As the hockey world continues to anticipate the upcoming season and reflect on the last, Raphael Caron writes how the NHL's playoff format is solid the way it is.
Although most fans consider the off-season to be the dullest time in the hockey cycle, it’s a great time of the year to not only look ahead but also to look back at the highlights from last season. A big period for all hockey fans to look back on is the Stanley Cup playoffs, which is considered to be the peak of entertainment in the sport.
However, it’s easy to look back in frustration when your team lost early or didn’t make it at all. This makes it a convenient time to spark the discussion on whether or not the current playoff format works.
Ten years ago, the league launched a new playoff format. Before 2013-14, it was a two-conference system with three divisions each. The top team from each division was guaranteed a playoff spot, and the five other spots left were up for grabs. Now, the league operates with a four-division, two-conference system. The top three teams in each of the four divisions make the playoffs, with the two best remaining teams in the conference fighting it out for the last two spots.
In February, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made it clear this playoff format is here to stay. While some criticize this move, the past off-season was just an example of why the commissioner is right to say this.
Yes, the Stanley Cup final matchup may have ended more quickly than many would’ve liked. But it’s the journey both these teams embarked on that reminds us why the playoffs are the most exciting time of the year.
One objective the NHL has had over the past few years has been to make hockey more marketable for the masses. The two new expansion teams aided with that, but more needs to be done. If we look at the NFL, another one of the big four leagues in North America, they excel at marketing their best players and creating storylines. Whether it be player versus player or rivals going up against one another, they find ways to generate hype.
The NHL knows it needs to follow in those footsteps to not fall behind in the game. Tightening the conferences by splitting them each into two divisions was a good starting point. It’s a good way to force the same teams to fight each other many years at a time and create rivalries that weren’t there before. A good example comes with the recent Oilers and Kings playoff matchups, which have generated hype every night and made it a pleasant viewing experience for fans. In other words, it generates storylines.
These storylines are what help the viewership grow. This off-season, we saw a notable storyline with the Florida Panthers. As an underdog and the last-placed seed in the playoffs, not only did they come back from a 3-1 deficit to defeat a historical Boston Bruins team, but they also followed it up by beating the second and fourth-ranked teams in the league. Impressive and quite a story to tell.
And for those that think this is a fluke, it isn’t. It hasn’t just happened this season. Look at the Montreal Canadiens, who came back from a 3-1 deficit against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2021 post-season to eventually make it to the Cup final. Also look at the 2017 Nashville Predators, who swept the Chicago Blackhawks and took out the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks.
Those are just a few examples since the new format was implemented. While the same types of storylines could’ve happened regardless of the playoff format, the difference is that the current format has helped create new rivalries and rejuvenate old ones.
Although we haven’t seen it in the past few playoffs, one of the most noticeable rivalries happens to be the Maple Leafs and Bruins’. Ever since they played in the famous game seven in 2013, their history 一 although one-sided 一 has been rich. Since then, fans have hoped to see them play each other in the playoffs. With this divisional playoff format, this is now more possible than before.
So for all the hockey fans who advocate against the system, it doesn't entirely ruin the experience or even change the game on the ice 一 it just shapes it differently and promotes rivalries and storylines.