The fact they even call them conferences as opposed to divisions is illogical.
Quote:
Originally Posted by CerebralGenesis
It probably means that there won't be divisional playoffs but you better believe that they will add games before cutting any.
Who said anything about cutting playoffs? They'll still have sixteen playoff teams. The question was because they said 'wild card' whether they'd have an additional one-game play in with some teams or they just meant four miscellaneous teams would make the playoffs along with the top three in every 'conference'.
I don't even care if they do 4 divisions. It should be the top 8 teams from East and top 8 from the West advance no matter how many divisions, and it should combined for seeding 1-8. Facing the same teams in the first two rounds every year is one of the worst ideas the NHL has ever had.
The fact they even call them conferences as opposed to divisions is illogical.
Who said anything about cutting playoffs? They'll still have sixteen playoff teams. The question was because they said 'wild card' whether they'd have an additional one-game play in with some teams or they just meant four miscellaneous teams would make the playoffs along with the top three in every 'conference'.
Ya the wild card play in isn't meant to replace a round of the playoffs, just to make it harder for the two bigger conferences to get into the playoffs because the other conferences are at a disadvantage (or is it the other way around. Either way because the four conferences aren't equal it makes it easier for teams to get into the playoffs for two of them so a wild card or a transfer over is meant to make up for it. Not a clean solution though)
Without contraction or expansion this format will always be a bit of a mess and to uneven.
The fact they even call them conferences as opposed to divisions is illogical.
Who said anything about cutting playoffs? They'll still have sixteen playoff teams. The question was because they said 'wild card' whether they'd have an additional one-game play in with some teams or they just meant four miscellaneous teams would make the playoffs along with the top three in every 'conference'.
Well you have to think that the purpose of the wildcard is to even the entry into the playoffs for both conferences because of the uneven playing field. So if they just take 3 from each and then the next 2 then the west still has fewer teams to enter.
I don't even care if they do 4 divisions. It should be the top 8 teams from East and top 8 from the West advance no matter how many divisions, and it should combined for seeding 1-8. Facing the same teams in the first two rounds every year is one of the worst ideas the NHL has ever had.
Absolutely agreed. If they go with the 4 and 4 setup, it's almost guaranteed a 5th place team will be screwed when they wind up with more points than the 4th place team from the other conference. If they go with this new 3 and 3 and wild card spot setup, it won't feel like hockey anymore, just some weird mashup of football and baseball. I love the playoff system as is, and changing it is monumentally stupid.
Forced rivalry matchups every year would wear out their welcome fast. Rivalry matchups are great right now because they happen naturally, and will lose their appeal once they feel forced under this new template.
I hope this whole idea gets scrapped. It feels like a thrown together plan to make expansion to 32 teams more acceptable because it will make 4 'balanced' 8 team conferences. Instead of moving teams that will never work like Phoenix and Florida, we'll wind up with even more teams in markets that won't work, like Kansas City and Las Vegas.
James Mirtle @mirtle
@TSNBobMcKenzie reporting three teams from each conference in new alignment would make playoffs. Rest would be wild cards.
Yet another way to make a mockery of the regular season.
Some* fans were already up in arms about a team like Florida getting home ice advantage... can you imagine?
I like parity, I like that there's no offseason Cup winner and that the days of the dynasty are done. This... feels forced.
I don't care for it either. The unbalanced conferences will annoy me. I think they should leave it essentially as is, only with Winnipeg swapped for one team, either Detroit or Columbus.
I sometimes get nostalgic for the days of divisional playoffs. But as I get older, I can see the inherent problems with them. Sure, it guarantees paying a rival in the playoffs, but it's always in the first two rounds. You'd never get the great conference finals rivalry matchups, like last year, 2000, '94, etc.
So I say, keep the playoffs the way they are. It's fine as-is, even with the occasional winner of a bad division getting a top-3 seed over better teams from harder divisions.
Two things that will come of this: Good teams will have to make sure they don't take any nights off since it will be harder to secure a post season spot.
Bad teams will be in the hunt longer. Trading and team fire sales will probably cease to exist though.
Two things that will come of this: Good teams will have to make sure they don't take any nights off since it will be harder to secure a post season spot.
Bad teams will be in the hunt longer. Trading and team fire sales will probably cease to exist though.
Which is more than enough reason to scrap this awful proposal altogether.
But isn't that just the next evolution of parity in the league?
__________________
"Why I'll be a Devil forever [...] two words. Trust and respect." - Mr. Pat Burns
"I learned not to question Cowbell's willingness to ban." - Brian Boyle
While some are accurate, the Devils horn does not sound that authentic to me but then again their audio is crappy and it does have an audio jack output so you could hook it up to your speakers at home and scare the neighbors.
While some are accurate, the Devils horn does not sound that authentic to me but then again their audio is crappy and it does have an audio jack output so you could hook it up to your speakers at home and scare the neighbors.
That recording they use for the Devils' horn sounds like one I got online that somebody took at a game, but the quality was lacking like it sound there. There's a much better one out now though that doesn't sound like it was captured on a cell phone.
While some are accurate, the Devils horn does not sound that authentic to me but then again their audio is crappy and it does have an audio jack output so you could hook it up to your speakers at home and scare the neighbors.
