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From: rick@ucla-cs.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey
Subject: NHL Playoff format
Message-ID: <4856@ucla-cs.ARPA>
Date: Wed, 17-Apr-85 14:52:53 EST
Article-I.D.: ucla-cs.4856
Posted: Wed Apr 17 14:52:53 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 18-Apr-85 17:29:51 EST
Distribution: na
Organization: UCLA Computer Science Department
Lines: 50

<<< 2 minutes for high sticking >>>

I think it is clear that the NHL playoffs are not very good. 80 games to
eliminate 5 teams makes the regular season meaningless. There is not enough
incentive to work hard to finish first when all you are guaranteed is an
extra game in the first round of the playoffs. Here are some suggestions
I've heard recently to improve the playoffs:
   1) give the first place overall team an extra draft pick at the end of
      the first round.
   2) reduce the number of teams to 12, with the divisional winners getting
      a first round bye. Trouble with this is that the teams getting a bye
      lose money by not playing games.
   3) go back to pitting teams by overall standing. 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15,
      etc. Trouble with this is that the teams play an unbalanced schedule
      and divisional play would skew things.
   4) take the top three teams from each division, and the next 4 overall
      teams.
   5) emphasize conference play rather than divisional, similar to the NBA.

And here is my suggestion. Emphasize conference play during the regular
season by playing 3 games against teams outside your conference, 4 (5?)
games against teams from your conference but in the other division, and
the rest of your games against teams in your division. 14 teams make the
playoffs, the best seven from each conference. The conference winners get
a bye in the first round (that's two teams). The other 6 teams in each
conference are paired by final points, 1 vs 6, 2 vs 5, etc. The pairings
for the rest of the conference playoffs are similar (best vs worst from
regular season). Then the conference champions play for the Stanley Cup.
Who would get the home ice advantage in the finals? Well, the current
system of the conference with the best record against the other is kind
of stupid. But with an unbalanced schedule you can't go by overall points.
I would go by the head-to-head record of the two teams involved. Ties
broken by total regular season points. Further ties by conference vs
conference play. With this setup the playoffs this year would have been:

	Wales				Campbell
	=====				========
	Philadelphia - bye		Edmonton - bye
	Washington - Boston		Winnipeg - Detroit
	Montreal - Islanders		Calgary - Los Angeles
	Quebec - Buffalo		St. Louis - Chicago

	
-- 

			       Rick Gillespie
				  rick@ucla-cs
				  ...!{cepu|ihnp4|sdcrdcf|ucbvax}!ucla-cs!rick

	"She turned me into a newt! . . . I got better."