Shallow Frozen Water

editorializing on the schedule change

no fantasy stat Thursday for you this week because i want to discuss the schedule change that the honchos have put in effect for the NHL next season.  basically it’s a return to how the sched used to be set up in the first place.  the new setup will center around the idea that every team in the league will play every other team at least twice in a season.  you wouldn’t believe the general thrill at this prospect out here in Western Canada.  now every Oiler and Flames fan is GUARANTEED of seeing Sid and AO at least once in their hometown every year.

the hype generating mill is on fire out here at the moment as Sid and the boys roam through town.  the Pens played in Edmonton last night for the first time in Sid’s career and they play in Calgary tonight.  i personally had to stop everything i was doing to watch a nothing game in Edmonton just because i’d never seen Sid in the “City of Champions” trying to live in former legends light last night (oh my, that’s almost alliterative).

i remember as a youth in the early 80’s or so i’d only be able to get to go to one NHL game a year.  our church would set it up and there was a preponderance of Alberta folks who would attend and many Canadiens fans who would want to test their metal against a firewagon Oiler squad as it roamed into Montreal.  it was an interesting experience to go to Montreal and cheer for the visiting team (i was and am a Leaf fan so there was NO way i could cheer for the Habs).  i’m proud to say that i loved the experience of seeing Gretzky and the boys battle it out in Montreal every year.   those are memories that i’ll keep forever, i got to see the Great one play live.  how many youths today would love to see the “next one” play live?  i’m not a youth but i know I’d love to see that.  i’m certainly not alone in my excitement for games like this.

i was listening to sports radio in Toronto (on the net) earlier this week and the mouthpiece was going on about how he didn’t care about getting to see the Predators come to town and he argued that the average hockey fan couldn’t tell you who Martin Erat was let alone point him out in a lineup of 4 guys.  he may be right but is that a reason not to educate hockey fans?  i get a bit tired of Toronto guys who haven’t had the experience of “missing” hockey like most of this nation experiences.  i personally only get to see my Leafs play on Saturdays and on the occasional Wednesday night so when the Preds or the Avs or the Stars come to town all i care about is that i get to see my team try to measure up.  i mean how often does a Toronto guy really get to see Joe Sakic play?  or Joe Thornton?  or Roberto Luongo for that matter?  the Eastern Conference gets to see Sid and AO, the two marquee franchise guys in the league right now, a LOT more often than the West does and this change to the schedule allows the opposite conference to see everybody at least once a season.  if the old sched had stayed in place then the Canucks would only get to see Sid every 3 years. 

let’s consider something else.  the Eastern conference is the weaker conference overall right now and John Tavares is 2 years away from his draft date.  odds are that Tavares is going to end up in the East and that’s another marquee name that won’t be seen by half the franchises in the league on a regular basis.  what can be said for the hockey kid growing up in a hockey town right now?  what would i be like now as a hockey fan if i hadn’t gone to my first NHL game to see Gretz and the boys firewagon their way to a dynasty?  i’m just suggesting we give that kid the same sort of shot that i got, in the very least.

now how is this fantasy hockey related?  an unbalanced schedule where a team only plays one division a season makes competition for playoff spots harder.  let’s look at last year as an example.  what if your team had to play the Northwest division last season while your conference rival gets to line up against the Central division?  you had to try and get points in Vancouver, Colorado and Calgary while a conference rival gets more of a cakewalk schedule through St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus.  remember how good the Northwest was and how “village idiot”-like those Central teams were last year?  at least with the new schedule every team has the same shot at the same competition as they play everyone in the other conference.

Calgary and Edmonton are giddy with the excitement that is Sidney right now.  just like a certain young kid who went to the old Montreal Forum to cheer for the greatest hockey player he’s EVER seen play live.  we need to provide every fan that opportunity.