Does anyone still believe this Stanley Cup deserves an asterisk?

[Coach]

Edmonton’s out, so no asterisk!

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by dino7c

Are players really going to sign up for months of hub cities again so soon...I have my doubts

Edmonton in January lol

I think the players will want their pay cheques, so most would bite the bullet. They would probably need more hub cities though.

Or maybe some cities allow fans and others don't. It's going to get every jurisdiction on the same page by December though.

[powderjunkie]

I've always felt that the cup winner would be fully deserving, but more teams/fanbases than usual will have asterisks for 'what could have been' on their teams.

Originally Posted by DMac

these are the last 5 games of the regular season; and as per the normal, the top [8] teams that have playoff spots secure rest their rosters while the middle of the pack battle for those last playoff spots as if it were the playoffs (and get the heck beaten out of them while doing it, with the reward being to meet a rested top [4] team).

Things have played out pretty silly. If it were the last 5 games of the season, MTL could have gone 5-0 and PIT 0-7 (to get equal gp), and MTL would still be 5 pts behind them.

CHI 6-0 and EDM 0-5 would end with CHI 1 point up...but since EDM managed to at least win one game I'm not sure you could apply that math (or 5-0 & 0-4 still leaves EDM ahead).

Boston's reward for lapping the field this year will probably end up being CAR (the 2nd highest pt% team in the qualifiers after PIT). PHI could have gone 5-0 and BOS 0-4 in the 'last 5 reg season games' and still ended up a higher seed. VGK also could not have overtaken STL or COL over 3 more games, which is probably the more relevant number to use for the round robin teams.


Of course, EDM getting eliminated is absolutely delightful, so I'm good with everything. I generally root for chaos, but this still feels a bit goofy.

[Doctorfever]

Definitely no asterisk. But one thing that might be talked about is maybe some teams winning the play in round might have some momentum, and maybe a slight advantage over their first round opponents.
Of course the opposite side of that argument could be injuries and guys banged up from the play in round.
Will be interesting to see how the first round of playoffs goes.

Also get to see some teams who might claim to be “built for playoffs” playing in the playoffs that never would have got the opportunity had the regular season played out. Chicago and Montreal. I am not saying that either of those teams are built for playoffs, just examples.

[GreenLantern2814]

After watching the quality of the first round, and seeing how effective the bubble has been at preventing Covid spread, no, absolutely not.

A virus brought the world to a screeching halt, and the NHL has figured out a way to play through it in spite of enormous obstacles.

That’s hockey.

This is a real championship.

[Beninho]

Originally Posted by Doctorfever

Definitely no asterisk. But one thing that might be talked about is maybe some teams winning the play in round might have some momentum, and maybe a slight advantage over their first round opponents.
Of course the opposite side of that argument could be injuries and guys banged up from the play in round.
Will be interesting to see how the first round of playoffs goes.

Also get to see some teams who might claim to be “built for playoffs” playing in the playoffs that never would have got the opportunity had the regular season played out. Chicago and Montreal. I am not saying that either of those teams are built for playoffs, just examples.

It’s no different to last year when the Avs had to fight their way into the playoffs gaining momentum and the flames coasted.

[Doctorfever]

Originally Posted by Beninho

It’s no different to last year when the Avs had to fight their way into the playoffs gaining momentum and the flames coasted.

Exactly. So advantage could be to all the teams to win the play in round.

But really, there isn’t many real upsets nowadays. With the parity of the league, most series wins / losses won’t be considered major upsets.

Although most experts didn’t pick Montreal over Pittsburgh, it was talked about a lot that Price could steal the series before it began

[ForeverFlameFan]

Sure, it can have an asterisk as one of the toughest to get, assuming a team could potentially win it with 19 wins.

[McG]

I’ve become accustomed to the empty arenas. They remind me of hockey world championships in far off European places where cars have the best seats in the stands with many empty seats.

Hmmmm...not sure why oilers didn’t play better then as that team has a lot of experience playing in world championships instead of playoffs.

[Scroopy Noopers]

Originally Posted by ForeverFlameFan

Sure, it can have an asterisk as one of the toughest to get, assuming a team could potentially win it with 19 wins.

Ah yes. The Covid 19.

[united]

Of course it deserves an asterisk.

It's the first non-contiguous season in decades which sets it apart from the lockout-shortened years. In the lockout years, everyone knew the number of games in the regular season, and number of teams in the playoffs, before the season began. To have the parameters regarding number of games and qualifying teams change part way through the season is completely different. Add in the lengthy pause, in some cases offering injury reinforcements to certain teams and there is another reason for the asterisk. The removal of home-ice advantage - which is demonstrably larger in the playoffs than regular season - is another reason.

How much weight is put into the asterisk, however, is up to the individual.

[chummer]

Asterisk my ass.

[Northendzone]

I could see maybe an asterisk if a team like Montreal or Chicago wins because they would not have qualified in a normal year.

On the flip side, winning maybe harder because you are spending so much time away from home and not seeing your family, of course that is offset by the reduced travel.

At the end of the day winning is hard in almost any league

[bluejays]

I have to say, I hope the qualification round is brought back permanently. It's a money grab but not gimmicky. It was probably an experiment by the NHL to test out, and I thought it actually worked. More money for the NHL, for the players, for the fans - it works out for everyone.

[Samonadreau]

Originally Posted by fleury

I have to say, I hope the qualification round is brought back permanently. It's a money grab but not gimmicky. It was probably an experiment by the NHL to test out, and I thought it actually worked. More money for the NHL, for the players, for the fans - it works out for everyone.

They would need to do it for just the 8 and 9 seeds imo tho. And make it a best out of 3.

[Enoch Root]

why have an 82 game season if you're going to then have a mini-series to see who gets into the playoffs?

[CalgaryFan1988]

Originally Posted by chummer

Asterisk my ass.

You mean, asterisk my *ss

[bluejays]

Originally Posted by Enoch Root

why have an 82 game season if you're going to then have a mini-series to see who gets into the playoffs?

Fair question. To me, it’s for teams to strive for the top four spots knowing they get a bye. It also may not be officially the playoffs (the qualifier) but it has the same feel (elimination). Don’t for a second think this wasn’t a test. It’s another way of getting gate revenue.

[JohnnyB]

The play in round had great intensity and was more fun to watch than the large majority of games that happen towards the end of the regular season.

[powderjunkie]

Originally Posted by chummer

Asterisk my ass.

Kiss my asterisk.

So I said...kiss my asterisk!



Anyways...76 game season; 7-10 seed single game play-in to keep hockey alive on the Monday and Tuesday between season end and playoff start. Actually make it 4v5 in each division and keep things divisional until final 4. In a year like this the Met and Cen would have great teams miss while lame ones get in, but thems the breaks.


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