Two Minutes for Instigating Hockey Blog

'Two Minutes for Instigating' is an exclusive blog to Sportscity. I am a Toronto Maple Leaf fan and will have plenty to say about them, but I will also be commenting on NHL news and rumors, stats, hockey trivia, and numerous rants on the NHL in general.

NHL Coming to Their Senses on At Least One Thing?

Written Mark E on September, 19th 2007 | 0 Comments

Wow!! The NHL is actually considering doing something smart, changing the ridiculous unbalanced schedule that they've been using for the past 3 years. The Board of Governors have decided to meet in November to discuss, and vote on, a new scheduling system that will see each team play every other team at least once. The number of divisional games will be lowered from the 8 times teams play their divisional opponents. Thank you people!

There are only so many times I can handle watching the same 2 teams play over and over again. It was bad enough that I had to watch the Leafs play Boston 8 times last year; they had a tendency to be lumped together in a short span. If I do recall correctly, the Leafs played the Bruins 5 or 6 times with a 5 week span. I was sick of seeing the Senators, 2 pre-season games, then 3 times in the first 4 games. What were they thinking?

I think us fans have to partly thank the Crosby's and Ovechkin's of the NHL for such a change of heart. Under the old/current format Western Conference teams may only see the Penguins or Capitals once in 3 years, and the game may not even be at home. Coaches, GM's, Presidents started lobbying to get these teams into their home buildings more often as they realized the 'young guns' were starting to take over the NHL.

Last year the NHL Board of Governors voted on this same matter, but it failed by one vote. This year it's almost guaranteed to pass, since some have finally realized how poor the current format is. Reducing travel time for Western teams will be a hot topic for most, led by Edmonton who traveled the most last season. The New York area teams love their current travel situation as the 3 teams (Rangers, Islanders, and Devils) can take a bus when they play each other.

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How Long Does it Take to Decide?

Written Mark E on September, 19th 2007 | 0 Comments

Scott Niedermayer! Would you hurry up and decide already whether or not you are going to retire! It's either a 'yes' or a 'no'. For months now we've seen (those of us in the Toronto area or somewhere in Canada, possibly in Anaheim) countless interviews with Niedermayer saying he's not sure what he wants to do and that he doesn't want to rush the decision. Well you've now had at least 3 months with no hockey to mull it over Scotty, never mind the countless months beforehand that you contemplated it, decide something!!!

If your heart isn't into it, retire. If you want to try and win the Stanley Cup again, say you're coming back.

Maybe Niedermayer was inspired by Roger Clemens and Michael Strahan and doesn't want to attend training camp.

I do understand that it's a major decision for him and that he wants to make sure that it's the right decision, but delaying only hurts your team. The indesisiveness of Niedermayer and to a lesser extent, Temmu Selanne (UFA), has handcuffed what the Anaheim Ducks could do with regards to signing free agents or making trades. The Ducks have $6 million tied up in Niedermayer that they may have spent elsewhere during the off-season to improve their team. If Niedermayer told them months ago that he was retiring, would they have matched Edmontons offer sheet to Dustin Penner? Did they lose a good young player because they didn't have the money? Sure the Ducks have now suspended him and that portion of his salary won't count against the cap, but that didn't help them in the summer.

So let's say that Niedermayer decides sometime in October or November that he wants to return. It will take him a while to get into game shape since he won't be going through a normal training camp. He'll be costing his team points that could be valuable towards the end of the season. They are a good enough team without him to make the playoffs, but what if they were a 'bubble' team and missed the playoffs by a couple points? The games that he missed would be huge. Home ice is important as well. Wouldn't that upset players on a team that has busted their butts since training camp? Ask the Houston Astros players from a year or 2 ago when they finished 1 game out of the playoffs after they waited for months for Roger Clemens to decided if he wanted to come back.

Hockey is a team game that takes all members of the team to succeed. Players that put themselves above their team bother me, regardless of who they are.

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