Sorry Uncle Lou, but the new schedule so far is making the NHL a lot more interesting than it was before. Now that we've stopped playing each team in our division eight times, and are playing each team in the other conference at least once (and three teams from the other conference twice), the impact is already being felt.
There was discontent brewing the last few years, with playing 4 of the other 29 teams in the league in 32 of your 84 games. Fans and even players were grumbling about playing the same teams over and over again.
A perfect example was the Ranger/Devil rivalry...while not quite Rangers/Jerk-landers, still a very good rivalry. While the Garden sells out every game the Devils typically only sell out Ranger games, as Ranger fans help fill the arena. But not last year, even with the Devils in a brand new arena. There were lots of empty seats at the corporate arena in Newark.
That could be because, like other division rivalries, there were occasions where the teams would play each other three times in a two week span, then again in a couple of weeks. What the league thought would generate animosity instead generated apathy.
Rivalries are very rarely born and nurtured in the regular season. Despite how often the Thrashers played the Capitals the last few years, it doesn't quite register up there with the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry, or even the Red Wings/Avalanche. Except for instances where teams are geographically very close, it's playoff series that get the blood boiling for years to come, and the playoffs will keep the same conference format.
How refreshing to have the Wild playing the Panthers and the Flyers visiting the Avs tonight! This week we've also seen Wild/Thrashers, Canucks/Caps, Red Wings/Canes, Blues/Leafs, and a bunch of games over the weekend too. Looking forward to the Rangers visiting Hockeytown Saturday night (even though we'll probably get our butt kicked), and Sean Avery returing to the Garden with the Stars next week.
Last year inter-conference games were jammed into a couple of ten-day periods. This year we get to see them all year long.
Sandra
There was discontent brewing the last few years, with playing 4 of the other 29 teams in the league in 32 of your 84 games. Fans and even players were grumbling about playing the same teams over and over again.
A perfect example was the Ranger/Devil rivalry...while not quite Rangers/Jerk-landers, still a very good rivalry. While the Garden sells out every game the Devils typically only sell out Ranger games, as Ranger fans help fill the arena. But not last year, even with the Devils in a brand new arena. There were lots of empty seats at the corporate arena in Newark.
That could be because, like other division rivalries, there were occasions where the teams would play each other three times in a two week span, then again in a couple of weeks. What the league thought would generate animosity instead generated apathy.
Rivalries are very rarely born and nurtured in the regular season. Despite how often the Thrashers played the Capitals the last few years, it doesn't quite register up there with the Yankee/Red Sox rivalry, or even the Red Wings/Avalanche. Except for instances where teams are geographically very close, it's playoff series that get the blood boiling for years to come, and the playoffs will keep the same conference format.
How refreshing to have the Wild playing the Panthers and the Flyers visiting the Avs tonight! This week we've also seen Wild/Thrashers, Canucks/Caps, Red Wings/Canes, Blues/Leafs, and a bunch of games over the weekend too. Looking forward to the Rangers visiting Hockeytown Saturday night (even though we'll probably get our butt kicked), and Sean Avery returing to the Garden with the Stars next week.
Last year inter-conference games were jammed into a couple of ten-day periods. This year we get to see them all year long.
Sandra
