IIHF World Hockey Championships

JC, the NHL has no interest in putting its season on hold for 3 weeks; it's the main reason why sending NHL players to Sochi is no sure thing.

JR, I'm not suggesting that the NHL adjust its schedule to accommodate the IIHF; I'm suggesting they do it because it'd make for a better NHL, one where teams like the Bruins can't afford to have a 10-game winless streak and still compete for the Cup. They could tread water until well after the Olympic break, and merely had to put together a couple of good weeks in order to make the playoffs.

And how is it ridiculous to suggest that 8 of 30 teams should make the playoffs? Does Major League Baseball not do exactly the same thing? The NFL has 32 teams, 12 of whom make the playoffs. Are they insane, too?

By the way, there was a World Cup in 2004. Canada won. It was on TV.

 

Because the NHL has always included more than the usual number of teams in its postseason. In the Original Six days, four teams made the playoffs. Then it was eight of 12, and then 12 of 18, and then 12 of 17, and then 16 of 21. The amazing thing is that, once the league went beyond 21 teams, it still didn't allow more than 16 of them into the playoffs.

 

All professional sports seasons are too long. When teams like the Bruins and Flyers go through long losing streaks, yet advance further than the Capitals (who won the presidents trophy), something is seriously wrong. By the time the playoffs get here, half of me is like "Geez, just get it done with". I think between the NHL, WHC, World Juniors, NCAA and local junior and high school teams, I've watched something like 130 games since October.

Even too much chocolate can be a bad thing.

Getting back to an earlier post, I like the bigger ice surface the IIHF and European teams use. Watching a WHC game and then an NHL game in the same day, it almost looks like the NHL game is being played on a peewee rink. The most noticeable thing to me is the extra distance between the face-off circles and the boards.

 

The Olympic size rink is fifteen feet wider and gives players all sorts of places to hide. It does not make for better hockey.

 

In the States, you had to hunt very hard to find it. Easy to understand how nobody down here paid attention to it.

They've been held in '96, '04 and there's talk of having one in '11.

 

Exactly, and mark you are only watching these games with world class players. Can you imagine Florida Columbus on that ice surface, truly would be awful.

 

They are different sports, with different dynamics and history.

Hockey is fine the way it is.

 

The hockey playoffs are the best in any sport. Period.

The best round is the first round---Montreal's stunning victory over the Caps is proof enough.

And baseball has added teams to their playoffs and will likely add more within five years.

 

I agree. Just wish we didn't have to wade through six months or more of mediocrity to get there.