Conference system and "unfair adavantage"

[youngbob]

This has appeared a few times in discussions lately, usually because Braehead have an "unfair advantage"

I had a discussion in Glasgow Wetherspoons with Bob The Driver, and we had differing ideas on how to handle that, but with the same intent - to take out that advantage for a team which dominates the "weaker" conference

Bob's idea was to have half of the conference games count towards the league standings, such as the first and third at each venue for each conference pairing - second and fourth would count towards conference standings only

My idea was that games between conferences count for double points

Neither would have any impact on the total number of games played, or the reduction in travel costs which I believe was a big reason for setting up the conference system

Either seems readily workable, anyone have better ideas?

 

[Hynod]

Easiest way is to devalue the overall league winners and place emphasis on the playoffs , like the NA system.

 

[Temme]

Solution 1) Swap Hull and Belfast around.
Solution 2) Ditch the conference system.
Solution 3) Hope another team joins (or one drops out) so that they can't run a conference system.

That's just my opinion of course! :lol:

 

[Skippy]

Solution 2) Ditch the conference system.
Solution 3) Hope another team joins (or one drops out) so that they can't run a conference system.

Would get my vote.

Since the confrence system came in we seem to see the same teams a hell of a lot more regularly Coventry being the most seen as we play them pre-season as well.

 

[James]

I think the so called 'draw' of playing teams closer to you (both standards wise and geographically) is offset very quickly by fatigue in seeing the same teams over and over again and hardly seeing other teams at all. You miss a cross conference game for any reason and you see that team maybe once more. You miss a Coventry game, you are going to see them at least another 10 times. Matching the CC groups almost with the conferences and you compound the matter. I understand the financial logic to cutting down on travel which the conference enables and if it has to happen for the financial stability of the league so be it, I don't like it though and would love it to be scrapped.

 

[StevenBletsoe]

Here's the bare facts.

Braehead in conference (who currently occupy positions 6, 7, 9 & 10)

Played 25 Won 20

That leaves out of conference (who occupy positions 2, 3, 4 & 8)

Played 17 Won 8

Cardiff in conference (based on above information has to be agreed is harder)

Played 26 Won 14

Out of conference

Played 16 Won 10.

Sorry, although the original set up was done with good intentions it is now not fit as a structure. If the two leagues are separated there must be an NHL conference that has end of season championship decider. To say that they win the league based on their ability to compete against the Erhardt conference would be a joke.

 

[youngbob]

Easiest way is to devalue the overall league winners and place emphasis on the playoffs , like the NA system.

I'd love to see the old format, a mini season of 2 groups of 4, which I always thought made more sense, assuming ice time is available to play 3 home games, rather than 1.

Not sure how seriously anyone takes the "best of the losers" game on Sunday morning either.

IF finances allowed, I'd prefer to play all other teams equally in a single league format, but I'd be concerned we could end up with 1 or more teams leaving the league.

 

[KaneDevils]

Its a ridiculous system and needs scrapping. I don't see an argument. Which is rare for me.

 

[Skippy]

Even if the Challenge cup was a random draw it might help with the "Coventry fatigue" syndrome.

 

[Pleximan]

Easy solution would be to simply do away with the overall 10 team league table and just go with the 2 separate conferences.
That way the league champion becomes obsolete and you end up with 2 conference winners.
Then we can see the playoffs as:-

North 1 v South 4
South 1 v North 4
North 2 v South 3
South 2 v North 3

Why not have these series as a best of 3 or even 5?
Same for the Semi - Finals and playoff final with no central venue for a weekend in April.
"Oh no! cry the Panthers fans!"
Look, the playoffs played North American style would have the teams arenas rocking for those series with virtually guaranteed sellouts.
Now to the Challenge Cup, this competition now becomes the 'Cup Final' weekend in Nottingham, same format with 2 Semi Finals on the Saturday and the Challenge Cup Final on the Sunday to another sellout venue with all he razzmatazz but now it's the Challenge Cup Finals weekend perhaps in mid March with no other Elite games on that weekend so the party is not lost.

Back to the Elite League and playoffs, nobody wins an unfair overall league title, now we have 2 conferences going into the playoffs to decide the actual league champion a la North American system which all the players would totally buy into.
Now the Elite League and Challenge Cup competitions move forward for the better.
The best part is that the league fixture schedule doesn't need to change, it's the standings system that does with the 2 competitions becoming much more professional overnight.
This would attract more better imports to the league with the British and Team GB benifitting immensely, in my opinion.

That's my idea.

 

[jimmy snels]

Easy solution would be to simply do away with the overall 10 team league table and just go with the 2 separate conferences.
That way the league champion becomes obsolete and you end up with 2 conference winners.
Then we can see the playoffs as:-

North 1 v South 4
South 1 v North 4
North 2 v South 3
South 2 v North 3

Why not have these series as a best of 3 or even 5?
Same for the Semi - Finals and playoff final with no central venue for a weekend in April.
"Oh no! cry the Panthers fans!"
Look, the playoffs played North American style would have the teams arenas rocking for those series with virtually guaranteed sellouts.
Now to the Challenge Cup, this competition now becomes the 'Cup Final' weekend in Nottingham, same format with 2 Semi Finals on the Saturday and the Challenge Cup Final on the Sunday to another sellout venue with all he razzmatazz but now it's the Challenge Cup Finals weekend perhaps in mid March with no other Elite games on that weekend so the party is not lost.

Back to the Elite League and playoffs, nobody wins an unfair overall league title, now we have 2 conferences going into the playoffs to decide the actual league champion a la North American system which all the players would totally buy into.
Now the Elite League and Challenge Cup competitions move forward for the better.
The best part is that the league fixture schedule doesn't need to change, it's the standings system that does with the 2 competitions becoming much more professional overnight.
This would attract more better imports to the league with the British and Team GB benifitting immensely, in my opinion.

That's my idea.

Thats exactly what i want. Very well described post that by the way!

 

[Pleximan]

We have heard the fantastic news today about 2 Elite teams will qualify for the Champions Hockey League the 1 for the Continental Cup, well with my idea above the 2 teams who get to the playoffs final to fight out a best of 5 series(or 3) would both qualify for the Champions Hockey League znd the team who wins ghe Challenge Cup Finals weekend in Nottingham would qualify for the Continental Cup.

The playoffs series would be weighted with the deciding game in the arena of the higher placed team in the standings.

We will now have a truly competitive and fair league system that would attract top quality imports to even the so called lesser teams. Just my humble thoughts.

 

[Baz-lar]

We have heard the fantastic news today about 2 Elite teams will qualify for the Champions Hockey League the 1 for the Continental Cup, well with my idea above the 2 teams who get to the playoffs final to fight out a best of 5 series(or 3) would both qualify for the Champions Hockey League znd the team who wins ghe Challenge Cup Finals weekend in Nottingham would qualify for the Continental Cup.

The playoffs series would be weighted with the deciding game in the arena of the higher placed team in the standings.

We will now have a truly competitive and fair league system that would attract top quality imports to even the so called lesser teams. Just my humble thoughts.

Pleximan for President!

 

[Ibbz9]

I bounced a few emails back and forth with Ken Taggart last year with a suggestion to improve and freshen up UK hockey.

It was simply to scrap the challenge cup and create a cross league competition, played to EPL import rules. It would mean Elite teams resting guys and forcing them to play brits from the juniors. I believe the competition would be healthy and pretty close. More importantly though, fans will get to see different teams rather than Coventry and Belfast.

It has been suggested before but the stumbling block is the Arena teams. The impression I was given is that they fear that the league could then become unified, under one umbrella but the power teams do not want that.

 

[Finny]

The stumbling block for a cross-league competition has always been the EPL teams.

 

[Devil May Care]

Easy solution would be to simply do away with the overall 10 team league table and just go with the 2 separate conferences.
That way the league champion becomes obsolete and you end up with 2 conference winners.
Then we can see the playoffs as:-

North 1 v South 4
South 1 v North 4
North 2 v South 3
South 2 v North 3

Why not have these series as a best of 3 or even 5?
Same for the Semi - Finals and playoff final with no central venue for a weekend in April.
"Oh no! cry the Panthers fans!"
Look, the playoffs played North American style would have the teams arenas rocking for those series with virtually guaranteed sellouts.
Now to the Challenge Cup, this competition now becomes the 'Cup Final' weekend in Nottingham, same format with 2 Semi Finals on the Saturday and the Challenge Cup Final on the Sunday to another sellout venue with all he razzmatazz but now it's the Challenge Cup Finals weekend perhaps in mid March with no other Elite games on that weekend so the party is not lost.

Back to the Elite League and playoffs, nobody wins an unfair overall league title, now we have 2 conferences going into the playoffs to decide the actual league champion a la North American system which all the players would totally buy into.
Now the Elite League and Challenge Cup competitions move forward for the better.
The best part is that the league fixture schedule doesn't need to change, it's the standings system that does with the 2 competitions becoming much more professional overnight.
This would attract more better imports to the league with the British and Team GB benifitting immensely, in my opinion.

That's my idea.

This is my first post here, but I'm a veteran of 28 years following the Devils. I have to agree with Pleximan, UK hockey must embrace the NHL format. Two conferences with conference winners receiving a pennant. The rest as Pleximan suggests.

 

[Ibbz9]

You're correct Finny. Add Guildford to the list of "power teams" and they were dead against it. Why? I do not know. Financially they would not lose out as if it happened they would be in a Southern Group with Cardiff, Coventry, Notts et al. No further travelling for them than if they had to go to Manchester or Sheffield EPL. The fear is they would be condoning a one league system and suddenly the costs go up with trips to Scotland and Belfast.

 

[Pleximan]

Easy solution would be to simply do away with the overall 10 team league table and just go with the 2 separate conferences.
That way the league champion becomes obsolete and you end up with 2 conference winners.
Then we can see the playoffs as:-

North 1 v South 4
South 1 v North 4
North 2 v South 3
South 2 v North 3

Why not have these series as a best of 3 or even 5?
Same for the Semi - Finals and playoff final with no central venue for a weekend in April.
"Oh no! cry the Panthers fans!"
Look, the playoffs played North American style would have the teams arenas rocking for those series with virtually guaranteed sellouts.
Now to the Challenge Cup, this competition now becomes the 'Cup Final' weekend in Nottingham, same format with 2 Semi Finals on the Saturday and the Challenge Cup Final on the Sunday to another sellout venue with all he razzmatazz but now it's the Challenge Cup Finals weekend perhaps in mid March with no other Elite games on that weekend so the party is not lost.

Back to the Elite League and playoffs, nobody wins an unfair overall league title, now we have 2 conferences going into the playoffs to decide the actual league champion a la North American system which all the players would totally buy into.
Now the Elite League and Challenge Cup competitions move forward for the better.
The best part is that the league fixture schedule doesn't need to change, it's the standings system that does with the 2 competitions becoming much more professional overnight.
This would attract more better imports to the league with the British and Team GB benifitting immensely, in my opinion.

That's my idea.

This is my first post here, but I'm a veteran of 28 years following the Devils. I have to agree with Pleximan, UK hockey must embrace the NHL format. Two conferences with conference winners receiving a pennant. The rest as Pleximan suggests.

Yes that's another benefit, if we were to win our league conference we get to hoist another winners banner into the rafters as happens in North America.

 

[Ibbz9]

The best of 3/5/7 will be unlikely to ever happen as has been well documented. The arena teams cannot afford to rent the arena on the hope of getting a game 5,6 or 7. If a series is over early they would have rented the ice and all the costs associated without income. Plus it is the scheduling of fixtures alongside other events.

I would prefer to see two mini play-off leagues as was back in the Heineken days with the top two from bith groups advancing to the finals weekend. Each club would then know have to get ice for 3 more fixtures.

It does need addressing though as the league winners will not played the same fixtures as teams in the other conference.