"What if the NHL purposely put a few games on December 24th since nothing else sports wise is on? The last time the NHL had a scheduled Christmas Eve game was back in 1972. Hockey fans would love it, plus sports fans in general would watch anything that was on since there would be no competition. The tweet even kept players in mind by suggesting localized matchups."
"It seems like a great idea, and one that is considerate to player's and team personnel themselves. With the NBA off on Christmas Eve there would be no potential conflict for arenas that host teams in both leagues. Our immediate concern is how it would affect the NHL roster freeze. Then we remembered the roster freeze takes effect on December 20th, so having a game played during the roster freeze is nothing new."
Christmas Eve currently has almost no major North American sporting events, leaving few options for sports fans. A proposal surfaced to schedule NHL games on December 24 with localized matchups to avoid air travel and allow players to remain with family. Suggested matchups include nearby rivals such as the Devils vs Flyers and Rangers vs Islanders. The NBA being off reduces arena conflicts for dual-host cities. The NHL roster freeze begins December 20, so playing during a freeze is not unprecedented. League policy designates Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as dates with no official activity and prohibits team practices.
Read at Puck Prose
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]