The World Wide Hockey League!?

[Guest blueadams]

How many people do you know that don't watch the NHL, but seem to not be able to get enough of olympic hockey!? I know that I was once such a person. I didn't play hockey as a kid. I was all football, basketball, baseball, soccer (you know, poor kid sports, lol). I watched the wings in the playoffs every year - as everyone in my circle did - but that was about it. But once it came time for the olympics...I couldn't pry myself away from the television. There is something about your country versus another that draws you into a sport that you normally don't give a damn about...speed-skating, skiing, snowboarding, track and field, etc.

If the NHL is going to ever going to exist on an elite level, like the NFL or NBA, it needs to capitalize on this sort of phenomenon. Imagine NHL East and West. In the East, 20-30 teams scattered throughout Europe...Russia, Sweeden, Czech Republic, Finland, Slovakia, Switzerland...and maybe tapping into some of those more wealthy (in dollars, not hockey players) markets like Germany, France, maybe even Great Brittain. In the West, the 20-30 teams that we see today throughout Canada and the United States. Maybe move some of the weaker market teams like Pheonix overseas.

Now, it's not going to be all Americans on the American team, all Russians on the Russian team, all Sweedes on the Sweedish team, etc. With similar free-agency guidelines, however, I've got to imagine that a rather large percentage of players are going to prefer to play near their homes...the very good players with options, that is.

Pretty much all regular season games will be played within the Eastern or Western league, for travel's sake. But the winner of each league will play the other in a best of seven series at the end of the year. Imagine how great the ratings will be. The western hemisphere's best versus the Eastern hemisphere's best. A team of mostly Canadians and Americans playing a team of mostly Europeans. Imagine what the fan interest would be!?

I really...really...can not see a single reason as to why this wouldn't be beneficial. I mean, I guess if the league expands from 30 teams to 40-50, the talent level is going to decrease a little bit. But so what. More and more and more and more kids will go into hockey if it gets as prime time as I think it could. There will probably be two or three times more athletes going into hockey. There may be a generation or so of spread out talent. But the gaps will be filled.

[MannyK 16]

this is a great idea! i wonder how a fair and balanced schedule could be worked out... because as you say, travel would be ridiculous. if there were maybe not as many games played per regular season, maybe the playoffs could be longer (obviously needing a different format, involving more teams)

[MTU_Huskies963 398]

I could not get enough Olympic hockey until I found out how they do shoot outs. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Guest blueadams]

this is a great idea! i wonder how a fair and balanced schedule could be worked out... because as you say, travel would be ridiculous. if there were maybe not as many games played per regular season, maybe the playoffs could be longer (obviously needing a different format, involving more teams)

well...if regular season play was done within each league, with very few cross-over games, it wouldn't be too bad. everytime there was a cross-over game though, imagine the hype and fan-fare that would surround it!? maybe make some of those outdoor games in yankee/fenway/wrigley/the big house...or historic european soccer stadiums.

awesome awesome awesome

[RedWingsFan4Life 0]

Why not have NHL VS Russian league game once a year for the hell of it? Having one league seems like a pain in the ass but, I think an exhibition game for some trophy of some sort would be pretty fun to watch.

[Guest blueadams]

Why not have NHL VS Russian league game once a year for the hell of it? Having one league seems like a pain in the ass but, I think an exhibition game for some trophy of some sort would be pretty fun to watch.

well...right now we are sort of rivals. they are stealing our players. thats why bettman is thinking about not letting nhl-ers go to russia for the olympics.

[dropkickshanahans 463]

I thought about this before a little differently between the NHL and the KHL. Only differences I had was that we do our thing separately as well as the same for them, not cross traveling and whatnot, just keep everything withing the leagues (unless they want to have preseason matchups). We do our playoffs until the winner of the Stanley Cup is determined, as well as whoever is the winner of the KHL trophy, and then those two teams meet up at either a neutral location, or have a different series format set up, like 3-3-1 to limit travel, then have the two best teams between these two leagues play it out for a best of the east vs west trophy. I just wonder how far along in player/team development the KHL is?

[ComradeWasabi 109]

Mark on it the calendar, blueadams started a thread without a single line combination in the OP.

[Guest zackmorris]

If you think teams are dogged and jet lagged after a west/east coast road trip...just wait until send them on a round trip flight a couple of times over the ocean. They'll be passing out all over the ice.

[RedWingsFan4Life 0]

If you think teams are dogged and jet lagged after a west/east coast road trip...just wait until send them on a round trip flight a couple of times over the ocean. They'll be passing out all over the ice.

Don't forget the time difference of going from 7pm games to like 3 or 4 am games. People complain about staying up late for wings now due to them being in western conference it would give new meaning to being up late. 8 hour or so time difference would make scheduling games really interesting.

[HockeyTownHouligan 57]

they would have to play the season like the world cup of soccer or somethin to make any sense of travel.

[puckhog419 0]

so i took a sports sociology class, and the NHL premier games are starting a little trend where people over seas get used to seeing NHL superstars there and eventually the NHL puts a team there and people are used to seeing teams that they do not question why there is an NHL team overseas.

This is not something that happens over night but, it could happen.

[BeeRYCE 2]

I don't know if this idea was mentioned yet, but I'd say they should get rid of the NHL all star game and change it in to "NHL vs KHL Weekend". It would have more meaning to it.

[Guest blueadams]

I don't know if this idea was mentioned yet, but I'd say they should get rid of the NHL all star game and change it in to "NHL vs KHL Weekend". It would have more meaning to it.

we're not going to help market our chief rival. maybe the nhl and khl could merge though. like the afc and nfc once did.

[Jaymister 71]

This is a great idea in theory, but i'd be shocked if it ever happened. Travel would be a huge issue.

[FireCaptain 563]

You'd have to do a 2 - 3 - 2 format to at least guarantee both sides a minmum of 2 home games with the least amount of travel.

like 3-3-1 to limit travel,

[SweWings 45]

You'd have to do a 2 - 3 - 2 format to at least guarantee both sides a minmum of 2 home games with the least amount of travel.

EDIT: Nvm... he already mentioned my option.

Edited February 20, 2010 by SweWings

[Jwo 7]

Bring back the Concorde plane and maybe overseas games could work.

[Barrie 900]

I could not get enough Olympic hockey until I found out how they do shoot outs. Left a bad taste in my mouth.

I do like how all games are 3 points. 3 points for a regulation win, and 2 points for an OT/SO win. The NHL should take note!

[dropkickshanahans 463]

You'd have to do a 2 - 3 - 2 format to at least guarantee both sides a minmum of 2 home games with the least amount of travel.

Math failed me that time lol, 2-3-2 sounds much better. It would really suck if you didn't have home-ice advantage my way. So we do a 2-3-2, and perhaps have 2-3 days inbetween travel, 1 day between the home games.

[Seraph 240]

That would be so confusing. I doubt anyone here would care about what happened last night in a game in Slovakia. You might as well keep the leagues separate and then have a competition between the KHL, NHL, and other European leagues every once in awhile.

Also, if you separated all of the NHL's talent around the world, all of our local teams would suck. You're basically spreading out all the stars. Sorry, but I'd rather have Ovechkin, Malkin, etc. come to our league. If Crosby played for team Norway, I highly doubt he'd be coming to my local area either so I could watch him.

Terrible idea. Just enjoy the Olympics while it lasts.

Edited February 21, 2010 by The Nephilim

[Lanzorz 0]

It's not a terrible idea, a very interesting one that I've thought of before. It just doesn't seem very realistic when you think about it.

[Tane 17]

Stanley Cup Winner vs. KHL Champion?

Meh, what would really be on the line? Who would really really care? It wouldn't be much more than an exhibition series.

Go backto 4 divisions.

Top 2 teams in each division make the playoffs

The Winner then plays the KHL Champion FOR THE STANLEY CUP.

That would generate Interest and ratings. A Russian team winning the stanley cup? Nobody over here would want to see that.

The logic in reducing the playoff teams, is that teams are already beat up pretty good by the SCF, to expect them to play a 5th playoff sereis would be asking too much of the players.

I know I know, logic says this will never happen due to

A) Playoff revenue

B) legitimatizing the KHL. If European players could play all year in the KhL, and still have a chance to play for the cup, and Still have 1 sereis in North America, why would any of them come over here to play?

C) Security. You bring the Cup over to Russia, you gotta trust that you'll be able to bring it back. What If a KHL team is Stanley cup champ, and then they decide not to play this sereis anymore? and just use the cup as their trophy? Could cause a huge mess.

I think it would be great for the game, and Everybody would care very much about the Stanley cup finals. Even the Americans would be on board. Carolina vs. Edmonton, who cares, But carolina vs. a Russian team with the Cup on the line....That's Huge. People would watch, people would care.

[Guest blueadams]

if the nhl continues to shrink...and the khl continues to grow...it might be interesting.

[VM1138 1,921]

This is an idea that will never be implemented, but it would work:

Shorten the NHL season considerably, then have a yearly "tournament" the length of the Olympics. Of course it'll never happen because it will A) destroy NHL revenue. B) Piss off the Olympics.