NHL Approves New Schedule Format

[Viperar 16]

This is an improvement, but I still want more non-conference games and fewer divisional matchups. We should get to play every team in the league at least twice - once at home and once on the road.

couldnt agree more jaytan

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

This is an improvement, but I still want more non-conference games and fewer divisional matchups. We should get to play every team in the league at least twice - once at home and once on the road.

Unfortunately, the geniuses running the league are convinced that having more than 4 games against your own division is good for rivalries. What these morons don't realize is that there are many teams and divisions where rivalries don't mean as much as they do in other places.

[auxlepli 17]

This quote is the crap that makes me hate Gary Bettman. It seems like pretty much everyone wanted to go back to the old schedule (which is exactly what they just did) except for a handful of cheap owners. Yet he once again invents "facts" to justify his move and basically insult the fans.

It's like he's saying "I'm still right, but in spite of that I was nice enough to change it for the fans."

Exactly! Well said haroldsnepsts.

Also it's not as good it could be either IMO. Teams should have every other team in their house at least once.

Ross McKeon had a good article about it the other day. While I hate the NHL copying the NBA, and I don't necessarily agree with him about his idea for a changing the schedule.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=rm-n...o&type=lgns

Yesterday he got in good comment.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AkAi...o&type=lgns

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The NHL is changing its schedule for next season, taking a page out of its recent past, but the league is not going as far as their players would prefer.

And today's mailbag.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AghS...o&type=lgns

Early reaction to the league’s decision to change the schedule starting next season – basically reverting back to the format employed pre-lockout – is mixed. And while fans welcome the opportunity to see each team at least once every other season, some feel like the NHL didn’t go far enough.

Edited November 30, 2007 by auxlepli

[haroldsnepsts 4,826]

Here's a good update from TSN.

http://tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=224045&hubname=nhl

Basically it says that they're going to the old format for next season, but there's support building for an 84 game season that would allow more inter-conference play. It's Devellano's brainchild, and Yzerman is in support of the schedule.

It sounds like the teams in the West are all for it, but the Eastern Conference is not wanting to travel.

some interesting points from the article:

But a model that's already gaining steam possibly in time for the 2009-10 season is the 84-game concept put forward by the Detroit Red Wings. It features 30 games against teams from the other conference - a home-and-home.

'It was my proposal,'' said Jimmy Devellano, the Wings' senior vice-president. ''I realized I couldn't get two thirds (majority) for my proposal now but having listened to Paul Kelly yesterday, I can see the players are for it. They'd like to go into every rink at least once. It doesn't appear on the surface that it'll be a hard sell with the union. The players want it. They're our performers, our actors and we should listen to them. And the fans want it. Probably after next year we'll go back with the 84-game schedule with a reduction in pre-season games from nine to, say, six.''

Wings vice-president Steve Yzerman hopes the 84-game format will one day see the light of day.

''In order to play each team in the East home and away we're going to have to have more games. I think that's the only way to do it,'' said Yzerman. ''The schedule we're going to go forward with in the near term at least is a step in the right direction. And we hope to at some point to be able to play every team in the East twice. That will happen in time, but the timing of it now, it just wasn't ready to be done. It's something that we can look to try and build more support for.''

''It's probably an interim step. It's a democracy,'' said Nichols. ''We're part of the same business - we have to figure out how to co-exist. As far as our teams wanting more exposure to Eastern teams, and Eastern teams not wanting to travel, it's probably more of a saw-off.''

[Guest DetroitIan]

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=223975&hubname=nhl

Just in time for the strengthening of our division

Oh wow, this is the first i've heard of this. And I couldnt be happier! I cant WAIT to have a more variety when it comes to opponents. This is the best news i've heard in awhile. Thank God the NHL has enough sense to get rid of this horrible current schedule format.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Those of you who are bitching that "it could be better".....are you serious???

Nobody wanted to listen to me when I pointed out that no schedule would make everyone happy. Shut up, they said. Anything would be better than what we have now, so we're going to continue bitching. Now we get rid of the schedule that damn near nobody likes for something much more feasible, and still we have several people going "well it could be better. Let's use my solution instead."

This thread is proof positive that half the league's efforts to please people are totally wasted.

[kylee 727]

im just happy ill get to see the Wings play every team at least once.

toronto, ottawa, and new york (rangers) every year is something that is a good thing.

maybe a little leafs/wings action on news years eve? oh yeah.

Edited December 1, 2007 by kylee

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Those of you who are bitching that "it could be better".....are you serious???

Nobody wanted to listen to me when I pointed out that no schedule would make everyone happy. Shut up, they said. Anything would be better than what we have now, so we're going to continue bitching. Now we get rid of the schedule that damn near nobody likes for something much more feasible, and still we have several people going "well it could be better. Let's use my solution instead."

This thread is proof positive that half the league's efforts to please people are totally wasted.

Come on BRTD. No solution, in any facet of life, is going to please everybody 100% (as you've stated), but you can't tell me with a straight face that this new adaption of the schedule is going to be worse than the current and be serious. 26 of 30 voted in favor of the change. I'm sorry, but eight games against a team, I don't care who they are or if they are a rival or not, is just way too much.

That being said, I'm content with what the changes will. More WC teams will see the superstars in the East such as Crosby/Ovecheckin etc. etc. etc. and vice versa with EC teams seeing West superstars such as Zetterberg etc.

Edited December 1, 2007 by SouthernWingsFan

[German Red Wing 0]

Quote from http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news;_ylt=AkAi...&type=lgns:

The league will use discretion in matching the three wild-card games for each team, but Bettman admitted for the six Canadian franchises it means Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver will face Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto twice each – home and away.

Makes sense. On the other hand, this also means no home-and-home with TOR...

[betterREDthandead 58]

Come on BRTD. No solution, in any facet of life, is going to please everybody 100% (as you've stated), but you can't tell me with a straight face that this new adaption of the schedule is going to be worse than the current and be serious. 26 of 30 voted in favor of the change. I'm sorry, but eight games against a team, I don't care who they are or if they are a rival or not, is just way too much.

That being said, I'm content with what the changes will. More WC teams will see the superstars in the East such as Crosby/Ovecheckin etc. etc. etc. and vice versa with EC teams seeing West superstars such as Zetterberg etc.

Where'd I say I think the new schedule will be worse than the one they have now?

[GoWings1905 2,694]

I can't complain about the new schedule format. Any change was going to be a good one. Eight games against Columbus, Nashville, St. Louis, and Chicago every season is a joke. Those games aren't creating rivalries, they are inspiring empty seats at Joe Louis Arena.

I'm thrilled that we will finally get to see every Eastern Conference team at least once. That is the way it should be. I'm fine with six divisional games. The best proposal though is the Red Wings' 84-game schedule. Ideally, that would be the perfect schedule, with a home-and-home against the East. Hopefully, that will pass for 2009-2010.

For the Eastern Conference teams to gripe about having to travel is complete garbage. That totally disgusts me that owners/players complain about having to go out of their time zone to play games. The Red Wings have one frickin' opponent from their OWN conference in the same time zone. I laugh when I hear Devils' fans whine about the nine-game "road trip" to start in October. Wow, that must be tough to never leave your own time zone. The Red Wings almost doubled in mileage what the Devils did travel wise in October. It was great during the Lightning game the other night when the FSN Detroit crew joked that New Jersey would like to bus to every game.

All-in-all, the new schedule is a definite improvement. Sorry Bettman, but Detroit and Columbus/Nashville is not a rivalry even if you have them play each other 82 times.

Edited December 1, 2007 by GoWings1905

[vangvace 12]

26 of 30 voted in favor of the change.

with only Buffalo, New Jersey, Anaheim and the New York Islanders voting against the change.

oh and because it's relevant here:

Bettman also said the league didn't discuss the possibility of expanding. The NHL is on pace for another year of record revenues even without adding more teams, and the money will lead to another rise in the salary cap - a development the board can understand, if not exactly love.

It wouldn't surprise me if the cap increased by the max allowed again this offseason

[auxlepli 17]

I find it funny that Burke voted against. He represents the only team from the West to do so. He can say all he wants about fan support for the current schedule, but like Bettman's rhetoric, I'm not buying it.

[SouthernWingsFan 854]

Where'd I say I think the new schedule will be worse than the one they have now?

My bad, idiotically mis-interpreted your post as possibly wanting to maintain status quo in this instance.

It's not going to be modified/changed anymore than what it will be next year though, in my opinion. And it will be fine this way. Sure I'd like the Wings to play Toronto and Montreal even more than once/twice a year, but the NHL is more than the Red Wings (as hard as that may be for some members in here to fathom, it's true), and Columbus Blue Jackets in this case, being the eastern-most teams in the WC probably wanting to play EC teams more. You've got to consider the interests of all the other teams/players.

I'm not a big NBA/basketball fan, but I try to tune into the Hornets down here every so often and it's the same deal. They are in the Western Conference in the NBA, but geographically they could easily be in the Eastern Conference.

Anyways, this new (or sort of going back to the old/worked) schedule satisfies enough of the majority who are part of all 30 franchises in my opinion, with proper schedule balancing and playing every team at least once.

And yes, people in here will still be complaining about this, or any other thing, sometimes just for the sake of complaining unfortunately.