Parity Has Finally Taken Hold of the NHL

Taken a look at the standings lately? Its a whole different world out there.

Yes, the salary cap which was implemented just a few years ago has accomplished what it set out to do—create league-wide parity.

There are 30 teams in the NHL, and as of today, all but five of them still have a legitimate shot at the playoffs.

Gone are the days of tremendous point differential with dominating superteams and god-awful basement dwellers. Well sort of, the superteams are still there, but the basement dwellers have caught up to their murky in the middle counterparts.

Now fans of just about every team can keep watching, keep hoping that their team gets in, and they know that its not over for their teams until the final waining weeks of the season.

Attendance and viewership should remain high for just about every team in the league and league-wide interest could hit a ten-year high.

Taking a look at the Western Conference standings today, only 11 points separate the No. 3 seed (Calgary) from the No. 9 (Vancouver). Only 10 points separates the No. 5 seed (Dallas) from the last place team in the conference (Colorado). Every team is still alive in the Western Conference, weeks after the all-star break. This is unheard of.

The Eastern Conference is a bit less chaotic. The No. 4 seed (Philadelphia) is separated from the No.10 seed (Pittsburgh) by ten points, but after that it drops off. Toronto, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, and the New York Islanders are all at least 12 points out of a playoff spot.

As of today, there are only three teams that can say they have a playoff spot all but locked up—Boston, San Jose, and Detroit. 

The league is strong when more than halfway through the season, only five teams appear out of the running, and only three teams are all but in. That means for 22 teams and their fans, the stakes are still high, and the dream is alive.

Is this a good thing for the league? Well from the casual fan perspective, yes it certainly is. However there are some who might long for the days of the superteam. If you want a good example of how the salary cap has dispersed talent more evenly throughout the league, look at Colorado who has all but hit the bottom after years of hanging with the likes of Detroit and Dallas.

The superteam days pretty much meant that about one third of the league had most of the talent, and the other twenty teams had fringe talent. The top ten teams in the league were thoroughly enjoyed by their fans and were obviously the most fun to watch. It also created the underdog. With superteams, you can have Detroit fall to Edmonton in the first round and call it a tremendous upset.

Without superteams, how big of a deal is it really if Washington loses to the New York Rangers in the first round? Only nine points separate the teams.

So yes, the salary cap has given us a very evenly matched league where nearly every team still has a shot late in the season, but at the sacrifice of some of the things that truly make sports great.

Will the playoffs hold the same magic this year as they once did? Perhaps. There are still giants to be slayed, just fewer of them.