How to start a season...

[1865]

Is it just me that feels like the NHL kinda limps out of the gate?

This season we've had a few games abroad, some teams starting one night and then the others 2-3-4 nights later. The Flyers are spending the first week of the league out West with games starting at 10pm back home. It's such a wet fart of an open, wouldn't it be good for the league to open with a bang?

I understand the importance of the international games, so they fit in where they must but how i'd do it is to have a proper kick off weekend. 32 games over the weekend, every team plays Saturday and Sunday as part of a home and home with a rival. Philly play Pittsburgh, Toronto versus Montreal, Rangers Islanders, Tampa Florida, Kings Ducks etc... If rivals aren't available or possible then cup rematches, superstar head-to-heads, star rookie matchups. Just to see something with meaning, something of interest everywhere. You'd also do your best to stagger the face-offs, take the Hockey Day in Canada approach so there's a game starting every 30-60 minutes throughout the day. Make it so that there's always a game on and there's pretty much always one in-period for two solid days.

This'd be a big event with big games to make a statement - hockey's back with a bang and this is only the first weekend - get on board!

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[Coffees]

Is it just me that feels like the NHL kinda limps out of the gate?

This season we've had a few games abroad, some teams starting one night and then the others 2-3-4 nights later. The Flyers are spending the first week of the league out West with games starting at 10pm back home. It's such a wet fart of an open, wouldn't it be good for the league to open with a bang?

I understand the importance of the international games, so they fit in where they must but how i'd do it is to have a proper kick off weekend. 32 games over the weekend, every team plays Saturday and Sunday as part of a home and home with a rival. Philly play Pittsburgh, Toronto versus Montreal, Rangers Islanders, Tampa Florida, Kings Ducks etc... If rivals aren't available or possible then cup rematches, superstar head-to-heads, star rookie matchups. Just to see something with meaning, something of interest everywhere. You'd also do your best to stagger the face-offs, take the Hockey Day in Canada approach so there's a game starting every 30-60 minutes throughout the day. Make it so that there's always a game on and there's pretty much always one in-period for two solid days.

This'd be a big event with big games to make a statement - hockey's back with a bang and this is only the first weekend - get on board!

Very cool idea and I’m game with this except I would have it on Thanksgiving weekend.
That would be like Christmas in November for us hockey fans.

regardless if you would agree with me or not, awesome idea, man. This is something I think the NHL should do either way

 

[egelband]

Is it just me that feels like the NHL kinda limps out of the gate?

This season we've had a few games abroad, some teams starting one night and then the others 2-3-4 nights later. The Flyers are spending the first week of the league out West with games starting at 10pm back home. It's such a wet fart of an open, wouldn't it be good for the league to open with a bang?

I understand the importance of the international games, so they fit in where they must but how i'd do it is to have a proper kick off weekend. 32 games over the weekend, every team plays Saturday and Sunday as part of a home and home with a rival. Philly play Pittsburgh, Toronto versus Montreal, Rangers Islanders, Tampa Florida, Kings Ducks etc... If rivals aren't available or possible then cup rematches, superstar head-to-heads, star rookie matchups. Just to see something with meaning, something of interest everywhere. You'd also do your best to stagger the face-offs, take the Hockey Day in Canada approach so there's a game starting every 30-60 minutes throughout the day. Make it so that there's always a game on and there's pretty much always one in-period for two solid days.

This'd be a big event with big games to make a statement - hockey's back with a bang and this is only the first weekend - get on board!

Totally agree. But not surprising. The scheduling has been awful for a while now. They should be packing games in before the nba season starts, for one. Get some excitement happening. Then slow down and ramp up again before the holidays.

 

[BB79]

32 games over the weekend, every team plays Saturday and Sunday as part of a home and home with a rival

Ri...val? The NHL doesn't believe we should have those. You're only allowed 4 conjugal visits with your historic rivals now where you used to get 8. Gotta fit in more entertaining Ducks-Islanders and Utah Coyotes vs Canadiens games Thanks, Bettman/BoG

 

[Khelandros]

It's almost like the league has to take into account other things happening at arenas when they make their schedule.

 

[ViD]

They already kinda do it - Montreal always plays Toronto, Edmonton always plays some team for the west coast

 

[TheDoldrums]

It's almost like the league has to take into account other things happening at arenas when they make their schedule. View attachment 916915

Okay but they could put Stevie Wonder somewhere else, how could he even tell?

 

[DVision44]

Is it just me that feels like the NHL kinda limps out of the gate?

This season we've had a few games abroad, some teams starting one night and then the others 2-3-4 nights later. The Flyers are spending the first week of the league out West with games starting at 10pm back home. It's such a wet fart of an open, wouldn't it be good for the league to open with a bang?

I understand the importance of the international games, so they fit in where they must but how i'd do it is to have a proper kick off weekend. 32 games over the weekend, every team plays Saturday and Sunday as part of a home and home with a rival. Philly play Pittsburgh, Toronto versus Montreal, Rangers Islanders, Tampa Florida, Kings Ducks etc... If rivals aren't available or possible then cup rematches, superstar head-to-heads, star rookie matchups. Just to see something with meaning, something of interest everywhere. You'd also do your best to stagger the face-offs, take the Hockey Day in Canada approach so there's a game starting every 30-60 minutes throughout the day. Make it so that there's always a game on and there's pretty much always one in-period for two solid days.

This'd be a big event with big games to make a statement - hockey's back with a bang and this is only the first weekend - get on board!

Cool idea ... but if The Rangers are playing the Isles and Philly gets the Pens then who do the Devils play?

 

[Drake1588]

The schedule is atrocious in general. Stop giving a network exclusivity for an entire day of the week, allowing them to dictate scheduling just two games on that day (Eastern and Pacific 7pm starts). Stop having certain days of the week with 0-2 games and the next day with 13-14 games. There's too much feast or famine. For some reason, the league has weeks with zero games on Fridays. That's insane.

As for the start, there are teams with 4-5 GP and others that have played one (not only due to Helene/Milton). Knock that off too.

My own club, the Capitals, is notorious for not wanting to play October and November games as much as possible (to avoid NFL/NCAA FB). The teams are pushing some of the disparity. The league should push back a bit more. It leads to teams having a jammed schedule later in the year and lots of B2Bs. Save the business offices of the clubs from themselves.

Some of this stems from a league whose members have very different views of when they want to play. The Canadian teams want to start earlier, and end in late May or early/mid-June. The US has a lot of teams that want to stagger more against the NFL season, start as late as possible, and get more attention in the fall/winter when their season is humming along. They don't mind playing in July.

 

[Rodgerwilco]

It's almost like the league has to take into account other things happening at arenas when they make their schedule. View attachment 916915

Good point that you bring up, and as an aside.... Billie Eilish with Nat & Alex Wolff feels like a really weird combo.

 

[Leafs4Life77]

It's almost like the league has to take into account other things happening at arenas when they make their schedule. View attachment 916915

Not sure what your point is here. The first 7 nights of the season (in North America), there are 4 nights the Flyers could be playing at home.

Zero reason to have the first 4 games all at 10:00pm local against the West. It's a brutal start for the fans and especially the young ones.

 

[Ossific]

Jets are on a break until the 18th after their last game on the 13th. Really killing the vibe of being excited for a new season.

 

[1865]

It's almost like the league has to take into account other things happening at arenas when they make their schedule. View attachment 916915

Using your example there, it looks like they could play away on the 5th and home on the 6th. for example. It won't work everywhere perfectly, but you can definitely arrange a weekend where all 32 clubs play twice. The arenas aren't THAT busy.... plus we know when this weekend is going to be 2-3-4 and 5 years in advance. You can book up the dates way before Eilish does.

Cool idea ... but if The Rangers are playing the Isles and Philly gets the Pens then who do the Devils play?

Tougher one that, but a divisional rival such as Washington potentially. It's not perfect for every team of course, but it'll never be exactly right everywhere.

 

[Dirty Dog]

I agree. I don’t think we need to do rival games or whatever, just have everyone starting the season over the same 1-2 days and let’s go. So many teams have 4 or 5 day breaks after their first few games, which is a bore

 

[1865]

Jets are on a break until the 18th after their last game on the 13th. Really killing the vibe of being excited for a new season.

Precisely my point. It's almost as if they're trying to kill any enthusiasm before it even gets started. They're hoping the NHL brand alone will sell tickets, and it won't always do that.