31 Mar '04 - + 104 - 61 The Verdict is In
The new regular-season schedule format is a resounding success.
Last offseason, the NHL decided to make some changes to the schedule.
The number of games between division opponents was increased to six,
making for a total of almost 30% of the regular season games. In
addition, the league did their best to push divisional matchups to
later in the season.
As a result, the past two weeks have had an astounding number of games
with playoff implications. As divisional championships come down to the
wire (ignore the Southeast for me, if you will), most of the teams
contending are forced to play each other in the waning weeks of the
season. These pivotal games make for riveting hockey even for fans of
other teams.
And make no mistake, that's crucial. For too long, hockey fans have
been interested in only their own team. There were Oilers fans and
Wings fans - recently even Ducks fans - but very rarely could you find
a person with a real interest in other games. That is one of the things
the NHL aims to change, and it needs to if the sport is going to gain
in popularity.
It's great to see the league office nailing one every once in a while.
They take a lot of criticism, and from all corners - Conn Smythe
himself once said, "Hockey must be a great sport in order to survive
the fools who run it." So while I reserve the right to point out the
glaring foibles of NHL management in days, weeks, and years to come,
today I applaud. Good job, guys. You got one right.