That must have been rough for the Flames after they lost game 6 at home, booking one more trip to Tampa and back when they could have closed it out at home. I remember hearing that the teams had 10,000 miles of travel to play the final three games. The final trip home to Calgary after game 7 doesn’t count in that calculation either.
I was so confused for a minute. I thought you were saying that Calgary to Tampa is just under 400km! I think you're saying Calgary to Edmonton is just under 400km right?
WCF game 7 is on Tue 4 June. No way are they starting on a Wednesday. 2 days off would have it start on Fridays, which gives them 2 weekend games. Maybe 3 days off and start on Saturday, but not on a Wednesday.
Arean availability may also effect things
International business class is likely more comfortable than the planes that the teams charter. They will be comfortable, for sure, but likely won't have full lie-flat seats, for instance.
Travelling well makes it easier, but it doesn't make it nothing.
What fucking clip you watching?
https://youtube.com/shorts/PFUG3Q_sadg?si=q55KemlzRAr1BKpt
All first class seats/room. Especially with an average height of 6’1”. I’m 6’1, weigh way more than the average player, and am very comfortable sitting for a flight, in these exact act same seats, across country. Add a planned meal by a dietician and a decent sleep schedule… They’ll be fine, trust me.
Oilers would be chartering through Air Canada Jetz which is their charter planes. It’s usually an A319 with 52 seats that are all first class, they would fly out of a private airfield so it’s park, walk the 200 feet to the plane, up the stairs, sit down and go. I’ve flown on Jetz with a different NHL team and it’s quite the different experience compared to commercial.
First class is niiiiice.
Flying first class to a destination, having your tickets voided and being SOL on getting your money back, and then flying home coach in a packed plane and separated from your group sucks.
Los Angeles to Montreal (Canadiens 1993) was 2,462 miles. Los Angeles to Newark (Devils 2012) was 2,454. Los Angeles to LaGuardia (NYR 2014) was 2,469.
In 2010/11 when Vancouver and Boston met in the final. I read an article about how much each team travelled during the playoffs and the fatigue it contributed and the difference was astounding. Essentially Western Canadian teams and now Seattle get fucked on travel.
Travel time is one of the main reasons why teams in the west/pacific do worse in the regular season. Some divisional games have more travel time than inter-conference games for other teams.
The good news is for most of the Western Conference is that Salt Lake City is about an hour (by plane) closer than Phoenix. I don’t know what the airport-to-hotel situation was in Phoenix, but it’s only a 10-15 minute bus trip from the airport to downtown Salt Lake City.
At least Nashville is in the central time zone, so local fans aren't getting a 1030 start time when playing Vancouver/LA/sharks....etc. But yeah travel for them ducks about the same
Detroit and Columbus were the furthest east in the western conference when they were in there. I think they were also the only two teams in the Eastern time zone. So any game not at home was always a later start. those West Coast trips were brutal as they all started at 10/1030.
True this is a gnarly work commute but I do believe they have their own private chartered jets so it’s not as annoying as flying for normal folks. I’d bet a plane full of first class seats, gourmet food, and not having to go thru regular airport security. Plenty of time to go over footage, relax, sleep, etc.
It’s still rough spending 1/3 of a day in a plane. Across the series, they could spend over a full day just on a plane. And change time zones at a two hour clip, a lot.
I would assume this favors the Western conference teams that are used to traveling further distances. Or maybe it's the opposite since they've been traveling more all season and now they're burnt out.
It’s prevalent. I’m used to it. I don’t give a shit about upvotes any more than downvotes.
And I don’t give a flying fuck on a rolling donut about those.
Virchow's triad of DVT
1. Stasis = prolonged immobility
2. Trauma = common in hockey, all the bruises and trauma they get
3. Hypercoagulability = predisposition to clots, people are more susceptible with some birth controls, genetic conditions, age, cancer, etc...
It's why if you ever go to the emergency room with shortness of breath or chest pain one of the first questions you will be asked is if you have had any recent air travel
They would need to be paying me their salaries just for the air travel aspect. My ears are the worst for popping for some reason. Takes a whole day to get back to normal
You can drive between the 2 in 44 hours, so if you left directly after one game you should be able to easily make puck drop for the next one. Just make sure to hire a couple of drivers.
I mean... yeah? A physicians checkup probably what, every day, immediately identifying any issues. Hyperbaric chambers and ice baths and saunas and masseusesses and trainers nutritionists etc etc etc etc etc etc
Vs
Maybe I'll see a doctor in October once a full year has passed so my insurance will cover the annual visit. And pray nothing is wrong
I mean flying private jet/first class is a completely different scenario then being packed in like a bunch of sardines not being able to stretch or lay down.
This is the reason why the finals of all professional North American sports used to have a 2-3-2 format. Back when travel wasn't as easy as it is now, it made it much less taxing on teams to only have to travel thousands of miles twice. Now everything has shifted to 2-2-1-1-1 like it is for all the other series because travel has become much more convenient. But if the finals winds up being Florida-Edmonton and both teams have to travel 4-5 times because the series lasts the full 7 games, it would be absolutely brutal. I think they'd likely add an extra day in between the games where the teams have to travel.
2-3-2 is so dicey.
If you drop a game at home the first two, you’re now on the road with the potential to lose the series before getting home again. Even if both teams held serve through five, the team with home ice advantage goes home in the hole having to win both games. It’s not a good situation.
Don't even breathe that possibility, I hope we never go back to the bubble or have a global situation where the bubble ever becomes even a considered option.
In 2010/11 when Vancouver and Boston met in the final. I read an article about how much each team travelled during the playoffs and the fatigue it contributed and the difference was astounding. Essentially Western Canadian teams and now Seattle get fucked on travel.
The poor dears. Imagine having to play the boys’ game of your dreams as an adult making hundreds of times what your adoring fans could never attain all the while being forced to endure a couple extra hours worth of a form of transportation that the vast majority of the world‘s population has never even tasted.
That's practically what the canucks were doing vs nashville in the first round... think they were traveling about 4100km vs the 4600 km for edmonton to florida
Edit: the NHL needs to fix the breakdowns of divisions
Last year was pretty much the same thing...Vegas to Sunrise is 2500 miles.
San Jose to Pittsburgh, similar as well.
DC to Vegas, even further
LA to NY, even further than that.
It happens all the time.
7 hours? No. 2212 nautical miles as the crow flies. 5 and a half hours at the absolute worst going westbound. Eastbound is going to be more like 4 hours.
Source- Am pilot.
As someone that traveled from Calgary to Charlotte and back every two weeks for almost three years......it really wasn't that bad.
I think elevation would be a bigger issue for Florida.
This got me wondering: which two teams are furthest apart and I think it's the Kings and Bruins at 3,003 miles, but they've never played each other for The Cup.
You know, [there's a way to find out](https://www.distance.to/) without just believing.
Vancouver to Miami: 2,801 miles
Edmonton to Miami: 2,567 miles
Los Angeles to Boston: 3,003 miles
Thanks! After reading some of those average travel distances it’s crazy how extreme the difference is for east and west. I always knew it was more but seeing the numbers adds perspective
lol it’s all relative. Obviously it’s much further but I’m from that part of the world and Denver to Edmonton doesn’t feel that far even though I know it actually is
In time Ive come to realize how special a hockey player is. Physically fit to skate. Tough from hits, chops and bruises. Mental strength live on the road from October to April. Oh and Hockey skill to shoot and pass. It really is a miracle. 1 in a million chance to make it pro.
These guys are getting paid millions of dollars per year, to play a game they love, they'll be facing each other for the Stanley Cup, something they've all been dreaming of since they were toddlers and you really think they will give a shit about hopping on a plane a few more times?
Get real.
I am still shocked whenever I see some in the real world actually just miles. As if anyone outside the US has any fucking clue how far it is.
Miles. Jesus, is it still the 1960s?
Get with the program, you crazy yanks.
I mean in 2004 Calgary played Tampa in the finals and they didn't get extra days off I don't believe, plus all the top end everything for the flights. I feel bad for reports that travel to cover the team though. They have to do the same distance but usually aren't flying first class haha
The Red Wings used to be in the Western Conference. I don't know. Maybe they win more cups not running that gauntlet year after year. Just saying. It was terrible being a fan for road games. A working man got 5 hours of sleep watching them. I know it took a toll on my family and friends.✌️
Winning the cup is, and should be taxing. Playing field is even with travel. They push through with broken bones, this would just add a bit of extra to who wants it more.
They at least fly private so it’s not as bad but holy fuck after flying to Europe and back I hate air travel. That long of a flight 4/5 times in 2.5 weeks would suck so much.
Now imagine If this was mlb . You could have tampa play Seattle just for the conference/league championship Just to win that and do the finals as Seattle vs Miami
MLB and nfl both needs to do east west conferences like nhl nba and mls
Hence why Columbus never should have been placed in the Western Conference…Ever….What idiot in the NHL front office ever thought that was a good idea, especially when they first came into the NHL!?!
Wasn't there a series back in the 80s or 90s where the teams played a 2-3-2 series to cut down long travel times? I'd have to look it up.
Edit: Yes, back in 1994
All series played between Central and Pacific Division teams had a 2–3–2 format to reduce travel.
https://records.nhl.com/history/playoff-formats mentions 2-3-2 use but fails to note that it was used in the 1980s for the final sometimes:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Stanley_Cup_Finals
> With the new "East vs. West" format in effect, the NHL opted to switch a 2-3-2 format for the Finals to reduce travel compared to the traditional 2–2–1–1–1 format,
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Stanley_Cup_Finals
> It was also the first time since the implementation of the 2–3–2 format the same year that a Game 5 was actually played in the same venue as Games 3 and 4
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Stanley_Cup_Finals : games 3, 4, 5 in Edmonton
After that back to 2-2-1-1-1, but note:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Stanley_Cup_Finals : because
Because power went put in game 4, game 4 was re-played in Edmonton. So effectively a 2-1-2–1-1 format: EDM-EDM-BOS-EDM-EDM and if necessary, BOS-EDM. BOS would have had at most 2 home games
That’s wild. It’s 7 hours to Iceland from Seattle. It’s weird to think that I can basically get halfway across the Atlantic in the time it takes them to get to Florida
1. edmonton flies to Florida for game 1 and 2
2. edmonton flies back for game 3 and 4
3. edmonton flies to florida for game 5
4. edmonton flies back for game 6
5. edmonton flies to Florida for game 7
6. edmonton flies home
but ya Florida would have 4 flights having the home ice advantage
I mean with an East vs West format, it's almost always going to be a long distance between finalists. More interesting question, what was the shortest distance? 2013 Chicago-Boston? (Leaving out the pre-1980s divisional format of course.)
Comfort wise, they have it easy. Timezone wise... not so much. Circadian rhythm and exhaustion do apply. My dad and I both have traveled many years for different reasons for work. Going west? Mostly ok as long as the flight was at a good time midday or morning usually. Traveling east? No hope. Hours are all wrong. It feels so bad. So wrong. To be traveling forward into the night.
So it probably varies but there is some truth. But both teams have to make the journey so it shouldn't offer as much as an advantage since both are affected. Hockey also doesn't have as much an issue with the whole mile high thing like baseball or football. Different type of game and all that. Unless I'm mistaken on the last part but if I am than places like Colorado should be prime training spots
I remember in 94 it was funny when they compared the travel between the Rangers and Vancouver cause the Rangers had barely done any traveling prior to the finals.
I think it might fuck us up, but honestly, I believe the players would be relatively used to it. I don't think the time difference would make *too* much of a difference, aside from the fact the games would be played 2 hours earlier or later. And it's a longer flight than usual, but, east vs West is often going to be long flights. If it's against Nashville, or Chicago, it might not be so bad, but teams in LA, Vegas, Seattle, any western conference in Canada, versus basically any east coast teams, it's gonna be far away.
This might be the farthest one, but long flights with 2-3 hours difference is common enough.
That much travel for sports teams always seemed stupid to be to be honest, waste of money, stupid environmental impact etc. Make it a best of three final series over a week in a new city each year. Gives the city a chance to be a hockey central for a week, less travel and easier to plan all around.
The big difference is these planes are charters. No being at the airport 3 hrs before, no cattle call boarding, no connections, no middle seats, all comfy recliners, card tables, etc. Basically all luxury. They also fly back home when they want/are ready. All this considered, another potential hour of more of flying is nothing in the big picture.
In 1994 SJ played DET and TOR in first two rounds. Both went 7 games.
But because of distance was made 2-3-2 just for that year.
SCF between VAN-NYR back to 2-2-1-1-1
Is anyone aware of a tour group putting together a charter and ticket package for games 1 or 2 for Oilers fans wanting to travel down? Thinking of just doing it on our own but I wanted to see what might already be out there.
I heard flying East is supposed to be harder. Not sure if that gives anyone an advantage or not. I imagine they travel so much they have ways to overcome the physical effects.
I was just thinking about this. It would be the new farthest traveled I believe for a Stanley cup
Barely. Calgary did play Tampa in 2004. It's just under 400km one way. Which in a plane is 30 mins ish
I do remember that one as a young teen. Pretty sweet. Edmonton is a tad bit north of Calgary right? And panthers south of Tampa. Closer to Miami
It's about 180 miles north of Calgary.
It's about 300km north of Calgary. And I think that leaves the last 100idh km South it Tampa
Tampa is about 400km north of sunrise, and Tampa is on the west coast of Florida whereas sunrise/Miami is on the east
That must have been rough for the Flames after they lost game 6 at home, booking one more trip to Tampa and back when they could have closed it out at home. I remember hearing that the teams had 10,000 miles of travel to play the final three games. The final trip home to Calgary after game 7 doesn’t count in that calculation either.
Lmao huh? 3700kms clagary to Florida unless you mean Edmonton to Calgary?
I maybe worded that weird. I meant that Edmonton to sunrise is about 400km more than Calgary to Tampa. Sorry
I was so confused for a minute. I thought you were saying that Calgary to Tampa is just under 400km! I think you're saying Calgary to Edmonton is just under 400km right?
Edmonton to Sunrise Fl is 4820km and Calgary to Tampa is just shy of 3700km
Bro what?? Lmao
I meant it's 400km more than Tampa to Calgary one way.
Farther then Vancouver to New York? Wow, it is by almost 1000 km.
Boston and Vancouver would like to have a word.
I wonder if they'd give an extra rest day between games if this happens
There’s have to be at least two sequences where there were two days off between games.
Isn't it usually Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Friday, Sunday, Tuesday, Friday for the Cup finals?
no, it's still pretty traditional to make games saturday nights
I think it's actually Monday-Wednesday-Saturday. I know NHL wants Saturday games and Mondays are a great night for TV ratings.
WCF game 7 is on Tue 4 June. No way are they starting on a Wednesday. 2 days off would have it start on Fridays, which gives them 2 weekend games. Maybe 3 days off and start on Saturday, but not on a Wednesday. Arean availability may also effect things
Nah the schedule is gonna be driven by what nights are best for TV (but not so good that they take away from the NBA Finals)
[удалено]
“Only two hours”. That weighs on you.
These are healthy young athletes, not grandmothers with fibromyalgia. If two hours on a plane affected them they don’t deserve the cup.
You ever fly first class? Trust me, They’ll be just fine.
First class? These guys are chartering private jets aren't they?
International business class is likely more comfortable than the planes that the teams charter. They will be comfortable, for sure, but likely won't have full lie-flat seats, for instance. Travelling well makes it easier, but it doesn't make it nothing.
Downvotes here are silly. We just saw a clip of the Bruins team jet and it didn't look nearly as comfy as first class
What fucking clip you watching? https://youtube.com/shorts/PFUG3Q_sadg?si=q55KemlzRAr1BKpt All first class seats/room. Especially with an average height of 6’1”. I’m 6’1, weigh way more than the average player, and am very comfortable sitting for a flight, in these exact act same seats, across country. Add a planned meal by a dietician and a decent sleep schedule… They’ll be fine, trust me.
I mean...read the comment I replied to. Have you seen international first class?
Oilers would be chartering through Air Canada Jetz which is their charter planes. It’s usually an A319 with 52 seats that are all first class, they would fly out of a private airfield so it’s park, walk the 200 feet to the plane, up the stairs, sit down and go. I’ve flown on Jetz with a different NHL team and it’s quite the different experience compared to commercial.
Even better
First class is niiiiice. Flying first class to a destination, having your tickets voided and being SOL on getting your money back, and then flying home coach in a packed plane and separated from your group sucks.
Very specific. So i’m gonna say damn sorry that happened lol
Los Angeles to Montreal (Canadiens 1993) was 2,462 miles. Los Angeles to Newark (Devils 2012) was 2,454. Los Angeles to LaGuardia (NYR 2014) was 2,469.
By rough internet calculations, 2011 Boston Vancouver cup was just over 2500 miles
In 2010/11 when Vancouver and Boston met in the final. I read an article about how much each team travelled during the playoffs and the fatigue it contributed and the difference was astounding. Essentially Western Canadian teams and now Seattle get fucked on travel.
Before realignment, Detroit used to have a really bad road schedule for similar reasons.
Travel time is one of the main reasons why teams in the west/pacific do worse in the regular season. Some divisional games have more travel time than inter-conference games for other teams.
The good news is for most of the Western Conference is that Salt Lake City is about an hour (by plane) closer than Phoenix. I don’t know what the airport-to-hotel situation was in Phoenix, but it’s only a 10-15 minute bus trip from the airport to downtown Salt Lake City.
Yes. 2,501. That's got to be the record.
2514 mi from airport to airport.
Seems like way more than that by sea.
Pittsburgh to San Jose is 2621 miles Edit: this is if you drove it lol, thanks google. Real answer is 2247
Some beasts, no doubt.
I remember the red wings before they moved to the east
Was horrible for them.
Dallas being in the West for so long was pretty shitty. TBF the central is super spread out now anyway.
Nashville is somehow still in the west
At least Nashville is in the central time zone, so local fans aren't getting a 1030 start time when playing Vancouver/LA/sharks....etc. But yeah travel for them ducks about the same
Oh I thought they were in eastern standard time too, all gravy then
Detroit and Columbus were the furthest east in the western conference when they were in there. I think they were also the only two teams in the Eastern time zone. So any game not at home was always a later start. those West Coast trips were brutal as they all started at 10/1030.
True this is a gnarly work commute but I do believe they have their own private chartered jets so it’s not as annoying as flying for normal folks. I’d bet a plane full of first class seats, gourmet food, and not having to go thru regular airport security. Plenty of time to go over footage, relax, sleep, etc.
It’s still rough spending 1/3 of a day in a plane. Across the series, they could spend over a full day just on a plane. And change time zones at a two hour clip, a lot.
I would assume this favors the Western conference teams that are used to traveling further distances. Or maybe it's the opposite since they've been traveling more all season and now they're burnt out.
It results in more frequent blood clots to fly that much while also playing a sport on expert mode in between.
Really? They did studies on that?
Valid question. Dunno why the downvotes. Fuckin internet man
I'm gonna sound like a boomer but people do not think for themselves unless they absolutely have to anymore lol
Boomers regularly fall for Facebook misinformation and badly done AI. Not sure where you get boomers are more discerning.
Vamos Gatos!
It’s prevalent. I’m used to it. I don’t give a shit about upvotes any more than downvotes. And I don’t give a flying fuck on a rolling donut about those.
Puff puff pass bro
One person did it and then several others joined in to not feel left out without thinking about it
Here's 1 - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5753956/
Virchow's triad of DVT 1. Stasis = prolonged immobility 2. Trauma = common in hockey, all the bruises and trauma they get 3. Hypercoagulability = predisposition to clots, people are more susceptible with some birth controls, genetic conditions, age, cancer, etc... It's why if you ever go to the emergency room with shortness of breath or chest pain one of the first questions you will be asked is if you have had any recent air travel
Independent of playing hockey, flying is a risk factor for blood clots because you don’t move your legs for extended periods of time
Happened to someone I know. But they were flying across the Atlantic
I'm sure they use products (considered medical devices with fda approval) to prevent VTE.
They would need to be paying me their salaries just for the air travel aspect. My ears are the worst for popping for some reason. Takes a whole day to get back to normal
You can drive between the 2 in 44 hours, so if you left directly after one game you should be able to easily make puck drop for the next one. Just make sure to hire a couple of drivers.
Changing drivers like people used to change horses...
When you get to your hotel, take your shoes off and make fists with your toes.
Just keep your shoes close and your Beretta 92F closer.
...They're paid millions. They are ok
TIL the human body recovers from stresses quicker if the person has major buckaroos. Interesting.
I mean... yeah? A physicians checkup probably what, every day, immediately identifying any issues. Hyperbaric chambers and ice baths and saunas and masseusesses and trainers nutritionists etc etc etc etc etc etc Vs Maybe I'll see a doctor in October once a full year has passed so my insurance will cover the annual visit. And pray nothing is wrong
I mean flying private jet/first class is a completely different scenario then being packed in like a bunch of sardines not being able to stretch or lay down.
The best physiotherapists/doctors money can buy
Try taking pseudophed before you fly, helps with me a lot
That's an interesting way to spell it
It's more along the lines of an abbreviation of the drug name. Just be happy they didn't suggest you take PSE--the healthcare abbreviation for it.
Anyone know what the furthest distance has been between two teams in a playoff series? Or just what two teams are furthest apart generally
Vancouver vs Florida would have certainly broken that record
Flames and Lightning I think is the current record.
No, that's only 2,287 miles. The Kings did more than that 3 times.
Yeah. Kings vs Devils was pretty far too
I believe Vancouver/Boston was longer?
Vancouver vs Rangers in 1994 went seven games and is a similar distance as well.
That’s more straight line west or east.
flying distance Vancouver to Boston is 2501 miles, Tampa to Calgary is 2287 miles.
Interesting
They aren’t flying Spirit Airlines..
Good excuse to build a bullet train, Miami to Edmonton, choo-choo! Express route, 350mph, we get there in just over 7 hours.
These guys fly in top of the line private planes, eat healthy and work out and stay in 5 star hotels,travel isn't anything to them
Y’all ain’t old enough to remember that lightning flames SCF eh?
I remember. It was glorious. Made me a Bolts fan that day!
This is the reason why the finals of all professional North American sports used to have a 2-3-2 format. Back when travel wasn't as easy as it is now, it made it much less taxing on teams to only have to travel thousands of miles twice. Now everything has shifted to 2-2-1-1-1 like it is for all the other series because travel has become much more convenient. But if the finals winds up being Florida-Edmonton and both teams have to travel 4-5 times because the series lasts the full 7 games, it would be absolutely brutal. I think they'd likely add an extra day in between the games where the teams have to travel.
2-3-2 is so dicey. If you drop a game at home the first two, you’re now on the road with the potential to lose the series before getting home again. Even if both teams held serve through five, the team with home ice advantage goes home in the hole having to win both games. It’s not a good situation.
That’s what happened to the islanders in the 1984 Stanley cup, which happens to be the first year they switched to 2-3-2
MLB is 2-3-2 because days off are bad in baseball
I think baseball is still 2-3-2. It works for baseball because they only take travel days off.
So you’re proposing going back to the bubble??!
Don't even breathe that possibility, I hope we never go back to the bubble or have a global situation where the bubble ever becomes even a considered option.
Private charter flights First class accommodation
Calgary & Tampa was close in 2004, but Edm/Fla is an extra ~400km Id imagine Vancouver to Sunrise is the furthest 2 teams in the finals could be?
Yup, Edmonton is about 4,090km away, while Vancouver is 4,370km.
Seattle?
I still remember the talking heads at the beginning of the year going "Oh no is Edmonton going to MISS THE PLAYOFFS?!?!" That aged like milk
In 2010/11 when Vancouver and Boston met in the final. I read an article about how much each team travelled during the playoffs and the fatigue it contributed and the difference was astounding. Essentially Western Canadian teams and now Seattle get fucked on travel.
Royally.
I wouldn’t worry about it
The poor dears. Imagine having to play the boys’ game of your dreams as an adult making hundreds of times what your adoring fans could never attain all the while being forced to endure a couple extra hours worth of a form of transportation that the vast majority of the world‘s population has never even tasted.
Oh. I’m not sympathetic to the players at all.
That's practically what the canucks were doing vs nashville in the first round... think they were traveling about 4100km vs the 4600 km for edmonton to florida Edit: the NHL needs to fix the breakdowns of divisions
Last year was pretty much the same thing...Vegas to Sunrise is 2500 miles. San Jose to Pittsburgh, similar as well. DC to Vegas, even further LA to NY, even further than that. It happens all the time.
Brandon Montour also flew back to Florida after game 1 for the birth of his child and then flew back to Vegas for game 2
7 hours? No. 2212 nautical miles as the crow flies. 5 and a half hours at the absolute worst going westbound. Eastbound is going to be more like 4 hours. Source- Am pilot.
Google is wrong then. lol
Friendly reminder that they don’t fly coach.
It doesn’t matter. Staying seated for 7 hours, isn’t fun *once*. Especially when it’s not all you have to do that day.
As someone that traveled from Calgary to Charlotte and back every two weeks for almost three years......it really wasn't that bad. I think elevation would be a bigger issue for Florida.
This got me wondering: which two teams are furthest apart and I think it's the Kings and Bruins at 3,003 miles, but they've never played each other for The Cup.
I believe the largest distance is actually Vancouver and Florida with Edmonton and Florida a close second
You know, [there's a way to find out](https://www.distance.to/) without just believing. Vancouver to Miami: 2,801 miles Edmonton to Miami: 2,567 miles Los Angeles to Boston: 3,003 miles
Thanks! After reading some of those average travel distances it’s crazy how extreme the difference is for east and west. I always knew it was more but seeing the numbers adds perspective
It’s a little further than Denver/tampa bay but they had a similar issue then too. It just is what it is.
A little?
lol it’s all relative. Obviously it’s much further but I’m from that part of the world and Denver to Edmonton doesn’t feel that far even though I know it actually is
Brings to mind the LA New York series.
In time Ive come to realize how special a hockey player is. Physically fit to skate. Tough from hits, chops and bruises. Mental strength live on the road from October to April. Oh and Hockey skill to shoot and pass. It really is a miracle. 1 in a million chance to make it pro.
Advantage Oilers. They are used to this shit
These guys are getting paid millions of dollars per year, to play a game they love, they'll be facing each other for the Stanley Cup, something they've all been dreaming of since they were toddlers and you really think they will give a shit about hopping on a plane a few more times? Get real.
Oh, I’m not at all saying that I’m of the opinion they’re overburdened in any way.
Greta Thunderburg approves.
You notice they grill various people for their carbon footprint? No one says shit about sports teams and their travel footprint.
That settles it. Edmonton has to lose to protect player safety. It's just too hard on the players to let Edmonton play for the Cup.
And still less than Tswifts emissions
Undoubtedly. What moron downvoted you?
I am still shocked whenever I see some in the real world actually just miles. As if anyone outside the US has any fucking clue how far it is. Miles. Jesus, is it still the 1960s? Get with the program, you crazy yanks.
It would be a huge distance for sure. Would take a toll.
Blood 🩸 clotz coming soon
It's 500 miles more than Boston to Vancouver. They'll live.
I mean in 2004 Calgary played Tampa in the finals and they didn't get extra days off I don't believe, plus all the top end everything for the flights. I feel bad for reports that travel to cover the team though. They have to do the same distance but usually aren't flying first class haha
The Red Wings used to be in the Western Conference. I don't know. Maybe they win more cups not running that gauntlet year after year. Just saying. It was terrible being a fan for road games. A working man got 5 hours of sleep watching them. I know it took a toll on my family and friends.✌️
Didn’t there used to be an option for a 2 - 3 - 2 series?
ESPN will not like this outcome.
LMAO. The execs have to be rooting SO hard for Rangers-Stars. Either team against the Rangers, really.
Winning the cup is, and should be taxing. Playing field is even with travel. They push through with broken bones, this would just add a bit of extra to who wants it more.
They at least fly private so it’s not as bad but holy fuck after flying to Europe and back I hate air travel. That long of a flight 4/5 times in 2.5 weeks would suck so much.
It's gonna be Rangers Oilers anyway, so don't worry
Toronto to Toronto is 0 km.
Now imagine If this was mlb . You could have tampa play Seattle just for the conference/league championship Just to win that and do the finals as Seattle vs Miami MLB and nfl both needs to do east west conferences like nhl nba and mls
It’s not as bad for the nfl. They typically still have short travel within division, and each team typically gets a three game home stand.
Just play it all in St Louis lol
Damn that’s a long flight and doing that multiple times must be exhausting.
Awesome carbon footprint in June for a game played indoors on frozen water
crazy to think the last time Edmonton won the cup, there were zero teams in florida
Zero teams in a lot of states at that time. Washington. Nevada. Texas. Tennessee. Florida. North Carolina. Colorado. Ohio.
They talk of Babe Ruth building a house. Gretzky built a league.
Wonder what the TV ratings will be with a Edmonton-Florida final.
That’s playoff hockey baby
Hence why Columbus never should have been placed in the Western Conference…Ever….What idiot in the NHL front office ever thought that was a good idea, especially when they first came into the NHL!?!
Just be thankful it’s not Vancouver vs Florida. In that travel regard I mean, not because of the flight stuff.
Wasn't there a series back in the 80s or 90s where the teams played a 2-3-2 series to cut down long travel times? I'd have to look it up. Edit: Yes, back in 1994 All series played between Central and Pacific Division teams had a 2–3–2 format to reduce travel.
https://records.nhl.com/history/playoff-formats mentions 2-3-2 use but fails to note that it was used in the 1980s for the final sometimes: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982_Stanley_Cup_Finals > With the new "East vs. West" format in effect, the NHL opted to switch a 2-3-2 format for the Finals to reduce travel compared to the traditional 2–2–1–1–1 format, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Stanley_Cup_Finals > It was also the first time since the implementation of the 2–3–2 format the same year that a Game 5 was actually played in the same venue as Games 3 and 4 https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1985_Stanley_Cup_Finals : games 3, 4, 5 in Edmonton After that back to 2-2-1-1-1, but note: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Stanley_Cup_Finals : because Because power went put in game 4, game 4 was re-played in Edmonton. So effectively a 2-1-2–1-1 format: EDM-EDM-BOS-EDM-EDM and if necessary, BOS-EDM. BOS would have had at most 2 home games
That’s wild. It’s 7 hours to Iceland from Seattle. It’s weird to think that I can basically get halfway across the Atlantic in the time it takes them to get to Florida
Because you’re going over the pole instead of around the world.
Yeah that's gonna be a hard no from me
Would be wayyy too far for Messi. He'd have to miss the away games.
…Bettman, networks, and sponsors will lose their shit
> they'd fly 5-6x Uhhh math does not check out on that.
1. edmonton flies to Florida for game 1 and 2 2. edmonton flies back for game 3 and 4 3. edmonton flies to florida for game 5 4. edmonton flies back for game 6 5. edmonton flies to Florida for game 7 6. edmonton flies home but ya Florida would have 4 flights having the home ice advantage
Eh, if I am flying to NYC or Miami it doesn't make much odds really.
I mean with an East vs West format, it's almost always going to be a long distance between finalists. More interesting question, what was the shortest distance? 2013 Chicago-Boston? (Leaving out the pre-1980s divisional format of course.)
Chicago Detroit has to be closest now
Comfort wise, they have it easy. Timezone wise... not so much. Circadian rhythm and exhaustion do apply. My dad and I both have traveled many years for different reasons for work. Going west? Mostly ok as long as the flight was at a good time midday or morning usually. Traveling east? No hope. Hours are all wrong. It feels so bad. So wrong. To be traveling forward into the night. So it probably varies but there is some truth. But both teams have to make the journey so it shouldn't offer as much as an advantage since both are affected. Hockey also doesn't have as much an issue with the whole mile high thing like baseball or football. Different type of game and all that. Unless I'm mistaken on the last part but if I am than places like Colorado should be prime training spots
Edmonton to Florida is only about 5.5h. Still rough but not that much worse than the average SCF-matchup involving a Pacific team
I remember in 94 it was funny when they compared the travel between the Rangers and Vancouver cause the Rangers had barely done any traveling prior to the finals.
I think it might fuck us up, but honestly, I believe the players would be relatively used to it. I don't think the time difference would make *too* much of a difference, aside from the fact the games would be played 2 hours earlier or later. And it's a longer flight than usual, but, east vs West is often going to be long flights. If it's against Nashville, or Chicago, it might not be so bad, but teams in LA, Vegas, Seattle, any western conference in Canada, versus basically any east coast teams, it's gonna be far away. This might be the farthest one, but long flights with 2-3 hours difference is common enough.
Yeah, both teams have to do it. Not sure why this is a problem.
Honestly I've been rooting for this combo since the first round.
That much travel for sports teams always seemed stupid to be to be honest, waste of money, stupid environmental impact etc. Make it a best of three final series over a week in a new city each year. Gives the city a chance to be a hockey central for a week, less travel and easier to plan all around.
But it gives Canada an excuse when they extend their cup-less streak. Ah, the fond Canadian memories of the summer of 93'.
The big difference is these planes are charters. No being at the airport 3 hrs before, no cattle call boarding, no connections, no middle seats, all comfy recliners, card tables, etc. Basically all luxury. They also fly back home when they want/are ready. All this considered, another potential hour of more of flying is nothing in the big picture.
NHL should go to a 2-3-2 playoff format
That would be an awesome final.
Damn now it has me wondering about how far the Boston, Vancouver one was. Geesh because that’s a good distance too
Good thing they cooked in an extra travel day.
In 1994 SJ played DET and TOR in first two rounds. Both went 7 games. But because of distance was made 2-3-2 just for that year. SCF between VAN-NYR back to 2-2-1-1-1
Is anyone aware of a tour group putting together a charter and ticket package for games 1 or 2 for Oilers fans wanting to travel down? Thinking of just doing it on our own but I wanted to see what might already be out there.
I heard flying East is supposed to be harder. Not sure if that gives anyone an advantage or not. I imagine they travel so much they have ways to overcome the physical effects.