Kukla's Korner

Let’s talk travel, NHL style

by Forechecker on 01/16/09 at 01:38 PM ET
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As a followup to all the talk this week about the travel requirements of various NHL teams, here’s my interview with Mark Stephen and Jock Wilson, the hosts of Sportstalk on Calgary’s CHQR 770 AM.  Mark and Jock were particularly interested in how the Flames, already

Head on over to CHQR 770’s AudioVault to hear the interview; simply select the appropriate date & time (Tuesday, January 13th @ 9:00 PM), and when the audio stream launches, go ahead and skip to the 18:00 mark, which is where the segment on NHL travel begins.

Included below is a table highlighting one aspect of our talk, the number of one-game trips that each NHL team has had to log, for this season and last. Part of the reason the guys in Calgary are noticing so many of these trips this year is that in 2007-8, Calgary actually had the least one-game trips of any team in the league (6).  This year they’re more in the middle of the pack, but in terms of local perception, it’s a bigger issue right now.  It’s interesting to note that on this aspect, as well as that of back-to-back games, the Columbus Blue Jackets probably have more right to complain about the schedule than anyone else in the league.

And remember, if you want all the details, consult the full NHL Super Schedule.

Number of One-Game Trips
 Team2007-8 TripsMiles2008-9 TripsMiles
 Anaheim Ducks103706123690
 Atlanta Thrashers2313558159679
 Boston Bruins124083105595
 Buffalo Sabres246585176675
 Carolina Hurricanes1040942111420
 Columbus Blue Jackets19108942314094
 Calgary Flames651311411892
 Chicago Blackhawks27156821710784
 Colorado Avalanche12112891816075
 Dallas Stars96917129513
 Detroit Red Wings176689136152
 Edmonton Oilers10850495899
 Florida Panthers1610029117647
 Los Angeles Kings1112921159956
 Minnesota Wild738741611375
 Montreal Canadiens124936144592
 New Jersey Devils174668166502
 Nashville Predators1246492011653
 New York Islanders266639195888
 New York Rangers2263463310226
 Ottawa Senators209871114298
 Philadelphia Flyers2261672610715
 Phoenix Coyotes1687441610797
 Pittsburgh Penguins206040248768
 San Jose Sharks1172391310808
 St. Louis Blues197525108615
 Tampa Bay Lightning2214640138293
 Toronto Maple Leafs2712571268044
 Vancouver Canucks10824489226
 Washington Capitals144695164955
 Grand Total483236,930488263,826

Remember, of course, that a one-game trip for a team like the Rangers is often just a bus ride over to Long Island, while a one-game trip for a team from the Northwest is more of a burden.

A one-game trip is here defined as having a change in location before and after a given game. First and last games of the season are excluded if they are at home.

UPDATE: In response to the comment below, I added the number of times each team has to change time zones to play a game as well. These Time Zone numbers apply to all games on a team’s schedule, not just the one-game trips!

 TeamTime Zone Changes 2007-8Time Zone Changes 2008-9
 Anaheim Ducks3233
 Atlanta Thrashers410
 Boston Bruins312
 Buffalo Sabres58
 Carolina Hurricanes611
 Columbus Blue Jackets4638
 Calgary Flames637
 Chicago Blackhawks4036
 Colorado Avalanche4037
 Dallas Stars3437
 Detroit Red Wings3632
 Edmonton Oilers3538
 Florida Panthers613
 Los Angeles Kings3231
 Minnesota Wild3135
 Montreal Canadiens69
 New Jersey Devils68
 Nashville Predators3638
 New York Islanders68
 New York Rangers711
 Ottawa Senators512
 Philadelphia Flyers59
 Phoenix Coyotes4242
 Pittsburgh Penguins610
 San Jose Sharks2932
 St. Louis Blues3541
 Tampa Bay Lightning411
 Toronto Maple Leafs59
 Vancouver Canucks3936
 Washington Capitals48

UPDATE (1/17/09): Some of the data in the 2007-8 column was off (values switched between some teams), that has now been corrected.

Filed in: NHL Statistical Analysis, | On the Forecheck | Permalink
 

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