Stanley Cup-Winning Coach Advocates for Eliminating NHL Preseason
Rod Brind'Amour argues that players and fans would benefit from skipping exhibition games in favor of starting the regular season immediately.
Rod Brind'Amour, head coach of the Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, has publicly advocated for the complete elimination of the NHL preseason. Brind'Amour stated that players generally prefer to begin the competitive season rather than participate in exhibition games.
"Guys just want to play. Guys just want to drop the puck and start for real," Brind'Amour said in a recent appearance on TSN's "Overdrive." He added that players do not enjoy practices, a sentiment he drew a parallel to, citing Allen Iverson's famous remarks about practice.
His comments come as the NHL's current collective bargaining agreement reduced the preseason from six games to four, with those two additional games being added to the 82-game regular season schedule. However, Brind'Amour believes even this shortened preseason is unnecessary.
Brind'Amour also pointed out that roster spots are largely predetermined in today's NHL, diminishing the competitive aspect of preseason games for players vying for a position. "It's not like even I remember, there were always spots available," he said. "There were 10 guys maybe that you knew were on the team, then there were a couple of guys that were fighting for a spot here. Maybe even a goalie spot might've been open. That doesn't happen now, hardly ever. The team's picked."
Despite his view, the preseason does serve some purposes, including as a marketing tool. It allows the league to host neutral-site games in markets that might not otherwise experience NHL hockey. For example, the Capitals and Flyers recently played in Hershey, Pennsylvania, and the Senators and Canadiens played in Trois-Rivières, Quebec. These games offer fans a potentially more affordable opportunity to see professional hockey and can help cultivate new fan bases.
However, with most rosters already solidified before the preseason begins and key players often held out of exhibition games, Brind'Amour's argument suggests that the value of these games is minimal for both the players and the fans, potentially making them expendable.