Not since former Alberta Premier Ralph Klein, who was mayor of Calgary at the time, proclaimed that the bums and creeps should go back to Ontario, has there been such a backlash towards Central Canada.
But with word leaking out at which cities (hint they’re in the east and north of the border) scuttled the idea of a more equitable schedule and more frequent appearances in the far off territories, the reaction has been rather nasty.
Edmonton, bemoaned the lack of stewardship by the Commissioner who according to reports didn’t exactly smack the table and read the riot act for the good of the game.
The always excitable Vancouver radio shows blasted the self centered decision of the self obsessed of Central Canada, suggesting that they were only in the collective of the NHL for the good of their own franchises and not the game as a whole. (well they used much more descriptive language but we shudder at the cost to national unity if we repeat them verbatim)
They also brought up an interesting point, what will happen to Hockey Day in Canada next year, if lets say the Vancouver Canucks are kept on the coast. Somehow Atlanta and Phoenix as the night cap of the trilogy of hockey schmaltz just isn’t going to wash with the viewers of the Hockey Night in Canada propaganda machine. Another fine tradition laid to waste by the short sighted machinations of the Atlantic Division it seems.
The teams in the Northeast corridor have had a pretty good run of things the last few years; their travel costs are laughable as is the concept of a road trip for teams in the Four State area of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Massachusetts. In a good month, players on those teams can spend a good portion of each night in their very own beds, while the western teams wonder if they can get one more day out of the underwear before they need to hit a Wal Mart.
The Western teams knew that the vote would be close and that it would be a hard go at the Eastern American teams, but the shock of hearing that Ottawa and Montreal turned their backs on their fellow Canadians and voted for the status quo, was too much to take.
Eventually the ill will probably fades away, but for the immediate period, it’s like a rerun of the seventies, when Central Canada played the villain in Alberta and BC. It’s a good thing that Molson’s no longer owns the Habs because product boycotts have been launched for lesser slights!
The good news for easterners seems to be that Toronto actually cast a vote in favour of a change, which will make it a lot harder to hate the Leafs in Western Canada.
It’s a feeling of goodwill that won’t be extended to the Sens and Habs for the foreseeable future.
Showing posts with label NHL scheduling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NHL scheduling. Show all posts
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
When looking for common sense, don’t cast a glance towards the NHL governors.
Well, my fearless prediction of a bit of sanity to the schedule makers’ routine was a bit off base after all. The NHL Board of Governors sat down in the big boardroom on Tuesday, rolled up t heir sleeves and brought out the elbows. In an 19 to 11 vote, the NHL chose to stick with their current scheduling systems, weighted as it is to divisional and conference play and keeping some of the higher profile teams away from the boondocks outside of their conferences.
The league turned aside the plan, which featured six divisional games and 18 games against the other conference. This at least would provide glimpses of the teams from the far off kingdoms once and a while.
This decision will guarantee at least one more year of endless inter divisional matches and a nice tidy travel package for the north east teams of the Atlantic coast, many of which can go months before they even have to leave their own time zone.
There was the promise that the situation will be addressed once again after the current “cycle” is completed, but for next year it will be much more of the same. A situation that isn’t particularly good for the long term strength of the game.
If you deny a wide swath of your fan base the opportunity to see some of the best stars in the game on a year to year basis, then you shouldn’t be terribly surprised to see the interest in your league drop off.
We tap the CBC sports site for the nasty details from Scott Morrison.
The NHL schedule: better wait 'til next year
Last Updated Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007
by Scott Morrison
DALLAS - It is going to happen, rest assured. One day the schedule format in the NHL is going to change, but that day just wasn't Tuesday.
And the day the change happens won't arrive until after next season.
Indeed, after the league's board of governors Tuesday debated and contemplated two scheduling scenarios (first was a switch to six division games, the second a switch to seven division games), they could not reach a consensus, thus the unbalanced schedule will remain for a third season to complete its cycle.
"After that," predicted Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jimmy Rutherford, "I think there will be change. We just don't know what it will be."
And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
For a variety of reasons, the league's deepest thinkers barely resisted the temptation to change now, with one key reason being the current uncertainty over where the Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing next year.
Interestingly, when the governors met in December and first decided not to change the matrix, 23 teams supported the notion of considering proposals. Tuesday, that number was down to the required minimum of 20.
So the discussion ensued. When it came time to vote on the first proposal, of going back to the pre-lockout scenario of six division games, four conference and 18 other, it was rejected by a 19-11 vote. The scenario of reducing to just seven division games, which was supported by commissioner Gary Bettman, was voted down 18-12. One or two votes short.
"One vote," said Rutherford, "or one-third of the league opposed it."
Good point.
What was interesting is that Ottawa did not entirely favour the proposals and it's believed Montreal didn't, either. Ottawa wanted to see a reduction in the number of conference games, not division. They proposed going to seven division and three conference games. There was no vote on that proposal.
"We decided the schedule we are using now is a three-year cycle and we haven't finished the second year of it," said Rutherford. "You can't be changing every one or two years. It makes more sense to take more time and study it."
Since the league's first expansion in 1967 they have used 13 different scheduling formats. So, obviously, finding one for the ages as the league changes and the personnel change is not easy. Or perhaps not even practical. One of the big issues now, of course, is that there are teams that want to see Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin every year. Others want that and for the Canadian teams to play each other every year. That won't happen next year. Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa won't play the western Canadian teams.
As one governor put, though: "We need to sell the game itself, not just games against one or two players."
Of course, they need to market those players to sell the game, which leads to something of a conundrum. How do you fully expose them if they don't play against every team, every year?
A variety of teams, obviously, are not pleased with the results of Tuesday, though, interestingly the 19 that voted for one format and the 18 that voted for the other didn't involve all the same teams. So, in essence, there was an appetite for change but not everyone could agree on the meal.
One team that is not pleased are the Edmonton Oilers, whose governor Cal Nicholls was asked he if wished Bettman had shown more leadership in pushing through change. Nicholls said: "I wish he would have" then alluded to politics interfering with the good of the game.
In the end, there were no shortage of hard feelings, just as they were in Florida two months ago the first time this exercise failed.
"It was decided to finish the cycle and decide what to do after that," said Bettman. "We've started something and we are going to finish it. Our research shows that most fans like it the way it is. That's why I felt if we were going to tweak it, let's have the least amount of change (eight division games to seven)."
That day will come. But it is at least 365 days away.
Meantime, if the league can avoid having teams play five times in 20 days, or three times in 10 days, it might make the existing schedule a little easier to digest.
NOTES: In other business, the league is looking to improve the video review process by upgrading the technology in buildings over the summer, with improved positioning and the addition of high definition cameras. They are also planning on putting a monitor in the penalty boxes so the referees can see the review and be hooked up to the Toronto review room. The Toronto office would still make the calls, but the referees would be able to discuss and understand them ... On the Penguins arena front, discussions continue but the 30-day deadline Mario Lemieux set arrives Feb. 4. The sense is for purposes of potentially relocating and scheduling, a decision will have to be made in the next two weeks ... Montreal was awarded the 2009 NHL all-star game. It coincides with celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the franchise.
The league turned aside the plan, which featured six divisional games and 18 games against the other conference. This at least would provide glimpses of the teams from the far off kingdoms once and a while.
This decision will guarantee at least one more year of endless inter divisional matches and a nice tidy travel package for the north east teams of the Atlantic coast, many of which can go months before they even have to leave their own time zone.
There was the promise that the situation will be addressed once again after the current “cycle” is completed, but for next year it will be much more of the same. A situation that isn’t particularly good for the long term strength of the game.
If you deny a wide swath of your fan base the opportunity to see some of the best stars in the game on a year to year basis, then you shouldn’t be terribly surprised to see the interest in your league drop off.
We tap the CBC sports site for the nasty details from Scott Morrison.
The NHL schedule: better wait 'til next year
Last Updated Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007
by Scott Morrison
DALLAS - It is going to happen, rest assured. One day the schedule format in the NHL is going to change, but that day just wasn't Tuesday.
And the day the change happens won't arrive until after next season.
Indeed, after the league's board of governors Tuesday debated and contemplated two scheduling scenarios (first was a switch to six division games, the second a switch to seven division games), they could not reach a consensus, thus the unbalanced schedule will remain for a third season to complete its cycle.
"After that," predicted Carolina Hurricanes general manager Jimmy Rutherford, "I think there will be change. We just don't know what it will be."
And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
For a variety of reasons, the league's deepest thinkers barely resisted the temptation to change now, with one key reason being the current uncertainty over where the Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing next year.
Interestingly, when the governors met in December and first decided not to change the matrix, 23 teams supported the notion of considering proposals. Tuesday, that number was down to the required minimum of 20.
So the discussion ensued. When it came time to vote on the first proposal, of going back to the pre-lockout scenario of six division games, four conference and 18 other, it was rejected by a 19-11 vote. The scenario of reducing to just seven division games, which was supported by commissioner Gary Bettman, was voted down 18-12. One or two votes short.
"One vote," said Rutherford, "or one-third of the league opposed it."
Good point.
What was interesting is that Ottawa did not entirely favour the proposals and it's believed Montreal didn't, either. Ottawa wanted to see a reduction in the number of conference games, not division. They proposed going to seven division and three conference games. There was no vote on that proposal.
"We decided the schedule we are using now is a three-year cycle and we haven't finished the second year of it," said Rutherford. "You can't be changing every one or two years. It makes more sense to take more time and study it."
Since the league's first expansion in 1967 they have used 13 different scheduling formats. So, obviously, finding one for the ages as the league changes and the personnel change is not easy. Or perhaps not even practical. One of the big issues now, of course, is that there are teams that want to see Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin every year. Others want that and for the Canadian teams to play each other every year. That won't happen next year. Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa won't play the western Canadian teams.
As one governor put, though: "We need to sell the game itself, not just games against one or two players."
Of course, they need to market those players to sell the game, which leads to something of a conundrum. How do you fully expose them if they don't play against every team, every year?
A variety of teams, obviously, are not pleased with the results of Tuesday, though, interestingly the 19 that voted for one format and the 18 that voted for the other didn't involve all the same teams. So, in essence, there was an appetite for change but not everyone could agree on the meal.
One team that is not pleased are the Edmonton Oilers, whose governor Cal Nicholls was asked he if wished Bettman had shown more leadership in pushing through change. Nicholls said: "I wish he would have" then alluded to politics interfering with the good of the game.
In the end, there were no shortage of hard feelings, just as they were in Florida two months ago the first time this exercise failed.
"It was decided to finish the cycle and decide what to do after that," said Bettman. "We've started something and we are going to finish it. Our research shows that most fans like it the way it is. That's why I felt if we were going to tweak it, let's have the least amount of change (eight division games to seven)."
That day will come. But it is at least 365 days away.
Meantime, if the league can avoid having teams play five times in 20 days, or three times in 10 days, it might make the existing schedule a little easier to digest.
NOTES: In other business, the league is looking to improve the video review process by upgrading the technology in buildings over the summer, with improved positioning and the addition of high definition cameras. They are also planning on putting a monitor in the penalty boxes so the referees can see the review and be hooked up to the Toronto review room. The Toronto office would still make the calls, but the referees would be able to discuss and understand them ... On the Penguins arena front, discussions continue but the 30-day deadline Mario Lemieux set arrives Feb. 4. The sense is for purposes of potentially relocating and scheduling, a decision will have to be made in the next two weeks ... Montreal was awarded the 2009 NHL all-star game. It coincides with celebrations for the 100th anniversary of the franchise.
Schedule makers to be front and centre at all star break
The theory on scheduling is, that by the end of the all star week festivities the NHL will announce a return to a more equitable scheduling process. One that at least will see each team, play in each market, at least once per season.
It will bring an end to the current foolishness of having some of the league's top talents exiled to the east or west divisions, with only infrequent forays into the other division every few years. That has been one of the biggest complaints by the fans this season, the fact that Vancouver for instance, may not see Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa or Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future, a ludicrous situation that punishes the fan for being a loyal season ticket holder.
If, as the rumours suggest the league will return to its pre lockout scheduling system, (a rumour that may require Lou Lamoriello to be locked in his hotel room until after the vote) then at least the fans will see some of these hot talents that are but rumours to many NHL cities.
Ken Campbell of the Hockey News had the inside stuff on the issues of these meetings, including those plans to at least spread the wealth of talent out across the entire NHL map next season.
NHL's schedule issue to be solved Thursday
KEN CAMPBELL
The Hockey News
January 23, 2007
DALLAS — The NHL will have its much-maligned schedule dealt with once and for all when the board of governors meets Tuesday and the betting is the league will likely go back to the pre-lockout format that saw all 30 teams face each other at least once a season.
And as far as Colorado Avalanche superstar Joe Sakic is concerned, that's the way it should be.
"Every player I've talked to . . . they're sick of it," Sakic said. "For us, it will be more travel, so you get on a plane and it's an extra hour. What's the big deal?"
While there's no guarantee the schedule will change, one source close to the board of governors said Sunday there is an appetite to alter a format that sees teams play their division rivals eight times a season and teams in the other conference just once every three years.
"I think the ones who want change will get a vote their way," the source said. "What will probably happen is that they'll say, 'Hey, this matrix isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than what we have now.' "
Chances are things will go back to the format used pre-lockout, where each teams plays its divisional opponents six times instead of eight, then plays four games against each of the teams in the other divisions in their conference. That would leave 18 games against teams in the other conference. Teams would play against each team in the other conference once, leaving three games for home-and-home series against traditional rivals.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has not taken a stand on the issue so far and has basically allowed teams to make their cases, but one source said it might be time for the league to step in. The feeling is that if there is an appetite for change, Bettman will facilitate it.
But Bettman remains unconvinced there will be the two-thirds majority required to make a change.
"What has happened is we've given this a very thorough examination and nobody as yet has suggested something that everybody likes better, which tells you that there's a great deal of merit in the current schedule," Bettman said. "There are some people . . . not a lot, not a majority, not even close to a majority who are critical of (the current format). When we put this to bed, everyone will be comfortable, one way or another."
One thing is for sure, said deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the league will put this matter to bed once and for all and will move on with its schedule. It is thought that the impetus for change exists with a number of western teams whose fans are not afforded the opportunity to see young eastern stars such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
The teams in the eastern United States are thought to be in favour of the current schedule with New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, who holds an enormous amount of sway over the board, leading the charge.
The league is also expected to discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins situation, but Bettman said Sunday he's content at the moment to allow the process in Pittsburgh to play itself to a conclusion. Daly said the NHL would likely need to know within a month about the Penguins fate.
Contrary to reports, both Bettman and Daly said there will be no discussion at the meeting about future expansion, making nets bigger or increasing the number of teams in the playoffs to 20. There has been talk that the league might allow 10 teams per conference into the post-season, with the seven, eight, nine and 10 seeds playing a mini-tournament in the first round.
"I don't think that has a lot of momentum right now," Bettman said. "If you increase the number of teams making the playoffs by four — and I'm not saying we're considering it — while the ninth and 10th teams get a shot that they didn't have, the seventh and eighth teams are now forced to participate in a wild card without being guaranteed a chance to advance.
And all of a sudden you're thinking, 'Wait a minute, if I'm seventh or eighth, I want a chance to be like Edmonton and have a shot of going the whole way without adding an extra round."
It will bring an end to the current foolishness of having some of the league's top talents exiled to the east or west divisions, with only infrequent forays into the other division every few years. That has been one of the biggest complaints by the fans this season, the fact that Vancouver for instance, may not see Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa or Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future, a ludicrous situation that punishes the fan for being a loyal season ticket holder.
If, as the rumours suggest the league will return to its pre lockout scheduling system, (a rumour that may require Lou Lamoriello to be locked in his hotel room until after the vote) then at least the fans will see some of these hot talents that are but rumours to many NHL cities.
Ken Campbell of the Hockey News had the inside stuff on the issues of these meetings, including those plans to at least spread the wealth of talent out across the entire NHL map next season.
NHL's schedule issue to be solved Thursday
KEN CAMPBELL
The Hockey News
January 23, 2007
DALLAS — The NHL will have its much-maligned schedule dealt with once and for all when the board of governors meets Tuesday and the betting is the league will likely go back to the pre-lockout format that saw all 30 teams face each other at least once a season.
And as far as Colorado Avalanche superstar Joe Sakic is concerned, that's the way it should be.
"Every player I've talked to . . . they're sick of it," Sakic said. "For us, it will be more travel, so you get on a plane and it's an extra hour. What's the big deal?"
While there's no guarantee the schedule will change, one source close to the board of governors said Sunday there is an appetite to alter a format that sees teams play their division rivals eight times a season and teams in the other conference just once every three years.
"I think the ones who want change will get a vote their way," the source said. "What will probably happen is that they'll say, 'Hey, this matrix isn't perfect, but it's a lot better than what we have now.' "
Chances are things will go back to the format used pre-lockout, where each teams plays its divisional opponents six times instead of eight, then plays four games against each of the teams in the other divisions in their conference. That would leave 18 games against teams in the other conference. Teams would play against each team in the other conference once, leaving three games for home-and-home series against traditional rivals.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has not taken a stand on the issue so far and has basically allowed teams to make their cases, but one source said it might be time for the league to step in. The feeling is that if there is an appetite for change, Bettman will facilitate it.
But Bettman remains unconvinced there will be the two-thirds majority required to make a change.
"What has happened is we've given this a very thorough examination and nobody as yet has suggested something that everybody likes better, which tells you that there's a great deal of merit in the current schedule," Bettman said. "There are some people . . . not a lot, not a majority, not even close to a majority who are critical of (the current format). When we put this to bed, everyone will be comfortable, one way or another."
One thing is for sure, said deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the league will put this matter to bed once and for all and will move on with its schedule. It is thought that the impetus for change exists with a number of western teams whose fans are not afforded the opportunity to see young eastern stars such as Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin.
The teams in the eastern United States are thought to be in favour of the current schedule with New Jersey Devils GM Lou Lamoriello, who holds an enormous amount of sway over the board, leading the charge.
The league is also expected to discuss the Pittsburgh Penguins situation, but Bettman said Sunday he's content at the moment to allow the process in Pittsburgh to play itself to a conclusion. Daly said the NHL would likely need to know within a month about the Penguins fate.
Contrary to reports, both Bettman and Daly said there will be no discussion at the meeting about future expansion, making nets bigger or increasing the number of teams in the playoffs to 20. There has been talk that the league might allow 10 teams per conference into the post-season, with the seven, eight, nine and 10 seeds playing a mini-tournament in the first round.
"I don't think that has a lot of momentum right now," Bettman said. "If you increase the number of teams making the playoffs by four — and I'm not saying we're considering it — while the ninth and 10th teams get a shot that they didn't have, the seventh and eighth teams are now forced to participate in a wild card without being guaranteed a chance to advance.
And all of a sudden you're thinking, 'Wait a minute, if I'm seventh or eighth, I want a chance to be like Edmonton and have a shot of going the whole way without adding an extra round."
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