55th National Hockey League All-Star Game - Criticism of Season Schedule

Criticism of Season Schedule

Another issue for the league heading into the all-star break was the schedule adopted as a result of the lockout: while Eastern Conference teams were content with the new schedule, Western Conference teams faced complaints over the increased travel times brought forth by the schedule and the fact that rising Eastern Conference stars such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin could only visit a Western Conference team once every three years. A motion by the National Hockey League's board of governors during the break to restore the pre-lockout schedule (which would have at least guaranteed one game against every other team in the league, but having two fewer divisional games) was defeated falling one vote short of the 2/3 majority needed to make the change.