Referees send every skater on the ice to the penalty box after losing control of the game
While the NHL is the highest level of hockey in the world, there are just some things European Hockey Leagues to better. One of those things is the relegation of teams who aren't competitive. This removes any ideas of tanking and motivates teams to always put their best foot forward.
Players play every game for pride and with intensity. The idea of relegation or promotion is enough to increase the temperature in a game between AIK and Djurgarden. The two teams faced off in a relegation series to see which team would return to the SHL after being relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan.
Without even 5 minutes gone in the 1st period all 10 skaters became involved in a post whistle scrum.
The referees clearly lost control of the scrum and instead of trying to pick and choose who'd receive a penalty the officials took all 10 skaters from the scrum. Penalties ranger from 2 minute minors, to some players even being ejected.
It's great to see how European leagues have increased interest and intensity in their game.
| POLL | ||
Should the NHL consider introducing relegation for teams? | ||
| Yes, it would get rid of tanking | 33 | 28 % |
| No, it wouldn't work on North America | 35 | 29.7 % |
| I'd be interested, but I'm not sure how it's work | 50 | 42.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
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