Quote:
Originally Posted by Erick Estrada
I don't care what they call it as long as they aren't handing the Stanley Cup to the winner of the tournament. I would love to be able to watch some hockey but this isn't the way the Stanley Cup should be handed out. Maybe the trophy doesn't carry meaning to some of you but it does for me and every team that wins it has a long story behind their regular season and playoff journey and this is going to end up playing out like a random tournament. Montreal for example was 17 spots below the Penguins in the regular season standings but all it will take is a matter of them having fresher legs to start and you have a legit cup contender eliminated while a team that wasn't going to make the playoffs gets to move on. It's just not right or fair to a lot of teams and IMO makes a mockery of a historic trophy. The fact the NHL extended this to 24 teams to include the lucrative Montreal and Chicago fanbases tell you all you need to know about that money is more important than integrity to a lot of the decision makers in the league. This is just my opinion and I'm entitled to it.
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The Stanley Cup was handed out when 16 of 21 teams made the playoffs, rendering the regular season essentially worthless. And that was with a best of 5 first round.
One of the absolute worst teams in the league could knock out a legit contender due to freak injuries or fresher legs.
I guess you're saying there is no format that would be acceptable to you and still logistically possible. You're right, you're definitely entitled to that opinion.