New Playoff Format

At the NHL General Managers meetings held recently, the main talking point was, rightfully so, about blindside hits and checks targeting the head area. But their was another item brought up. It wasn't talked about with nearly the urgency of the high hits but it was an interesting one nonetheless.

The topic was a change from the current NHL playoff format (the top 8 teams in each conference qualify and play best of seven series' until a winner is decided) to something very close to the popular format used at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (The top teams in each group earn a bye while all the other teams in the tournament play single-elimination games to determine the final entrants in a traditional playoff structure.)

The way that this would work in the NHL is very similar to the current system. The top 7 teams after the regular season would be guaranteed a playoff spot. The eighth spot would be determined by a single elimination play-in tournament between the other teams ranked 8-15 in the conference.

I think its only fair in a debate such as this to list the pros and cons of each format, and then end by influencing your decision by telling you how I think.


The Current NHL Playoff System

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. And there are very few people who would argue that their is very much wrong with the current playoff format. Teams who earn their way into the playoffs could play 4 best-of-seven series before the silver hardware known as Lord Stanley's Cup is handed out.

Cities who's teams make the playoffs are also rewarded. With at least 2 home games in each round, cities of winning teams can see a huge boom to tourism related industries as fans converge on the city for important games.

A seven game series among the best of the best in each conference also adds to the intensity and the importance of the event. Teams can come to hate each other and fans will be far more into the series when your facing the same foe for as much as two weeks straight.

The lone downside many see with the current system is the length of the season. Every team in the league must play 82 games between October and early April. And teams hoping to win the Cup must soldier through 16-28 more games and continue to play well into June. This leaves players and fans with less than 3 months to prepare for the next season and arguably leads to injuries and fatigue among players (i.e. Evgeni Malkin, who over the past calender year has played over 100 games and has been plagued with injuries this year).


The "Olympic"-style Playoff System

I'm not going to hide it any longer. I am all for a playoff system more closely resembling what was seen at the Vancouver Games.

One of the biggest criticisms of this systems is that it would lower the importance of the regular season. "If everyone is allowed in than why does it matter?" Seeding is why it all matters. Being one of the top-7 teams carries the same level of importance as being one of the top-8 teams does under the current system, with the added benefit of the 8-15 ranked teams actually having something to play for after the trade deadline.

The length of the season is something that would need to be addressed. Adding the play-in rounds would add 3 games and at least another week to an already elongated schedule. There are two solutions to these problems. The first is to shorten the regular season to around 76 games. Another would be to make the Conference Quarterfinals and Conference Semifinals best-of-5 games instead of best-of-7.

Even keeping the regular season at 82 games and shortening the first two playoff rounds would be enough to keep the season length roughly the same. This also would not have much of a negative impact on the economies of NHL cities due to a shortening of a couple playoff rounds. Under the current system, there can be anywhere from 60-105 playoff games, with something close to 80 being average. The Olympic style system with a shortened first and second round would see 62-81 playoff games, with an average of 70-72. There are less games and ultimately less revenue, but the money is spread more evenly among all 30 NHL teams.

The main reason I love this system so much is simply the fact that it keeps more people interested in the NHL for longer. The Olympic Games had record numbers of Americans glued to their television, and it would be naive to think that a setup where every team had a chance had nothing to do with it.

The fact that this system effectively changes nothing over the old system other than allowing a couple teams a few more playoff games a a slight redistribution of playoff revenue will likely keep it on the shelf for the foreseeable future, but if it can ever be proven that a shorter regular season followed by a shorter, more intense playoffs can generate a greater interest in hockey and the NHL than this change may just happen.