The Official NHL 2022-2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs Thread

[Kobalt]

I believe the loser of the Seattle/Colorado series gets Russell Wilson

[Brucie]

Quote: Originally Posted by DrJones

So you stopped watching the playoffs after 1981?

The current playoff format only came into being recently. There was never two rounds of all-division playoffs, leading to conference finals.

And I quit watching hockey around the time Edmonton traded Gretzky to the Kings. I lived in and around Edmonton all during those Stanley Cup years. Once the dynasty was kaput, that was kinda it for me. Hard to go back to eating hamburger after dining on filet mignon for several years. The last playoffs I watched was 1993 because Gretzky was playing. Now I just watch the highlights on NHL YouTube the next day.

EDIT: Actually it was 1994 when Messier (ex-Oiler) won with the Rangers. That was the last year I watched the Stanley Cup playoffs.

[mercalnd]

Quote: Originally Posted by Brucie

There was never two rounds of all-division playoffs, leading to conference finals.

Actually it was precisely that from 1982 to 1993, with the only change being a switch to best of seven for the first round starting in 1987...

https://records.nhl.com/history/playoff-formats

Quote:

1981-82: The first four teams in each division earn playoff berths. In each division, the first-place team opposes the fourth-place team and the second-place team opposes the third-place team in a best-of-five Division Semifinal (DSF) series. In each division, the two winners of the DSF meet in a best-of-seven Division Final (DF). The two DF winners in each conference meet in a best-of-seven Conference Final (CF). In the Prince of Wales Conference, the Adams Division winner opposes the Patrick Division winner; in the Clarence Campbell Conference, the Smythe Division winner opposes the Norris Division winner. The two CF winners meet in a best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final. 1986-87: The Division Semifinals changes from best-of-five to best-of-seven. 1993-94: The NHL’s playoff draw is conference-based rather than division-based. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top eight teams in each of the Eastern and Western Conferences qualifies for the playoffs. The teams that finish in first place in each of the League’s divisions are seeded first and second in each conference’s playoff draw and assured of home-ice advantage in the first two playoff rounds. The remaining teams are seeded based on their regular-season point totals. In each conference, the team seeded #1 plays #8; #2 vs. #7; #3 vs. #6; and #4 vs. #5. All series are best-of-seven with home ice rotating on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis, with the exception of matchups between Central and Pacific Division teams. These matchups are played on a 2-3-2 basis to reduce travel. In a 2-3-2 series, the team with the most points can choose to start the series at home or on the road. The Eastern Conference champion faces the Western Conference champion in the Stanley Cup Final.

[ImTellinTim]

I can appreciate when someone is so confidently wrong

[DrJones]

Quote: Originally Posted by mercalnd

Actually it was precisely that from 1982 to 1993, with the only change being a switch to best of seven for the first round starting in 1987...

Tthe first few years after expansion were like that as well, except worse:

1968-1970: 2 rounds of divisional playoffs, with all the O6 teams in one division and expansion teams in the other, thus leading to mediocre Blues teams getting swept in 3 straight Finals

1971-1974: An improvement, as Chicago was sent to sit at the kids' table, and the division brackets crossed over after the 1st round, (ie, the winner of East 1 vs East 4 faced the winner of West 2 vs West 3 in the 2nd round)

1975: Now 12 teams (out of 18) made the playoffs, and they were seeded 1-12, but it wasn't quite fair, as the top 3 teams from each of the 4 divisions made the postseason, regardless of points. Also, division winners got an automatic 1st round bye, meaning the 9th seeded Canucks received a bye, while 5 teams with better records had to play an extra round.

Now here's where things got weird: the 1st round was best-of-3! So you had scenarios like this:

April 8: Leafs 2, Kings 3 (OT) in Los Angeles
April 10: Kings 3, Leafs 2 (OT) in Toronto
April 11: Leafs 2, Kings 1 in Los Angeles

1976-1979: Same as '75, except teams were directly seeded by point totals (except division winners still received a bye)

1980-1981: With WHA expansion, there were now 16 playoff teams that were seeded by point totals, regardless of division, so these 2 postseasons are the ones Brucie is referring to (though 71-79 are close). This is where I entered the picture, as I have vague memories of a Vancouver/Buffalo series (Tiger Williams tried to kill Scotty Bowman, natch) while getting HNIC updates of Gretzky's Oilers stunning sweep of Montreal!

For the record, I have no problem with a return to a pure 1 vs 16 - using this year's standings, Stars vs Rangers would probably be the marquee matchup, while Toronto would still be playing Tampa - not happening, though.

[bhurst99]

I'm so perplexed that someone would think the playoff format was better when 16 of the 21 teams made the playoffs, or during the post-1967 expansion era when the St. Louis Blues made the Stanley Cup final in three consecutive years and lost every game.

[jeebs9]

This is so wrong. https://twitter.com/BR_OpenIce/statu...vqAuoVjeQ&s=19

[ImTellinTim]

Hope Pavelski is OK. That’s a textbook clean “big” hit in today’s game, and it really sucks that he hit his head on the ice.