Oh, I see... I have to admit, I don't think it's such a great idea. Why does every team need to play each other at least once, particularly at the expense of division games? I think there's already a shortage of really good rivalries, so I'd hate to take any of those games away. Also, I'd be really curious to see how it will affect travel, particularly for the western teams. My initial thought is that it would create more travel and more expense, but that may not be the case...
I have to admit I think it makes things interesting when I see a game between two teams that haven't played each other in a couple of years. I don't know if local fans think that way or not though. ... They already play plenty of games, switching to 84 to fill a quota only puts more asterisks in the record books and gives the illusion of inflating the scoring totals.
Of course, I also think much of the issue would be eliminated if the NHL would contract back down to maybe 20 teams, if that. I'm sure that's not a very popular position though. Maybe if they ever get a new commisioner...
