How would you fix the NHL?

Question

We all know that Bettman needs to go, so please leave him out of your answers.

If you were in charge of the National Hockey League, how would you fix it? Everything, except what you would do to Bettman, is in play here. Teams you would move, rules you would change, etc.

clueless_nerd, is your name Gary Bettman?

Answer 1

the list could go on and on......

anyways, heres a sampling:

-bring back the balanced schedule (who the hell wants to see the same teams play each other over and over again?)
-scrap the new uniforms (they look like crap)
-increase fighting
-scrap all those stupid, nonsense rules like shooting the puck out of your own zone, etc.
-keep OT and the shootout, but get rid of the point for an OT loss
-leave the nets alone
-bring back teams to places where it REALLY matters (i.e. hartford, winnipeg, quebec, etc.)
-get better tv contracts (prolly less than 5% of people knew what OLN was before the NHL deal) and move the all-star game back to the weekend (a 0.7 neilson rating???? how pathetic....)
-replace Western and Eastern with Wales and Campbell
-bring back the old NHL logo

Answer 2

Here are some things I would do....
1) increase the net size (not much)... Here is why:
The goalies are bigger, the players are bigger, the equipment is bigger and yet the nets have stayed the same size. It would allow for a few more goals to be scored and it would also translate into more highlight reel saves.

2) Change the schedule.
Every team in the league should play at least twice during the year (one at home and one away) People get tired of seeing the same team all the time.

3) Change Playoff format.....
I would seed all the teams from 1-16 and have the teams play in an NCCA basketball format, with 1 playing 16, 2 playing 15 etc. This would allow for some great new rivalries and new possibilities. This also allows for teams that didnt make it in either the west or the east making it in because of their strong play. Seed all the teams by points during the year, but the winners of each division guarantee a spot in the tournament.

4) Don't get rid of the shootout, make overtime longer. The best action of any game is in the overtime session. The shootout should have 5 shooters.

5) Bring some more teams back to Canada.

That will do for now.

Answer 3

If I was incharge of the NHL, these would be the things I would do:

1. Make two 30 minute periods ( less chance to lose the crowd between intermissions)

2. Shrink goalie pads a little more than they already are.

3. Get rid of the instigator penalty.

4. Get rid of salary cap ( if owners are to cheap they shouldn't be in the league)

5. Teams I would get rid of in order.... Florida, Phoenix, Carolina, Atlanta, NYI, Nashville, Anaheim, and Washington....the league's talent is spread out way too much.

6. Once the league is down to 22 teams make the playoffs the best of 6 in each conference. 12 of 22 teams make playoffs.

7. All-Star game should be at beginning of season with the best players stats from season before. No fan voting. Do it like the NFL does. Best players go.

8. Get T.V. contracts done....VS. games on Mon, Tues....ESPN games on Weds, Thurs...and during football season ABC does weekend games, after the football season NBC does the weekend games.

9. I would make sure all Stanley Cup Finals Series games are on NBC or any other T.V. station anyone can recieve.

10. With 22 teams in the league, better scheduling; 11 teams per conference, no divisions, just 2 confrences with 11 teams....a team that plays other teams in their own conference they play 4 times a year, and outside teams from the other conference they play twice a year which creates a 62 game schedule.

11. Start the season November 1 and the last possible Stanely Cup Final Game would be held in end of May.

12. Lower ticket prices...with less teams more money to those teams should create lower ticket prices.

13. I would stick with the type of jerseys they have now....not create new ones.

14. No ties...any tie is decided by 10 minute OT 4 on 4, no winner yet then a ShootOut. (games are getting done with in 2 hr and 30mins) there is time for 10 minute OT and if necessary a SO.

15. Make sure fighting stays a part of the game

16. Make sure the refs calls the hooks, interference, holdings, trippings, spears, slashings....allow for physical but not cheap play go. Don't call roughing as much unless absolutely obvious. Allowing more physical play will increase intensity and create more scoring oppourtunities along with more fights that could be created from the hits.

17. With todays technology make every game thats on T.V. in High Definition. Two totally different games when watching on a basic T.V. and a HDTV.

18. My number 1 thing I would do to make this league better is make sure that middle class can afford to go to the games, b/c like everything else, if it weren't for the middle class people America would not be here and neither will hockey if we make the game unaffordable. Make sure there is enough appreciation to the fans year in and year out, not just after a strike or lockout.

Answer 4

Frist change would be the shecdule no team needs to play each conference team 8 times. Play each team in the NHL twice once on the road once at home. Then play the conference teams no more than 4 games. (I am very tired of seeing the leafs play Ottawa already this year). Next, get rid of the goal can't play the puck behind the net. Some goalies are great at playing the puck IE Broduer, Roy etc. Then, change the curve on the stick back to the old curve size too many players are going down due to shoots taken by other player high. I would also put in no touch icing. Less players would get hurt racing for the puck.

Answer 5

Here's my list:

1. Shorten the season to 72 games. End the playoffs in May. 12 games doesn't seem like a lot, but it's so much better a game with fresh legs.

2. Allow 2 teams that just don't make sense in that market to fold. We all thought the lockout would kill the game and it didn't, so eliminating 2 teams won't either. Sorry, Phoenix, but your team goes. Who's the other? Miami?

3. Realign into 2 Conferences with 2 Divisions each. Each division sends its top 4 teams to the playoffs; 1 vs 4 and 2 vs 3. The winners play each other for a division champion. The division winners play each other for a conference champion. The conference winners meet in the finals.

3b. Same as above, but the top 3 from each division make the playoffs with the top team getting a bye.

4. Change the schedule as follows:
Each team plays the other 6 teams in their division 6 times each.
Each team plays the other 7 in their conference 3 times each.
Each team plays the other conference 1 time each.
Each team plays 1 additional positional game on the last day of the season (1st place vs 2nd, 3rd vs 4th, 5th vs 6th, and the two 7th place teams play). This would help decide standings within the divisions.

5. No more shootouts. No more ties either. Every game plays until there's a winner.

I'm sure I could come up with a lot more if I spent a few days thinking about it.

Answer 6

I'd get at least two of the southern US teams out of where they are now and move them into Canada. Winnipeg is screaming for a team and I think Halifax is also a very deserving city, the people in the Maritime's would make for some passionate hockey fans. I would also get rid of the shoot out. I know it's a big way to bring in new fans and make the game seem more exciting, but this is a team sport; teams sports shouldn't be won and lost by a one on one competition. The salary cap can stay, the no hooking rules can stay. Referees need to trained better, and they need to be held accountable for poor calls, or lack of consistent calls. I would also install harsher suspensions for players who cross check, dive, spear, elbow, perform knee on knee hits, and any other play seemingly meant to injure another player. I think the rule should be, if you intentionally throw an illegal hit that results in the player being injured, you can't come back to the game until the injured player comes back. How fair is it that you can throw an elbow to someones head, knock him out for the rest of the season and be back on the ice after missing only two games? Kinda stupid isn't it? So yeah, that's what I would do.

Answer 7

1 Make the conferences like mlb east, central and west teams
2 Go back to old time hockey!!
3 No more weak penalties
4 Goalies can play the puck any where in there zone no stupid zone behind the net
5 Bring some fighting back
6 CBC Hockey night in Canada in the US
7 Remember All-star weekend???
8 Add 2 more teams to the playoffs(8 plays 9 best of 3 or 5 series. 1 seed gets a little rest for being best in conference)
9 Show more games on cable then 2 or 3 a week (VS should have a game on almost every night)
10 Penguins stay in Pittsburgh
11 Winnipeg may be ready for a team again (Hartford again??j/k but maybe another Canadian team)
12 Some teams need new logos (FLA, CBJ)
13 Bring the 2 line pass rule back

Answer 8

1. Get a national TV contract on broadcast television
2. End the 'arena priority' deal (if you didn't know, any arena having both NBA & NHL, which is most of them, gives the NBA team priority when it comes to scheduling home games, through the playoffs and regular season)

3. Take two more years under this 'cap system' to analyze the actual harm/benefit ratio. Corporate profit margins would be meaningless, benefit to the game is what counts. If it really isn't helping, it goes.

4. We need to get down to 20-24 teams, Anaheim, Phoenix, Edmonton, Islanders, Florida panthers, and Nashville need to fold, and have their players lotteried back into the league.

Probably about a million other things, but I am supposed to be working!

Answer 9

1) Get games back on ESPN and off "Versus" network
2) Get Hockey Night in Canada onto US tv sets
3) Keep the All-Star Game on Network TV

reasons:

ESPN, since it's fruition, has exposed hockey to the masses. By keeping it out of the national eye, Gary Bettmann has focused on the die-hard, loyal fans, and essentially, closed the door for new ones.

I've never seen HNIC here in the US, but I'd like to see what the CBC has to offer; more specifically, Don Cherry. As a hockey fan, I'm interested in knowing what he's all about.

It was very stupid that NBC Universal didn't show the All-Star Game on network TV. How are you supposed to hook-in new fans if you put a game featuring the league's best talents on cable channel 67, 82, or 70-something (and god knows what channel on satellite)?

Also, Gary Bettmann should not be fired for the strike as the NHLPA was also to blame. Gary Bettmann should be fired for not taking ESPN's offer.

Answer 10

I would lighten up on the rules. Let the players determine the outcome.

No more shoot-outs, including games in the playoffs which will end in a tie after one period of OT.

Get rid of the red line from all arenas.

Move some southern-based teams to northern locations, even if it means that Montreal and Toronto are represented by two teams. The general rule being no teams south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Reduce amount of teams to 20 maybe 22 and go to a 2 division format. The 2nd and 3rd place teams will vie for a semi-final round with the division champs.

Fire Ed Snider.