UPDATE: NHLPA votes for further negotiations on 24-team return to play format

[sekimet]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

I was against the NHL playing any more 2019-2020 games.

I have changed my mind.

Any and all things that show that this crisis was not near as bad as the Public health officials/ politicians said it was is needed at this time.

I hope they will have social distanced fans in the stands after the first week or 2.

If a player tests positive for COVID then he will have to sit out and skate on his own for a week or so until he gets a negative test.

PS in preparation I hope the players are doing their best to get the disease, recover and get the immunity.

Self-awareness and critical thinking of a potato.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

They are replaying it right now and you are incorrect. He said 24 is not doable and 8 teams was legit. He said lock into 8 teams and then see if 16 is doable.

He was referring to logistics of involving 24 teams, not legitimacy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In fact when asked about the 24 team format his response was “Wonderful if they could pull this off”. Although he is skeptics of pulling it off.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/960/boomer-...-years-season/

[calgarygeologist]

I've always been on the side of cancelling the season. I think the bulk of the work that is happening now and into the future should be about what the 20/21 season will look like, ensuring the appropriate plans and guidelines are in place and making sure contingency plans are in place. This season is a list cause and a write-off. It is best to just admit the reality of the situation and make sure that a resumption plan is in place for October or January or whenever the next season might kick off.

The next season is going to be filled with challenges for the players, owners, refs, league executives, media, etc and identifying and mitigating the risks is critical. The NHL is going to need to provide guidelines on revenue, safety, travel, infrastructure modifications and whatever else.

I feel that as more time and focus is spent on trying to resume now it hurts the next season.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

PS in preparation I hope the players are doing their best to get the disease, recover and get the immunity.

I don't think it has been proven that with this virus, one exposure gives someone future immunity every time. It happens with some viruses and isn't an unreasonable thing to hope for, but we still don't know enough to assume that is the case.

[transplant99]

Originally Posted by Derek Sutton

He was referring to logistics of involving 24 teams, not legitimacy of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. In fact when asked about the 24 team format his response was “Wonderful if they could pull this off”. Although he is skeptics of pulling it off.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/960/boomer-...-years-season/

Yeah...like literally his first words are "I love what the league is doing or trying to do"...he just doesnt see it happening logistically...like many have said and i agree with.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by sekimet

Self-awareness and critical thinking of a potato.

What has that potato ever done to you...

[VANFLAMESFAN]

Originally Posted by calgarygeologist

I've always been on the side of cancelling the season. I think the bulk of the work that is happening now and into the future should be about what the 20/21 season will look like, ensuring the appropriate plans and guidelines are in place and making sure contingency plans are in place. This season is a list cause and a write-off. It is best to just admit the reality of the situation and make sure that a resumption plan is in place for October or January or whenever the next season might kick off.

The next season is going to be filled with challenges for the players, owners, refs, league executives, media, etc and identifying and mitigating the risks is critical. The NHL is going to need to provide guidelines on revenue, safety, travel, infrastructure modifications and whatever else.

I feel that as more time and focus is spent on trying to resume now it hurts the next season.

Why can’t they do both?

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

Never said I was dead set against it. I am against awarding the Stanley Cup for this gimmick tournament. With no training camps and teams coming in cold we are likely going to see a few bottom seeds rise through the tournament and possibly win this and it's just a sham to award the Stanley Cup to the winner. Just call it an NHL tournament and I'm fine with watching as a casual fan.

What if they officially dubbed it the Shamley Cup Playoffs, would you be satisfied?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by VANFLAMESFAN

Why can’t they do both?

Exactly.

Next year, the NHL is going to want as many regular season games as possible with fans in the stands so there's little to no chance the season starts on time. We're maybe looking at a January start so the idea the league "needs to focus on next year" at this time simply isn't a valid reason IMO.

I don't know whether they can pull this off but I see no harm in trying. It's not hurting next year.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by djsFlames

What if they officially dubbed it the Shamley Cup Playoffs, would you be satisfied?

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.

[djsFlames]

Originally Posted by chummer

https://twitter.com/user/status/1263515575772426240

Fake news,



Edmonton is incapable of rolling out anything impressive.

[PeteMoss]

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.

You are. But they've shifted around and expanded the playoffs tons over the years and gave out the Stanley Cup each time they've done it. If you switch the playoffs from a division to conference format in the 80s like they did in 2000s, the Flames are at minimum playing in a few more conference championships. St.Louis made the Stanley Cup a bunch of times when the league first expanded from the Original Six because they put all those teams in the same conference so all the new teams had a zillion times easier path to the cup then existing teams.

You play the card as they lie.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by PeteMoss

You are. But they've shifted around and expanded the playoffs tons over the years and gave out the Stanley Cup each time they've done it. If you switch the playoffs from a division to conference format in the 80s like they did in 2000s, the Flames are at minimum in a few more conference championships.

You play the card as they lie.

This isn't a change or expansion the league has made going forward for the better. This is a makeshift tournament to make up lost revenue.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by Erick Estrada

This isn't a change or expansion the league has made going forward for the better. This is a makeshift tournament to make up lost revenue.

They could have divvied up the divisions to be fair. Essentially all 6 teams in one division were better than the first place team in the other division.

Was flipping from divisions to conferences and then back to divisions and wild cards done to make the league better? Or just an arbitrary change to try to make a few bucks.

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by ricardodw

PS in preparation I hope the players are doing their best to get the disease, recover and get the immunity.

Knowing someone who had COVID-19 I'm going to tell you that is a stupid idea. My associate says that since he recovered from COVID-19 that each breath he takes feels like he just finished a cigarette. It is estimated that his lung function has decreased by 20-30%. Your idea is just plain bad.

[PeteMoss]

I'm all about safety in terms of Covid. But if you can do this safely, I don't know why you wouldn't. Gives people some semblance of normalcy. Drives some kind of economic activity even if it's just big companies and rich guys benefiting.

[Snuffleupagus]

Originally Posted by transplant99

Here is Bobby Mac on radio yesterday explaining why the NHL is looking at the options they are looking at.



One of the big take aways is him saying he thinks its about 600 Million dollars that are due to be paid out in signing bonuses on July 1 this year.

If there's no fans for next season these crazy signing bonuses are going to bleed some teams dry, going forward I'm fairly certain any new CBA will limit these bonuses.

Just a quick look at a few teams

Toronto owes 8 players $61 million on July 1. ($37m July 2021)
Rangers owe 8 players $34 million on July 1. ($24m July 2021)
Tampa owes 5 players $28.5 million on July 1. ($25m July 2021)
Edmonton owes 4 players $22 million on july 1. ($13m July 2021)

Looks good on the idiots

Flames owe Johnny, Monny and Chucky $3.5m each this year but nothing next July

[Strange Brew]

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.

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.

[troutman]

Maybe a poll would be interesting now?

Possible preferences:

Cancel remaining regular season and playoffs - no Stanley Cup awarded.
Resume and complete regular season, full playoffs, Stanley Cup awarded.
Cancel remaining regular season, hold playoff tournament, Stanley Cup awarded.
Cancel remaining regular season, hold playoff tournament, no Stanley Cup awarded.

[PeteMoss]

Originally Posted by troutman

Maybe a poll would be interesting now?

Possible preferences:

Cancel remaining regular season and playoffs - no Stanley Cup awarded.
Resume and complete regular season, full playoffs, Stanley Cup awarded.
Cancel remaining regular season, hold playoff tournament, Stanley Cup awarded.
Cancel remaining regular season, hold playoff tournament, no Stanley Cup awarded.

Is the plan not a full playoffs (i.e. 4 rounds of best of 7) just with the addition of best of 3 or 5 play-in rounds for the bottom 8 seeds per conference?

Basically the play-in round replaces the end of the regular season, but then full playoffs?