Sidney Crosby slams current NHL playoff format
Going into the 2013-2014 season, the NHL changed its former playoff format when it realigned into a four-division, two-conference system. The most significant change was that instead of the top three divisional teams and two conference wild card spots we see make up the Eastern and Western finals currently, playoffs used to consist of just the top eight teams in the two conferences.
Many fans and players strongly opposed this change and thought the league should return to the 1-8 format it once had. Years later, some notable players still feel the same way.
This is an entirely true statement from Sidney Crosby.
In the old playoff format, each conference would have a round one that consisted of the following:
1st vs 8th
2nd vs 7th
3rd vs 6th
4th vs 5th.
To put this in perspective, the Leafs are currently 2nd in the Atlantic and 3rd in the entire Eastern Conference. If playoffs started today, they would have home-ice advantage against the 3rd place team in the Atlantic, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Lightning is currently 5th in the conference. If the NHL still had its 1-8 system and the playoffs started today, we'd see a Leafs vs Rangers round-one matchup, which would arguably be a more favourable opponent for them.
If that were the case, the Bruins would face the Penguins in round one, which would absolutely be a reward given their outstanding season.
Despite being pretty used to the playoff format now, I don't think the league needed to fix something that wasn't broken. I think the Wild Card system wasn't necessary, and the old playoff format was more enjoyable. That being said, it's unlikely we'll see the playoff format changing anytime soon, but having a name like Crosby speaking about it sure draws attention back to the subject.
| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 4 | 556 ANSWERS Sidney Crosby slams current NHL playoff format Which playoff format do you prefer? | ||
| Current | 19 | 3.4 % |
| Old 1-8 | 537 | 96.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
