Comments on: The Big Question: Is travel really a big factor in the NHL?

By: kibbee2545

kibbee2545 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 02:53:57 +0000

Detroit is complaining about going through 2 time zones especially during playoffs why do these always lose to the San Jose every year. Illitch does not any more money for his pockets Why doesn’t the NHL put the original six back together in one division

By: nhlbruins90

nhlbruins90 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:28:16 +0000

Not to be indelicate, but while those pretty blonde wives look great on your arm, they do get tiresome after awhile. You know what they say about those NHL guys, the hardest part of a road trip is … well, you’ve heard it before.

By: nhlbruins90

nhlbruins90 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:23:39 +0000

Valid point.

By: nhlbruins90

nhlbruins90 — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 00:22:32 +0000

You’re wrong. They’re being paid MILLIONS to play the sport they love.

By: franbotel

franbotel — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:25:17 +0000

its not the players bitching its management. I guess it does not take much for you to start bashing players

By: gbiscottagecheesefatties

gbiscottagecheesefatties — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:16:32 +0000

Flying can have certain effects on players bodies where most in baseball wont notice… Hockey players from all the hitting struggle with keeping swelling down due to all the travel (ask teams like Dallas, MN, blah blah blah)… it is an issue more than you would think.

By: davebabychreturns

davebabychreturns — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 22:15:00 +0000

Every team just wants to win, and when some teams are put at a significant disadvantage you can expect them to make an issue of it. Why would they do any differently?

This has nothing to do with the resources put towards signing these players and keeping them comfortable and healthy – and while I get that it’s a hard pill for us peons to swallow, the simple fact is that the market dictates these players are worth millions of dollars and chartered flights and everything else you’re complaining about. If you don’t like it go to Russia, I guess.

By: comeonnowguys

comeonnowguys — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:58:26 +0000

It’s not just about the travel, it’s about the fanbases. It’s not out of the realm of possiblity for a team like Detroit or Chicago to have to play road playoff games in Los Angeles, San Jose and Vancouver. That’s a lot of 10/9c games.

If you’re trying to grow a fan base, making them stay up till 1 a.m. may not be the best way to go.

Four divisions with divisional playoff openers is the way to go.

By: nhmac

nhmac — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:16:22 +0000

Well said man. Agree with everything.

By: ravenscaps48

ravenscaps48 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 21:10:39 +0000

Pardon me if I’m wrong, but aren’t these guys getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play the sport they love? They get to travel on a PRIVATE plane that’s catered for ANY of their needs. The have maseuses and any accomadations that they want, and they’re complaining about the travel? Try getting a job like most people who have to fly coach in between two fatties trying to get an hour of sleep so they can try to get the next big investor for a company EVERY WEEK, Flying to different parts of the country EVERY WEEK… I don’t want to hear it. I barely clear 38k a year, and these prima donnas are complaining. Wow

By: pastabelly

pastabelly — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 20:39:36 +0000

Well, you really can’t compare baseball to hockey. 81 road games is about only 27 different series and, for the most part, they only fly out once every four days on a road trip. But I agree with you about Detroit’s whining and that they shouldn’t get any special treatment.

By: davebabychreturns

davebabychreturns — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:56:23 +0000

..Is this article seriously based on the assumption that Air Canada’s services come as advertised?

Anyway I would probably agree that matching up with teams in the same time zone is at least as advantageous as matching up with teams with geographical proximity. As a Canucks fan I would much rather be in a division with the other PST Teams than in a division with four teams on Mountain and Central time.

That being said I’d be curious to see if someone could draw any kind of correlation between the amount a team travels and the frequency with which they are able to practice; I know that with the Canucks going halfway across the continent for most of their playoff series an actual practice is usually out of the question, and there are usually at least a few road trips a year like that as well.

By: pastabelly

pastabelly — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 19:12:50 +0000

The travel argument is a red herring. Detroit knows that the cable television deal would be worth a lot more with less late west coast games starting 2-3 hours later.

Teams that travel a lot more than Detroit does have won Stanley Cups. This is all about money and Illitich lining his pockets with more of it.

By: kopy

kopy — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:57:39 +0000

Ask the Wild. They have to go through lengthier-than-normal international security checks incredibly often thanks to their division. They have the longest flights to division opponents, since Vancouver and Alberta aren’t close. Also, they haven’t even played a road game in their own time zone yet this year.

By: jpelle82

jpelle82 — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:45:41 +0000

so annoying…ask baseball players from texas, kc, colorado, or arizona teams what they think about travel and how many more games they play per year. detroit needs to stop whining, its obvious it hasnt hurt them over the past 50 years