2009-10 NHL Thread

There may not be a team in the league more hurt by the unbalanced schedule than the Thrashers. A city full of transplants, many of them Northerners, who would happily turn up to support their own team -- and probably wander back a few more times -- but seemingly all the schedule offers them is a parade of games against the Caps, Canes and Lightning.

I don't pay super-close attention to the NHL or the Thrashers, but it feels like every time I look at the AJC's site, the Thrashers' last or next game is against the Lightning.

 

The Penguins' *interesting* schedule:

Jan. 31: Game
Feb. 1: Game
Feb. 2: Off
Feb. 3: Off
Feb. 4: Off
Feb. 5: Off
Feb. 6: Game
Feb. 7: Game

/And, yes, I'm sure every other team ... especially Edmonton ... has a similar stretch at some point.

 

That's very well done.

 

No one has ever confused the NHL schedule makers with people of common sense. The Vancouver Canucks pre and post Winter Olympic road trips are evidence of this. Nine game road trip before, six game road trip after. They go more than a month with out a home game.

 

Something to exercise the mind...

http://www.sporcle.com/games/Sea_Bass/First_NHL_Coaches

 

Got nine of the 18 and think I caught a mistake. Lynn Patrick was the first coach of the Blues but he only lasted a month or so before putting Bowman in charge.

 

You're right. That said, I forgot about Patrick and "correctly" guessed Bowman, lol.

 

Thanks - I'll change that.

 

Isn't the Canucks road trip issue... because of the Olympics? I thought there were set-up/take-down issues that forced them to be away from the arena for a while.

 

You are correct. The NHL isn't totally at fault on that one.

 

The big headscratcher for me is the post game trip. I could understand a few days after, but in reality the bulding is serving the same purpose at the games that it is regularly, there are no major conversions taking place, the biggest thing would be swapping the ice so they can get the proper NHL markings and advertisements back down and I imagine there would be some decorations that need to be changed. That doesn't take 10 days or however long thier six game trip takes after the games. I'm sure the building has hosted other big events during the hockey season -- most NHL rinks do -- and that kind of timeline is not needed. Its rediculous overkill. Can anyone remember what the Flames schedule resembled during the 88 games? I'm going out on a limb here in thinking they weren't put out on what amounts to a 15-game road trip.

 

The Vancouver thing might be the most asinine thing I've ever seen. They can't possibly need that much time to get a hockey arena ready for ... hockey.

I think they can put an NHL rink in Fenway Park faster than they can get the Canucks' sheet ready for the Olympics.