NHL: The regular season and home-ice are irrelevant.

Captain Hilts

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Fri May-15-09 09:17 AM
Original message

NHL: The regular season and home-ice are irrelevant.

The victories of the Hurricanes and Penguins, over the #1 and #2 conference leaders - well-earned on away-ice, I'll add - just underlines the irrelevance of the regular season in terms of the rewards for playing well and in terms of having any meaning. Players play differently and harder in the playoffs and statistics change pretty dramatically.

The top two seeds of the playoffs have both been ousted by #8 and #7. There is good parity in the NHL, but:

1) why should a fan pay big bucks to watch regular season games?
2) why should a player play hard in the regular season?

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joeybee12

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Fri May-15-09 10:02 AM
Response to Original message

1. You're right...and...

:cry:

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Captain Hilts

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Fri May-15-09 10:05 AM
Response to Reply #1

2. Really. Why should people pay premium prices to see regular season games? nt

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joeybee12

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Fri May-15-09 10:35 AM
Response to Reply #2

3. I don't, but still....

:cry:

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mmonk

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Fri May-15-09 10:52 AM
Response to Original message

4. Easy.

#1, it's the regular season that determines whether you make it to the playoffs or not and,
#2, same answer.

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Captain Hilts

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Fri May-15-09 11:14 AM
Response to Reply #4

5. The regular season could do that with 20 fewer games that did not fatigue players and increase

the number of injuries.

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mmonk

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Fri May-15-09 12:34 PM
Response to Reply #5

8. But then you couldn't pay them enough to play.

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LisaM

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Fri May-15-09 11:40 AM
Response to Original message

6. I think most sports that have expanded the playoffs should shorten the regular season

Baseball being the prime example. World Series are regularly played with the threat of snow now; hockey is just as bad with these southern franchises that can't keep their ice up. The ice in Game Six of the Wings' series in Anaheim was pathetic.

That said, going to an NHL game is a damned fun time. Where else do you get to sing "The Good Old Hockey Game" is the best game you can name with 16,000 other people - and MEAN IT?

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Captain Hilts

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Fri May-15-09 12:49 PM
Response to Reply #6

9. Ice quality is a real problem, even in Pittsburgh. In baseball it's silly to play a game in 90temps

then have your championship in the 30s. Playing some games during the day would help that a bit.

In baseball, the temperatures really affect pitching and the way the ball handles and moves. It's stupid to play the championship in weather so cold.

The U of Toronto gave Stompin' Tom an honorary doctorate and the stodgy faculty were really ticked off!

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caraher

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Fri May-15-09 12:29 PM
Response to Original message

7. I agree that the regular season is too long

I really only start watching come playoff time. The regular season does matter a LOT to the teams that are fighting for the last few playoff spots, but doesn't mean as much to the favorites to win it all.

As a Detroit native I remember when the regular season mattered and making the playoffs was a big deal. (I grew up in the '70s...) Clearly enough fans turn out that the formula more games = more revenue still works. Nobody can make you buy tickets for a hockey game... from my perspective a 60 game season would still be plenty. But having more does seem to work for the league. It's not as if they'd save anything on salaries with a shorter season

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Forkboy

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Fri May-15-09 02:18 PM
Response to Original message

10. All the sports except football need shorter seasons.

None of them will ever give up that revenue those extra games rake in though.

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joeybee12

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Fri May-15-09 06:23 PM
Response to Reply #10

11. I erad somewhere that if baseball went to 175 games then you

would pretty much know that the team with the best record is really the best and will win the playoffs...can't figure out how they knew that. 162 is enough for me...it's hard to stay focused especially when America's Team, even when they win it all, keep you guessing throughout those 162 games.

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