Despite recent fan backlash: NHL unlikely to shorten seasons for a very simple reason
Despite recent backlash from fans, the National Hockey League is unlikely to shorten their seasons.
The length of the National Hockey League's season has been a topic of discussion among fans and the media in recent years, but despite backlash and calls for the calendar to be shortened, it's unlikely to happen, at least not anytime soon.
On Thursday's edition of the Halford & Brough Podcast, the duo discussed if this could be a possibility in the coming years and unfortunately for those who want to see the season start sooner and end sooner, that won't happen and it all comes down to one reason - money.
It's simple. The longer the NHL season is means more games and more money (revenue) for all 32 teams, as well as the league. Back in the spring, it was announced that the National Hockey League had a record season from a profit standpoint, earning over $6 billion USD. It's only going to grow higher on a yearly basis in the seasons to come, so that's another reason why they won't axe the amount of games.
One of the more well-known advocates for changes to the NHL's calendar is Pierre LeBrun of TSN. In a social media post last fall, LeBrun said that the NHL should start their regular season in mid-to-late September and have the Stanley Cup awarded by May 31st.
As I've said many times, shorten camp, start regular season around Sept. 20, award the Cup by May 31." LeBrun said back in 2023.
With the NHL's Collective Barganing Agreement due to expire following the 2025-26 season and if the players feel like change is needed, then it's certainly something that could be brought up, but for now, 82 games and the standard October to June calendar will stay in tact.
| POLL | ||
12 SEPTEMBRE | 110 ANSWERS Despite recent fan backlash: NHL unlikely to shorten seasons for a very simple reason What do you think the NHL should do regarding their schedule/calendar? | ||
| Start in September, hand out Cup by May 31st | 64 | 58.2 % |
| Cut down on the amount of regular season games | 9 | 8.2 % |
| Stay the course | 37 | 33.6 % |
| List of polls | ||
