Hi, this is Fred Wallace with ” Off the Wire ” proudly sponsored by Pete’s Auto Body.
Pete’s Auto Body; because we care about our community……
Truthfully, I rather like the National Hockey League’s re-jigged divisional format, especially the North Division, or the all-Canadian Division.
While this might be a one-off format at best, the concept in the short term had and has terrific potential.
The two things that make a Canadian citizen feel superior to another Canadian citizen from region to region it’s the weather and hockey.
We could be up to our eyeballs in snow here in Ontario, but we’d be quick to point out how much worse it is in BC, Alberta, Manitoba & Quebec at any given moment.
Same thing with hockey.
There are 3 drawbacks to the all-Canadian Division, 2 of which apply as well to the other 3 NHL pods.
One, time zones. To be fair, hockey is most balanced with an East-West borderline. In Canada, with a 3 hour time difference from Montreal to Vancouver, the negative impact or fatique factor for travel is heightened.
Two, the races for playoff spaces in almost every division were decided relatively early. In the North, barring something unforeseen, in some order it will be Toronto, Winnipeg, Edmonton and Montreal in the post season. And that conclusion was arrived at fairly early.
And the final drawback to the all-Canadian Division that I see, or rather that I DON’T see; that is too many Canadian Division games are blacked out due to regional TV agreements, leaving Canadian hockey fans in the dark.
For Pete’s Auto Body I’m Fred Wallace