Puck Daddy - NHL

Every weekday in August, Puck Daddy presents "5 Ways I'd Change the NHL," in which a cross-section of sports media and hockey personalities offer solutions, suggestions and absurdities to remake the League to their liking. We're thrilled to have Ross McKeon, NHL editor for Yahoo! Sports, contributing his list today ...

By Ross McKeon 

1. Less is more: We're talking contraction here, fewer teams means better quality of play and so much more. Ding six franchises to get the league down to 24 teams (12 per conference, six in each of four divisions). Who goes? Atlanta Thrashers, Carolina Hurricanes, Florida Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Washington Capitals and Nashville Predators. Hey, look at that, no more Southeast Division.

2. Less is still more: Now that we have fewer teams, let's trim a few games -- an 82-game schedule shrinks to 78 per team (936 games for the regular season instead of the current 1,230). Why? Shortening the regular season means the playoffs start earlier and end earlier. That means the ice will be better at the most important time of the year, there should be fewer injuries, more time to recover between games, less back-to-backs and the off-season can be, maybe, two weeks longer. The new 78-game schedule features home-and-away against every team in the opposite conference (24 games total); four games vs. every team in other division of same conference (24 games total) and six games each against the other five teams in your division (30 total). A totally balanced schedule and every team plays at least once in every city every year. What a concept!

3. New playoff format, sort of: Sixteen teams -- eight from each conference -- will still advance to the Stanley Cup playoffs in our new, condensed world, but the new division alignment (four instead of the current six) will return the importance and significance of division play. Why? Because instead of allowing the top three division winners and next-best five point totals from each conference into the dance, the top four point totals in each division qualify. Everything else remains the same -- all series are best-of-seven, re-seed after each round and open with the same match-ups: Nos. 1-8, Nos. 2-7, Nos. 3-6 and Nos. 4-5.

4. White out: I just can't get used to the home team wearing dark sweaters. Go back to home-team whites, and do it now.

5. Minimize the gimmicks: Do we really need teams opening the season in Europe every season? The Winter Classic is nice, but don't overdo it. Has the NHL All-Star Game, in its current bogus format featuring a no-touch game the day after a dreadful skills event, run its course? New rule changes almost every year? Bigger nets? Please, stop the insanity. 

Ross McKeon covered the San Jose Sharks and the National Hockey League at the San Francisco Chronicle and San Francisco Examiner for 17 years; or seven Sharks coaches. Coming up on Thursday: Chris Botta, former VP of media relations for the New York Islanders.

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285 Comments

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  1. J.P.
    1. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    Thank goodness this donkey isn't running anything other than a third-rate website.
  2. Joe J
    2. Posted by Joe J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    I understand that the SE division doesnt have the best fan support, but when Carolina and Wash are decent teams they have good suppo
    Wouldnt contracting teams cause cap chaos? The NHLPA will not allow a 2nd line player on Tampa to become a league minimum player in Calgary.
  3. Joe J
    3. Posted by Joe J Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:38 pm EDT

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    #2-5 were good, #1 is just non-sensical
  4. NYR10LSC
    4. Posted by NYR10LSC Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

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    This guy sounds angry.
    #1 ok I guess, but the Caps? tough call on who goes.
    #2 makes sense.
    #3 That's one way, not sure if it would be an improvement.
    #4 Get over the Whites already. What, do you have a had time figuring out who's who?
    #5 Agree with the Europe openings ending, but bettman most likely will not change on this. I like the winter classic and agree that they shouldn't overdue it. Kind of like only 2 NFL games on Thanksgiving, any more and it's just not special.
  5. Gustafsson
    5. Posted by Gustafsson Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:14 pm EDT

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    I am surprised he didn't continue with his crazy line of thinking and just award Ovechkin to Mulletville as well.
    Then again, as this feature continues deep into August, the contributors will have a hard time being original without being far fetched. In this case, being original equaled being down right stupid.
  6. fdjdfjgdhkg
    6. Posted by fdjdfjgdhkg Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:51 pm EDT

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    dumb idiot. he obviously didn't see the sellouts Washington had in the playoffs and the end of the season. or ovechkin
  7. NYR10LSC
    7. Posted by NYR10LSC Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:13 pm EDT

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    Hey Ross, while you're looking at these posts about your 5 I figured I might have your attention. Seeing as you're the NHL Editor of Yahoo Sports could you maybe do a better job of not putting other sports rumors on the NHL Rumors page. I really don't care to see NASCAR, or NFL things when I'm looking for NHL news.
    Thanks buddy, I appreciate it.
  8. The KBBL Party Penguin
    8. Posted by The KBBL Party Penguin Thu Sep 03, 2009 7:04 pm EDT

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    Washington's hockey market, whatever your opinion of it, is at least in an area where A.) Water actually freezes natureally. B.) there is a hockey history of more than 30 years.
    If he hates southern hockey so much, why would he shut down operations in frigid DC but leave a team in the freak'n desert of Phoenix?
    Oh wait, I forgot, Canada's favorite (i.e Ontario born, non-French Canadian) son has got a vested interest down there.
  9. JR
    9. Posted by JR Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:08 pm EDT

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    Why do you have a job? Getting rid of 2 of the last 4 Stanley Cup winning teams, TBL is in the top 10 in attendance every year since 03-04, and middle of the pack before that, plus they were 8th in attendance last year as a bottomfeeder team
    Really Yahoo, I could write better articles than this guy....I hope you aren't paying him. Other than his own idiotic ramblings we just get him posting other peoples works and links to them. Great job Wyshynski, you are a professional, and horrible, blogger....i.e. the biggest waste of a job title
  10. Mike
    10. Posted by Mike Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:28 pm EDT

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    can a guy who wrote for a paper in sf really throw the southeast under the bus???
  11. JR
    11. Posted by JR Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:08 pm EDT

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    I forgot to add...by Ross Mckeon's idea less is more. Less teams, Less money, Less playoffs, Less coverage, Less fans, and finally Less hockey once it goes the way of professional Lacrosse
  12. Hyphen
    12. Posted by Hyphen Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:24 pm EDT

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    I have to agree with your 5 points. Personally I would rather see Pheonix and Columbus contracted rather than the Caps and Tampa Bay, especially considering Tampa is a top 10 attendance team (by # not cap%[15th in that] which is extremely respectable for their placement in the States. 26-28 teams may be better than 24 but some of the teams that wouldnt be contracted should certainly be relocated (hello Quebec!). There certainly needs to be a change made to the playoff format. When a team with 94 points that would barely make the 8th slot gets the 3rd position by default the league has a problem.
    Still fan of darks at home.
  13. thenachofan
    13. Posted by thenachofan Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

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    Interesting here... it's like going back in time in the fall of 1992 ! The only differences are less franchises in Canada and a playoff format merging conferences teams instead of having to «get out of the division» (in the conference finals). And you know what ? I like the idea. But give me Jets and Nordiques please.
  14. thenachofan
    14. Posted by thenachofan Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

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    I don't think the NHL is a circus you can produce from continent to another in a matter of days... stay within Canada and the U.S., the odd preseason game in Europe is OK to me. My understanding of English is failing in the sentence where Mr McKeon talks about the long-running All-Star Game format... is he for or against it ?
    Molson. Salut les vrais!
  15. JR
    15. Posted by JR Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:08 pm EDT

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    Good point Mike....on that note a better idea would be to lose the Sharks, Ducks, Phoenix, Kings, and Stars LOL...I never picked up on that
  16. J.P.
    16. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    If McKeon had a sixth way he could change the League, he'd go back and give Jarome Iginla last season's MVP - http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=rm-harttrophy032308&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
  17. J-D
    17. Posted by J-D Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:31 pm EDT

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    Just zap Phoenix, Nashville, Atlanta, and Florida and you'd be down to 26 healthy teams. Columbus still draws amazingly well for a team that's never made the playoffs. And if Tampa's arena didn't have like 45,000 seats in it they'd probably sell out most of their games.
  18. Patrick
    18. Posted by Patrick Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 pm EDT

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    "Overdue it"? Is this some sort of American English phrase I'm not familiar with?
  19. thenachofan
    19. Posted by thenachofan Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:04 pm EDT

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    to Rufty, poster #13 :
    Why less playoffs ? The way I count it, this will be the 29th season of 16-team playoffs, and it hasn't always been best-of-seven in every round...
    And tell me, why is everyone throwing the towel with Columbus ? It's not such a southern destination...
    Also, the QMJHL has its team wear white at home for half the schedule, then dark at home for the other half. Could this be a sorry compromise for most ?
  20. wittcap
    20. Posted by wittcap Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:48 pm EDT

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    Hey I got an idea, let's contract a 34 year old franchise since I cover the 17 year old one that has never gotten to the SCF. Sure Mr. McKeon, sounds like a plan.
  21. J.P.
    21. Posted by J.P. Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm EDT

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    I'm going to throw a flag on "Columbus still draws amazingly well for a team that's never made the playoffs."
    They were 28th in total home attendance last year (29th in pct. capacity).
  22. repenttokyo
    22. Posted by repenttokyo Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:53 pm EDT

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    Who is ross mckeon?
  23. repenttokyo
    23. Posted by repenttokyo Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:53 pm EDT

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    seriously, this is the worst feature puck daddy has ever come up with. does anyone here honestly care what random dudes would do to run the NHL into the ground if they ruled the world? I can't wait to hear how BARACK OBAMA would change the NHL if he were commissioner for a day! HOW ABOUT THAT FEATURE, PUCK DADDY?
  24. Matt
    24. Posted by Matt Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:18 pm EDT

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    NHL editor getting rid of a team with a storied (your view on what "storied" is is up to interpretation) history in the Capitals and two of the teams that have won a Cup this decade.
    Nice. Wyshynski for editor!
  25. Panda God
    25. Posted by Panda God Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:59 pm EDT

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    @ repenttokyo ~
    Actually Obama already pledged to change the bowling alley in the White house to a basketball court on the Jimmy Kimmel show. And, as we all know, all you have to do is "spill" water on that court and voila! You have hockey. Should be no problem in that place where "water actually freezes naturally". Good for a couple months then...

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