November 30

NHL Schedule Changes for 2008

The NHL has approved a scheduling format that will have each team play 24 divisional games, 40 in-conference matchups, 15 games against non-conference teams and three wild card games against out of conference teams.

"Every team will play every other team at least once," commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters after the day's Board of Governors meetings. "And we did it notwithstanding that this is likely to be the third year in a row with record attendance and the fact that divisional games are better attended than any others we did want to be responsive to the fans."

The new schedule, which received the necessary two-thirds majority vote at 26-4 in favour of changing the format, will swing into play next season. The format - which was used prior to the NHL lockout - allows for every team to play every team at least once in a season, but it would still be every other year before a player like Sidney Crosby or Alexander Ovechkin or Stitch favorite Darien Hatcher would play in every building every year.

This year's format - the third season in which it has been used - has each club playing 32 divisional games and 40 games within the conference. The remaining 10 games are inter-conference with five at home against the clubs in a designated division and five on the road against a different designated division.

New NHL Players' Association executive director Paul Kelly met with the league's owners on Thursday, and added that the players preferred going to an 84-game schedule with 24 divisional games, 30 against the rest of the conference and 30 against the other conference. "The reason the players feel this is one; they're tired of seeing the same guys week after week," Kelly explained on Thursday. "(And) two; they believe the fans in their buildings want to see the star players in other teams and they themselves would like to like to see other cities."

I for one have to applad the NHL for making the schedule change and it's a step in the right direction. While it would have been nice if the change would have led to a home-and-home with every team in the NHL, hopefully that will be coming in the next few years. Lets not forget that after the lockout and cancelled season, the league wasn't sure what kind of reaction it would get not only in places like Columbus, Nashville, and Carolina that aren't hockey hotbeds but several of the other established markets. The unbalanced schedule not only gave a chance for some rivalries to develop, which did, but for two more Leafs/Habs, Edmonton/Calgary, Minnesota/Vancouver, and Pittsburgh/Philadelpia games during the season. There are some other changes which hopefully will come, but the league listened to it's fans and made some changes, which can't be said for some of the other Pro leagues.


No Coaches Charged in Kids Hockey Brawl

No criminal charges will be laid against adult hockey coaches for allegedly assaulting each other during a brawl that also involved eight-year-old players in Guelph, Ont. Police said Thursday they came to the decision not to lay charges after speaking to witnesses, investigating the case and reviewing a videotape of the fracas. The officers said the incident would be better handled by the teams' hockey association.

The fight happened during the third period of a game last Friday between the Duffield Devils and Niagara Falls Thunder, two novice AAA teams.

The videotape shows the young players throwing punches at each other. An altercation is also visible on the players' bench that appears to involve parents and coaches. There were allegations that a Niagara Falls coach spat on a rival coach and that both sent many of their players from the bench onto the ice during the fracas.
The Ontario Minor Hockey Association is investigating the incident.

Coaching staff, trainers and two coaches were suspended indefinitely during the investigation, said Richard Ropchan, an official with the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.


Ruutu Mistaken for Robbery Suspect

Chicago Blackhawks forward Tuomo Ruutu was mistakenly arrested this week and detained briefly as a suspect in a robbery attempt in a Chicago suburb, according to authorities. He was released after indulging an officer's request for an autograph.

Bensenville police arrested Ruutu, 24, on Wednesday because he matched the description of a robbery suspect, said Bensenville Village manager James Johnson. "He met the initial description," Johnson said. "This was just an unfortunate coincidence."

Ruutu, dressed in a black team sweatsuit and black cap, told police he was out for a short jog after team practice at Edge Ice Arena, Johnson said.

Authorities said an armed man, wearing a black jacket, black pants and black hat had entered an apartment complex near the arena before noon and demanded cash from the office manager. After the man discovered the manager and office safe didn't have any money, he fled on foot.

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