The National Hockey League is considering the possibility of revamping its schedule to promote rivalries between geographic rivals, which would reduce travel and generate much more money, reports Sporty Thursday.
Team owners have reportedly had many discussions about this over the past few months, again according to Sporty. The calendar overhaul was not on the agenda at the last governors’ meeting in Florida, but chief executives discussed it last month in Toronto.
For example, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers meet only three times per season, but under the new schedule, there could be six or eight meetings between the two teams per year. Unsurprisingly, these matches generate much more interest.
At present, each club plays its association rivals at least three times (divisional rivals can play each other up to four times) and plays two games (one home and one away ) against the teams of the other association.
From 2005-06 to 2007-08, the Canadiens, for example, faced division rivals eight times and Eastern Conference rivals four times. They played their remaining ten games against teams from the West, but did not play all five clubs in one division in rotation each year.