2013-14 NHL Season: "We Are North American Scum"

[Kramerica Industries]

I dunno, I actually like the fact that, even if I were to only watch games my favorite team plays, I would see a game played in every arena in the NHL every season. The 2006-2008 schedule with divisional foes playing eight times a year was overkill and it was mind-bogglingly dumb. Lets never see such a plan conceived ever again.

[The_Admiral]

Eight was too many, six is just right. The eight-gamers meant not playing some teams at all, which is wrong. I think you should play every team, but you don't need all of them to come to town, even in hospitality houses like Florida and Phoenix. I don't need two Capitals games, two Sabres games, two Hurricanes games, two Senators games. And why should I? They have lower ramifications on divisional/conference-based playoffs. 20 is the right number for interconference: five teams you only play at home, five you only visit, and five you double up on.

We're getting too close to the NBA's more balanced schedule, which is not a clever move considering the NBA wipes its ass with the concept of traditional team rivalries.

[Kramerica Industries]

While I see your point, I'm really not the right person to be giving an opinion about rivalry building. The old Southeast Division was a dungeon of bad hockey and the Atlantic Division as it is now is a whole bunch of traditional teams/markets that lost a bet with the NHL and had to take the sad sack Floridian teams with them. The Lightning's only real "rival" are the Panthers, and the rare times Tampa has been good, Florida has sucked, and the rare times Florida's been good, Tampa has sucked. Only once, in 1995-96, did both teams make the playoffs, and they've both been in the league for 20 years now. Tells you all you need to know. Basically, when it comes to hockey, I have no clue what a real rivalry feels like. It's neat that we here in Tampa like to fancy ourselves as having some rivalry with the Flyers or Bruins or Habs because Tampa's played those teams in the playoffs before, but the truth is those teams and many, many others see the Lightning and spit on them and for good reason.

In October of 2012, somebody wrote up a piece about all the young talent in both Florida and Tampa's systems potentially coalescing into something that could finally turn this into something of a rivalry. Two years later, Florida's still stuck on the bottom and Tampa was stuck on the bottom last year as well before finally finding a half-decent goalie and improving. So much for all of that to this point in time.

[Sport]

Nice job for the good guys to bounce back after the worst loss of the season. Three points up on New Jersey with four to play. Also gained a ROW.

[DaRadniz29]

Ninersdd is correct. Someone at the NHL scheduling office didn't check the schedule too closely.

WEST:

Division:

5 games vs 5 teams (3H/2A vs two teams) (2H/3A vs three teams)

4 games vs one team (2H/2A)

In Conf: 3 games vs each team (2H/1A vs Four Teams) (1H/2A vs Three teams)

So I decided to do the math. Here's the Division/Conference Schedule for the Sharks:

Bolded dates are Sharks Home games.

4 games:

Canucks (2H/2A): Oct 3, 10. Nov 8, 14.

Coyotes (2H/2A): Oct. 5, Nov 2, Dec 2, April 12.

5 games:

Ducks (3H/2A): Nov 30, Dec 29, 31. March 20, Apr 9.

Flames (2H/3A): Oct 19, Nov 12, Jan 20, Jan 30, Mar 24.

Kings (3H/2A): Oct 30, Nov 27, Dec 19, Jan 27, Apr 4.

Oilers (2H/3A): Nov 15, Jan 2, Jan 29, Mar 25, Apr 1.

So yeah the Sharks played the Blackhawks, Blues, Jets, Predators, Stars, and Wild three times, while they will play the Avs 4 times. While it might seem like a minor error, this affects the Sharks and other teams. It's a lost divisional game for at least three teams.

If my calculations are correct - The Sharks should have played Phoenix or Vancouver one more time, on the road - and only traveled to Colorado once.

[The_Admiral]

Yeah, they failed at following their own rules, buuuut the Red Wings got to play in Florida a lot, so the new matrix is a success!

[ninersdd]

There's still hope for the division! The Oil upend the Ducks, who continue their poor play.

[The_Admiral]

Goddamn Avs tied it late again but lost in the shootout. Incidentally, Paul Steigerwald, man, is that guy a human blowjob or what?

[Kramerica Industries]

I was listening to Mike Haynes and had basically the same kind of thought.

I don't know a whole hell of a lot about Tyson Barrie but I will say that, if nothing else, he is a much better player and certainly a much better person than his father is. Woot for that.

[cmm]

Ninersdd is correct. Someone at the NHL scheduling office didn't check the schedule too closely.

WEST:

Division:

5 games vs 5 teams (3H/2A vs two teams) (2H/3A vs three teams)

4 games vs one team (2H/2A)

In Conf: 3 games vs each team (2H/1A vs Four Teams) (1H/2A vs Three teams)

So I decided to do the math. Here's the Division/Conference Schedule for the Sharks:

Bolded dates are Sharks Home games.

4 games:

Canucks (2H/2A): Oct 3, 10. Nov 8, 14.

Coyotes (2H/2A): Oct. 5, Nov 2, Dec 2, April 12.

5 games:

Ducks (3H/2A): Nov 30, Dec 29, 31. March 20, Apr 9.

Flames (2H/3A): Oct 19, Nov 12, Jan 20, Jan 30, Mar 24.

Kings (3H/2A): Oct 30, Nov 27, Dec 19, Jan 27, Apr 4.

Oilers (2H/3A): Nov 15, Jan 2, Jan 29, Mar 25, Apr 1.

So yeah the Sharks played the Blackhawks, Blues, Jets, Predators, Stars, and Wild three times, while they will play the Avs 4 times. While it might seem like a minor error, this affects the Sharks and other teams. It's a lost divisional game for at least three teams.

If my calculations are correct - The Sharks should have played Phoenix or Vancouver one more time, on the road - and only traveled to Colorado once.

The numbers in the new scheduling matrix didn't quite work out in the West so the NHL snuck in a footnote:

(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)

This year the Sharks and Avalanche were the oddballs. I'd guess two new teams will get the honors next year. It's silly, but what else is new?

[Still MIGHTY]

Meh.

Definitely no President's trophy anymoreq. #1 in the West doesn't look in the cards. But if the Ducks can win in Vancouver tomorrow, they can still clinch with a win of any kind over San Jose on Wednesday.

But I'm not encouraged.

[DaRadniz29]

Ninersdd is correct. Someone at the NHL scheduling office didn't check the schedule too closely.

WEST:

Division:

5 games vs 5 teams (3H/2A vs two teams) (2H/3A vs three teams)

4 games vs one team (2H/2A)

In Conf: 3 games vs each team (2H/1A vs Four Teams) (1H/2A vs Three teams)

So I decided to do the math. Here's the Division/Conference Schedule for the Sharks:

Bolded dates are Sharks Home games.

4 games:

Canucks (2H/2A): Oct 3, 10. Nov 8, 14.

Coyotes (2H/2A): Oct. 5, Nov 2, Dec 2, April 12.

5 games:

Ducks (3H/2A): Nov 30, Dec 29, 31. March 20, Apr 9.

Flames (2H/3A): Oct 19, Nov 12, Jan 20, Jan 30, Mar 24.

Kings (3H/2A): Oct 30, Nov 27, Dec 19, Jan 27, Apr 4.

Oilers (2H/3A): Nov 15, Jan 2, Jan 29, Mar 25, Apr 1.

So yeah the Sharks played the Blackhawks, Blues, Jets, Predators, Stars, and Wild three times, while they will play the Avs 4 times. While it might seem like a minor error, this affects the Sharks and other teams. It's a lost divisional game for at least three teams.

If my calculations are correct - The Sharks should have played Phoenix or Vancouver one more time, on the road - and only traveled to Colorado once.

The numbers in the new scheduling matrix didn't quite work out in the West so the NHL snuck in a footnote:

(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more game inside Conference outside Division)

This year the Sharks and Avalanche were the oddballs. I'd guess two new teams will get the honors next year. It's silly, but what else is new?

Can't believe I didn't see the footnote. Sounds like they found out late and instead of having to rework the matrix, they had to find a work around.

[FGM13]

Oilers beat Anaheim. Good for us, I guess.

Sorry, Zach.

[cmm]

Can't believe I didn't see the footnote. Sounds like they found out late and instead of having to rework the matrix, they had to find a work around.

It's because there are an odd number of teams in each division.

(Warning: boring math-type stuff ahead)

If the four-game pairings are Teams A & B, C & D, and E & F that would leave Team G playing everyone in the division five times (which would mean they would play the other division's Team G one less time to make up for it). Instead the four-game match-ups are A & B, C & D, E & G, and F & G. Each division's Team G play a bonus game against each other to make up the missing divisional game. Hope that makes sense; my sleeping pills are starting to kick in.

[dbadefense1990]

But if the Ducks can win in Vancouver tomorrow...

...then we all owe a toast to Anaheim for eliminating Vancouver and putting the Canuckleheads out of their misery for 2014.

[STL FANATIC]

I'm not a fan of much of the new scheduling or the conferences, though I've come around on it some.

I used to not care if the Blues ever played Eastern teams. I still feel that way, but since we do play them once, I now like playing them twice. I always hated how there was occasionally a heated inter conference game and never the opportunity for a follow up.

That said, when you tie 28-32 games up in inter conference, it's going to screw up the schedule in the conference, and that's what has happened. The divisional schedule needs to be heavier.

I also still LOATHE the unbalanced conferences. I do like the 4 divisions, and with 30 teams you obviously can't do perfectly balanced. But 7&7 and 8&8 is stupid. Time zones be damned. It should 8&7 and 8&7.

It's beyond dumb that one conference only requires you to beat 6 other teams while the other requires you to beat 8. In the current state of things, it almost feels like a fair handicap given the strength of the West over the East, but overall it's just silly.

Ideally you'd contract or expand by 2 to even things out. But the more sensible former seems unlikely, and the more likely latter seems still a ways away and like a bad decision, so that's academic.

[Sport]

I also still LOATHE the unbalanced conferences. I do like the 4 divisions, and with 30 teams you obviously can't do perfectly balanced. But 7&7 and 8&8 is stupid. Time zones be damned. It should 8&7 and 8&7.

It's beyond dumb that one conference only requires you to beat 6 other teams while the other requires you to beat 8. In the current state of things, it almost feels like a fair handicap given the strength of the West over the East, but overall it's just silly.

That doesn't bother me as much as it did to start the season. It's like how the old NL Central had 6 teams, but one of those teams was always the terrible Pirates or the terrible Cubs or someone was terrible so you always got a few extra wins and you didn't have to play the good teams as often. It can be beneficial having the extra team.

I'm sure nobody in the Atlantic is complaining about having the Sabres and Panthers in their division.

But that brings up my gripe and it's the same issue I have with baseball - wildcards battling each other for the same playoff spots with very different schedules.

[STL FANATIC]

Eh. It was stupid in baseball too, in my opinion. The only reason I so easily accepted that is that they had pretty strong logic behind it initially when inter league play was nonexistent/a novelty. Now that it's a norm, they've made the proper adjustment.

[Sodboy13]

Incidentally, Paul Steigerwald, man, is that guy a human blowjob or what?

No, because a blowjob is something I'd like to experience on a regular basis.

[maz]

Why is everyone so pessimistic about their hockey team? They're either the worst team in the league or "not going to be lasting long in the playoffs". Even when they win a game, those still find many faults in the game.....as if style of winning means something.

Would you prefer the alternative....not having a team to cheer for?

Winning does not equal playing well. Sometimes it actually hurts a team and fools them into thinking there are no flaws in their game. Then they get to the playoffs and are humiliated by the Flyers or Bruins....

....wait, this sounds familiar.

The other guys are getting paid to play/coach hockey, too. All that matters is getting the win, not how you look in getting the win. Win 10-0 or win 5-4 after trailing 4-0...both count the same. And all that matters in the playoffs is getting 16 wins, no matter how ugly or pretty they are.

I'm getting convinced that many of you are starting to subscribe to the Lights Out/CS85 pessimistic "woe is me, my team will never win" attitude towards your teams, like you're looking for some sympathy from the masses. Don't understand that. It's not that serious. What are you trying to gain when you post "This team won't last very long in the playoffs."? You think people really want to see these types of posts?

Eeeexactly what I expected in response.

All I am saying is there is something to be said for being critical of a team even after a win. You can rack up 20 goals in three straight wins, but if you give up 15 in return, something is still wrong, and you are gonna get burned in the playoffs. Everyone knows playoff and regular season hockey are whole different animals.

And trust me this is the last place I would go to if I was seeking sports-related sympathy. There's lots of wine here, yes, and lots of sour grapes along with it. I know the Penguins are gonna win the cup again someday. Will it happen this year with a injury-ridden roster depending on its stars because it has about as much forward depth as a backyard kiddie pool and a defense that's so bipolar it needs its own 90's teen drama? Probably not, but if it does, it'll be even sweeter.

When it comes down to it, do you really care if the Penguins get sixteen wins of the 6-5 variety instead of 2-1, 3-2 contests?

There's a distinct difference between being critical and being negative. Sure, it's fine to say "the defense needs to tighten things up" and the like, but there's really no reason to add "We're gonna get killed", "I hate sports", "We're gonna get our asses kicked", etc.

It's especially petty when fans of teams currently sitting in the #2 slot to be pissing and moaning and dismissing their team's chances of winning the Cup, especially after their team just won a game. There are fans of 26 other franchises that would love to be in the very position that the Ducks and Penguins are in right now.

These aren't robots playing sports. They're humans, and humans aren't perfect. You're not going to get "the perfect game" played every time. Quit acting like you're an analyst of the team and just enjoy sports for what they are: entertainment. Your team wins......enjoy the win and quit looking for negatives.

In the playoffs, no, I don't give two :censored:s how they win, just that they do win. I wasn't in the group saying "my team is gonna get killed", I try to remain on the "cautiously optimistic" side of the spectrum, which I believe is okay. I believe the Penguins definitely can do it, but I know there are many reasons why they very well might not. Same goes for every team, and I prefer to look at both sides when weighing someone's chances. It doesn't affect how I watch the game or react to the result.

Why can't someone analyze their team? Some people find that entertaining as well. I understand you hate people whining about sports, especially if the person is a fan of a good team, but don't tell people how to enjoy sports. That's like telling someone how to listen to their music. If someone wants to be a bit more cerebral when they watch guys skate around on ice, then so be it. Different strokes, different folks.

Incidentally, Paul Steigerwald, man, is that guy a human blowjob or what?

No, because a blowjob is something I'd like to experience on a regular basis.

Steigy is a joke. Why Root Sports favors him over a hall-of-famer and fan favorite is beyond me.