Saturday, July 25, 2020
Stanley Cup Playoffs-2020
The
minions in the offices of the National Hockey League have been busy
preparing for hockey. Naturally, there are many factors to consider
when planning the season, but also in planning the post-season from
the 2019-2020 year.
I gathered as much
information as I could, and I will now proceed to lay out the latest
proposal. Mind you, this is all “pie in the sky” stuff. There
have been no locations chosen to play these games, nor dates for the
games. The guidelines for coming in contact with other human beings
are still a bit fuzzy.
The indecision comes as
a result of the Covid 19 virus. At this point in time, we know that
it has affected millions of people around the world, and more than
100 000 Americans have died after being infected by the virus. More
recently, the world has shifted focus to “Black Lives Matter”,
with good reason. Most of us will never forget the video of the
policeman with his knee upon George Floyd's neck. “I can't breath”,
he whispered, to no avail. With three other officers standing nearby,
we watched the life go out of Mr. Floyd.
Here's the playoff
format, if it ever takes place. Note: this could change at any given
moment.
24 teams have qualified
for the playoffs. Players for the other teams have booked their tee
times. There are two conferences: East and West. So far, so good. The
top four teams from each conference will play each other ONCE, in a
round-robin format. This will determine the seeding for the next
round of the playoffs.
The Bruins, the
Lightning, the Capitals, and the Flyers will await the winners of the
games listed below.
The remaing teams (8
from each division), are now paired off to play a best of five
series. Just for fun, I am labelling each series with a letter:
A. Penguins vs
Canadiens
B. Hurricanes vs
Rangers
C. Islanders vs
Panthers
D. Leafs vs Blue
Jackets.
Kris Letang has been
patrolling the blue line for many years for the Penguins. He is not
thrilled with the format. “Everybody is used to a best of seven.
You know how it's structured. You know how it feels. You kind of know
all the scenarios that can go through the best of seven.”
In the West, the Blues,
the Avalanche, the Golden Knights and the Dallas will play each other
once, in round robin play.
Here are the other
matchups for the Western Conference:
A. Oilers vs Hawks
B. Predators vs Coyotes
C. Canucks vs Wild
D. Flames vs Jets
Barry Trotz, the
well-respected coach of the Islanders, likes the format. “It's
going to be fantastic, because you can be in the number 12 spot, and
you have a chance to win the Stanley Cup. There's parity in the
league, and if you hit it right, within 2 months, you can be Stanley
Cup Champions. # 12 in the East? Montreal. # 12 in the West? Chicago.
Your guess is as good
as mine. Wherever, whenever.
# posted by James Hurst @ 8:20 AM 
