Dang it all, it’s time to stop the insanity
Alberta time zone bill would upset NHL clubs
To the two NHL teams in Alberta and, they believe, the majority of their fans, Thomas Dang’s private member’s bill to establish “Alberta standard time” is going over like a lead balloon.
To the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames, the Dang proposal introduced in the legislature is a dumb idea.
“I ’ ve had discussions with Calgary and they are in agreement with us. We are very concerned with this possible shift away from daylight saving time,” said Bob Nicholson, vice- chairman and CEO of the Oilers Entertainment Group when your correspondent asked both Oilers and Flames management for reaction. Nicholson was designated to speak on behalf of both.
To some, it may seem like a good idea to put the province on the same clock as Saskatchewan’s central time throughout the entire calendar year.
“It’s time we had one time,” Dang announced in reference to his proposal that Alberta adopt central time year-around.
Dang said 82 per cent of respondents to an NDP caucus survey on the subject said they were tired of changing their clocks twice a year.
Obviously, Dang doesn’t give a damn about the high percentage of hockey fans who wouldn’t likely be too amused by 9 p. m. starts to the second game of the Saturday Hockey Night In Canada telecasts from Rogers Place and the Saddledome. Either that or he hasn’t thought this through.
“Games that end at midnight would be a huge concern,” said Nicholson, the former head of Hockey Canada based in Calgary.
This year, the Flames and Oilers played 12 games each in the pacific time zone, which meant 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. starts in Edmonton.
Next year, Las Vegas comes into the league, so that number could become 15. Without daylight saving time, 8 p. m. becomes 9 p. m. and 8: 30 p. m. becomes 9: 30 p.m.
Of course, not all of the NHL schedule would be affected. None of the playoff games, the three weeks after the spring time change nor the month or so before the fall time change would come into play.
Yes, this move would cost the two teams money — tickets they wouldn’t sell and lower-rate cards for broadcast partners with game times so far out of prime time.
But there’s also future fans, kids who would be sent to bed at the end of the first period or even before the game began.
With the HNIC games and the pacific time zone games, as many as 30 games in each market could be starting after nine and ending after midnight in Alberta.
There would be many other moving parts involved with moving away from daylight saving when it comes to hockey alone.
If mountain standard time was only one hour from eastern daylight time, Calgary and Edmonton could be scheduled with 6 p.m. games in the Saddledome and Rogers Place to be part of 7 p.m. eastern prime time.
With Connor McDavid involved, that could seriously impact the options for the existing eastern teams.
They would not want to give up their own primetime spot.
The NHL Players’ Association would likely have a problem with a visiting team playing a Tuesday game in Vancouver and starting one the next night in Calgary or Edmonton 22 hours later.
Make no mistake. The Oilers and Flames — speaking for themselves and, they believe, their fans throughout the province — are dead set against this proposed legislation.
“There are a f ew key things,” said Nicholson.
“One is that our fans really enjoy 7 p. m. games. It’s great for our fans to allow families to get to the games.
“And doubleheaders are a big part of hockey now with the television contracts.
They’re working well. The audience likes it. And for us they would be nine o’clock and 9: 30 games. They’d get over after midnight. We just can’t do that to our fans. And it’s not just the fans in the arena, it’s the television audience. Television is tough enough without adding that into it.
“There are a lot of things you’d have to look at when it comes to switching schedules for everyone. We’re going to find out the proper way to have a discussion with t he government to make sure we understand their points of view and we want to discuss our point of view, which is why it’s better to get up twice a year and change the clocks.”
This is just hockey. There are World Series games, CFL and NFL games from the coast, the whole gamut of sports events. The Oscars would be over an hour later. It goes on and on. Premier Notley should save everybody the trouble and send Dang to go sit in a corner with a dunce hat on with Michael Oshry and the Edmonton aldermen who took down the City of Champions signs.