The Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the National Hockey League will have a hard time deciphering the league’s intentions after the Battle of Alberta.
Saturday night was one of the best nights of hockey Canadians got to enjoy. Once the nationally televised battle of Ontario ended between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators, viewers were treated to the battle of Alberta.
The first matchup of the night had a lead change, strong defense, and was decided in overtime. The second, between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, was a passion-filled affair that dissolved into an on ice-brawl.
The idea of the two inter-provincial clashes in one evening was an example of the NHL’s attempt to manufacture rivalries in the league. Unfortunately, they just can’t get out of their own way to let the hostility both brew and settle.
It’s expected that the Toronto Maple Leafs will develop new rivalries and foster established ones. Doing so helps breed interest in casual fans and makes games between the Leafs and teams such as the Boston Bruins must-watch. There are several ways that the league has attempted to create hatred.
Creating Rivalries
The first way this is done is by having the NHL schedule divisional bouts that have teams see each other multiple times in a short span. For example, in October, the Toronto Maple Leafs clashed with the Bruins twice in four days while meeting the Columbus Blue Jackets in between.
This allows for bad blood from one game to spill into the next. This is exactly what happened between the Flames and Oilers who also met twice in four days after having just had a heated battle two and a half weeks prior.
The NHL has also established an awful postseason qualifying system. It values placement in a team’s division ahead of their conference or overall in the league. In order to get into the playoffs, a team must finish in one of the top three divisional slots or be a wildcard.
This might mean that a team with a better final record misses the playoffs because it’s in a tougher division. This could become a reality this season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers trading positions for third in the Atlantic with the other dropping below being a wildcard.
The NHL believes that this is the ideal playoffs matchup creator since it guarantees at least four in-division first-round encounters.
Where the NHL Fails
The problem lies with the way in which the NHL deals with a rivalry once it has blossomed. After resentment bubbled to the surface between Zack Kassian and Matthew Tkachuk the NHL stepped in to try and end the feud.
After the pair tangled, resulting in a two-game suspension for Kassian, George Parros, the head of the department of player safety, announced that he would be in attendance for the teams’ follow-up meetings.
Parros and Colin Campbell, the executive vice president and director of hockey operations, also made phone calls to each of the Albertan clubs to help cool things down.
Obviously, the league’s interventions did not contain the players’ emotions or their on-ice actions, evidenced by the goalie fight at the end of Saturday’s second-period bout.
What doesn’t add up is how the NHL changed directions and began working against cultivating the culture of hostility between the two teams out west. If they truly wanted rivalries then they’d be fine with the violence they’ve created.
Mixed Messaging
Overly violent games are an attraction to viewers, but are a concern to the league. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has been steadfast in his denial between the link between hockey concussions and CTE. However, there is no denying that big hits and fights lead to injuries. This is where rivalries become problematic.
Somehow, the NHL wants to create bad blood without spilling any actual blood. Since they wish to develop hard feelings between fans and teams in other cities, they shouldn’t be surprised when players are swept up in the passion as well.
There are solutions to the problem and it begins with being consistent in enforcing rules and suspensions.
When Travis Dermott was the victim of a dangerous hit there were no consequences levied against Kyle Okposo despite similar blindside checks receiving additional discipline.
It would also help if scrums after the whistle were more tightly refereed. While it would be frustrating to see roughing minors handed out at first, players would eventually catch on and keep things from escalating.
Ideally for the NHL, they get their rivalries without things getting too heated between the teams. And ideally, for the Maple Leafs, they beat all their rivals on the scoreboard