DALLAS — NHL commissioner Gary Bettman turned up for Thursday's fourth game of the Dallas Stars-Detroit Red Wings' series and the question on everybody's mind was the possibility of sweeps. If both Detroit and the Pittsburgh Penguins end their respective conference finals in four games, would the NHL move up the start of the Stanley Cup final?
“I always hate to speculate about what might happen,” answered Bettman. “Even my mere answering your perfectly appropriate question would suggest that we even think in those terms. But depending on when these series end, we have a variety of contingency plans that deal with whether or not the series go the distance or whether or not they don't.”
Translation: Yes, they do. According to sources with the television networks, if both series end in four, the Stanley Cup final would likely start next Tuesday. If one or both series end Saturday, then they would start next Thursday. Either way, it opens up the possibility that a Stanley Cup final could end in May for the first time since 1991, when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Minnesota North Stars in six games. If the final started on May 20, the sixth game would still be played in May. A seventh game would spill into early June.
The longest season on record occurred in 1994-95, the lockout-shortened 48-game season, when the New Jersey Devils defeated Detroit in four games on June 24. The longest playoff in a year not affected by a work stoppage occurred twice - in 1999, when Dallas won the Stanley Cup over the Buffalo Sabres on June 19, and again in 2006, when the Carolina Hurricanes won in seven over the Edmonton Oilers on the same date. Last year, the Anaheim Ducks won in five over the Ottawa Senators on June 6.
Bettman suggested speculating on possible Stanley Cup final dates was fraught with peril for him.
“It's the type of question that seems innocuous that can get you into a lot of trouble,” he said.
However, he added: “None of our series are ever static in terms of the dates. We always have a range of flexibility to respond to whatever may or may not happen.”
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