1337 wrote:I agree that in order to beat the best, you have to play the best. However, I do feel it is going to be tough to schedule additional games, and yet I don't see them wanting to drop other games in favor of east/west games. There has to be a way to work it all out.
Even though I know it would go over like poop in a punchbowl, I was also going to suggest dividing hockey into a form of Class A and Class B, much like most of the other sports do. Here's what I would do:
1. Take the teams that are in the state tournament this year, and call them, let's say, Division I. All the other teams would be Division II.
2. Next season, the teams would play teams in their own division twice, for a total of 14 games. That would still leave room for 5-6 (or however many) other games.
3. Conduct two separate state tournaments next year, one for each division. At the end of those tournaments, the two teams that were the first to be eliminated in Div. I would drop to Div. II, and the two teams that finished at the top of Div. II would be promoted to Div. I, much like soccer leagues do the world over.
I know pigs will fly before anything like that might happen, but it's just my two cents worth. If it can generate some good discussion, then all the better.
It again gets back to the idea that if a team wants to get better, it will have to play better teams.