A few days late in reporting, but I didn't want it to get buried under my must read Golden Points!!
The weekend started with news that the NHLPA rejected the new alignment that was proposed earlier in the season. They sited unanswered questions regarding the extra travel for some teams (boo hoo) and the uneven number of teams in each conference, making it easier for teams in the 7 team conferences to make the playoffs. Instead the current format will still be in place for the 2012-2013 season (and yes, Winnipeg will still be in the Southwest division of the Eastern conference... makes sense).
I was shocked when I heard this. When this plan was first released, it seemed like a majority of the people had a positive reaction about it. I know fans in the midwest were particularly happy because they'd be playing against more Midwestern teams and not the west coast.
I'm also very nervous now. The CBA is up after this season and the NHL absolutely cannot afford to have another lockout. Granted I'm not going anywhere, but the casual sports fan who has started to watch more hockey will be scared away for good. Although this isn't part of the actual CBA negotiations, this is not a good start. If this is any indication of how the talks will go this summer, I'm nervous. The players association has pissed off the owners with this rejections and I'm sure the owners won't forget this.
Keep your fingers crossed and let's just enjoy the rest of the 2011-2012 season while we can.
No comments:
Post a Comment