94 replies to this topic

[rrasco]

I hate the late starts and all the travel our boys have to do, but I also live in Texas, meaning I get to go to two games a year, in Dallas. Wings move East, I might get one game every other year, unless they do the home-and-home which I would get one game a year. I'm being selfish, but I like seeing the Wings live.

[Rikadyn]

Wouldn't it make more sense to just ditch the east and west idea and have more blended conferences?

[Never_Retire_Steve]

Just have 2 conferences

[Tane]

I've been asking for them to return to divisional playoffs since 1994.

Rivalries arn't made by playing the nashville predators 8 times a year during the regular season. Rivalries are made when you're constantly playing against the same handful of teams every year in the playoffs.

I'd love for the first two rounds to be against the same group of 6 teams every year. If the Leafs, Canadians and Bruins can be a part of those 6 teams, I've got a semi.

It makes the 1st 2 rounds of the playoffs more interesting. It gives the 2nd round the Divisional Championship, which will mean something again. It makes the Conference Finals Champion vs. Champion. I love it. I love it so much, that I can almost guarentee it won't happen.

[Travis]

I'd love for the first two rounds to be against the same group of 6 teams every year. If the Leafs, Canadians and Bruins can be a part of those 6 teams, I've got a semi.

lolllll

[cusimano_brothers]

The "Bettman Division" would have Phoenix. Nobody else, just Phoenix.

[Travis]

The "Bettman Division" would have Phoenix. Nobody else, just Phoenix.

"The last place Coyotes make the playoffs, again!"

[F.Michael]

I gotta admit I like where Bettman is going with this - however as others have pointed out I'd rather see the unique naming of the divisions(Norris/Symth/Adams/Patrick).

[Majsheppard]

I don't get why we would do something so drastic for Columbus. We put in decades in the West, let them do their time.


My major concern is the talk that there might be more unorthodox playoff and scheduling decisions made.

Watch us go east and still have to play in California a ton. Watch us draw Vancouver in the first round because they just seed 1-16. I just am pessimistic about this. JUST MOVE DETROIT EAST!

[BostonBruinsDan1924]

If there is anybody moving it's Atlanta aka Winnipeg Jets to the West and 1 team to the East. This whole re-alignment s*** is just that...s***. ESPN reported that this came about because of the time zone. Really?? it's been this way for years and now it's about the "time zone"? This going back to a unbalanced divisions is what we got away from in the 80's.

This s*** id getting dumber by the minute. Every time Bettman opens his mouth s*** falls out.

[Barrie]

I've been reading that the East may have 16 teams and the West 14.

http://www.mlive.com...fit_from_n.html

If the playoffs are 8 teams per conference, I really don't think that's fair. Unless there's wild cards for the final few spots, because there will be times when teams in the West, with more points than team in the East, don't make the playoffs.

Just put Nashville in the Southeast and move a few teams around in the Western Conference.

This s*** id getting dumber by the minute. Every time Bettman opens his mouth s*** falls out.

That's what I appreciate about the other Commissioners, you know who they are but don't see them much. Bettman's ugly mug is everywhere .

[BostonBruinsDan1924]

It was rumored that the Winnipeg Jetscome West and the Blue Jackets come East. I really don't see a need to have unbalanced divisions when all's were doing is a even swap of 2 teams. One conference having more than the other isn't fair. Stop tinkering with s*** and lets move on.

[bogeygolfer]

Accord to Lou Lou,
http://www.nj.com/de...ent_how_wi.html
the plan betman submitted had only one team moving east.
Now if you combine this with the fact that Columbus is petition the league for TWO teams to move east (not Detroit). AND that so many wings officials have been on record stating that the wings the next to move east.
Also noting that going to two divisions per conference from the current three would eliminate the south eastern division and the big need to move nashville east (even though that never made any sense because washington is not a 'southern' team)
It would only make sense for detroit to be the team betman proposed to move east.

[bogeygolfer]

You also have to factor in what 4 divisions of 7 or 8 team does to scheduling. For example
teams play divisional rivals 4 times (2 home, 2 away) = 24 games for the 7 team divisions and 28 games for the 8 team divisions
play every team twice (home and away) = 46 games for 7 team division and 44 games for 8 team division
Total that up = 70 and 72

How you divide up those remaining 10 or 12 games is really the big question,
- do you play each team in your division an additional time? Doing so would essentially eliminate conferences since you be playing the other 3 division an almost equal amount of times.
- do you play the teams in the other division in your conference an extra games? This would essentially eliminate divisions since you'd only play your division 4 times vs 3.


*****with bonus game throw in to get up to 82

Edited by bogeygolfer, 27 June 2011 - 03:46 PM.

[BostonBruinsDan1924]

Well after thinking about it, and looking at it from all sides, here is what I think:

With the Winnipeg Jets back in the National Hockey League, the League announced that dramatic realignment will be instituted for 2012-13. There are a couple of Western Conference teams that want to move to the east. The Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets are forced to play all of their conference road games out of their time zone.


I know the League has and will continue to have high level meetings about realignment. The talks will have input from owners to executives to GMs. Team concerns from travel to historical rivalries will be taken into consideration. This will take months.


WESTERN DIVISION: San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix



CENTRAL DIVISION: Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, Colorado, St. Louis, Nashville, Dallas



NORTHERN DIVISION: Montreal, Boston, Ottawa, Toronto, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Columbus, Detroit



EASTERN DIVISION: Rangers, Islanders, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Florida



It's based on simply on geography. My alignment doesn't hold any bias for history or favourite opponents.

Let's bring back the Nordiques so the HABS fans have MORE to complain about lol.

[BostonBruinsDan1924]

Lets go back to the Campbell Conference which consisted of the Norris Division and the Smythe Division & Wales Conference which consisted of the Adams Division and the Patrick Division.

[GMRwings1983]

Lets go back to the Campbell Conference which consisted of the Norris Division and the Smythe Division & Wales Conference which consisted of the Adams Division and the Patrick Division.

Your proposal is good as long as teams have equal travel against the other divisions.

Otherwise, if you still have two Conferences, then the Central teams in your division will still have to do lots of travel to the West coast outside their time zones, and vice versa.

Those 4 divisions should become independent of one another, where everyone travels the same.

[vangvace]

You also have to factor in what 4 divisions of 7 or 8 team does to scheduling. For example
teams play divisional rivals 4 times (2 home, 2 away) = 24 games for the 7 team divisions and 28 games for the 8 team divisions
play every team twice (home and away) = 46 games for 7 team division and 44 games for 8 team division
Total that up = 70 and 72

How you divide up those remaining 10 or 12 games is really the big question,
- do you play each team in your division an additional time? Doing so would essentially eliminate conferences since you be playing the other 3 division an almost equal amount of times.
- do you play the teams in the other division in your conference an extra games? This would essentially eliminate divisions since you'd only play your division 4 times vs 3.


*****with bonus game throw in to get up to 82

58 games for the home and home against every team in the league. The remain 24 are additional in-division games... which seems a little excessive to me.

I like the proposed playoff format because it is what makes teams hate each other if they are knocking each other out of the first round. Also, the league has done this in the past already when it was on the upswing.

With this just in talk right now I don't see it happening for the 2012-2013 season.

[Datsyerberger]

So here's my little dig, based upon certain parameters:

1. The article stated Bettman presented South, Midwest, East, Pacific. I'm working (loosely) based around that.
2. NO CONFERENCES. Focused divisional play with maybe home & homes outside of division. I hate this if its conferential
3. VERY IMPORTANT: the concept of what 'Midwest' is shifts northeast due to a northeastern bias of the teams in the league.

Now then...

PACIFIC: Colorado, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary

SOUTH: Dallas, St. Louis, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, Washington

MIDWEST: Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Toronto, Buffalo, Columbus, Pittsburgh

EAST: Montreal, Boston, New York I, New York R, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia

A huge pro of this: if Phoenix has to be relocated to QC, they can be moved from the Pacific to East while keeping acceptable parameters (Pacific goes from 8 to 7, East goes from 7 to 8). Also allows for an expansion that sticks 1 team in the East/Northeast (read: QC, Hamilton) and one team southish (KC or Houston).

[Konnan511]

So here's my little dig, based upon certain parameters:

1. The article stated Bettman presented South, Midwest, East, Pacific. I'm working (loosely) based around that.
2. NO CONFERENCES. Focused divisional play with maybe home & homes outside of division. I hate this if its conferential
3. VERY IMPORTANT: the concept of what 'Midwest' is shifts northeast due to a northeastern bias of the teams in the league.

Now then...

PACIFIC: Colorado, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Anaheim, San Jose, Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary

SOUTH: Dallas, St. Louis, Nashville, Tampa Bay, Florida, Carolina, Washington

MIDWEST: Detroit, Chicago, Minnesota, Winnipeg, Toronto, Buffalo, Columbus, Pittsburgh

EAST: Montreal, Boston, New York I, New York R, New Jersey, Ottawa, Philadelphia

A huge pro of this: if Phoenix has to be relocated to QC, they can be moved from the Pacific to East while keeping acceptable parameters (Pacific goes from 8 to 7, East goes from 7 to 8). Also allows for an expansion that sticks 1 team in the East/Northeast (read: QC, Hamilton) and one team southish (KC or Houston).

So how dot he playoffs work? Top two from each division get in then the next 8 closest? Or just the top 2 from each division?