There are a few things wrong with the way the NHL structures its playoffs. They are too long, they lose the fans' interest as they progress, and not every team has an opportunity to face each other in the Finals.
A couple of minor adjustments could fix all of these problems very easily.
First, in terms of excitement, the NHL’s most exciting round of the playoffs is the first round. That's when most people watch. The run to the playoffs and the first round is a major highlight in the season, but after that the playoffs lose their flair substantially.
Many fans would love to get right to the finals after the first round without having to wait another month and a half to decide a champion.
The NHL playoffs are simply too long and need to be refined. Compared to the Super Bowl, there is basically no hype surrounding the Stanley Cup Finals.
That in large part has to do with the fact that the Super Bowl is a one-game, winner-take-all championship. Adopting such a technique in the NHL would bring more attention to the big game.
The format that would work best would be a 7-5-3-1 format, where the first round is a best of seven. The second round is a best of five. The third round is a best of three and the Stanley Cup Final is a one game showdown between the league’s elite.
This way, a team only needs to win 10 games to be declared champion instead of 16. It adds excitement as the playoffs progress since there is more emphasis put on each round to perform.
To be honest, by the time a team has won a seven-game playoff round and then another five-game round, there is no debate on whether they deserve to be in the final four. They have earned their spot. Plus, through the first two rounds, only one win is being eliminated, so not much change there.
By the time the third round comes along, the two teams on each side should only need three games to decide whose best and earn a ticket to the big show. Let’s face it, they have proved they belong; now it’s time to raise the stakes and perform immediately.
This format solves two problems. It shortens the playoffs and adds interest as the postseason progresses.As for the third problem of each team not being able to face each other in the finals due to conference restrictions, a simple tweak is all that is necessary to change that. A crossover in the third round.
Once the playoffs reach the point of getting down to the final four, the two top teams in each conference would switch over and play the two bottom remaining teams in the opposite conference. This way it gives any two teams the ability to face each other in the finals in any given year.
An added bonus that this format allows is the guarantee that the two conferences will have teams playing against each other in at least two playoff series and possibly a third, rather that just once every year in the finals.
It brings the league closer together and unites the two conferences further which are important to a league attempting to achieve parity.
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5 months ago
Go back to smoking your pot and leave nhl alone.
There is nothing wrong with the game and bc people like you NHL made some changes hardcore fans do not like(wearing dark uniforms at home for example). And do not listen to ESPN that America do not care about NHL. We very much do. ESPN is full of sh..d bc they did not whant to pay for tv rights and they tried to kill the sport. Did not happend. Long live NHL!!!!!!
from 5 months ago
Sorry to have upset you vm. I understand completely where you are coming from. I myself am a die hard fan who loves the grind of four best of seven series that brings out the real warriors in these players. I love the tradition and everything else that goes along with winning hockey's holy grail. I get it. I really do and it has nothing to do with American TV. I could have written an entire peice sharing that exact point of view.
Having said that, let's move into the present day sports world and realize that things can change for the better. Even the die hards will often tell say that mid June is a rediculus time to hand out the hardware. The excitement of playoff time has significantly dwindled even to this point. I still watch every game and will until the end, but it simply doesn't have the same buzz as it did in late March. That's a fact. The game has been evlolving for years. Sometimes good, sometimes not so good (like ending a game in a shootout) and it should continue to do so. We'd still be using a wooden puck if history was all that mattered.
By the way, the dark jersey idea at home is a good one. Teams should show their colours at home and leave the boring white ones for the road games.
5 months ago
The NHL playoffs are the greatest test of skill, endurance, perseverance and heart in pro sports in order to win the oldest and most prestigious trophy in pro sports.
They are fine as is.
If people can't appreciate the effort involved in winning a Cup I really have no desire to change things to interest them.
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