cost of putting together is now less of an issue with money and more of an issue of good planning and development. If there was ever a time to consider this, that time is now.
Editors Note: Sorry for the lack of updates. I worked in excess of 50 hours last week while Dave's in the middle of a move to San Diego. Thanks for your patronage in the meantime.
Ah, so we get to talk about the league having some problems with revenues during the recession and what not. People like to see the problems that the Coyotes and the Predators are having financially and ask "Was the expansion worth it? Was the lockout worth it? Why didn't they just stop at 21 or 24 or 28 teams? Why didn't they put teams in Canada or a Northern market that would be sustainable for a team?"
You can say that having a team in Phoenix, Nashville, or suburban Miami might not be the best place for having a team because hockey isn't as popular there as it is up North, but how in the world do you expect the southern part of the country to get into hockey when there isn't a major league team there in the first place? Simply stated you have to expand into those markets and if there's anything that's been a hindrance to the teams in those regions it has less to do with interest in hockey and more to do with the performance of those franchises and how they've managed (or rather mismanaged) themselves as opposed to a lack of interested in the game in those areas.
While the Nashville Predators may be the exception (who've had attendance issues in spite of four straight playoff appearances), the Coyotes haven't made the playoffs since the 2001-02 season, and the Florida Panthers haven't made an appearance since the 1999-2000 season! Maybe Toronto can take a year off from playing well and still have decent attendance, but if markets like Edmonton or Boston are an indication, people are going to go in droves to teams that are winning. Look at the Chicago Blackhawks in 2004,when they were losing left and right, versus 2009, when they have a dynamic team to root for. Should they have been subject to relocation rumors? No, because they're an Original Six franchise. People like to see winning teams, and while the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Florida Panthers get a free pass for actually improving as of late, I think the league needs to intervene in certain situations to address organizational issues that affect fan support in certain markets (this especially holds true with the Atlanta Thrashers in regards to making them get rid of Don Waddell as their General Manager. How ever this guy has managed to remain at the helm of this team is something I can't figure out for the life of me. Bizarre.)
So my suggestion proposal to this is... Expansion? Expansion?! Did I forget that it's puff-puff-pass and not puff-puff-puff-puff?
Not at all. I think the league needs to do three things:
1. Award two teams to new cities. The first would be Winnipeg. While it lacked corporate support when the team set sail to Phoenix, their economy is performing more favorably and considering the amount of corporations based in Winnipeg, there's no reason to suggest that a new group of owners couldn't help prop a team up there. MTS already invested in an arena there and with some modification, it could ready for NHL action.
The second would be somewhere in Southern Ontario. Ideally, it would be in a spot that would be equidistant between London and Kitchener, but the only cities between the two, Stratford and Woodstock, only have populations barely over 30,000 and wouldn't be sustainable enough to dedicate a hockey team to. Considering that the league doesn't want a team in Hamilton and that Toronto could sustain two teams, Mississauga is probably a better destination.
I chose these locations because while having an upstart team in the United States can be a mixed bag, Canada's love of hockey will assure that a new team will get decent support, winners or not. Both would be in markets where they'd get both corporate and fan support, which is something necessary to a team's survival.
2. Relocate two of the existing teams.
So which teams would I pick?
The New York Islanders would be the first team I'd look to move. The third team in a market already filled by the New York Rangers and the New Jersey Devils, the Islanders have consistently been ranked last in attendance in the league for quite some time. Meanwhile, Kansas City is not only hungry for a hockey team, they've got quite the facility to host a team.
For the second team, like I said before, the Predators are having attendance problems in spite of the fact that this will be their first season in 5 that they're not poised to make the playoffs. Not even a playoff team can thrive there, so what good is it doing the league to keep the team in Nashville? I say that there's another city that wants a franchise back... The Whale! Hartford has recently talked to the NHL about getting a team. A team that lost their first home meets a city that lost it's first team. Frankly, I couldn't think of a better match.
(And when Quebec City can get significant support toward bringing an NHL team back, I'd give them consideration over anyone else if someone were to relocate.)
3. Change the Divisional, season, and playoff formats.
First off, with 32 teams, you could realign the conferences and have divisions that make sense. Assuming that teams either relocate or start anew at the places I listed above, this is how I'd align the divisions (and if you want to rename them something to the effect of when the teams played in the Campbell or Wales Conferences, awesome.)
| Western Conference | Eastern Conference |
| Southwest Division | Southeast Division |
| Anaheim Ducks | Atlanta Thrashers |
| Los Angeles Kings | Carolina Hurricanes |
| Phoenix Coyotes | Florida Panthers |
| San Jose Sharks | Tampa Bay Lightning |
| Northwest Division | Northeast Division |
| Calgary Flames | Boston Bruins |
| Edmonton Oilers | Hartford |
| Winnipeg | Montreal Canadiens |
| Vancouver Canucks | New York Rangers |
| Central Division | Atlantic Division |
| Colorado Avalanche | New Jersey Devils |
| Dallas Stars | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Kansas City | Pittsburgh Penguins |
| Saint Louis Blues | Washington Capitals |
| Great Lakes Division | Ontario Division |
| Chicago Blackhawks | Buffalo Sabres |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | Mississauga |
| Detroit Red Wings | Ottawa Senators |
| Minnesota Wild | Toronto Maple Leafs |
4 Divisions with 4 teams per division.
So how would scheduling work out under that suggestion? Glad you asked:
16 Inter-conference games (West Vs. East, every team would face each other once. Two divisions from the East go out West while two divisions from the West would go out East.)
48 Intra-conference games (each division faces a non-division Conference Opponent twice in each of their respective buildings per season.)
18 Divisonal Games (each division opponent would face each other three times in both of their respective buildings.)
For a total of... well look at that, 82 games!
Now on to the playoffs. When the NHL first went to the current 16-team playoff format, there were 21 teams in the league. That meant that roughly 24% of the teams in the league didn't make the playoffs. Yet now that there will be 14 teams missing the cut, however, nearly half of the teams in the league will miss out on making the playoffs. I would suggest that with a 32-team league, 12 teams per conference would make it to the playoffs. However, I would suggest a preliminary round precede the Conference Quarterfinals. The winner of each division would draw a "bye" while seeds 5-8 would take on seeds 9-12 in a best-of-three game series, where the first game would be at the lower-seeded team's arena and the second and third game (if necessary) would take place at the higher-seeded team's arena. The winners of that would go on to face seeds 1-4 per usual.
So how would all that help the league out?
1. If you give people the illusion that their team is playoff bound, the fans will come. Even if it's a chance, the fanbase of teams like Columbus and Florida would be more hopeful that their team actually has a shot at seeing the playoffs. You bet that would drive up fan support and, if nothing else, give an owner an extra game to help off-set what he owes towards hockey operations.
2. With abundance of talented players like Ray Emery, Kyle McLaren, and Ville Leino playing in either the minor leagues or Europe, given how national hockey programs have evolved to develop top-tier players, there's going to be enough talent to go around to fortify teams and make the league more competitive with the European leagues. The NHL is losing ground on the KHL and the Swedish Eliteserien because of this principle. North America alone develops an astounding amount of prospects and while the minor league teams may not be as deep initially, it could only flourish with the development of the game in non-traditional markets.
Crazy? Perhaps, but when has a game that endorses fighting as part of its curriculum ever been sane? By putting hockey back in places where some feel it belongs, it will no doubt help generate revenues for the league and help keep teams in places where some may consider it doesn't belong (except for those who know better.) When you consider that the NHL is now in an era of "cost-certainty", teams are not only more competitive as ever, but the cost of putting together is now less of an issue with money and more of an issue of good planning and development. If there was ever a time to consider this, that time is now.
Langganan:
Postingan (Atom)