final nail for NHL season ?

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I think if they wanted to do a 3 on 3 mini tournament just for something to do and to generate some revenue - that's one thing. But the NHL would get crapped on by literally everybody if they tried to award the Stanley Cup for it. And deservedly so. Even the Houston Asterisks' tainted World Series title carries more legitimacy than that would.

Never mind the fact that nobody not already in the country you'd be running the tournament in would be able to cross borders to get there. Nah, you'd have to run that as just a fun, made for TV event with nothing on the line but pride.

Lol. Your obsession with the Astros turns up in the weirdest of places. Did you lose a ton of money betting against them?

I don’t understand who gets hurt if the NHL awards the Stanley Cup based on some abbreviated playoff structure. Let individual fans decide if they want to watch and how much it means to them.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Me neither, but that wouldn't necessarily preclude a half dozen chartered planes with occupants who will be following strict protocols and closely monitored/tested.

Until most of the teams are able to sell tickets w/o restrictions, it's hard to see the league resuming regular operations (with nearly full operating costs). I think some half-measures are quite likely, depending on negotiations with TV networks.

Obviously the dates are flexible, but I wouldn't be surprised if we end up with something like this:

July 15-Aug 30 = modified NHL playoffs

Sep. 15 - Free Agency
Oct. 1 - Draft

November - World Cup (single/dual city, maybe you're able to sell some tickets by this point; maybe a 3v3 format with Canada West/Ontario/Canada East, etc.)

January 2021 - start new season; hopefully as normal, but I wouldn't be at all surprised if it wasn't.

My question is whether there would be any interest in NHL hockey in the US during the summer if all other sports are cramming in playoffs, tournaments, regular season play etc. The pull would have to be the Canadian TV contract and recovering as much of that as you can.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Never mind the fact that nobody not already in the country you'd be running the tournament in would be able to cross borders to get there. Nah, you'd have to run that as just a fun, made for TV event with nothing on the line but pride.

I don't necessarily disagree on the Stanley Cup legitimacy thing, but then again, the first 50 times it was awarded there were only 6-10 teams involved.

As for the border, I think that is one of the least significant logistical concerns. If conditions permit and the league can put together a plan that sufficiently mitigates the risks, it's almost certainly a non-issue.

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

My question is whether there would be any interest in NHL hockey in the US during the summer if all other sports are cramming in playoffs, tournaments, regular season play etc. The pull would have to be the Canadian TV contract and recovering as much of that as you can.

Agree, though in this kind of future I can't imagine all four leagues in anything resembling normal operations.

It's mostly for the CAD TV deal, though I also wonder about the looming US deal. The NHL will want to bolster their relationships and prove themselves to be a 'good partner'.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

Lol. Your obsession with the Astros turns up in the weirdest of places. Did you lose a ton of money betting against them?

I made all of like three or four posts on it in the MLB thread. Less than you did - where you consistently tried to defend the team without trying to blatantly look like you were defending them. I realize that you're just mad that the Asterisks' championship is completely tainted, but don't project your flaws onto me. It only makes you look ridiculous.

I don’t understand who gets hurt if the NHL awards the Stanley Cup based on some abbreviated playoff structure. Let individual fans decide if they want to watch and how much it means to them.

lol. I love how you're parroting Rob Manfred's hilariously pathetic excuse for taking the coward's way out and not stripping the Asterisks' championship as your justification for letting an even less legitimate hypothetical championship stand in the NHL.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

I don't necessarily disagree on the Stanley Cup legitimacy thing, but then again, the first 50 times it was awarded there were only 6-10 teams involved.

The historian in me wants to get super pedantic about this, but it's not germane to the point you were making. And in response to that, I'll just note that those championships were decided in a fashion where everyone knew the rules from day one. It wasn't changed up at the last minute.

Also, I do not see an equivalence between the number of eligible teams and completely changing how the sport is played on a temporary basis, just to decide a champion.

As for the border, I think that is one of the least significant logistical concerns. If conditions permit and the league can put together a plan that sufficiently mitigates the risks, it's almost certainly a non-issue.

I don't agree. Nobody from Europe can get in. Maybe you convince Canadian and American officials to classify athletes as "essential traffic" and allow Canadians to go south or Americans to come north - but you're opening yourself up to significant criticism if you do. Regardless, you would end up with significant players left off of some rosters while other teams are left much closer to whole. So in your scenario, you're not only altering how the game is played, but crippling some teams and buffing others. You just can't award a legitimate championship under such circumstances.

But, you can have a little fun, whet the appetites of the fans and make a little money. There's nothing wrong with that.

[Patek23]

I could be mistaken but I think this is something that they can walk back from if things get better sooner. But they say it now to be pro-active.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

The historian in me wants to get super pedantic about this, but it's not germane to the point you were making. And in response to that, I'll just note that those championships were decided in a fashion where everyone knew the rules from day one. It wasn't changed up at the last minute.

Also, I do not see an equivalence between the number of eligible teams and completely changing how the sport is played on a temporary basis, just to decide a champion.

I don't agree. Nobody from Europe can get in. Maybe you convince Canadian and American officials to classify athletes as "essential traffic" and allow Canadians to go south or Americans to come north - but you're opening yourself up to significant criticism if you do. Regardless, you would end up with significant players left off of some rosters while other teams are left much closer to whole. So in your scenario, you're not only altering how the game is played, but crippling some teams and buffing others. You just can't award a legitimate championship under such circumstances.

But, you can have a little fun, whet the appetites of the fans and make a little money. There's nothing wrong with that.

Fair - I hadn't really considered the Europe factor. I know many have gone back, but I'm curious as to how many.

I think the challenge is in branding - how many will watch if it's clear that it's just a sideshow? It's kind of pointless if it isn't for the big prize, but I also have mixed feelings about the whole 'legitimacy' argument...part of me buys into it, but the cynic in me says it's all a bit contrived anyways.

[GordonBlue]

Originally Posted by Textcritic

I have always thought this was just posturing on both sides. Publicly, this is what the NHL and the PA want everyone to believe, but pragmatically speaking I think most recognize that this is unrealistic.

Sent from my SM-G960W using Tapatalk

agreed. plus I agree with the thought that as long as they can delay calling off the season, they can delay dealing with refunds to season ticket holders and advertisers.

[jayswin]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

I think if they wanted to do a 3 on 3 mini tournament just for something to do and to generate some revenue - that's one thing. But the NHL would get crapped on by literally everybody if they tried to award the Stanley Cup for it. And deservedly so. Even the Houston Asterisks' tainted World Series title carries more legitimacy than that would.

It's probably be the same as I don't think a single person outside Houston sees that championship even semi-legit. That was a pure cheated championship and MLB showed it by the suspensions, but didn't have the balls to carry out the most important part of that scandal.

[redforever]

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by powderjunkie

Fair - I hadn't really considered the Europe factor. I know many have gone back, but I'm curious as to how many.

I think the challenge is in branding - how many will watch if it's clear that it's just a sideshow? It's kind of pointless if it isn't for the big prize, but I also have mixed feelings about the whole 'legitimacy' argument...part of me buys into it, but the cynic in me says it's all a bit contrived anyways.

Well, you brand it as the "3 on 3 hockey challenge" or something and just make it a fun thing to watch. With a captive audience, you'll get viewers. Probably less than for legit NHL games, but that's going to be the case for most anything, especially if other sports are starting up their own gimmicks at the same time.

After all, in a world where any of this is even remotely feasible, you'd have NHL, MLB, NBA, CFL, MLS all going at once. We'd go from famine to feast.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by Resolute 14

Well, you brand it as the "3 on 3 hockey challenge" or something and just make it a fun thing to watch. With a captive audience, you'll get viewers. Probably less than for legit NHL games, but that's going to be the case for most anything, especially if other sports are starting up their own gimmicks at the same time.

After all, in a world where any of this is even remotely feasible, you'd have NHL, MLB, NBA, CFL, MLS all going at once. We'd go from famine to feast.

Plus CFB, PGA, and possibly Nascar.

[Dragomir]

Originally Posted by Flamenspiel

My new team is Barcelona, their players all decided to take a 70% pay cut.

Yes! Welcome to the family!

[Sidney Crosby's Hat]

Originally Posted by transplant99

This.

https://twitter.com/user/status/1246107974600441857

This is 1000% the key to all this. Sports cannot resume until there exists a way to test and get accurate results within 5-15 minutes. And test multiple, multiple times. Once this occurs, you're going to start to see a lot of things open up and that includes sports.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by chockfullofgoodness

I was saying that I was merely speculating. And, yes, it would not surprise me in the least if we did not see hockey until autumn 2021. I just wonder how teams are going to cope with their 80+million dollar payrolls through all of this.

They won't have $80 million payrolls because the players salaries are tied to revenue and so if there is no revenue, there are no salaries.

[Eric Vail]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

This is 1000% the key to all this. Sports cannot resume until there exists a way to test and get accurate results within 5-15 minutes. And test multiple, multiple times. Once this occurs, you're going to start to see a lot of things open up and that includes sports.

More likely is the discovery of a vaccine.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by Sidney Crosby's Hat

This is 1000% the key to all this. Sports cannot resume until there exists a way to test and get accurate results within 5-15 minutes. And test multiple, multiple times. Once this occurs, you're going to start to see a lot of things open up and that includes sports.

I think there may be a 'grey area' period, pre-vaccine but testing is more rapid. At that point it's a numbers game - individual sports like tennis and golf may not be that far away already (still many challenges, including travel).

Basketball is the easiest numbers wise and quick ramp up to a quality product (though their early testing results indicate other reasons for concern). Full hockey, baseball, and football are a much bigger challenge. Increasing participants also means more support staff; even their venues require more people to operate (compared to a gymnasium with sufficient size/space for good camera angles).

I don't think there is going to be an obvious moment in time where there is a green light for all sports to go ahead. I think it will be fairly staggered, with each sport having to make significant adjustments (and learn from each others' experiments).


In terms of regular seasons for each league, I also wonder how the feasibility of the minor leagues (nearly entirely gate driven) will factor in. Mainly affects hockey and baseball...

[Jordan!]

The Coyotes have furloughed half of their staff through June 30th.

[transplant99]

https://twitter.com/user/status/1248704816093769728

[bigpete]

Maybe if hockey resumes in the summer, they can suit up in these bad boys: