NHL Playoff Structure

I've heard several people comment that everybody in the NHL makes the playoffs. Well, the truth is only about half the teams do actually make the playoffs. While that may seem like a lot compared to other sports, I think that it actually makes the game more exciting in that just about every game during the last month of the season has some kind of playoff implications. For instance, if you look at the standings at this late point in the season, there are only four or five teams in each division that has no real chance of making the playoffs. The other teams are fighting for the playoffs and playoff position, making practically each game important.

Another thing I like about the NHL playoffs, is that each series consists of a best of 7 and not some lame best of 5 like Major League baseball has with their divisional playoffs. In a seven game series, the better team is going to win most of the time as compared to a best of five, where a team can throw a couple of dominant pitchers out there, and win the first two games virtually locking up the series before it even gets started. More than any other sport, the NHL playoffs are an endurance test, and the teams that get to the Stanley Cup Finals have earned their way their. While many people talk about the excitement of March Madness, I look forward to the excitement of NHL playoff hockey, and it's wars.