Thank God for Gary Bettman and His Stupid Ass Scheduling

The Red Wings released their 2007-08 schedule today and forgive me if I'm not jumping up and down about it. It's hard to believe that the NHL could be this stupid when making a schedule.

First off, the fact that you don't see every team in any given year is just stupid. I mean, why would you want to get Sidney Crosby and what might be the most exciting team in the league into every arena when they could just play the Islanders eight times?

Another "benefit" to the unbalanced schedule is that this year, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa don't play the three other Canadian teams (Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton).

Then you get the Wings. We don't get to play a single one of the original six at home this year, apart from the Blackhawks (and we don't play the Rangers period).

But who cares about tradition when you can close the season by playing: Predators, BJs, BJs, Predators, BJs, Blues, Blues, Predators, Blackhawks, BJs, Blackhawks. Shoot me. That might be ok if the Predators were going to be decent, but since I don't see any real competition for the Central this year, that last month is just going to be tedious. That nine game divisional stretch in November is going to be wonderfully entertaining as well. I'm sure glad we're trying to build a rivalry with the Blue Jackets instead of letting me see Sidney Fucking Crosby or the Toronto Maple Leafs once in awhile.

And that 5 game road trip right through the middle of Christmas is going to be great for those of us who were hoping to catch a game while we were in town. Thanks Gary.

The other thing that's just super is that it looks like the NHL is going to have another outdoor game, with Detroit or Buffalo rumored to be hosting. The Penguins are supposedly going to be the road team, which eliminates Detroit since we don't play them. Wings/Leafs would've been a huge draw but, oops! Detroit doesn't get Toronto at home this year, so that's out. But at least they decided to schedule it January 1st when there are no other sporting events going on. When you're a niche sport, and you're going to have an outdoor game with two of the smallest markets in the league, is it really the best idea to try to compete with the friggin Rose Bowl? Why not just schedule it opposite the Super Bowl? I'm sure the audience would be HUGE.

There is really no reason that every team should not play everyone else in the league home and away at least once. When you've got guys like Crosby, Ovechkin, Kessel, Jack Johnson, Erik Johnson, Patrick Kane, etc. you have to get them out there. Why would you only want to let Crosby and Ovechkin play in the Western Conference cities once every three years? It doesn't make any sense.

This league is completely out of touch with the world. I don't see how anyone could make some of the decisions they've made. I'm honestly flabbergasted right now.