A case for Radical NHL Realignment

[schulzte 18]

There has been much speculation about the Wings moving to the Eastern Conference. Personally, I think if Chicago and St. Louis were good like they used to be, things would be fine the way they are. However, the schedule and the division set up throughout the NHL needs to be changed. I think that realignment should look something like this.

First of all, four conferences instead of two. Before you call this crazy, here is what they would look like.

Eastern Conference

New York Rangers

New York Islanders

New Jersey Devils

Boston Bruins

Montreal Canadians

Philadelphia Flyers

Pittsburgh Penguins

Central Conference

Detroit Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs

Chicago Blackhawks

St. Louis Blues

Minnesota Wild

Ottawa Senators

Buffalo Sabres

Columbus Blue Jackets

Southern Conference

Atlanta Thrashers

Nashville Predators

Tampa Bay Lightning

Florida Panthers

Washington Capitols

Dallas Stars

Carolina Panthers

Western Conference

Los Angeles Kings

Anaheim Ducks

Phoenix Coyotes

Colorado Avalanche

San Jose Sharks

Edmonton Oilers

Calgary Flames

Vancouver Canucks

Here is how the Schedule would work out-

The Wings (for example) would play the other seven teams in the conference 5 times each, for a total of 35 in conference games. The Wings would play the 22 other non conference teams twice each for a total of 44 games. The Wings could then have an annual third game against three other Western Conference teams to get an 82 game schedule. This way, the Wings would host every NHL team at least once, and not get bogged down playing Columbus 8 times per year.

The New York Rangers, in a seven team conference, would play the six other teams in their conference 6 times each, for a total of 36 in conference games. They would then play the 23 other non conference teams twice each for 46 non conference games and a total of 82 games.

This schedule would be fairer in travel, in the way talent is displayed throughout the league, and would pit original six teams against each other more often. Detroit would play Toronto and Chicago 5 times a year, and New York, Boston, and Montreal twice.

The only weaknesses in this alignment are that Pittsburgh is West of Ottawa and Buffalo but would be in the Eastern Conference, and that Montreal and Ottawa, being so close, would be in separate conferences. I wanted to keep the Toronto-Ottawa-Buffalo trio in the same conference for obvious reasons, and I also wanted to keep Pittsburgh and Philadelphia together as well, so that is why the teams were placed as such.

As for the playoffs-

The top 4 teams from each conference would play the first two playoff rounds for the conference title. This is a convoluted change, but it means more hardware handed out earlier in the playoffs, which may help get more attention on the early rounds. The four conference champions would form a Stanley Cup "Final 4" semifinal and finals series'. I think this idea would help develop some great intraconference rivalries. Rivalries are born in the playoffs, and teams will be meeting up with intraconference teams early and often in the playoffs.

I'm interested in your opinions!

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Edited October 14, 2007 by schulzte

[NC WINGS FAN 5]

This would definitely help to rekindle the old rivalry with Toronto which may help "lagging" attendance. Correct me if I am wrong but didn't more people come to the Joe when the Blackhawks, who have spent the last 10 years in the cellar, came to town than did on opening night against the defending champion Anaheim Ducks? The fact that this idea does not entail playing Nashville and Columbus 8 times a year and almost never playing Toronto or Montreal is enough to make it better than the current schedule.

[GMRwings1983 8,804]

Pretty good idea, and I can see you put some work into it. However, I don't see the point of having the top 4 teams in each conference play each other in the playoffs when they've already played each other 5 times during the season. You'd only be deciding who the best team in the conference is, which would already be decided in the regular season. Maybe 2 conferences could be taken together to play in the playoff round against each other. I think that would make your idea better. But overall, I have to give you a thumbs up, since I think it's a lot better than what the league has now.

P.S.

What made you decide that the Carolina Panthers should be in the NHL?

[auxlepli 17]

Seems like a pretty good idea to me.

[Guest REDWINGS4LYFE]

keep er the way it is go back to the old schedule though

[Blood On The Ice 15]

To be honest I'm partial to the old monikers used ie - Wales Conference (Adams/Patrick) Campbell Conference (Norris/Smythe)

Yes, so am I. Bartman comes in and F&$Ks everything up. Why did the NHL have to be like the NBA or NFL. Thats one thing that should have been left alone. It was unique and it was the NHL. I would love to see that come back. But that will never happen.

[Hank 0]

I like it. Good suggestion!

[auxlepli 17]

In the NHL, Eastern and Western is older than Patrick, Wales, Campbell, Norris, etc.

Also it's really the NBA that copied the NHL because the NHL has been around longer than the NBA.

The NHL is also older than the NFL. Only MLB is older and on a technicality the NHL is older than MLB too.

[eva unit zero 271]

Only MLB is older and on a technicality the NHL is older than MLB too.

You fail on this point. MLB, as a combination of AL and NL, has existed since 1903. The NL was founded in 1876 and the AL was founded in 1886. The first official professional hockey league was the IPHL, or International Professional Hockey League, teams in Houghton, MI; Calumet, Mi; Sault Ste. Marie, MI; Sault Ste. Marie, Ont; and Pittsburgh, PA. The IPHL was in operation from 1904 to 1907, and even included one of the game's all time greats in Houghton-Portage defender Fred Taylor, who was then known by the nickname 'The Listowel Whirlwind' and would later receive the nickname of 'Cyclone' while playing for Ottawa.

But the NHL's roots ultimately go back to 1906, and the creation of the Eastern Canada Amateur Hockey Association, which included three of the five original NHL teams; Ottawa Senators, Montreal Wanderers, and Quebec Hockey Club (later known as the Quebec Bulldogs.)

The NHA formed in 1909, from the ashes of the ECAHA, and future NHL teams in it included the Wanderers, Senators, Bulldogs, as well as a new Montreal team, the Canadiens. This league would play until 1917, when both Montreal teams, Ottawa, and Quebec would form their own league out of protest from having to deal with Toronto owner Eddie Livingstone.

As you can see, the MLB is, in all ways, older than the NHL. Not that it should matter.

[auxlepli 17]

I was referring to this technicality.

In 2000, the American and National Leagues were officially disbanded as separate legal entities with all rights and functions consolidated in the commissioner's office. MLB effectively operates as a single league and as such it constitutes one of the major professional sports leagues of North America.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball

So MLB didn't really become a single league until 2000.

[irishtemper14+25 11]

i like it...but i like even more the carolina panthers

[HomeNugget 2]

I was referring to this technicality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_League_Baseball

So MLB didn't really become a single league until 2000.

i disagree. if that's the case then the nfl didn't exist until the nfl-afl merger in 1966. the nba didn't exist until 1976 when it merged with the aba. then the nhl officially came into existence in 1979 when it merged with the wha. that would make it the second youngest league.

anyone can see that this logic is stupid. when the AL and NL merged they didn't form a new league.

[auxlepli 17]

i disagree. if that's the case then the nfl didn't exist until the nfl-afl merger in 1966. the nba didn't exist until 1976 when it merged with the aba. then the nhl officially came into existence in 1979 when it merged with the wha. that would make it the second youngest league.

anyone can see that this logic is stupid. when the AL and NL merged they didn't form a new league.

Lighten up Francis.

Technically speaking, until a lawyer tells me otherwise, I'm right. Even then you and I could find lawyers to argue both points.

In 2000, the American and National Leagues were officially disbanded as separate legal entities with all rights and functions consolidated in the commissioner's office.

Technically the NL and AL were TWO SEPARATE LEAGUES, and in fact that's how they started as TWO SEPARATE LEAGUES. Besides it's a freaking technicality, I'm not really arguing that the major league baseball is younger than the NHL, and anybody who thinks I am is a sucker.

For my own amusement thought I'll go on, at least with hockey I don't really care about the NBA or NFL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League

The two leagues fought for the rights of players and fans until the WHA folded in 1979 as part of an agreement whereby four of the remaining six WHA teams would enter the NHL as expansion teams: the Hartford Whalers (now the Carolina Hurricanes, 1997-present), Québec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche, 1996-present), Edmonton Oilers, and Winnipeg Jets (now the Phoenix Coyotes, 1996-present).[6]

That right the WHA folded and the NHL absorbed the four teams mentioned above. The two leagues didn't merge.

[HomeNugget 2]

Lighten up Francis.

Technically speaking, until a lawyer tells me otherwise, I'm right. Even then you and I could find lawyers to argue both points.

In 2000, the American and National Leagues were officially disbanded as separate legal entities with all rights and functions consolidated in the commissioner's office.

Technically the NL and AL were TWO SEPARATE LEAGUES, and in fact that's how they started as TWO SEPARATE LEAGUES. Besides it's a freaking technicality, I'm not really arguing that the major league baseball is younger than the NHL, and anybody who thinks I am is a sucker.

For my own amusement thought I'll go on, at least with hockey I don't really care about the NBA or NFL.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_League

That right the WHA folded and the NHL absorbed the four teams mentioned above. The two leagues didn't merge.

dig the Stripes reference. i got nothing. i concede the argument.

[Viperar 16]

very interesting idea. I like it, especially the way the playoffs would be set up

[auxlepli 17]

How about keeping it just like you posted schultze except change the conferences into divisions.

Then put the Southern and Western Divisons into a conference and Central and Eastern Divisons into a conference. Everything else would stay the same schedule, playoffs, etc.

[RedWingedKitten 9]

I like it. It would be cool to see something like this actually happen.

[schulzte 18]

Here is another idea to improve scheduling in the NHL. Scotty Bowman has talked of having an "Original 6" Cup. This would be eazy to do as part of the regular season schedule. Simply schedule the original six teams to play each other in a five game round robin over a two week span say in early December. For example the Wings would host Montreal on Tue. Dec 4, visit New York on Thur. Dec 6 and Boston Sat. Dec 8, then host Chicago Tue. Dec 11 and Toronto Thur. Dec 13. Then after all the round robin games are played by all the teams, determine the two teams with the best records and move their game that is scheduled for later in the year to Sat. Dec 15 for Hockey Night in Canada. The winner of that game would receive the Scotty Bowman Original Six Trophy. I think this would be a cool paralell tournament to have mid-season. That Original Six Tournament Final would probably get more attention than the all-star game.

Let me know what you think

Visit my Olympia Stadium plan website

[KevinD 1]

Lighten up Francis.

You just made the list.