Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

80 games was a lot. Best of five first playoff round. Division winners weren't automatically seeded 1-3. Although it was ridiculous that 16 of the 21 or whatever it was then made the playoffs. But 1 played 16 etc. They changed that to the division playoffs, then the conference championship... And...there weren't so many teams. There are simply too many teams. Columbus, Ohio? Really? Did they really need a team? Nashville? Anaheim?

...and NHL hockey is no cheap seat... $60 (average) per games plus the playoffs

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

Take a look at the standings, there are really competitive races in progress one month before season ends. Positioning determines who you play in the post season. To call the entire season an exhibition is a reach. Maybe in Baseball but not in Hockey.

BTW, Baseball has just announced the addition of one wild card team in each league starting this season.

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The Sicilian

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

Take a look at the standings, there are really competitive races in progress one month before season ends. Positioning determines who you play in the post season. To call the entire season an exhibition is a reach. Maybe in Baseball but not in Hockey.

BTW, Baseball has just announced the addition of one wild card team in each league starting this season.

Funny thing - Florida Panthers are tied with Winnipeg in the SouthEast Division. Winnipeg? yep - they are the ex Atlanta Thrashers. 2000 miles apart Panthers & Jets fighting for the lead.

Ron Wilson of the coach of Toronto was fired today. Go figure.

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More Hot Rocks
Ron Wilson of the coach of Toronto was fired today. Go figure.

Just as the Sabres passed them in the standings. Who did they replace him with?

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The Sicilian

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

Take a look at the standings, there are really competitive races in progress one month before season ends. Positioning determines who you play in the post season. To call the entire season an exhibition is a reach. Maybe in Baseball but not in Hockey.

BTW, Baseball has just announced the addition of one wild card team in each league starting this season.

Concerning the addition of another wild card team - this favors the Marlins whom are in the same divion as the Braves, Phillies and Mets.

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Chris Fountain

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The Sicilian

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

Take a look at the standings, there are really competitive races in progress one month before season ends. Positioning determines who you play in the post season. To call the entire season an exhibition is a reach. Maybe in Baseball but not in Hockey.

BTW, Baseball has just announced the addition of one wild card team in each league starting this season.

Concerning the addition of another wild card team - this favors the Marlins whom are in the same divion as the Braves, Phillies and Mets.

It favors whoever has the best record, which could be a weaker team in a weaker division. In the AL, Boston would have gotten in last season.

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The Sicilian

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Chris Fountain

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The Sicilian

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Stoneage
Well, the Stanley Cup will begin in the spring and the final will take part around midsummer. The 82 matches long regular season is basically just a very long build up to the Stanley Cup spring- and summer season. 82 exhibition matches really. But that is the way the NHL is run and I hear no complaints from the spectators. So that will be it then.

Take a look at the standings, there are really competitive races in progress one month before season ends. Positioning determines who you play in the post season. To call the entire season an exhibition is a reach. Maybe in Baseball but not in Hockey.

BTW, Baseball has just announced the addition of one wild card team in each league starting this season.

Concerning the addition of another wild card team - this favors the Marlins whom are in the same divion as the Braves, Phillies and Mets.

It favors whoever has the best record, which could be a weaker team in a weaker division. In the AL, Boston would have gotten in last season.

What I'm suggesting is the fact that the NL East is the strongest division in baseball and the new rule is favorable to all acheiving teams. I guess critics will argue that there are too many teams in the mix, and makes the regular season less important. Of course this philosophy carries over to other sports, such as NCAA B-Ball, etc...

My point follows- The regular season "title" is only a means for preparation to win a championship when it's all on the line. For example Duke -UNC play tonight..

Altough spectacular, and a heated brawl, that game doesn't mean anything in the scope of the ultimate goal.

In other words, unless a total collapse, there should be equal opportunity.

So many regular season games in any sport are decided by external factors such as bad refs, injuries etc.. We need only the best!!

Tourneys really decide the true champ - not reg season-

Baseball was always lacking in playoff teams, too many teams too few playoff participants. Seasons were over too early for way too many teams.

I think you underestimate the importance of the regular season, it is the Pre-qualification for the post season. You can't have last place teams in the post season when they accomplished nothing.

That is why they have the draft, it is for the winners of losing.

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More Hot Rocks
Ron Wilson of the coach of Toronto was fired today. Go figure.

Why teams keep hiring him in the first place is a mystery.

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The Sicilian

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More Hot Rocks
Ron Wilson of the coach of Toronto was fired today. Go figure.

Just as the Sabres passed them in the standings. Who did they replace him with?

They replaced him with Randy Carlyle, whom Burke won a Cup with in Anaheim in '07. I don't think either the Leafs or the Sabres will make the play-offs. The difference between the two teams, though, is that Toronto is the second-youngest team in the league after Edmonton and, once they add a veteran goaltender, a mobile, big defenceman (Shea Weber, come on!) and hopefully Rick Nash (from Ontario and has Leafs on list of teams he would accept a trade to) over the summer, they will be dangerous. The Sabres, on the other hand, have underachieved after the moves they made in the off-season and are an ageing club for the most part.

In Sweden there are 52 matches to sort out 8 teams out of 12 to play in the finals. Each stage in the finals are over 7 matches. So the regular season is too long overhere too. There really should be 16 teams ore more in the first division but the 12 elit clubs always turns that proposition down. Basically that has to with money from TV rights and so on (more teams less share a team). Our finals starts now in March and ends in April . So at least we haven't copied the stupid idea to end the hockey season in midsummer. Even though we have copied almost every other trick from the NHL...

I don't want to get too picky with semantics or anything but you keep using the term midsummer. The Stanley Cup Finals usually conclude around the first week of June. The FIRST DAY of summer here is June 20th. Having said that, I agree it ends too late in what would accurately be called late spring.

Thanks, andrewm. Right should be right. Last year's Stanley Cup ended June 15th. Midsummer, at least here in Scandinavia, is always around the summer solstice (3rd or 4th week of June). We don't have an official first day of summer here but June, July and August are considered summer months. So I think it wouldn't be wrong to say that the Stanley Cup finals usually ends a week or more before midsummer. Or the summer solstice if that term suits you better. (I may correct myself: The regular season in Sweden consists of 55 games not 52.)

Hey, Blues is No 1 now....must been 50 years since that happened last time...

2 1 2 0

75 games in and the races are still tight. Which proves a point that the entire season is not an exhibition run.

Could this be the year the Sharks are outside looking in? The LA Kings have planted their flag in the division now.

Sharks win a thrilling shootout tonight. Hanging in there!

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

Sabres were in last place. We are making a big move! Big game on Tuesday VS. Washington. Thank you Canucks for C Hodgson.

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sweetcharmedlife
Sharks win a thrilling shootout tonight. Hanging in there!

Not only are they hanging in there, they're in "third" place now! They're actually in 7th overall... so they could not make the playoffs still.

Don't known when The Stanley Cup will start but my team has made it to the finals in the Swedish Elitseries today. For the second consecutive year. We didn't make it last year but hopefully we will this year. Last time we won the Le Mat Trophy was in 1978. The final between my favourite team Skellefteå AIK and Brynäs IF will be decided over seven matches. Here is a rock video made to support our team called "Tolv Segrar" (Twelve Victories) which hints at what is needed to do for to win the trophy in the end.




Skellefteå AIK



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2012-04-07 19:39 by Stoneage.

fearless prediction for the Stanley Cup final - St Louis v Boston
St Louis in 6

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fyp933
fearless prediction for the Stanley Cup final - St Louis v Boston
St Louis in 6

With the shootout rule in effect -this should be great playoff action! Florida Panthers are Dangerous- especially in SO situations!

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Chris Fountain

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fyp933
fearless prediction for the Stanley Cup final - St Louis v Boston
St Louis in 6

With the shootout rule in effect -this should be great playoff action! Florida Panthers are Dangerous- especially in SO situations!

Their is no shootout in the playoffs.

Sharks are in the playoffs.Sabres aren't. Funny how quiet The Sicilian is now.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

After 1230 qualification matches it's now time for The Stanley Cup. And nobody seems to care ... My favourite NHL team Toronto Maple Leafs is already out, of course. Two of my favourite players used to play for them: Börje Salming and Mats Sundin. Here is a picture of how their fans dealt with this year's elimination:

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Stoneage
After 1230 qualification matches it's now time for The Stanley Cup. And nobody seems to care ... My favourite NHL team Toronto Maple Leafs is already out, of course. Two of my favourite players used to play for them: Börje Salming and Mats Sundin. Here is a picture of how their fans dealt with this year's elimination:

I care.But I'm not nobody.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

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Sweetcharmedlife
I care.But I'm not nobody

Your'e not, SCL! But there aren't that many of you...