What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
2h ago
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
The NHL could be coming back with a 24-team tournament for the Stanley Cup. It would feature “elite” teams like the Chicago Blackhawks and Montreal Canadiens.
It’s an easy question to ask: Will the champion be looked at as a true Cup champ like the 2019 St. Louis Blues?
I’d much rather the NHL just go to a 16-team tournament like it always has or have the two wild-card spots be decided by a play-in tournament, which would involve 20 teams.
Why teams that were selling at the trade deadline are even welcome in this back-to-work scenario will allow many to diminish the accomplishment of the eventual Cup champs.
But here is the thing: The champs will do what the champions always do. They’ve played well enough to get into the tournament and they’ll have to play well enough to beat all their opponents to win the entire thing, just like every other champ has in the past.
It’s not like the NHL is using a lottery to decide the champions — although I am allowed to change my mind if the Toronto Maple Leafs win the Cup.