So you know, if I had to make one change...

[lfd250 1]

Playoff first two rounds best of 5

More home and home games.

Video Replay of and Injury to player to see if penalty needed.

If you're in the Eastern Time Zone you're in the Eastern Conf.

[glasgowcelticwing 18]

I think it'd be a great move, but it's tough when it's a business and you want to spread it.

The quality of the game would, I feel, go up if the talent pool were picked at from a smaller pool of teams though.

Yeah , Sadly the talent is too thinly spread over to many team's .

Bloody NHL with all those expansion team's.

[Wings_Fan_In_Exile 3]

I'm down with getting rid of Bettman. He just doesn't get hockey.

Same with going back to the old conferences that would be sweet.

I hate the schedule change. Go back to the pre-lockout schedule.

And get rid of the stupid trapezoid.

I think this is already happening, but go back to white jerseys for home and dark for away.

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

I'm down with getting rid of Bettman. He just doesn't get hockey.

Same with going back to the old conferences that would be sweet.

I hate the schedule change. Go back to the pre-lockout schedule.

And get rid of the stupid trapezoid.

I think this is already happening, but go back to white jerseys for home and dark for away.

It doesn't matter much to me either way, but I could see going back to the old conference names since the actual conferences make no geographic sense.

I don't know how many times I'll go glance down to check a Pistons score and automatically start checking in the Western Conference.

Then I have this moment of "Oh, right. Detroit actually is in the eastern part of the country." The NHL has made me forget that.

[Echolalia 2,961]

I think we need to rearrange some of the conferences and make a schedule to where every team plays each other at least once. Maybe move a team or two back into Canada, because I honestly think we'll get more passion there than anywhere in America, no matter how much Bettman sells out to VS, Outdoor Network, The Religion Channel, or any other odd medium for a hockey series to be displayed on. Heck, even if the nhl we're to get back into ESPN and some other major sport channels, the majority of America just refuses to give hockey a chance...

Also, Bettman get the hell out.

[zaxx 0]

I have been thinking about this same topic. The Wings this year despite having some older proven playoff performers there are a lot of young guys who did not have that success. After this year though they stepped up and showed why they are on the best team in the world. Next year we should bring in Quincy full time, and look at some of our other prospects (perhaps trade some defencemen for ruining overtime against the ducks and get some good draft picks for the future) and we have a great shot for the playoffs next year. This will be the first time in some time that the Wings will have a younger team of proven players. Should be fun watching the Cup parade next summer.

Oh and I feel I must remind everyone here that we are the most spoiled fans in professional sports history. We cheer for a team that consistently had made the playoffs more times in a row then any other team in professional sports history (something like 17 times in a row). We have a great general manager and total management system that finds a way to develop great players (despite trading away our draft picks) and bring in seasoned players. The system is amazing and we are fortunate enough to reap the benefits each season and playoffs.

Go Wings!

[Heroes of Hockeytown 694]

100 Wings games viewed and seven months in time passed, I can be glad to say the season is as long as it is.

[55fan 5,133]

They really need to get hockey on where more people can see it. I live out in the boondocks and can't afford cable. Wny can't NBC simply replay an earlier game from that day before they go off the air for the night? Have the cleaning staff shut off the equipment. Then those of us who have to listen to the games would get to see them, and those who are up at night with nothing to do might just get into the sport, which would mean better ratings during the day, which would translate into more games on prime time. We all win.

Just a thought. They probably won't do it, but re-alligning my rabbit ears just in case.

[RedRockit 0]

They really need to get hockey on where more people can see it. I live out in the boondocks and can't afford cable. Wny can't NBC simply replay an earlier game from that day before they go off the air for the night? Have the cleaning staff shut off the equipment. Then those of us who have to listen to the games would get to see them, and those who are up at night with nothing to do might just get into the sport, which would mean better ratings during the day, which would translate into more games on prime time. We all win.

Just a thought. They probably won't do it, but re-alligning my rabbit ears just in case.

Didn't ESPN use to rerun games late at night, or am I thinking of FSN Detroit? CBC will occasionally air a classic hockey game (generally a Gretzky one, of course) in the middle of the night. Couple of times I've fallen asleep with CBC programming running and woken up to that... it can be pretty trippy for a moment or two while you're sleepily trying to remember what decade it actually is...

[Guest ZDH]

1. Start the regular season on October 1st and end it on April 1st.

2. Conract the league to 24 teams and have 4 divisions of 6.

3. Have 22 man rosters instead of 23.

4. Abolish the INstigator Rule.

5. Implement no touch icing.

6. Call a penalty for icing the puck on purpose.

7. Ban composite sticks.

8. Make the All-Star game the Cup champ vs the league's All Stars like they used to in the 50's.

9. Shorten the season to 70 games.

10. Get rid of the shootout and OT. It's a tie after 60 minutes if the game is still tied as in pre 1983.

Just a few off the top of my head...

[55fan 5,133]

Didn't ESPN use to rerun games late at night, or am I thinking of FSN Detroit? CBC will occasionally air a classic hockey game (generally a Gretzky one, of course) in the middle of the night. Couple of times I've fallen asleep with CBC programming running and woken up to that... it can be pretty trippy for a moment or two while you're sleepily trying to remember what decade it actually is...

Sorry, I have no idea. My beef was that the one and only channel I get that carries hockey is NBC. No ESPN, CBC, VS, or any other combination of the alphabet out there.

I was just suggesting that they put it on regular (non-pay) TV, so that those of us who can't afford it can watch. I mean, look at the NFL, they're huge out here, and they're on the regular networks. Everywhere you go, you see someone in a Vikes, Broncos, Packers....jersey. I'm the one in Honolulu Blue.

We are in Wild country, but half of the people out here have no idea that Minnesota (neighbouring state) has a hockey team. UND Fighting Sioux are huge. High school hockey is very big. NHL? A few people vaguely remember the Jets and North Stars, but that's it. There's no reason the NFL should be bigger around here except that we can see the games each week. If the NHL did the same, I think it would catch on.

On the other hand, when you walk around in your Red Wings attire, you always meet another fan. Even people who favour other teams will chat forever, just because they are so thrilled to run into a NHL fan. TV could do it for us.