LCS Hockey - A Modest Proposal

A Modest Proposal
by Simon D. Lewis, Correspondent

Do you find yourself losing interest in the NHL season somewhere around the end of November? You know the feeling of ennui of which I speak. It starts when you realize that the two to four teams that are going to dominate the season are already doing so. The five teams that have no chance of any success are mired in their respective cellars. The middle of the pack teams are, well, the middle of the pack.

This feeling is further enhanced when you look at your TV Guide.

"Oh, good," you say. "This week I can watch the Nashville Predators versus the Carolina Hurricanes in front of a crowd of 5,000. Then I can watch the fly carcasses on my window sill slowly dehydrate as the Caps and the Sabres try for another 1-0 result."

Welcome to parity in pro hockey in the 1990s. Welcome to an 82-game season that turns into playoffs in June. Welcome to the NHL marketing phenomenon that has teams changing their uniforms every couple of years just so there's more stuff to sell.

I have an answer. I know it will never be adopted, but I have the solution that will make more of the games throughout the season a hell of a lot more interesting. What hockey should do is adopt the style of football...Association Football that is...soccer.

First you have to add some teams to the NHL. You take the IHL, the AHL and any number of other minor pro leagues and you incorporate them into one big system. Then you divide the teams into three divisions seeded by their quality. That means that the NHL clubs would start in Div. I and the minor pro teams would form Div. II and Div. III. There might be 20 to 25 teams in a division playing each other home and away. That would be your league season.

There would be no inter-divisional play. Instead, just like soccer, teams would vie within their division to finish first, second or third so that they could be promoted to the next division for the following season. Award your Prince of Wales Trophy to the Div. I champs and the Clarence Campbell Bowl to Div. II. The three last place teams would be dropped down a division.

The teams in Div. I would compete to see who would get to play in international club play the next year. Again, the top two or three teams could move on. With any luck you could get the Swedes, Finns, Russians, Czechs, Slovaks, Germans, Swiss, Italian, French, Belarussians etc. to send their club champions into some kind of international club super league.

This plan could have benefits for international championships. Because all leagues would be working in concert, a World Cup could be held every four years without having to be held in September when no one really wants to see hockey.

But let's get back to domestic play for a second. Parallel to the league there could also be a knockout competition played throughout the season. All teams in all three divisions would be thrown in a hat. Pairs would then be drawn. At the end of the first round you would throw the names back in the hat and generate second round pairings. These could be best of three or five series culminating in the last couple of rounds going to best of seven. Award the Stanley Cup to this champion. Imagine the excitement when one of the minor league teams knocks of one of the big NHL clubs!

Can you see how this would make the season more interesting? With only 40 or 50 games, each game would actually be important. As teams advanced in the Stanley Cup knockout tournament they would have to shepherd their resources very carefully to avoid burnout during their crucial, late season efforts. A team might have lost out in the league but still have a chance in the cup. Fans would maintain their interest levels. What if a team had a shot to win both league and cup?

If the team was successful last year, that means they'd also be playing in the International Super League. Combine that with the league and a successful Stanley Cup run and they could wind up playing a lot of games. The reward for success would be more revenue from more games. In the knockout tournament, a lowly minor league team could make some big bucks by hosting a marquee team. They could do even better by beating them and ensuring themselves another gate.

A lot of those minor league teams would find themselves out of the money at the end of the year. For fan interest there would still be divisional promotion and relegation battles. There could also be minor post-season tournaments of the kind that many adult teams play at the end of their seasons.

One last positive thought about this plan. That's sponsorship. There would be lots of opportunities for sponsors to buy into a setup like this. The League, the Cup, and the International League would provide all kinds of windows of opportunity for advertising.

I know, it'll never happen. Guys who have paid $50 million or more for a franchise in the NHL would never take the chance of having their team relegated to Div. II. The NHLPA would only go for it if they got to absorb all those European club players and make sure that salaries could go even higher.

It's a cool concept though. I'd really like to see some mid-season games that mean something.

Thank God the Leafs and the Habs are in the same division this year!