Penguins shown favoritism from Gary Bettman and the NHL schedule makers

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Joseph Wise
July 21, 2024 (3:24 PM)

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Thanks to @tjstats on X NHL fans now know the travel distance per NHL team for the upcoming 2024�25 NHL season.

There are some question markers surrounding the Pittsburgh Penguins, as they are at the bottom of the list of teams.�

The Penguins only have to travel 31,700 miles this season, whereas the Dallas Stars, who sit at the top of the list, need to travel 56,700 miles, which is almost double the Penguins.

Interestingly enough, the Penguins have a relatively older core group with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, and the lack of travel distance will likely result in less fatigue giving the Penguins an advantage.

This isn't the first time that the fans of the NHL have felt that the Penguins were favored by the league. The biggest time was when the team was on the brink of selling and potentially relocating, and all of a sudden they were awarded the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Draft. Who did they draft then? One of the best NHL players ever, Crosby.

Is this a coincidence or favoritism? Regardless, it will be extremely hard to convince fans of the NHL that it isn't favoritism, given their past history of showing the Penguins a bit more favoritism.

Credit: Huge discrepancies in travel for NHL teams next season.