2020 Season Return to Action

[glen a richter]

I was reading an article suggesting the NHL season permanently shift months so they can compete with MLB instead of the more popular NBA and NFL. I’m curious how that kind of shift would affect teams in baseball cities. In New York it wouldn’t have a major impact, we have enough people to pack MSG, Yankee Stadium or Citi Field and whatever they name the new Islanders arena all at the same time. What effect would it have on teams like the Blues? Winning the Cup obviously helped a lot but I always saw St Louis as a baseball town first. Would the cardinals pull from the Blues, would the Blues pull from the Cardinals or no effect?

[WaukeeBlues]

I was reading an article suggesting the NHL season permanently shift months so they can compete with MLB instead of the more popular NBA and NFL. I’m curious how that kind of shift would affect teams in baseball cities. In New York it wouldn’t have a major impact, we have enough people to pack MSG, Yankee Stadium or Citi Field and whatever they name the new Islanders arena all at the same time. What effect would it have on teams like the Blues? Winning the Cup obviously helped a lot but I always saw St Louis as a baseball town first. Would the cardinals pull from the Blues, would the Blues pull from the Cardinals or no effect?

Interesting thought but I don't know that it matters really. The NFL only plays once a week for 16 games, half of them away games anyway. I can't think of a single person I know that's a huge NBA fan AND a huge NHL fan. I feel like you're usually one or the other. Plus baseball plays a ton of games so it'd be bad I think for both sports to be competing with one another. I think it's a bad idea.

You mentioned Cardinals overlap: Well what is it like every year when the Blues and Cards overlap? They play at the same time from March- whenever the Blues are done with the playoffs so 2+ months of overlap isn't a small sample size.

[theohall]

The only other Blues-Cards overlap is when the Cardinals make it to the NLCS and/or World Series and play October baseball.

[glen a richter]

I don’t think it’s a fair sample when you compare playoff overlapping with regular season. If the NHL were competing with MLB for regular season attendance it wouldn’t be the same situation. Playoffs should take precedence if you’re a fan of both sports.

Nice weather out for a seemingly meaningless regular season game, how many people are going to the stadium to enjoy a game outdoors and how many people are going to an arena to watch a decidedly winter sport? It may not affect St. Louis as it would other places. I’m thinking Diamondbacks/Coyotes for example. You can also bet your bottom dollar that kind of arrangement would be the end of the Tampa Bay Rays, competing with the Lightning.

[theohall]

When it came to radio broadcasts, regular season baseball regularly took precedence over playoff hockey in St Louis. KMOX would broadcast both. If there were a conflict, hockey was bumped to a lesser strength station. When different networks handled the two, it wasn't an issue.

As to the Tampa Bay Rays, their stadium is antiquated and hardly anyone goes to the games. Been plenty of rumors the past couple of years about the Rays moving somewhere else, because there isn't a good location for a new stadium. Some of the minor league baseball teams in Florida have better attendance than the Rays. Meanwhile, the Lightning are absolutely HUGE down here.

[cprice12]

Maybe the Winter Classic is the season opener?

That has been discussed...or rumored to be possible. Which...I'd be 100% fine with. Kind of a cool way to kick off the season.
But holy hell is it going to be weird to not have hockey in Nov & Dec.

[cprice12]

I'm all for the NHL resuming play, providing it can be done safely and without too many incidents.
And I 100% disagree with thinking the cup champ would be illegitimate this year. That's crazy to me.
This is the healthiest in NHL history that all playoff teams have been heading into the playoffs.
Max Pacioretty said he thinks it will be the most difficult cup to win ever because of that. And that makes a lot of sense.
There were only a handful of games left in the regular season. All of the teams who were going to get in, are in...and a few who probably weren't going to make it, but who cares? If you can't beat those teams, then you don't deserve to advance.
Sure, this playoff format is a bit different out of the gates, but in the end, there will be 16 teams fighting for the cup...just like always. It'll take 16 wins to win it...just like always (not counting the play-in round, which, honestly...is questionable that they are playoff wins, considering it's a "play-in" round...but whatever).
I'd rather the top 4 seeds in each conference have a round robin tournament to determine seeding, than to have them start cold vs teams who just finished winning their play-in rounds. That's like running a race against someone who gets a running start and you're standing still.
This format is strange...but this is a strange time and the league is trying to make it work while being as fair as it can be. If a team had a chance to make the playoffs, no matter how small, they're in there...at least they have a chance in the play-in round.
Hopefully everything works out and things are pretty much safe and without too many incidents. I'm really looking forward to hockey in August.
It'll be something to talk about decades from now in the "remember the time..." conversations that are had.

[glen a richter]

With positive tests coming out in the NHL and MLB, as well as some players opting out of the abridged seasons/postseasons so far (MLB and NBA) I wonder if this whole experiment by all three leagues is going to be short circuited at some point. It's a nice effort, but I just feel like the shoe is going to drop and they're going to decide to sack the whole thing. Imagine if the Blues get to the SCF and half the team tests positive the night before game 7.

[WaukeeBlues]

With positive tests coming out in the NHL and MLB, as well as some players opting out of the abridged seasons/postseasons so far (MLB and NBA) I wonder if this whole experiment by all three leagues is going to be short circuited at some point. It's a nice effort, but I just feel like the shoe is going to drop and they're going to decide to sack the whole thing. Imagine if the Blues get to the SCF and half the team tests positive the night before game 7.

That's precisely my thought.

We're in the middle of round 2 and four guys on the Bruins go down, with two of them being Marchand and Bergeron. What then?

O'Reilly and Petro go down. What then?

Regardless if they're asymptomatic or not if someone is positive they're done for 2 weeks. There's going to be positive tests and guys shuffling in and out of quarantine. This is going to turn into a $hitshow and might, as you say, just get axed. With the rising number of cases it wouldn't shock me.

They would've been better off just gutting it out and playing out the year and the normally scheduled playoffs as is

It's way worse NOW

[glen a richter]

Word is “multiple” Blues tested positive. I’m still hunting for answers as to who it was. Good tactic, get everyone sick now, get immunity and then steamroll the league all the way to to Cup.

Edit: Sounds like 4 players and 1 coach, connected to a visit to a bar. Still no idea who the lucky 5 are.

[theohall]

The only flaw with the immunity thing is getting this thing doesn't guarantee immunity. There are at least 2 cases in Jacksonville where people got it a 2nd time.

[cprice12]

Word is “multiple” Blues tested positive. I’m still hunting for answers as to who it was. Good tactic, get everyone sick now, get immunity and then steamroll the league all the way to to Cup.

Edit: Sounds like 4 players and 1 coach, connected to a visit to a bar. Still no idea who the lucky 5 are.

I heard the coach rumor was false. No coach tested positive.

[gaijin]

From https://www.nhl.com/blues/news/blues-to ... -317384096

Hockey is officially back!

The St. Louis Blues will drop the puck on a three-game round-robin tournament on Aug. 2 when they meet the Colorado Avalanche. In addition, the team will also meet the Vegas Golden Knights on Aug. 6 and the Dallas Stars on Aug. 9 before the Stanley Cup Playoffs officially begin.

The round-robin tournament will determine playoff seeding for the top four teams in the conference. All of the Blues' round robin games will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, which was named the NHL's hub city for the Western Conference. The Eastern Conference will play its games at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto.

While the round-robin games are underway, 16 other teams in will compete in the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, a best-of-5 series to determine the final eight spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Once those teams are determined, a 16-team playoff, each round a best-of-7 series, will begin.

Game times and the broadcast schedule will be announced at a later date. For a complete list of Stanley Cup Qualifier matchups, visit NHL.com.

Blues Round Robin Schedule

Aug. 2 at Colorado Avalanche
Aug. 6 vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Aug. 9 vs. Dallas Stars

Still no word on when actual playoffs will start. I'm glad to have hockey to watch again, but still not completely sold on this whole structure.

[glen a richter]

I’m looking forward to Robb_K’s enthusiasm to carry me through the dog days of August.

[Portland Blues]

I’m looking forward to Robb_K’s enthusiasm to carry me through the dog days of August.

[theohall]

For the 2nd and 6th... can someone pick up the gameday threads? I will be away from home those two days.

[JCShutout]

Hey now, we’ve got a sorta kinda preseason, er... pre-second-season game tomorrow!

[glen a richter]

Hey now, we’ve got a sorta kinda preseason, er... pre-second-season game tomorrow!

Nothing drums up nostalgia like some good old fashioned late July ice hockey!

[theohall]

[JCShutout]

I dont even care if the blues lose this exhibition game and all 3 of the round robins. Seeding doesn’t matter. Just stay healthy and find your game so that game one of the playoffs you are kicking arse.