Can The Format Be Improved?i

[Bodee]

"Disagree, while yes I've lost interest for the most part with this years Stanley Cup Playoffs."

While I am not criticising the attitude of the above poster, his remark tells me everything that is wrong with the present format.

Is it good that the fans in one of hockey's biggest markets are excluded (admittedly by choice, as I know not all Canucks fans have lost interest.....I know I haven't but it's not the same) after 5 games in round 1?

The same I'm sure will be happening in Boston, Chicago, Detroit and Philadelphia. These are the markets that keep this sport going. I don't want this to come over as an elitist apology, I just think Stanley needs some looking at.

[PlayStation]

Thanks for the playstation viewpoint. Seems you don't know what a rant is since I mentioned once the fact that an 8th place team of 15 teams is mediocre. That does not a rant make. Other than that the OP asked about how to make winning a conference mean something. I made a reasonable proposal based on other major sports leagues models. Your rambling on about your opinion regarding your view of what may or may not be a more competitive division is not only wrong but irrelevant for the proposed model.

BTW San Jose did not finish 1st in their division. Ok you can go back to your playstation now.

[goalie13]

"BTW" 16 teams not 15. Ok you can go back to learning your 1,2,3's.

[goalie13]

Start training camp in September, have 4 games for pre-season, and start first week of October and end in March. Have the playoffs April and May. That way it's June/July/and part of August off)

[Pears]

I've always thought the format should be this:

1 vs 2

3 vs 4

5 vs 6

7 vs 8

That way all the series would be more even.

[Burnsey]

i like the way it is now. At the end of the day only 2 teams make it to the finals and only one of them wins it. No matter what the format is, the road to the cup is a long one and the best teams at the end of the day put forward their best effort and most often than not be rewarded. Every team has a 1/30 chance of winning the cup from day/game 1 of the season. We can't be mad everytime we don't win it, we just have to look forward to the next season which hopefully will bring us another good one.

[bd71]

All this talk about "mediocre" teams making it to the finals is getting carried away. Mediocre teams do not win the Stanley Cup. Doesn't happen. We've all watched the Kings and it's really hard to say that they are anything but elite. They are deep, they can now score, the defence is very solid and they have an outstanding goaltender. They aren't scraping by. They are crushing teams including the Canucks.

In the end the last month is only going to have 4 teams playing. There will always be big markets left out. And at the end of the day the NHL isn't going to be upset having a flagship franchise like the Rangers still playing in late May.

Will those of you saying things like "More and more the SC is becoming less and less meaningful/important." feel the same way if the Canucks win the Stanley Cup? I would argue that the Stanley Cup is even more important now than ever before and the depression is intense this year because the Canucks were as close as they have ever been in the last couple of years.