World Hockey Championships

[Khako]

heh, Canada is doing well even without their star players around.

[Troll King]

onto another hockey subject - what do you think of the people in the nhl thinking of shortening the season to 73 (4?) games next year. and the stupidest part about that is east and west would only meet in the playoff finals.

I think it's a pretty good idea. The season is far too long as it is, and longer seasons means more injuries (and less time between games to heal.) The intraleague play idea is another good one. I know people in Edmonton and Calgary like the profit that comes when Toronto or Montreal come to town, the rest of the time you have teams play each other just once a year, and the games lack any real intensity or rivalry. Setting intraleague only play would mean more matchups between rivals and every game would be a proverbial "four-point game" (six, if the league follows on plans to make wins worth 3). Another benefit is that it reduces travel expenses and you won't have to worry about teams making long cross-continent road trips any more.


And to answer Sleepy Weasel's suggestion to make games a best of 5, that will never work. Each playoff game is worth over a million dollars to the home team. More games means more profits. Not only are ticket prices and attendance higher in the playoffs than in the regular seasons, but players and coaches are paid per their contracts, but don't get any extra pay for playing more playoff games (not counting bonuses). If you only have a best of 5 series, one team could win the first two in one arena and then sweep the series in the third game with just one game played in the second city. With a best of 7, both teams are guaranteed at least two home games, translating to nearly $3M in profits.

Apart from the financial reasons for having a seven game series, the length of a series has an affect on the intensity of the games. Playoffs build a lot of hate between teams which translates into more harder fought games. Reducing it to five would completely change the way momentum gets built in the NHL playoffs, and it's that intensity and flow of momentum that makes these games so great. Also, with a guaranteed two games in each city, the fans can also add to that intensity.

[Khako]

Changing and messing around with all these rules will basically kill all records and make scoring champions never reach Gretsky's 100+ seasons. Unless of course they decide to modify recs or compare the current players games of 72 versus the first 72 of the star players from back then. But of course, there was also the past when they created more than one hockey game a week.


Then again, if they disallow interconference play, you're basically gonna create a Hockey version of AL and NL from baseball with new stupid rules like goalie pads and goalies not allowed to handle puck in both leagues.

GG Bettman, you and NHLPA have killed hockey.

[Troll King]

MLB is not a good comparison. The fact is, the American League and the National league were two competing leagues that became unified to form MLB. They competed not just for fans but for players too. They were essentially two separate entities that merged. That's why each league has their own rulebook. Technically, the best team of each league was recognized as their respective league's champion and the World Series was like a "clash of the titans" kind of event. If the National League champ won it, for example, the American league teams only recognized their representative as their champions. Things have changed since then, mostly for economic reasons, but that's how it started out.

The only comparison you can make with the NHL is when the NHL absorbed a couple of teams from the WHA when that league folded. The situation in baseball is like two adults getting married, and together they compromise on a set of household rules and duties. In the NHL's case, it was more like adopting some children, and they follow the existing family rules.

As for the continuity of league records, there have been many other rule changes that affected records, so they shouldn't ignore ways to improve the product just because of continuity. For example, the number of people allowed to play on a team in a single game changed several times in the 50s. If you want to look at it that way, increasing the number of players from 15 to 16 and then to 18 (plus goalies) reduced the amount of ice time the better players got, so they didn't get as much chance to set records.

If you want another baseball example, Babe Ruth's best home run season was 60 in 1927 when they only played a 154 game season. Until Bonds, McGwire and company in the last decade, the record was broken by Roger Maris who had 61 in a 162 game season.

Imagine if TW changed the number of people in a TWL-D match from 5 to 4 because it created more competition and sped up matches. If everyone liked that idea, should they dump it because people complain they won't get as many kills?

[Khako]

If you want another baseball example, Babe Ruth's best home run season was 60 in 1927 when they only played a 154 game season. Until Bonds, McGwire and company in the last decade, the record was broken by Roger Maris who had 61 in a 162 game season.

Awesome example, and not to forget Bonds and company were probably using steroids. :up:

A good question is why did they insert rules like shorter goalie pads, not allowing goalie to handle puck, and 3 point wins and still not have a no-touch icing? The NHLPA and the players all identify no-touch icing as highly important and it is definitely implemented in the International games. If their reason is for more goals, then it's not that the pads and icing are the issue, it could be the hunger in the goalies to perform well for their team (although they would clearly want to perform well for their country, the point maybe more teamwork as a result of being with the team longer)

In International hockey, you'll fine games averaging around 7+ goals by a single team whereas in the NHL, games come around 5-7 total by both teams.

[Troll King]

The no-icing issue has nothing to do with scoring, but more to do with injury prevention and the effect on the flow of the game. As important an issue that is, the league thinks that low scoring is a bigger issue.

International hockey is higher scoring, but that's only because of the difference in talent between teams, and the fact that the more talented teams are basically all-star teams. In the world juniors tournament, team Canada played against some teams that can barely afford their equipment. When you have teams that aren't so far apart in talent playing each other, the goals per game is much lower. If you want a better comparison, the NHL averages 5.14 goals per game while the Swedish Elite league averaged 5.37 this season, and they are probably the most competitive league outside the NHL.

[Jeansi]

pole-bounces, lol is that what you people in europe call it?

No, I have no fuckin idea cus I don't speak english

kolmen tolpan kautta in finnish
or via tre stolpar in swedish.
satisfied?

woo finland just beat russia 4-0
can't wait 'til later on tonight when slovakia can go kick some swedish butt.

and TK, I would have to say that the russian league and the swiss league both stand higher than the swedish and finnish, after NHL of course.

[Exotic]

if you asked me, u think MLB should be cut down by 15+ games. 162 game a year is way too long

[Jeansi]

if you asked me, u think MLB should be cut down by 15+ games. 162 game a year is way too long

What's mlb?

[Cylor]

Major League Baseball.

[CrvenBan]

There was an event held called something like World Cup, when it was held after NHL finished so all stars for all teams played. Not sure if they still play it, I think it was every other year



EDIT:
TORONTO -- Eight of the top hockey nations in the world will compete in the second World Cup of Hockey tournament Aug. 30 through Sept. 14, 2004, the National Hockey League (NHL) and the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA) announced today. Defending champion of the inaugural 1996 World Cup and 2002 Olympic silver medalist United States will be joined by 2002 Olympic gold medal-winner Canada, Russia and defending World Champion Slovakia in the North American pool. The Czech Republic, winners of the 1998 Olympic gold medal, Finland, Germany and Sweden will compete in the European pool.


The story continues at http://www.wch2004.com/

[ZeUs!!]

Have we got a team in that too?

[Troll King]

There's a difference between the World Cup and other international tournaments. The World Cup is run by the NHLPA and used to be known as the Canada Cup. That means that it will have be played by mainly NHL players too.


This year's World Cup is particularly significant because the scheduled final game is to be held the day before the NHL's collective bargaining agreement. If the league and the players association don't agree on a new CBA by then, it could be the last NHL style action for a while.