Reduce games but don't stick to intraconference.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)

Byline: David J. Neal

MIAMI _ Look at this year's leaders in goals and goaltending. Look at the rookies. Look at the top picks of the next two drafts. Generation Y began taking over the NHL. They could be the best generation of players we've seen since the 1980s.

Now imagine most NHL fans having a shot at seeing only half of them. That's the way to build a game, eh? Nothing is certain. But, included in the talk of reducing the season from 82 to 72 games is the idea of all games being within the conference. Think about how that limits the exposure of the NHL's best.

Reduced schedule? Fine. Fewer injuries because games aren't as tightly packed. That means fewer minor-league callups. Along with more practice time, that means a better quality of play. Plus, teams aren't playing their 105th game when its 105 degrees outside.

But no East vs. West until the Stanley Cup Finals? Only owners pouting about travel costs could favor this. On the website for TSN, Canada's ESPN, 81 percent of fans thought this was a bad idea.

This could be the NHL's worst-timed, most short-sighted move since they ditched ESPN's vast penetration for scattered SportsChannel's money in 1988. Shortly thereafter, Wayne Gretzky was traded to the world's second largest media market.

MARK OF INSANITY