NHL 2022-23

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
The season has started again, I have not been at a game live since 2019 for a Colorado Avalanche home game at Ball Arena.

The NHL has a much better streaming deal with Hulu & ESPN+ compared to the NBA. The new TV deal with ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 & TNT proved to pay dividends.

Will it be another Tampa Bay Lightning / Colorado Avalanche year in the NHL?
 

kkfan91

Crab Cakes and Sprint Cars....PA does 1
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
22,811
Points
1,033
Location
PA
No idea how my Flyers are off to a 4-1 start I had no expectations going into the year
 

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
793712C0-11CF-447F-83AE-158632B976B1.jpeg

5,000 seats is better than 0 I guess, haha
 

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
Vegas Golden Knights vs Colorado Avalanche has turned into a rivalry. Why do those geniuses in Vegas start at 7 PM Vegas time and not 7:30??
 

Brentford

Team Owner
Joined
Aug 18, 2016
Messages
3,337
Points
443
Location
SW Missouri
I don't have a favorable work schedule for the NHL. I work nights five days a week, so I haven't found a need to subscribe to ESPN+ to watch games just two nights a week. The Red Wings appear to be decent, but they started off last season fairly well as well. Hopefully they can keep it up this year though. I miss seeing them in the playoffs.
 

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
I don't have a favorable work schedule for the NHL. I work nights five days a week, so I haven't found a need to subscribe to ESPN+ to watch games just two nights a week. The Red Wings appear to be decent, but they started off last season fairly well as well. Hopefully they can keep it up this year though. I miss seeing them in the playoffs.

Better off being a Red Wings & Pistons fan than a Lions fan.
 

Tony_K

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Messages
598
Points
153
Location
Oregon
The Penguins choked last night. I remember the same thing last year when they blew leads they had and ended up losing games they shouldn't.
 

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
As much as everyone clowns on the Arizona Coyotes and their arena situations.

A 5,000 seat college arena is kinda cool?

 

Tony_K

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Messages
598
Points
153
Location
Oregon
Wish I wasn't a Penguins fan. They just keep throwing away possible wins.
 

davidgillilandfan38

Crew Chief
Joined
Sep 5, 2018
Messages
62
Points
78
Pretty excited for the tank in Chicago. When Kane and Toews finally check out at the deadline it will be the first time in a few years I haven't been slightly ashamed to wear my Hawks stuff.
 

FLRacingFan

Team Owner
Joined
Feb 9, 2013
Messages
35,060
Points
1,033
Location
Florida
Anyone hoping they realign again or change up the playoff format to be less division-oriented again soon? It doesn’t help Boston is so good this season but it’s halfway and it feels like it’d take something crazy for the first round not to be Toronto/TB.

Atlantic doesn’t even make much sense for a division with as many Great Lakes teams anyways.
 

kkfan91

Crab Cakes and Sprint Cars....PA does 1
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
22,811
Points
1,033
Location
PA
Anyone hoping they realign again or change up the playoff format to be less division-oriented again soon? It doesn’t help Boston is so good this season but it’s halfway and it feels like it’d take something crazy for the first round not to be Toronto/TB.

Atlantic doesn’t even make much sense for a division with as many Great Lakes teams anyways.
Idk the Flyers are so bad it doesn't matter to me. I might work on a realignment later today if I have a chance.
 

kkfan91

Crab Cakes and Sprint Cars....PA does 1
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
22,811
Points
1,033
Location
PA
Anyone hoping they realign again or change up the playoff format to be less division-oriented again soon? It doesn’t help Boston is so good this season but it’s halfway and it feels like it’d take something crazy for the first round not to be Toronto/TB.

Atlantic doesn’t even make much sense for a division with as many Great Lakes teams anyways.
Ok I did one. I'm not sure if I made it less division oriented or more. Basically I followed the NFL model as it and the NHL are the 2 leagues with 32 teams right now. To do this I made 2 conferences that are not based on geography, I called them the Gretzky Conference and the Howe Conference. Each conference like the NFL is divided into 4 divisions of 4 teams each. In my mind you could still do 8 playoff teams per conference, the 4 division winners and then the next 4 highest ranked teams as wildcards. So I tended to split teams near each other into different conferences, like how in the NFL the Giants and the Jets are in different ones. So for example Rangers and Islanders, Sharks and Ducks are in opposite conferences. No real rhyme or reason to how I decided who went where which I know destroys rivalries, but I'm sure the schedule could make it work. By chance Gretzky teams tend to be further west in the geographic region, and slightly on purpose teams he played on mostly ended up there. So heres how I have it

Gretzky Conference

East

New York Rangers
Boston Bruins
Philadelphia Flyers
Montreal Canadians

South
Tampa Bay Lightning
Dallas Stars
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues

North
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Minnesota Wild

West
Los Angeles Kings
San Jose Sharks
Seattle Kraken
Vancouver Canucks

Howe Conference

East

New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Ottawa Senators
Toronto Maple Leafs

South
Florida Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals
Columbus Blue Jackets

North
Chicago Blackhawks
Detroit Red Wings
Pittsburgh Penguins
Buffalo Sabres

West
Anaheim Ducks
Vegas Golden Knights
Arizona Coyotes
Calgary Flames

So if we look at current NHL Standings as of when I post this the playoff teams be.

Gretzky Howe
1) Bruins 1)Maple Leafs
2) Stars 2)Hurricanes
3) Kings 3)Golden Knights
4) Jets 4)Penguins
5) Rangers 5)Devils
6) Kraken 6)Capitals
7) Lightning 7)Islanders
8) Wild 8)Flames


Interestingly making these changes there is only 1 difference in playoff teams. Mine adds in the Islanders in place of the Oilers. In reality the Islanders have 2 more points then the Oilers but are the first team outside of the Eastern wild card while Oilers are last currently in the West wild card.

So we get basically the same playoffs but more variety NFL style in potential matchups.
 

Brentford

Team Owner
Joined
Aug 18, 2016
Messages
3,337
Points
443
Location
SW Missouri
It looks like I'm late to the party, but I sure hope the Arizona Coyotes have a sell out every single game. Otherwise, I'd feel quite bad for them to not be able to sell 4,600 tickets.
 

kkfan91

Crab Cakes and Sprint Cars....PA does 1
Joined
Jun 13, 2009
Messages
22,811
Points
1,033
Location
PA
Oh yeah hockey happened this year...fix it Flyers
 

Tony_K

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Messages
598
Points
153
Location
Oregon
Will be interesting to see which team makes it all the way and has to play Boston for the Stanley Cup. Not a Bruins fan but can't see them losing now.
 

racingfan7

Formerly AuzGrams
Joined
Sep 18, 2016
Messages
7,636
Points
793
Location
The racetrack.
Boston has looked unbeatable. Historic season. Would be great to see Tampa Bay or Colorado cause havoc on Boston’s year.
 

Brentford

Team Owner
Joined
Aug 18, 2016
Messages
3,337
Points
443
Location
SW Missouri
Work schedule changed, so I didnt get to watch much hockey the last couple of months. But I wonder, will Detroit ever be good again? I miss having a team to root for in the postseason.
 

aunty dive

Team Owner
Contributor
Joined
Mar 17, 2014
Messages
35,130
Points
883
woulda thought you would be a canucks fan. How does someone out west become a Bruins fan?
By having my first minor hockey uniform be the Bruins colors with the big B on the sweater … at the age of 8.

Never been a Canucks fan for reasons far too numerous to mention.
 

Tony_K

Team Owner
Joined
Jul 19, 2020
Messages
598
Points
153
Location
Oregon
It did look like that but another angle showed the Kings player batted it in with his stick. Glad Zach Hyman was able to get back into the game.
 

West

Speedoholic
Joined
Jan 4, 2018
Messages
802
Points
253
Location
Great White North
Top Bottom