Starting in the 2023-24 season there will be an in-season tournament in the NBA. There had been talk about this for quite some time and it all finally came together this season. Regardless of what some think, the NHL does not need an in-season regular season tournament.
While some will argue this will grow the game, it will in fact hurt the game. Having an in-season tournament will take away from the most important thing the NHL has, the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
That is what every player in the NHL plays for. The right to win the Stanley Cup. Not some in-season tournament that is meaningless. Yes, you would get some extra cash in your pocket as a player, which sounds great, but if your team misses the playoffs it does not even matter.
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As Brian Burke always says, they only hand out one Stanley Cup at the end of the season. Having an in-season tournament takes away from the importance of the playoffs.
Everyone wants to point to the TV contracts the NFL, NBA, and MLB get. However, those sports do not rely as much on gate revenue as the NHL. That is all you hear, the NHL is a gate-driven league. It is hard enough for fans to show up during a random Tuesday night in December for Arizona and Toronto. Do you think they are going to show up for this? Doubtful.
And by the way, regardless of what some may think, it also diminishes the regular season. Why play 82 games then? Every game matters starting in October anyway. This would not change that fact. As a matter of fact, it makes the regular season less important unless the point structure changes. And under Commissioner Gary Bettman that is not happening.
There is too much competitive balance and the game of hockey is in a good place. That is one thing Bettman has made clear every time he speaks. The competitive balance is the best it has been. Just look at the Stanley Cup Playoffs where anything can happen.
Yes, you always want a bigger TV audience, but the TV audience is shrinking every year in other sports outside the NFL. An in-season tournament will not help that audience.
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Not to mention, a lot of players these days want to play less and not more. Under the NBA in-season tournament only the teams advance would play extra regular season games, but remember the NHL had to adopt a bye week because the Players’ wanted time off in season to recover. This extends the season even more especially if there is another bye week built in.
The NHL and NHLPA can’t even agree on a best-on-best International Tournament format, you think they will agree to this? Not a chance. Not with this Commissioner running things. Hockey has its following and while the rules have been updated and changed along the way, the NHL will not take away from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
And what about injuries and insurance? That is a big reason the NHL does not go to the Olympics because the IIHF won’t insure the NHL contracts if someone gets hurt. Then there is the revenue. How is that being split 50/50 by the parties? Where are the games going to be played?
Just because an in-season tournament is good for one league does not mean it is good for another. Every person knows regardless of what sport they like, the Stanley Cup Playoffs are the best playoffs in all of sports. There is a reason you get your name on the Stanley Cup.
Do not take it away because of some money grab that may or may not work from another league. The NHL has its own special events with outdoor games. The NHL definitely does not need an in-season tournament to justify its existence in the sports world.
The NHL has its audience and they are fine with it. Besides there are other ways to grow the game. But one thing is for sure, under this regime an in-season tournament in the NHL would be out of the question.
