AN ALL STAR PROPOSAL TO THE NHL
With the NHL All-Star game upon us I thought it would be a good time to propose some league changes to give the league a boost in the States.
First up, let's revamp the divisions and place them based more on geography. Suggest putting all the Canadian teams together to not only reduce travel, but more importantly reducing the number of times Canadian based teams play their American counterparts.
Canadian teams are a bad draw both at the gate and on U.S. television, so reducing their number benefits the league on both fronts.
EASTERN CONFERENCE
NORTHEAST METRO EAST SOUTH
TORONTO NY RANGERS BOSTON TAMPA BAY
MONTREAL NY ISLANDERS PITTSBURGH FLORIDA
OTTAWA NEW JERSEY WASHINGTON CAROLINA
BUFFALO PHILADELPHIA COLUMBUS NASHVILLE
WESTERN CONFERENCE
NORTH MIDWEST WEST CENTRAL
WINNIPEG CHICAGO LOS ANGELES LAS VEGAS
CALGARY DETROIT ANAHEIM COLORADO
EDMONTON MINNESOTA SAN JOSE ARIZONA
VANCOUVER ST LOUIS SEATTLE DALLAS
Next they should reduce the number of regular season games back to 80. Here is the breakdown:
12 INTER DIVISION
36 INTER CONFERENCE
32 OUT OF CONFERENCE
The two games lost can be replaced by an in season 3 on 3 tourney to be played during the All-Star season break. Can use the following format:
9 PLAYERS AND A GOALIE
SINGLE ELIMINATION BRACKET TOURNAMENT FORMAT
GAMES ARE 1 GOAL SUDDEN DEATH PLAYED OVER 2 DAYS
Now for the standings and playoffs I recommend the following changes:
DIVISION WINNERS GET TOP 4 HOME ICE SPOTS
ADD THE NEXT 4 BEST WILD CARDS TO COMPLETE SEEDING
CONTINUE REGULAR SEEDING STRUCTURE THROUGHOUT PLAYOFFS
3 0N 3 10 MINUTE SUDDEN DEATH OT IS NOW USED TO DETERMINE WINNERS.
THIS WILL ALLOW FOR WINNING PERCENTAGE AND GAMES BACK TO BE USED FOR STANDINGS SAME AS THE NFL
There you go NHL, some welcome changes to take the game’s profile in the U.S. to the next level. Now go enjoy All-Star Weekend. Make these changes NHL and many more Americans will watch.
BY: GREGORY CAWSEY