The utter meaninglessness of the regular season...frustrating?

[Nineteen67]

I wish they went back to the 1 v 16 format or 1 v 8 if the want east and west. Florida would not have made it , Boston would have played Calgary, and the Leafs would have hosted…..Tampa.

 

[kevsh]

I’ve been saying for years, that if no major format change is going to take place, the regular season should be shortened

Problem is there is zero appetite for that by owners because less games = less revenue. Less games also makes it harder for teams/players to break records, and breaking records generates fan interest.

The upside to a shortened season is less injuries, both due to less games but a longer off-season and as OP pointed out, less apathy/boredom/playoffs spilling into summer when no one wants to watch hockey. But profits win out.

In fact, I would be shocked if the NHL doesn't go the opposite route and add a couple of games to the season within the next 10 years, using something about "balancing the schedule" as an excuse.

 

[Tak7]

Generally speaking, the regular season is a period where good teams can develop successful playoff habits and processes.

It's the main reason why so many people here got so fed up when this team did their usual bad things throughout the season ("they'll learn their lessons in the playoffs"), and why those same people just refused to get excited about basically any accomplishment this team achieved throughout the season ("playoffs are the only things that matter").

What this post-season should show everyone however, is that the playoffs are a completely different beast compared to the regular season. The regular season is far too long, and far too boring, for it to mean literally anything - both individually, and as a team collective

 

[Tak7]

I wish they went back to the 1 v 16 format or 1 v 8 if the want east and west. Florida would not have made it , Boston would have played Calgary, and the Leafs would have hosted…..Tampa.

1v8, Leafs face Rangers, not Tampa.

They'd have faced Devils in round 2 on the road.

 

[Bravid Nonahan]

All of this is an entertainment product and therefore only has the meaning that we assign to it. The regular season is only "meaningless" on fan forums where Championships have become the ultimate way to gatekeep and talk trash to each other. The "Cups are the only thing that matters" narrative is pervasive, but it is only as powerful as you let it be. Playoffs matter "more" because we are passionate and want to see winning when the stakes are highest, but we lose when we decide that we don't care about the regular season success. Let me be very clear here, the only one who decides they don't care about the regular season is the person writing the post, no one else can decide that for you.

I do agree that the league needs a format change and to do something to celebrate regular season success, but meaning is still what we assign it.

Great post. Thanks.

 

[Nineteen67]

1v8, Leafs face Rangers, not Tampa.

They'd have faced Devils in round 2 on the road.

yes.

But 1 v16 they would have played Tampa. Granted, 1 v 8 is more realistic and, IMO, it would generate more interest and create rivalries.

 

[Aashir]

This was the year where the regular season was beyond meaningless

We went into last year with the same mentality, but then Matthews made 60 seem possible and him and marner challenged for top 5 players. All of that to lose in 7 games

This season literally didn’t matter, however I did enjoy the first 65 games as nylander was producing well over expectations. He had 79 in 65. Watching that made this season much more fun than it should’ve been for me. Marners streak was kinda cool, but I felt he was inferior to his last year play. Matthews was mediocre and Tavares still looked done on EV. Rielly was not great and we had no rookies to root for until knies with like a few games.

Also a couple of games after the trade deadline were interesting because the team started fighting and hitting a ton more.

This season was probably a 5/10 in terms of enjoyment.

Idk I might try to enjoy next regular season more. Either we have a bit of a different team with some major pieces gone and I’ll look towards their impact, or I’ll accept the idea of this core just not winning and will try to enjoy them for their regular seasons.

 

[Tak7]

yes.

But 1 v16 they would have played Tampa. Granted, 1 v 8 is more realistic and, IMO, it would generate more interest and create rivalries.

Did the NHL ever use 1 vs 16? I can't remember them ever using it.

I started watching hockey / the Leafs around 1991 or 1992 - since that time all I remember was 1 vs 8 inter-conference matchups, before they moved to the divisional format. 1 vs 16 seems like it would be a bitch for travel.

 

[Nineteen67]

Did the NHL ever use 1 vs 16? I can't remember them ever using it.

I started watching hockey / the Leafs around 1991 or 1992 - since that time all I remember was 1 vs 8 inter-conference matchups, before they moved to the divisional format. 1 vs 16 seems like it would be a bitch for travel.

after the first expansion there were 1st round byes and I think best of 3 and best of 5, but I don’t remember if they ever had 1 v 16.

 

[Tak7]

after the first expansion there were 1st round byes and I think best of 3 and best of 5, but I don’t remember if they ever had 1 v 16.

I see. That must have been way before the 90s, as I don't recall that sort of format growing up.

I'd be shocked if the NHL ever used 1 v 16, for the travel reason. That would seem like something that teams and owners would immediately push back on. Imagine you're an east coast team like Boston having to play LA, or Florida having to play Seattle in round 1? That would be insane doing that trip potentially 5 or 6 times in two weeks

 

[HamiltonNHL]

At the end of the day, the best team over the course of the season receives the prize, In a playoffs system, the season gets thrown into the trash and you start again.

What ? you don't value the President's trophy ?

Presidents' Trophy - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org