Could the Montreal Canadiens survive a March Madness Stanley Cup run?
By Omar L
If the NHL decided to go for a March Madness-style to award the Stanley Cup, the Montreal Canadiens would be on an uphill battle to the top.
The NHL has made it clear that they want to award a team with the Stanley Cup and have a champion for the 2019-20 season. The idea of a 24-team playoff format, which would include the Montreal Canadiens and Chicago Blackhawks to generate more revenue, has been floated around. On the other hand, the players have leaned on the path of having the regular-season finish in July to have the playoffs take place in August and September. But what if there isn’t time for either?
The Stanley Cup proudly has the reputation of being the hardest championship to win in professional sports. The game of hockey, in many respects, has a lot of mental and physical taxes that come with it, especially when the series decides to go the distance. However, a tournament like the Stanley Cup takes time, and with a possible return being in need of some sort of shortening, time isn’t what the NHL has.
What if the NHL went an entirely different route?
March Madness is a massive tournament in the United States where millions of people tune in to watch college basketball players attain greatness. Unfortunately, this year’s tournament was cancelled, and it won’t be until next year where fans can get their fix. So let’s have some fun with this idea: What if the NHL chose to have their championship playout similar to March Madness?
The intensity of the Stanley Cup Playoffs would surely be ramped up to a new level. Instead of best-of-seven series’, each game would be a single game elimination. Win and you stay in, lose, and you’re out of there.
A format such as this would hold the playoffs to at the most a month and allow a champion to be declared quickly. Sure, fans may place an asterisk next to the 2020 Stanley Cup Champion’s name, but it would be an exciting battle for the team who made it all the way.