Talk:2014 Stanley Cup playoffs

Playoff bracket ideas
I have an idea. How about a new copy of the 16 team bracket be developed with red on the top 8 teams of the first round bracket and blue on the bottom 8 teams of the first round bracket? J4lambert (talk) 20:05, 25 March 2014 (UTC)

Conference Quarterfinals or Division Semifinals? Possibly something else?
One problem with the bracket: They're Conference Quarterfinals and Semis, not Divisional Semis and Finals. Otherwise, you could potentially crown Dallas, currently a wild-card seed, as the Pacific Division winner. I've not seen the term "Conference Quarterfinal" used in any NHL materials (tickets, website, etc.) --173.76.28.202 (talk) 12:23, 12 April 2014 (UTC)
 * This needs to be clarified. I'm seeing both terms - Conference Quarterfinals and Division Semifinals - being used in different places. Of course the obvious source that could settle the dispute, the NHL, is using neither at this time. Even the pages for the individual series don't use those terms. However, the NHL and various NHL teams do use First Round frequently. "First Round" is capitalized here and "Eastern Conference First Round series" is used here. -- Theory: They were originally going to use Division Semifinals/Division Finals, but after the point was made that it didn't make sense for a wildcard team from a different division to possibly end up as the other division's playoff champion the NHL decided to dumb it down and go with "First Round" and "Second Round" instead. After all, the same rational - to make it "easy" for the dumb casual fan - was used to justify geographic division names. --Parkfly3 (talk) 02:34, 14 April 2014 (UTC)
 * I'm seeing several articles from the NHL website referencing "First Round" with capitals as well. Tampabay721 (talk) 03:46, 16 April 2014 (UTC)

Official terminology stays the same (due to the fact, perhaps, that a Division champion could be from a different division, making it nonsensical):

As per http://bracketchallenge.nhl.com/playoff_challenge/pages/show/rules

"''Overview of NHL Playoff Format: At the end of the 2013-2014 NHL regular season, sixteen (16) NHL teams will qualify for the Playoffs – eight (8) teams in the Eastern Conference and eight (8) teams in the Western Conference. For each conference, the top three (3) teams in each Division (there are two Divisions in each conference) with the most regular season points will qualify for the Playoffs (taking into account applicable tiebreakers for teams that are tied in overall points). In addition to these six (6) teams, two (2) additional wild-card teams in each conference with the most regular season points – regardless of division, but again taking into account applicable tiebreakers – will also qualify. The top eight (8) qualifying playoff teams in each Conference are then ranked or “seeded” #1 through #4 as follows. Each Division winner within each Conference will receive a #1 seed. The two (2) Divisions in the Eastern Conference are the Atlantic and Metropolitan Divisions; and the two (2) Divisions in the Western Conference are the Central and Pacific Divisions. After the two (2) Division winners in each Conference (each bearing a #1 seed), the second and third place teams within each Division will receive a #2 seed and #3 seed, respectively. Then the two (2) wild card teams in each Conference receive #4 seeds. So for each Conference, there will be two #1 seeds, two #2 seeds, two #3 seeds and two #4 seeds.

Once the playoff seedings have been determined, the Playoffs will begin. There are four (4) playoff rounds (each, a “Round”). In each Round, playoff teams will play against each other in a Series (i.e., best-of-seven games), with each Series matchup based on seeding as set forth herein. Each Series throughout the Playoffs will feature two NHL playoff teams playing against each other. In each Series, the first NHL team to win four (4) games against the opposing NHL team is the winning team in that Series and will advance to the next Round. The first three Rounds – the Conference Quarterfinals, Conference Semifinals, and Conference Finals - take place within each Conference to determine the Conference champion. The Eastern Conference champion will then play the Western Conference champion in the Stanley Cup Final (i.e., the fourth and final Round of the Playoffs), after which the winning team will be awarded the Stanley Cup as the champion of the 2013-2014 NHL hockey season.''" Jmj713 (talk) 06:19, 16 April 2014 (UTC)
 * "Each Series throughout the Playoffs will feature two NHL playoff teams playing against each other." A blatantly redundant emphasis on the obvious. Why do they use the phrase "NHL team" several times? Some very careful composition here. It would be interesting to hava an explanation. Were they anticipating a challenge from another league? WHPratt (talk) 12:52, 15 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Interesting. I had come across this and switched it to Division Semifinals on a few pages. I'll go ahead and switch them back since that is the league's website. It would be nice if the league would list them like that on the individual series pages they have to completely clear this up. --Parkfly3 (talk) 10:03, 17 April 2014 (UTC)


 * I noticed that the NBC telecasts are currently using "First Round". I agree that it adds to more confusion when even NHL.com is simultaneously using "Conference Quarterfinals" and "First Round" Zzyzx11 (talk) 01:04, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
 * Also, I vaguely remember reading somewhere where the league suddenly stopped using "Division Semifinals", because it added to confusion when they were trying to explain the new playoff structure -- specially when trying to explain that a wild card can "cross over" to the other division's bracket (like the Dallas Stars playing in Pacific Division bracket this season). Zzyzx11 (talk) 01:27, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
 * But the term "First Round" (and so on) isn't anything new. The league and the broadcasters have always been calling the rounds that for short. Jmj713 (talk) 10:45, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
 * http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm is using "First Round" too. Zzyzx11 (talk) 23:40, 20 April 2014 (UTC)
 * The NHL has not been very consistent on what they're calling these playoffs. Based on what they have done this year, I would think a lack of consistency can be expected for next year also. Canuck 89 (chat with me) 00:00, April 21, 2014 (UTC)

AP is also using Conference Semifinals. Jmj713 (talk) 15:13, 7 May 2014 (UTC)


 * Based on what NBC is doing, it is showing games as either 1st Round or 2nd Round, so it would just make sense to use those terms since the other terms are not used consistently and, as evidenced by this discussion, leading to confusion.71.52.43.61 (talk) 02:17, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * NBC is only one voice, and a weak one at that. Walter Görlitz (talk) 04:31, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * NBC is not the only broadcaster of NHL games (unless you are excluding the primary Canadian broadcasters TSN and CBC, in which case this would make it US/NBC -bias. The NHL is a bi-national league). Zzyzx11 (talk) 05:27, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Sorry, I meant the NHL Network, which is handling the round of 16 and round of 8 (first two rounds) just to add another term to the mix. Walter Görlitz (talk) 05:42, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * In any case, I still support retaining the current conventions. With these conflicting sources, there is no immediate need to change it. Zzyzx11 (talk) 06:33, 14 May 2014 (UTC)
 * Heck, in Major League Baseball, they still call one round the "Division Series," though a division's title is almost never at stake in any Division Series (couldn't possibly be in fact, until just recently). WHPratt (talk) 16:57, 21 May 2014 (UTC)


 * http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=714379 uses "First Round" and "Second Round" too. Zzyzx11 (talk) 08:20, 17 June 2014 (UTC)
 * Regarding networks. NBC, CBC and TSN were broadcasting games but in the First Round FOX affaliates broadcast games other than on NHL GameCenter. The GRVO fLigh tning  (talk)	 00:57, 20 June 2014 (UTC)

Should the first and second round names be changed now that even the league's own annual publication is listing first round and second round as the names for the first two rounds? Deadman137 (talk) 00:34, 7 October 2014 (UTC)

RDS
Why does someone keep on deleting the reference to RDS as one of the broadcasters? Every time I add RDS, someone will immediately edit it out. Is there any problem between Wikipedia and its editors and RDS? Jusfiq (talk) 22:15, 5 May 2014 (UTC)
 * The reason mentioned for removal is that since RDS is not a English network it does not belong on the English Wikipedia. I don't think that should be the case here since RDS does air in North America. In the end I don't see removal as proper.--67.70.140.89 (talk) 02:17, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
 * If the game only airs on RDS in Canada, then it should be listed. If it airs on another network, it's not appropriate. Walter Görlitz (talk) 03:03, 7 May 2014 (UTC)
 * RDS is a sister network to TSN (RDS announcers basically dub French over the English-language broadcast). So, all English-language games in Canada air on either CBC or TSN, so all French games will be featured on RDS. To your point above, if we see RDS/TSN or RDS/CBC, RDS relies on the English-language broadcast (basically, the French announcers dub over the English broadcast). Canuck 89 (what's up?) 03:11, May 7, 2014 (UTC)

Time zones
As a west coast person, I appreciate it when times are presented in my time zone, but I can also subtract by three so listing Eastern Time is enough. I do understand that the finals involved two very large TV markets, one on the east coast and the other on the west coast, but I don't think we need to list both time zones. Either we list it all in Eastern, or list each game in its local time zone. Those are the two common conventions. Listing both time zones would be very unusual on Wikipedia. Walter Görlitz (talk) 23:55, 4 June 2014 (UTC)

First round winners, not bolded
Though the 8 first-round winners are bolded at the template itself, for some 'glitch' reason, it's not coming through on this article (same problem at 2013-14 NHL season article). GoodDay (talk) 01:40, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

Game recap links have died
They are all 404ing on NHL.com. What is the protocol for this? Reference the Wayback Machine or use the “up to date” links that serve different content? 69.242.75.145 (talk) 21:13, 26 January 2024 (UTC)