So This Wildcard Nonsense

[centrehice]

Allows 2 teams in each Conference to get a 1st Round Bye, then really only have to win 12 games to win the Stanley Cup instead of the almost impossible 16.

This is a potential loss of 14 Playoff Games (per conference) for us to watch, on it's own. This extra 4 game series separates our game from the impostors in Sport and now appears to be lost forever. So much for the Stanley Cup being the hardest trophy to win, it's become Baseball.

Now please don't tell me that the Wild Card Teams playing the #3 teams of each division is only a Best of 5 Series, - I will smash something if it is. The Stanley Cup is now milquetoast to win.

It's a good thing that I am almost 60 and could die at any time, they've ruined the Sport I love and turned it into something else.

[centrehice]

The thing that really bothers me about this?

This is an Attention-Grab by Gary Bettman. He has made it well known that he wants Bud Selig's job as the MLB Commissioner. What better way to show Ole' Bud, than to say ; "Hey Bud, I've just turned Hockey into Baseball," "Can I please have the head job of the most boring Sport on the planet now?"

This makes me very angry.

[30ranfordfan]

Tim,

I think you've got it wrong. There is no bye, and nobody plays anything but a best-of-7

I'll use the Eastern Conference as an example:

Atlantic:
Boston
Toronto
Montreal

Metropolitan:
Pittsburgh
NY Rangers
Columbus

Wild Card:
Tampa Bay
Philadelphia

By finsihing 2nd and 3rd in their divisions.... Toronto & Montreal, as well as NYR and Columbus, will play each other in the first round. Pittsburgh is the top team, will play 8th ranked Philadelphia, and #2 Boston, they get Tampa Bay.


The "wild cards" all they do, is insure that a stronger division could have 5 teams instead of 4 make it (and a weak one only gets 3 teams, instead of 4).

[30ranfordfan]

just to add to that....

Once that first round is over, the 2nd round stays in the division. While it's possibl that a non-division team crossed over into that division's group (i.e. Detroit gets ahead of Philly, and is now the 8th seed... gets to be slot #4 in the Met division and play the Pens).

Let's say the Wings to take 8th, everything else stays the same (this just creates an easy scenario)

The four 1st round matchups are:

"Top Division Winner" (Penguins) vs "2nd Wild Card" (Wings)
"Other Division Winner" (Bruins) vs "Other Wild Card" (Bolts)
2nd & 3rd from each division play each other.

The 2nd round....

Winner of Boston vs Tampa plays winner of Toronto vs Montreal
Winner of Pittsburgh vs Detroit plays winner of Columbus vs New York




Me, I would have gone back to "top 4 in each division make it" but this is close enough. It virtually ensures that you face your biggest rivals each year in the post season. It's been a long time... but those old division rivalries were huge. The contempt for each other that's born out playing the same teams over and over again in the post season? I think that's great, and I'm happy they brought it back.

[centrehice]

Thanks. That's makes some sense. Whenever I see stupid words like "Wild Card" I shudder. It's a similar feeling I get when I hear the word "Shootout".

[centrehice]

I'm an Original 6 Man. So Division Rivalries mean nothing to me. I will always barrack on the side of a Fully Interlocking Playoff Format across both Conferences, this allows any 2 teams to meet in the final, the way it always should be.

[30ranfordfan]

What I do see happening sooner or later though....

Expansion (2 teams right away, another 4 a few years later) and then more playoff games:

Maybe add 2 more "wild card" teams, where a 1 game "play in" (like baseball has now) happens. The 9th place team now has a shot to win, and both the 8th and 9th place team would only win a Cup by getting 17 victories.

If they expanded the league to 36 - adding an extra round (wth byes) I would bet slowly makes it way on the table.

Thanks. That's makes some sense. Whenever I see stupid words like "Wild Card" I shudder. It's a similar feeling I get when I hear the word "Shootout".

[30ranfordfan]

I can appriciate that, but creating a 1-thorugh-16 brackett, I just don't think it's practical.

The division rivalries, they've come to mean nothing (IMO) becuase the 1-through-8 bracket made sure that teams met different teams each year.

The new format, I do think, has a chance to make those rivalries something big again (as they were in the 80s and early 90s) which is good for that league.

I'm an Original 6 Man. So Division Rivalries mean nothing to me. I will always barrack on the side of a Fully Interlocking Playoff Format across both Conferences, this allows any 2 teams to meet in the final, the way it always should be.

[centrehice]

Bettman has shown over his tenure, that Division Rivalries mean more than the Origins of the Game. He wouldn't have wanted Soccer-sized nets if he gave an Arse now would he?

He comes from a Gefilte Fish background, not a Sporting one.

[Wickabee]

Different teams each year?
Tell that to the Hawks and Canucks of 3 years in a row.