A One Time Shot For The North Division
from Damien Cox at The Toronto Star,
Almost certainly, this will be the only time we’ll see this kind of format — barring another pandemic, of course. The NHL didn’t put a team in Seattle to leave that franchise without a natural rival in Vancouver just up the highway, one of many reasons why it seems almost certain this all-Canadian division is a one-time thing.
Finally, imagine the anticipation when the North winner heads south to face the American teams. There’s already plenty of debate over which of the four divisions is the toughest, and which is the weakest. There’s also been some whining from south of the border that members of the Canadian hockey media are behaving as if the 24 American teams don’t even exist, not paying the U.S. clubs enough attention.
You know what? They’re right. Generally speaking, we’re not paying much mind to the other divisions right now. Canadian hockey fans are pretty fixated on the Canadian teams locking horns every night. We’ll wait until the NHL semifinals to see what the American teams have to offer.
These divisions are separate hockey worlds. Really, each one should have its own Hart, Calder, Vezina and Norris trophy winners. There’s no overlap, so how can you possibly compare what Connor McDavid is doing for Edmonton with what Patrick Kane is accomplishing in Chicago? Or contrast Connor Hellebuyck’s play for Winnipeg this season with Tampa’s Andrei Vasilevskiy since they have no opponents in common?
When the smoke clears in the North, there will be a definite Canadian champion, which actually could end up meaning more to many fans than competing for the Cup.
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