Only read a few of the posts. I have no issues with this alignment. Seems like some people are just upset because they wanted to be in an "easy" conference.
I like the fact that we are in the save division while adding teams from the central. I didn't want to leave Detroit, Chicago, etc. And we added the Wild, Stars, and Jets.
I don't love it, don't hate it.
Now I'm off to see what happens with our team the rest of the year.
AP just tweeted that one of the concessions made to the Eastern Conference teams in order to get them to accept increased travel and home and homes with every other team in the league was that the Eastern Conferences got the seven teams and the Western Conferences got eight teams.
AP just tweeted that one of the concessions made to the Eastern Conference teams in order to get them to accept increased travel and home and homes with every other team in the league was that the Eastern Conferences got the seven teams and the Western Conferences got eight teams.
I had kinda wondered about that.
****ing hate the east. Refusing to play ball with everyone else unless they get their way like a spoiled child.
****ing hate the east. Refusing to play ball with everyone else unless they get their way like a spoiled child.
Well next year when the Yotes move east one of those conferences is going to have to pick up an 8th. So will each conferences have one 7 team and one 8 team division?
I think whats going to happen is a West team is going to miss the playoffs by 1 point or tie breaker in an 8 team division. While a East team that made the playoffs in a 7 team division had 10+ points less than said West team and all hell is going to break loose. I don't see this format lasting long unless expansion or as the main boards would have it contraction.
The difference now though is every team has an equal chance to make the playoffs.
I really don't care, im fine with the format. I just see it being a problem in the future.
Because of how heavily weighted the schedules will be toward conference play, point comparisons between teams in different conferences will be hard to justify. The top teams in some conferences (ours, perhaps?) may have higher point totals because of some weaker competition (us, for example). A fifth place team that earns more points in a weak conference doesn't deserve to make the playoffs over a fourth place team with fewer points in a stronger conference. Top four get into the playoffs, then battle it out to represent the conference in the next round. Some conferences will have three losers who don't get in, others will have four. We can quibble about how the teams were chosen for the conferences, but the basic structure does not seem radically unfair to me. If the CBJ is ever better than four of our conference mates, we'll have the chance to fight the other three to advance. Make our way out of that ringer and we'll have every right to be proud to represent whatever the hell stupid name they plant on our conference! Norris? Gretzky? Crosby? Legends? Central North American International Conference?
Well next year when the Yotes move east one of those conferences is going to have to pick up an 8th. So will each conferences have one 7 team and one 8 team division?
I think whats going to happen is a West team is going to miss the playoffs by 1 point or tie breaker in an 8 team division. While a East team that made the playoffs in a 7 team division had 10+ points less than said West team and all hell is going to break loose. I don't see this format lasting long unless expansion or as the main boards would have it contraction.
I did kinda think it was a future planning thing myself. If the Yotes move, maybe there's a bigger chance they move eastward rather than staying in the west and then things would be Fair and Balanced.
All in all, I would have liked to move to the East, Northeast Division. I knew that wasn't going to happen, so the new alignment and home and home will have to do. Playoff chances be damned.
Careful Sam. Someone might think you're actually foolish enough to have some optimism about the organization. That's not allowed.
And here I thought that was merely a crazy conspiracy theory that got me driven into the arms of T&R and the Nashville boards. The truth has been revealed!
As for the realignment, I've said it elsewhere and I'll say it here - I don't see why Detroit isn't in the Northeast and we aren't in the Atlantic, so the "two conferences of 16" are in the time zone with 16 teams. Seriously, WTF?
(Colorado would be moved to the Central, btw.)
Not complaining too much, tho.
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Remember - when you're a hockey fan, it's not "reckless driving", it's "good forechecking".
"Viqsi, you are our sweet humanist..." --mt-svk on the CBJ boards
Thanks, Howson, for cleaning up MacLean's toxic waste. Welcome, Kekalainen; let's get good things built!
Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy has an amusing take on the CBJ desire to leave the West behind:
"I thoroughly enjoyed the load of garbage spewing from Columbus and Nashville, as both franchises blamed the late start times for their struggles with attendance. Really?
In Columbus's case, I'm willing to wager that a marketing department that could come up with a better mascot than a walking, moustachioed phallus or a front office capable of building a team through the draft might have helped too. Thank goodness that they're out of the West now — I'm sure everything else will fall right into place."
Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy has an amusing take on the CBJ desire to leave the West behind:
"I thoroughly enjoyed the load of garbage spewing from Columbus and Nashville, as both franchises blamed the late start times for their struggles with attendance. Really?
In Columbus's case, I'm willing to wager that a marketing department that could come up with a better mascot than a walking, moustachioed phallus or a front office capable of building a team through the draft might have helped too. Thank goodness that they're out of the West now — I'm sure everything else will fall right into place."
If Priest and Howson blamed the late start times of away games for the reason their home attendance sucks anymore, shame on them, they deserve to be called out for that one. Give people a reason to stay up to watch the games or give them a reason to show up at the Arena. That said, Mooney is much rougher on the CBJ than Wyshinski is....
Harrison Mooney of Puck Daddy has an amusing take on the CBJ desire to leave the West behind:
"I thoroughly enjoyed the load of garbage spewing from Columbus and Nashville, as both franchises blamed the late start times for their struggles with attendance. Really?
In Columbus's case, I'm willing to wager that a marketing department that could come up with a better mascot than a walking, moustachioed phallus or a front office capable of building a team through the draft might have helped too. Thank goodness that they're out of the West now — I'm sure everything else will fall right into place."
I don't believe the CBJ has ever blamed attendance on late starts. The concern is ratings and therefore media rights and sponsorship revenues.
But hey, Mooney can fabricate whatever ******** he wants; he has the bully pulpit.
Doesnt matter if you play at 10:30pm or 7pm, put out a crappy team and people wont watch. I watch the late night games on DVR the next morning, doesnt bother me a bit....in fact, its the ONLY way to watch west coast Bluejacket games, nothing like saving time by being able to fast forward when they forget how to play hockey and not have to watch stupid commercials or listen to Rimer and Davidge during intermission
Doesnt matter if you play at 10:30pm or 7pm, put out a crappy team and people wont watch. I watch the late night games on DVR the next morning, doesnt bother me a bit....in fact, its the ONLY way to watch west coast Bluejacket games, nothing like saving time by being able to fast forward when they forget how to play hockey and not have to watch stupid commercials or listen to Rimer and Davidge during intermission
Ah, so Detroit must have had a crappy team long term as well, because they are complaining about the very same thing. Late starts are bad for ratings.
Ah, so Detroit must have had a crappy team long term as well, because they are complaining about the very same thing. Late starts are bad for ratings.
Again, Doesnt matter if you play at 10:30pm or 7pm, put out a crappy team and people wont watch. People arent suddenly going to start watching a crappy team because they play at 7pm instead of 10:30
Again, Doesnt matter if you play at 10:30pm or 7pm, put out a crappy team and people wont watch. People arent suddenly going to start watching a crappy team because they play at 7pm instead of 10:30
Yes, but even fewer people are going to watch if it's a crappy team late at night.
Seriously, we get that you don't like how the team's performing. None of us do. But that's not the point here.
Yes, but even fewer people are going to watch if it's a crappy team late at night.
Seriously, we get that you don't like how the team's performing. None of us do. But that's not the point here.
Im aware of that, my point is, if they think they're going to get more viewers by simply having less 10:30 times, its not going to happen if the team continues to do poorly, whether its us or most any team.
Im aware of that, my point is, if they think they're going to get more viewers by simply having less 10:30 times, its not going to happen if the team continues to do poorly, whether its us or most any team.
The early starts will get more viewers regardless of how the team performs but your point is a good one, early starts will not save the franchise if the Jackets continue to lose.. For those flogging BJN what's the issue here?
Im aware of that, my point is, if they think they're going to get more viewers by simply having less 10:30 times, its not going to happen if the team continues to do poorly, whether its us or most any team.
At a minimum there would be a slight boost. Neither by itself is a long-term solution for fixing the ratings issue, though; both of them together, however, will do it.
Good afternoon. Earlier this week the National Hockey League Board of Governors approved a four-Conference alignment format and authorized Commissioner Gary Bettman to implement this proposal, pending input from the National Hockey League Players’ Association. When this proposal is finalized and implemented, the Blue Jackets will play in a conference with our current Central Division rivals – Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues – as well as the Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild and Winnipeg Jets. While we would have loved the opportunity to play in the Eastern Conference under a system similar to the one that is currently in place, the proposal is very good news for our organization and our fans.
The format will result in us playing every team in the League at least twice (one home and one away) and the teams within our conference either five or six times per year in a rotating basis (i.e. if we play Chicago six times in 2012-13 then we would play them five times in 2013-14 and so on). The top four teams in each conference qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs with the first-place team playing the fourth-place team and the second-place team playing the third-place team in the first round. The four playoff conference champions would meet in the third round of the playoffs with the winners meeting in the Stanley Cup Finals.
I was very impressed and encouraged by the actions of the Board throughout this process. While it is impossible to come up with a plan that every team loves, the Board was committed to making a decision that was in the best interest of the League as a whole. I believe this plan is exactly that.
For us, it will reduce travel and should lessen the wear and tear on our players over the course of the season. Instead of making four trips to the west coast each season, we will now make two. We will play 74 games in the Eastern or Central time zones, which is an increase from the 66 we play currently. While this plan is a win for our organization, it is also a big win for you, our fans.
This ensures that all of the game’s superstars will visit Nationwide Arena each season and also maintains the rivalries that we have begun establishing within the Central Division. In addition, it eases the burden for those who want to watch or listen to our games on television and radio as there will be fewer games starting at 9 p.m. or later ET. Below is the complete realignment by conference (names to be determined).
Conference A
Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver
Conference B
Chicago, COLUMBUS, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
Conference C
Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Conference D
Carolina, New Jersey, NY Islanders, NY Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
As always, if you have any questions about this or anything else, please let us know. Thanks for your support of Blue Jackets hockey and Happy Holidays.
As always, if you have any questions about this or anything else, please let us know. Thanks for your support of Blue Jackets hockey and Happy Holidays.
Regards,
Mike Priest
Someone should E-mail back "Why the **** are you still president of this team?"
