NHL Sticks with Crappy Sked

Being a Sidney fan in Vancouver is hard to do when the Penguins only come to Vancouver once every THREE FRICKIN' YEARS!!

Despite the numerous complaints and utter stupidity of the current sked (No, really, I love seeing the Flames 37 times a season), it looks like we'll be stuck with it for at least another season.

The NHL's unbalanced schedule is sticking around, at least for one more season.

During a five-hour meeting Tuesday in Toronto the league's 30 general managers debated the pros and cons but couldn't come to a consensus on how the 82-game slate should be comprised. So, the likely plan is to keep things as they are through the 2007-08 season.

"We're really just beginning the second year of what's set up as a three-year cycle, and I think I would prefer to see how it unfolds over a longer time period," Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey said. "And if there's really drastic inequities one way or another then that can be looked at with a little more background and little more evidence."

The debate rages on and will continue at the NHL Board of Governors meeting next month in Palm Beach, Fla. The GMs will get together again from Feb. 18-21 in Naples, Fla.

"I'm not convinced we've heard the last of it," Toronto's John Ferguson said.

The NHL schedule took up most of the discussion, which is not surprising considering the differing views on it.

The new format was introduced last year after the league emerged from the lockout.

Each club plays eight games against divisional rivals (32 in total), four against the 10 non-division clubs in its conference (40 in total) and only 10 games against teams from the other conference, five at home and five on the road.

It appears that will be the case again next season.

Some fans and team officials, particularly in the Western Conference, would like to guarantee annual visits by the likes of young stars such as Washington's Alexander Ovechkin or Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby or top-drawing teams like the New York Rangers, Canadiens or Maple Leafs.

If the NHL really wants to market its stars, having them play in the arenas of one half of the league once every 3 seasons is a pretty poor start.