Re-Alignment Decision Expected Tonight

[SLY]

Throw Quebec in Conference C and Hartford in Conference D. We'll be good to go. Or just get rid of Phoenix and Columbus.

 

[TiLoBrown]

We have it easy?

 

[filosofy29]

Throw Quebec in Conference C and Hartford in Conference D. We'll be good to go. Or just get rid of Phoenix and Columbus.

They should stick with 4 Divisions, but they should have an equal amount of teams in each Conference. Make it so that the top two teams from each Division is guaranteed a playoff spot and then the next best 4 teams (regardless of division) make it in. Move Columbus or Nashville to the East (sorry Detroit fans ).

 

[SLY]

Anyone complaining about travel is just... looking for excuses why their teams cant hang.

I really like the idea of more Pens/Caps games and more Bruins/'Ning games. This idea, has me liking the East match-ups big time. Plus playing all the Western teams twice. This is way better than some of the proposed garbage they were coming out with earlier.

 

[SLY]

They should stick with 4 Divisions, but they should have an equal amount of teams in each Conference. Make it so that the top two teams from each Division is guaranteed a playoff spot and then the next best 4 teams (regardless of division) make it in. Move Columbus or Nashville to the East (sorry Detroit fans ).

You would have to add two teams, or get rid of two teams then.

 

[filosofy29]

We have it easy?

Hell yeah, the Atlantic Division teams (especially those around New York) get to sleep in your own beds for like 75% of the season. You guys probably take busses half the time when you're not playing at home.

I know a lot of you guys out East don't think that travel takes a toll, but it does.

 

[pixburgher66]

It's already hard as hell to make it into the Western Conference playoffs.....well, it just got harder as they've added one more team to contend with.

Travel is still shitty for WC teams. Oh well. I fucking LOATHE how easy the Atlantic Division has it.

I'm assuming you mean in terms of travel? Yeah...but keep in mind most teams are going to actually travel MORE now with so many more games out of conference. Schedule maker has their work cut out for them.

 

[SLY]

Hell yeah, your teams (especially those around New York) get to sleep in your own beds for 75% of the season.

I know a lot of you guys out East don't think that travel takes a toll, but it does.

Pfft, I travel 40 minutes one way to work and back every day. I fucking hate it.

 

[puckhead]

We have it easy?

you fuckers often don't leave your own time-zone after Christmas.


while we are talking about travel difficulties filo - get your retarded airport to stay open past 10pm or whenever the curfew kicks in.

 

[filosofy29]

You would have to add two teams, or get rid of two teams then.

No, they don't.

 

[SLY]

I'm assuming you mean in terms of travel? Yeah...but keep in mind most teams are going to actually travel MORE now with so many more games out of conference. Schedule maker has their work cut out for them.

Its really not hard. They need to just schedule away games in bunches in the same locations. Shouldn't be tough. But this is Bettmans NHL, they'll fuck it up.

 

[dash]

I love the current Conference names, is this a sports league or a Marriott hotel?!?

"We'll meet in Conference room A to hash things out."

 

[SLY]

No, they don't.

To have 4 conferences and have all the same amount of teams, yes, yes you do.

 

[SLY]

I love the current Conference names, is this a sports league or a Marriott hotel?!?

"We'll meet in Conference room A to hash things out."

They better come up with good names.

 

[filosofy29]

To have 4 conferences and have all the same amount of teams, yes, yes you do.

You didn't read my post. I said have four Divisions.

Only 2 Conferences, each with 15 teams.

 

[dash]

Miles travelled is one thing, time zone changes have a much bigger impact on how the body functions.

 

[SLY]

You didn't read my post. I said have four Divisions.

Only 2 Conferences, each with 15 teams.

Oh... Still gonna be uneven divisions. I wish they would add two teams or get rid of two. I dont like anything being uneven.

 

[esls79]

This just occurred to me. We often complain about the fact that the "Bettman point" (the point awarded to the loser in OT/SO games) makes games less exciting because teams have an incentive to play more conservatively just to get to overtime, where "everybody wins." However, so far, one force that keeps this in check is the fact that teams play within the conference 64 out of 82 games, and nobody wants to hand out extra points to rivals in their conference. And we have all observed the "who cares" attitude that takes over when playing out-of-conference games (i.e. it doesn't matter if we give away extra points to out-of-conference teams, because it doesn't affect our own playoff race).


But starting next year, out-of-conference games go from 18 to 44 (46 in the 7 team conferences). And games within the conference go from 64 to 38 (36 in the 7 team conferences).

This means that, instead of 18 out of 82 games with the "who cares" attitude, we'll be looking at 44 of them. Forty-four games in which there will be a strong incentive to play conservative, dull, prevent-defense hockey.

Get rid of the Bettman point. It's bad now, and it's about to be twice as bad. Or, 44/18ths as bad, to be exact. (My suggestion for how to do that is still the best in my humble opinion, but of course no one will ever do it.)

Right now, the inter division and inter-conference games are the 4 pointers we hate - 64 times a year for each team. To play conservative in those means you guarantee yourself a point and the opponent can only get one point on you and not the theoretical 4 points (2 the opponent does get and 2 you didn't get)

Playing non conference teams now a whole lot more means you don't care if you lose those two points, as it doesn't effect your playoff chances - therefore you play less conservative and more wide open.

 

[filosofy29]

Anyone complaining about travel is just... looking for excuses why their teams cant hang.

That's not even close to logical.

 

[SLY]

That's not even close to logical.

You're right... I'm just an instigator.