Fan Realignment of the NHL

John F · 05-21-2007, 01:13 PM

Here's a challenge for NHL fans --

I've been peeved for a while about the Eastern Conference / Western Conference alignment of the league. In recent years, I've also grown to see the disadvantage of having the Western Conference so spread out geographically while the Eastern teams are relatively close together (this is especially evident come playoff time).

So here's my concept and challenge to fans and posters alike: Realign the NHL in two distinct conferences in an East/Central/West alignment of both conferences. It's a difficult task due to rivalries and traditionalism but the current alignment of divisions sucks. The ultra-regionalism may foster rivalries but it also fosters apathy towards new teams in non-traditional markets.

There are some Rules though. No fantasy team movement. You have to work with the 30 franchises that exist, where they currently exist. Meaning you can't relocate teams, contract teams, give expansion teams, etc...

Mix and match. Don't align conferences by tradition or age of teams (meaning putting original 12 teams in one conference and all the expansion teams/WHA teams in another)...

Remember -- 2 conferences, divided into 3 divisions (East / Central and West) And of course, there will be some inter-conference play but limited...

PredDave · 05-21-2007, 02:35 PM

Here's my attempt:

-= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =-

EAST (PATRICK DIVISION)

BOSTON
FLORIDA
NEW JERSEY
NY ISLANDERS
TAMPA BAY

CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION)

ATLANTA
CHICAGO
MONTREAL
NASHVILLE
OTTAWA

WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION)

ANAHEIM
COLORADO
DALLAS
PHOENIX
VANCOUVER

-= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =-

EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION)

CAROLINA
NY RANGERS
PITTSBURGH
PHILADELPHIA
WASHINGTON

CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION)

BUFFALO
COLUMBUS
DETROIT
ST LOUIS
TORONTO

WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION)

CALGARY
EDMONTON
LOS ANGELES
MINNESOTA
SAN JOSE

Drury77 · 05-21-2007, 05:31 PM

EAST (ADAMS DIVISION)

BOSTON
MONTREAL
NEW JERSEY
NY ISLANDERS
TAMPA BAY

CENTRAL (PATRICK DIVISION)

ATLANTA
CHICAGO
FLORIDA
NASHVILLE
OTTAWA

WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION)

ANAHEIM
COLORADO
DALLAS
PHOENIX
VANCOUVER

-= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =-

EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION)

CAROLINA
NY RANGERS
PITTSBURGH
PHILADELPHIA
WASHINGTON

CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION)

BUFFALO
COLUMBUS
DETROIT
ST LOUIS
TORONTO

WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION)

CALGARY
EDMONTON
LOS ANGELES
MINNESOTA
SAN JOSE

Copied PredDave's post, but I kinda like it. I only made a minor adjustment, which will mostly look like homerism, but It was the only real change I could really feel I would make.

John F · 05-21-2007, 05:57 PM

The one thing that keeps getitng me is Minnesota having to be in the west.... They so belong in a central division but there aren't enough truly WEST teams...

Also, I've done my own alignment scenerios and I actually had the Florida teams (both) in the Central. The Panthers are more east than central and Tampa Bay almost seemed out of place when I put them with several rust belt teams...

I'll post my own soon enough...

xiix · 05-23-2007, 01:48 PM

Here's my methodology: Figure out the geographical order of the teams from west to east. Split the continent into 3 sections representing west, central, east--each with 10 teams. Split each of those 3 sections into 2 subsections representing north and south--each with 5 teams.

This is what I'm left with:

==================
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
==================

WESTERN DIVISION
------------------
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Vancouver Canucks

CENTRAL DIVISION
------------------
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
Toronto Maple Leafs

EASTERN DIVISION
------------------
Boston Bruins
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators

==================
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
==================

WESTERN DIVISION
------------------
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks

CENTRAL DIVISION
------------------
Atlanta Thrashers
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues

EASTERN DIVISION
------------------
Carolina Hurricanes
Florida Panthers
Philadelphia Flyers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals

xiix · 05-23-2007, 02:02 PM

Here's the map from Google Earth that I used to figure it out...

bedir than average · 05-23-2007, 02:28 PM

Wouldn't regionalization like that hurt the game outside of the "traditional" cities? Particuraly the SouthWest and SouthCentral where none of the teams have much of a history?

I'm wondering if a system kind of like the NFL with two overlapping conferences wouldn't be more appropriate as it would be able to have the last two decades of expansion sites in the sunbelt playing in traditional hockeyland?

John F · 05-23-2007, 03:53 PM

Yeah, David. The hyper-regionalism is the drawback right now and one of the criteria I tried to point out is that it shouldn't be set up north-vs-south or new-vs-old.

The regionalism without the overlap is the problem as it stands. And NFL/MLB comparable alignment would be preferred.

And Gary, good job though with the map and all that. It's no easy task and to have it written off... blah

bedir than average · 05-23-2007, 04:09 PM

Oh, I didn't want to come off as writing it off. I just think that for leagues where history is a primary component (NHL and MLB) that kind of regionalization isn't the best idea.

On the other hand I think that kind of regionalization would be EXCELLENT for a sport like MLS where local derby cups (Cascadia Cup in PNW with VanBC, Seattle, Portland) have a strong history and unbalanced scheduling would be an advantage for attendance.

xiix · 05-23-2007, 04:46 PM

I'm not going to get hurt feelings or anything like that over the regionalization of my realignment. It just seemed to be the logical place to start.

The biggest problem, as I see it, is the dearth of teams on the west coast... or more accurately, west of the Mississippi river. Only 11 out of 30 are in "the West" and that includes St. Louis, which is way closer to the east coast.

I guess the direct opposite of my proposed realignment would have the Oilers, Kings, Panthers, Sens and Blues in the same division. But that would, IMHO, suck even worse than abject regionalization.

So, somewhere in between is a nice balance... but where?

Wolfchylde · 05-25-2007, 12:17 AM

Ok here my thoughts, including moved teams.

==================
NORTHERN CONFERENCE
==================

WESTERN DIVISION
------------------
Calgary Flames
Seattle Thrashers
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Panthers
Vancouver Canucks

CENTRAL DIVISION
------------------
Buffalo Sabres
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
Toronto Maple Leafs

EASTERN DIVISION
------------------
Boston Bruins
New Jersey Devils
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Ottawa Senators

==================
SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
==================

WESTERN DIVISION
------------------
Anaheim Ducks
Colorado Avalanche
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes
San Jose Sharks

CENTRAL DIVISION
------------------
Dallas Stars
Chicago Blackhawks
Minnesota Wild
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues

EASTERN DIVISION
------------------
Carolina Hurricanes
Columbus Bluejackets
Philadelphia Flyers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Washington Capitals

Wolfchylde · 05-25-2007, 12:19 AM

I used most of the one on the google map since it was interesting and made it so that what we could get is easier travel times and similar start times for regional games.

Whoops, sorry I see I broke the proposed rules...

Otter · 05-25-2007, 12:21 PM

http://images.sportsline.com/images/.../teams_map.jpg

Otter · 05-25-2007, 12:30 PM

-= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =- (Without Team Movement)

EAST (PATRICK DIVISION)

Florida
Philadelphia
Ottawa
NY Islanders
New Jersey

CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION)

Chicago
St. Louis
Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh
Columbus

WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION)

Edmonton
Colorado
Dallas
Minnesota
Calgary

-= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =-

EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION)

Carolina
Montreal
NY Rangers
Washington
Boston

CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION)

Detroit
Atlanta
Nashville
Toronto
Buffalo

WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION)

Vancouver
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Phoenix

Otter · 05-25-2007, 12:40 PM

-= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =- (With Team Movement)

EAST (PATRICK DIVISION)

Hamilton (Florida)
Philadelphia
Ottawa
Buffalo
New Jersey

CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION)

Kansas City (Washington)
St. Louis
Tampa Bay
Pittsburgh
Columbus

WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION)

Edmonton
Colorado
Phoenix
Las Vegas (NY Islanders)
Calgary

-= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =-

EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION)

Carolina
Montreal
NY Rangers
Toronto
Boston

CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION)

Detroit
Dallas
Minnesota
Chicago
Winnipeg (Nashville)

WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION)

Vancouver
Los Angeles
Anaheim
San Jose
Portland (Atlanta)

05-21-2007, 01:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,348	Fan Realignment of the NHL Here's a challenge for NHL fans -- I've been peeved for a while about the Eastern Conference / Western Conference alignment of the league. In recent years, I've also grown to see the disadvantage of having the Western Conference so spread out geographically while the Eastern teams are relatively close together (this is especially evident come playoff time). So here's my concept and challenge to fans and posters alike: Realign the NHL in two distinct conferences in an East/Central/West alignment of both conferences. It's a difficult task due to rivalries and traditionalism but the current alignment of divisions sucks. The ultra-regionalism may foster rivalries but it also fosters apathy towards new teams in non-traditional markets. There are some Rules though. No fantasy team movement. You have to work with the 30 franchises that exist, where they currently exist. Meaning you can't relocate teams, contract teams, give expansion teams, etc... Mix and match. Don't align conferences by tradition or age of teams (meaning putting original 12 teams in one conference and all the expansion teams/WHA teams in another)... Remember -- 2 conferences, divided into 3 divisions (East / Central and West) And of course, there will be some inter-conference play but limited...

05-21-2007, 05:31 PM	#3 (permalink)
Drury77 Hockey Community Mod Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Clarksville, TN Posts: 803	EAST (ADAMS DIVISION) BOSTON MONTREAL NEW JERSEY NY ISLANDERS TAMPA BAY CENTRAL (PATRICK DIVISION) ATLANTA CHICAGO FLORIDA NASHVILLE OTTAWA WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION) ANAHEIM COLORADO DALLAS PHOENIX VANCOUVER -= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =- EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION) CAROLINA NY RANGERS PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA WASHINGTON CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION) BUFFALO COLUMBUS DETROIT ST LOUIS TORONTO WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION) CALGARY EDMONTON LOS ANGELES MINNESOTA SAN JOSE Copied PredDave's post, but I kinda like it. I only made a minor adjustment, which will mostly look like homerism, but It was the only real change I could really feel I would make. __________________ Visit Traci's Card Place \| Stop by the Bruins Forum \| Stop by the Predators Forum

05-23-2007, 02:28 PM	#7 (permalink)
bedir than average Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 7,865	Wouldn't regionalization like that hurt the game outside of the "traditional" cities? Particuraly the SouthWest and SouthCentral where none of the teams have much of a history? I'm wondering if a system kind of like the NFL with two overlapping conferences wouldn't be more appropriate as it would be able to have the last two decades of expansion sites in the sunbelt playing in traditional hockeyland? __________________ What's been posted on FanHome since you've been away? Click here to see "You're only so sure you're right because they're so sure you're wrong." Orson Scott Card in Xenocide

05-23-2007, 04:09 PM	#9 (permalink)
bedir than average Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Starbucks Posts: 7,865	Oh, I didn't want to come off as writing it off. I just think that for leagues where history is a primary component (NHL and MLB) that kind of regionalization isn't the best idea. On the other hand I think that kind of regionalization would be EXCELLENT for a sport like MLS where local derby cups (Cascadia Cup in PNW with VanBC, Seattle, Portland) have a strong history and unbalanced scheduling would be an advantage for attendance. __________________ What's been posted on FanHome since you've been away? Click here to see "You're only so sure you're right because they're so sure you're wrong." Orson Scott Card in Xenocide

05-25-2007, 12:19 AM	#12 (permalink)
Wolfchylde Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,498	I used most of the one on the google map since it was interesting and made it so that what we could get is easier travel times and similar start times for regional games. Whoops, sorry I see I broke the proposed rules... Last edited by Wolfchylde : 05-25-2007 at 07:28 AM.

05-21-2007, 02:35 PM	#2 (permalink)
PredDave Moderator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Nashville, TN Posts: 832	Here's my attempt: -= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =- EAST (PATRICK DIVISION) BOSTON FLORIDA NEW JERSEY NY ISLANDERS TAMPA BAY CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION) ATLANTA CHICAGO MONTREAL NASHVILLE OTTAWA WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION) ANAHEIM COLORADO DALLAS PHOENIX VANCOUVER -= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =- EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION) CAROLINA NY RANGERS PITTSBURGH PHILADELPHIA WASHINGTON CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION) BUFFALO COLUMBUS DETROIT ST LOUIS TORONTO WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION) CALGARY EDMONTON LOS ANGELES MINNESOTA SAN JOSE

05-21-2007, 05:57 PM	#4 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,348	The one thing that keeps getitng me is Minnesota having to be in the west.... They so belong in a central division but there aren't enough truly WEST teams... Also, I've done my own alignment scenerios and I actually had the Florida teams (both) in the Central. The Panthers are more east than central and Tampa Bay almost seemed out of place when I put them with several rust belt teams... I'll post my own soon enough...

05-23-2007, 01:48 PM	#5 (permalink)
xiix Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 60	Here's my methodology: Figure out the geographical order of the teams from west to east. Split the continent into 3 sections representing west, central, east--each with 10 teams. Split each of those 3 sections into 2 subsections representing north and south--each with 5 teams. This is what I'm left with: ================== NORTHERN CONFERENCE ================== WESTERN DIVISION ------------------ Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Minnesota Wild Vancouver Canucks CENTRAL DIVISION ------------------ Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh Penguins Toronto Maple Leafs EASTERN DIVISION ------------------ Boston Bruins New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators ================== SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ================== WESTERN DIVISION ------------------ Anaheim Ducks Dallas Stars Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks CENTRAL DIVISION ------------------ Atlanta Thrashers Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues EASTERN DIVISION ------------------ Carolina Hurricanes Florida Panthers Philadelphia Flyers Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals

05-23-2007, 03:53 PM	#8 (permalink)
John F Administrator Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Tampa Bay area, Florida Posts: 2,348	Yeah, David. The hyper-regionalism is the drawback right now and one of the criteria I tried to point out is that it shouldn't be set up north-vs-south or new-vs-old. The regionalism without the overlap is the problem as it stands. And NFL/MLB comparable alignment would be preferred. And Gary, good job though with the map and all that. It's no easy task and to have it written off... blah

05-23-2007, 04:46 PM	#10 (permalink)
xiix Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 60	I'm not going to get hurt feelings or anything like that over the regionalization of my realignment. It just seemed to be the logical place to start. The biggest problem, as I see it, is the dearth of teams on the west coast... or more accurately, west of the Mississippi river. Only 11 out of 30 are in "the West" and that includes St. Louis, which is way closer to the east coast. I guess the direct opposite of my proposed realignment would have the Oilers, Kings, Panthers, Sens and Blues in the same division. But that would, IMHO, suck even worse than abject regionalization. So, somewhere in between is a nice balance... but where?

05-25-2007, 12:17 AM	#11 (permalink)
Wolfchylde Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 1,498	Ok here my thoughts, including moved teams. ================== NORTHERN CONFERENCE ================== WESTERN DIVISION ------------------ Calgary Flames Seattle Thrashers Edmonton Oilers Winnipeg Panthers Vancouver Canucks CENTRAL DIVISION ------------------ Buffalo Sabres Detroit Red Wings Montreal Canadiens Pittsburgh Penguins Toronto Maple Leafs EASTERN DIVISION ------------------ Boston Bruins New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Ottawa Senators ================== SOUTHERN CONFERENCE ================== WESTERN DIVISION ------------------ Anaheim Ducks Colorado Avalanche Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks CENTRAL DIVISION ------------------ Dallas Stars Chicago Blackhawks Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues EASTERN DIVISION ------------------ Carolina Hurricanes Columbus Bluejackets Philadelphia Flyers Tampa Bay Lightning Washington Capitals

05-25-2007, 12:21 PM	#13 (permalink)
Otter Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Dallas Posts: 116	http://images.sportsline.com/images/.../teams_map.jpg

05-25-2007, 12:30 PM	#14 (permalink)
Otter Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Dallas Posts: 116	-= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =- (Without Team Movement) EAST (PATRICK DIVISION) Florida Philadelphia Ottawa NY Islanders New Jersey CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION) Chicago St. Louis Tampa Bay Pittsburgh Columbus WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION) Edmonton Colorado Dallas Minnesota Calgary -= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =- EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION) Carolina Montreal NY Rangers Washington Boston CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION) Detroit Atlanta Nashville Toronto Buffalo WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION) Vancouver Los Angeles Anaheim San Jose Phoenix

05-25-2007, 12:40 PM	#15 (permalink)
Otter Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Dallas Posts: 116	-= PRINCE OF WALES CONFERENCE =- (With Team Movement) EAST (PATRICK DIVISION) Hamilton (Florida) Philadelphia Ottawa Buffalo New Jersey CENTRAL (ADAMS DIVISION) Kansas City (Washington) St. Louis Tampa Bay Pittsburgh Columbus WEST (GRETZKY DIVISION) Edmonton Colorado Phoenix Las Vegas (NY Islanders) Calgary -= CAMPBELL CONFERENCE =- EAST (LEMIEUX DIVISION) Carolina Montreal NY Rangers Toronto Boston CENTRAL (NORRIS DIVISION) Detroit Dallas Minnesota Chicago Winnipeg (Nashville) WEST (SMYTHE DIVISION) Vancouver Los Angeles Anaheim San Jose Portland (Atlanta)

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