Has the NHL finally achieved parity and is that a good or a bad thing?

Answer 1

That depends on who your team is.

If you are a fan of the Detroit Red Wings, you hate parity because your team can lose to any team on any given night.

If you are fan of the Buffalo Sabres, you like parity because 2 weeks ago your team was tied for last overall, and two weeks later you're back in the hunt for the playoffs.

I think parity is a good thing because it keeps teams in it longer. There's nothing worse than watching a game in early February and knowing that one team is 40 pts out of the playoffs and just mailing it in.

Answer 2

The "good" type of parity takes a little longer data set to identify, I think. There certainly seems to be more parity now than at times in the past, but until we see how long dominant teams (Red Wings, Senators) are able to maintain dominance (should be on the order of ~5 years) and how long it takes bad teams to become contenders (again, shouldn't be much longer than 5 years) it will be hard to judge what kind of parity there may be.

Answer 3

The new cap system is still working itself out, so I'm still waiting to see how it's all going to land.

Apparently next year the cap is going to go up yet again so we may be getting point where some of the top six "rich" teams may be able to find ways to outspend some of the bottom feeders again, although the poor clubs will still be compensated to some extent through revenue sharing.

Parity is great for two thirds of the teams in the league ... look at how many teams were within a point or two at the final game last year. But I do miss the dynasties. They either gave a fan bragging rights, or gave their detractors a reason to hate them besides the oft-heard and witty "They Suck!"

Answer 4

I believe it has and it's a good thing. The more competitive the team, the more likely the local fan base will take interest. Even with a salary cap, there will still be an NHL hierarchy. For example, my Red Wings remain competitive in-spite of the salary cap. Good organizations will produce good teams, while bad organizations will not. The salary cap just gives smaller market teams the chance to compete.