Dallas – The NHL’s scheduling format will not change next season, commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday. Western Conference teams such as the Avalanche will continue to see Eastern teams infrequently, and each divisional opponent will play one another eight times.
A vote among the league’s board of governors was taken, and any proposed changes failed to meet a two-thirds majority by one vote, according to Avs media relations director Jean Martineau. Martineau said the Avs voted for a schedule change.
Bettman said the issue will be revisited this summer, and hinted at a possible change beyond 2007-08 – when a three-year agreement that changed the schedule in the first place will expire.
“I made my feelings known that I was comfortable with where it was and I would be comfortable with a certain change,” Bettman said.
That might include trimming by one the number of divisional games. Bettman said there was no support for cutting the number of divisions from six to four, as had been rumored.
YoungStars Game
Avs goalie Peter Budaj allowed nine goals on 27 shots as his Western Conference YoungStars team lost to the East 9-8 at the American Airlines Center. Virtually no defense was played, with some players floating around the red line, taking breakaway passes.
Avs winger Wojtek Wolski had two assists for the West.
Footnotes
The NHL announced Tuesday that Montreal will host the 2009 All-Star Game. Atlanta will host the game next year. … Winning players in tonight’s All-Star Game receive $2,000 apiece, with $1,000 to the losers. … Andy McDonald of Anaheim won the fastest skater competition Tuesday night. Boston’s Zdeno Chara won the hardest slap shot title. Eric Staal and Marian Hossa tied for most accurate shot.
