THN.com Blog: Homesickness will hit Canucks hardest
The Vancouver Canucks can make a good case for having the league's worst travel schedule. (Photo by Andy Devlin/NHLI via
Rory Boylen
2008-07-24 11:42:32
The NHL schedule has been released for about a week now, which I'm sure has given all the coaches a chance to peek at their travels, plan their grievances to the league and devise when they should, maybe, take it easy on the troops.
Which team has the worst slate will always be a point of debate between Western Conference teams situated on or near the Pacific Ocean, but after a little number crunching I’ve found who I think has the worst stretches.
While having to venture great distances wears on teams after a while, it’s not so bad traveling across the continent to spend a week or two hopping and skipping up and/or down the eastern seaboard.
But when teams have to travel across, up, down and all around the Western hemisphere is when their mental focus wanes and is, perhaps, when their playoff aspirations are extinguished.
Twenty-five times next season a team must travel at least 2,000 miles to their next destination with only one full day of rest after its previous contest. Vancouver gets stuck with such a trek four times, while San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles have to face it three times.
Eight other teams will jump that hurdle, with Toronto, Tampa Bay, Boston and Columbus doing it twice each. And say what you will about the Atlantic Division’s schedule, but at least New Jersey and the Islanders don’t escape this mile-high headache.
To me, it seems the Canucks have the most to dread.
After they get comfortable with a six game home stretch, the Canucks go on the road after a game against Toronto on Nov. 15. Between then and when they return to GM Place on Nov. 24, Alain Vigneault’s boys will travel approximately 6,300 miles and play five games in eight nights.
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Not only that, but after the Christmas turkey settles, Vancouver again hops on a jet and flies for nearly 4,500 miles between New Year’s Eve and Jan. 4, playing three games in four nights.
So while I’m sure a couple of bench bosses will air their frustration over the scheduling at some point this season, no one has as bad a run as Vancouver. They have to do a lot of traveling for eight games, all in the first half, which can have a significant impact on their place in the standings.
I’m not of the belief they’ll be in the playoffs in 2009, but if the Canucks are in a good position playoff-wise at the all-star break, I’ll become a big believer in their ability to overcome and finish as one of the West’s crazy eight.
If you want to analyze your team’s schedule, check out this “Super Schedule” composed by our Nashville team blogger, Dirk Hoag.
Rory Boylen is THN.com's web content specialist. His blog appears Thursdays.
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Pedro (Posted 2008-07-26 09:06:07)
Flyerfan....Nothing to be ashamed of that all the basement dwellers try to emulate Philly's rise from the ashes.....They made history in doing so, the biggest point increase from one season to another. As for the Canucks, the only people you will hear crying about the travel is the fans, fans looking for an excuse to deal with their teams fall from the top of the Westenr conference. I don't blame them, but I won't sympathize for them, the small markets, the southern "non-hockey" markets, it is a dog eat dog league and the dog that lays around whimpering won't get it's fair share.
Flyerfan52 (Posted 2008-07-25 23:26:23)
Also, last in league to final four wasn't to shabby. Only a great team with an excellent front end could have done that.
Flyerfan52 (Posted 2008-07-25 23:21:05)
Sorry Sabrix, we're stuck with the Leafs on CBC every Saturday and most of them are home games. The Canucks just signed 6 players. Everyone of them played for the Manitoba Moose last year. Upgrading?
Dave (Posted 2008-07-25 10:21:40)
Instead of using planes or buses, the NHL should send players from city to city via pipes, such as the ones you use in the drive-through for banks. It would really cut down on travel time from city to city.
Sabrix (Posted 2008-07-25 05:01:59)
Hey Flyerfan52, I hope you're a 13 year old kid or something b/c what kind of grown man would dig into other teams so much when his own was the worst in hockey, what...1 year ago? You must've kept pretty quiet then eh?
Nuvaring (Posted 2008-07-24 21:46:32)
Awww, I feel sooo sorry for the Canucks, it is such a shame that they should have to fly all those miles when every other team doesn't have to. If we cry about it enough, the Democrates in America will take action, they can call the NHL before a congressional comittee and ask them why Vancouver has it so hard when every other team is getting off easy. The NHL can impose a indirect flight plan for every NHL team's road games. They can make the Lightning fly to Puerto Rico and back before landing in New Jersey. Then they can send the Leafs to Bermuda, if they make it through the triangle, they can then touch down in Atlanta. This will even the field and impose the inconvience of jet-lag on all the millionare players.
K.D. (Posted 2008-07-24 21:11:24)
Maybe Vancouver should sell the team to Balsille so he can relocate it to Hamilton. That way, they will have less travel time. The biggest drawback is that if Hamilton gets an NHL team Toronto will want one too.
B. Thacker (Posted 2008-07-24 18:44:06)
I agree HawksFan, but the league has been this way for years and that is what makes those West coast swings so brutal on the teams coming from the Central and Eastern time zones. Its the unique location that makes Vancouver special, to dwell on the negative aspect of their location just seems like an excuse to me. Re-alignment should and could happen, seeing that the costs of putting a plane in the air has doubled and when the board of Governors sits down at their next round table, it might be the hot topic.
HawksFan88 (Posted 2008-07-24 18:07:39)
Thacker:
Columbus may be the only team in Detroit's time zone, but the longest flight they have in the WHOLE DIVISION is an hour and 45 minutes. With Vancouver, they have 2 teams in their division that equal flight times of over 3 hours (Colorado and Minnesota). Teams on the west coast have always had it harder than the teams in our divison. I hate it when the Hawks have to do the west coast swing, but I don't complain because they have it FAR worse.
Then all the east-coast slugs just sit there and take the damn bus to every away game. Cheapness.
Flyerfan52 (Posted 2008-07-24 16:26:18)
The Canucks couldn't make the playoffs with that lineup if they had 82 home games. Do the Leafs get a home game every Sat. nite as usual?
CanucksWino (Posted 2008-07-24 14:35:36)
2008 Total Distance Traveled (According to Dirk Hoag's Super Schedule posted above - these could be miles/km, but I think he's using miles):
Oilers: 49,941
Canucks: 51,206
Flames: 53,360
B. Thacker (Posted 2008-07-24 14:34:35)
No excuses Craig.......Detroit is the Eastern-most team in the West and yet they dominated, no matter what time zone they were in when playing 41 road games. BTW there is only one other team in Detroits' division that shares the same time zone, so that excuse is pretty much worthless when Vancouver's divisional opponents and their time zones are mentioned. It is tough all over the league and as I say "only the strong survive" which will be on fine display when Detroit walks all over the West again in 08-09.
Cai (Posted 2008-07-24 14:30:09)
Good column.Anyone who thinks the travel is the same for all the teams is an IDIOT,see:B.Thacker.The Eastern teams have a huge advantage when it comes to travel.To quote Ricky from TPB: It's not rocket appliances!!
ears (Posted 2008-07-24 13:47:30)
What so the rest of the league has to experience the crazy travel schedule like Detroit has had the last few years, whoop ti do.
CanucksWino (Posted 2008-07-24 13:15:55)
I like the Canucks schedule better than Edmonton's and Calgary's.
If I were the Canucks, I would rather have longer road trips, and longer homestands. Last year they had a lot of instances where they'd be on the road for 3 games, home for 1, then back out for 4 games. Some might say that that example looks like shorter road trips, but to me that looks like 8 games in 8 different cities.
Both Edmonton and Calgary actually play more back-to-back games, and more 3-games-in-4-night sets.
I do agree with you about one thing, if the Canucks can make it to December 14th playning winning hockey, they'll be in good shape.
PS: If they get Sundin, you better re-think where you have this team finishing in the West.
Craig (Posted 2008-07-24 13:08:17)
Hey B. Thacker, while I agree no excuses, your logic is crap. None of the other teams make the trip more the 3 times, so your assertion that none of them complain is like saying a Ford tempo is as sturdy as a Volvo if it nver crashes. The challenge for the Canucks is that they are one of only 2 teams without a sinlge opponent in their Divission also in their time zone (Dallas being the other). In fact the Canucks will only play 50 games in thier own time zone, the fewest of any team in the league. Further, Eastern conference teams, except when they come west never leave their time zone, and in the case of the New York Area teams, can sleep in their own beds on the majority of game nights. Like I said it's not an excuse, the Seattle teams face the same challenges and have had a measure of success, but I think you need to be realistic, 41 away games for Vancouver does not mean the same thing as 41 away games for the Rangers or Devils. And rather then leaving town, it would make more sense to shuffle them into the Pacific Division (they are situated on the Pacific Ocean unlike Pheonix or Dallas) and move Dallas to the Central, bumping Columbus to the North West. It would ease the travel for all three teams. This year travel won't matter though, as this team is going to stink worse then a skunk in a pile of s**t.
Josh Plummer (Posted 2008-07-24 12:45:08)
The tough travel schedule is nothing new for the Canucks. Been there, done that. All they gotta do is hit the recline button on those cushy business class seats or start dealing cards for their endless poker tourneys. Good times!
B. Thacker (Posted 2008-07-24 12:33:33)
Already making excuses for the Canucks, the way I see it, is that every team plays 41 at home and 41 on the road, no complaints, no excuses and only the strong will survive. If the geographical situation is that bad for the Canucks, maybe they should petition the NHL to be moved closer to their competition and I really don't hear too many teams crying the blues when they have to make the trek to Vancouver 41 times each year.
Everlast Frohaver (Posted 2008-07-24 12:23:24)
Darn, I thought this would be a story of the Sedin sisters going home to play in Sweeden this next season.
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