intersting!

[nj_cup]

Good timing for four NHL divisions - NHL - Yahoo! Sports

obviously they are waiting to see what happens this year with the yotes and also with the isalnders on august 1st.

if both teams do move i can see the yotes going to qc and the isles going to KC (doesnt matter who goes where) just think those are the next 2 towns to get a team.

i like the idea of division meaning something for the playoffs....whats the point of them anyway? just playoff seeding for 1 spot? stupid! they should hold playoffs within the divisions or get rid of them outright

 

[MCDevils]

I do think it will be unfair to have a 16 team east and a 14 team west. Although, I guess if the schedule is totally balanced that would be fair. I like the way the Divisions are. They should just sway columbus or Nashville with Winnipeg.

 

[nj_cup]

hows this for an idea.....turn it into the system baseball uses. split the whole thing up into 2 leauges

 

[MCDevils]

hows this for an idea.....turn it into the system baseball uses. split the whole thing up into 2 leauges

How is what baseball does any different than the way it is now in the NHL?

 

[nj_cup]

split it up so everyone plays east and west including playoffs.


no more teams can complain they travel more then the other. 15 teams in the national (atlantic/central) 15 teams in american (pacific/central) or if you want split it further down to 3 divisions

 

[devs30rko]

Eh on all honesty while the divisions could be more meaningful, I'm still okay w the way things are now. Just make sure you realign properly

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Really the easiest/best solution in my opinion would be Winnipeg to the NW, Minny to the Central, and Nashville to the SE.

 

[devs30rko]

nasty, my friend you and i are on the same page lately.



i simply don't like how for teams that dont win their divisions there playoff lives would still be fully reliant on how they play within them. i personally like making sure you're truely competing against every other team in the conference for something.

 

[nj_cup]

im fine with it too but if they are going to do something "drastic" then lets do it!

i might be the only one but i hate having to see a western conference team come into th ebuilding one time a year! everyone says "o people want to see sidney or ovie out west" um newsflash this isnt the 1930s with nhl network nhl center ice national games of the week you can see ovie and sid and anyone else you want AS MUCH as you want!

 

[nj_cup]

what are the point of divisions? you play the most games within them yet they dont seem to mean much except for one playoff spot?

 

[devs30rko]

agreed, but there still is just that draw to see them in person.

that said, i guess youre right but thats if drastic is the option. but the other thing is the nhl is enjoying a consistantly growing boost in the ratings year in and year out since the lockout, and no doubt part of that must be attributed to the format. if it ain't broke, don't fix it kinda thing

 

[MCDevils]

split it up so everyone plays east and west including playoffs.


no more teams can complain they travel more then the other. 15 teams in the national (atlantic/central) 15 teams in american (pacific/central) or if you want split it further down to 3 divisions

OH, I see what you're saying. It would suck to not play the Rangers anymore, though.

 

[MCDevils]

Really the easiest/best solution in my opinion would be Winnipeg to the NW, Minny to the Central, and Nashville to the SE.

This is exactly what I would do. Besides, I know that Nashville and Carolina would love to play each other. Besides, Nashville couldn't be mad about moving to an easier Division.

 

[MCDevils]

what are the point of divisions? you play the most games within them yet they dont seem to mean much except for one playoff spot?

Well the point of the division is to have your "rivalry teams." There's a ton of history built up between the different divisions at this point, and I like playing them more often. I was personally fine with not play all the Western teams. As I've said before, other than Dallas, Anaheim, Detroit and Chicago, I don't care to play any other Western team at all.

 

[nj_cup]

i know thats the point of divisional play...just imagine divisional playoff hockey! i was a bit young to remember what it was like in the early 90s but if you want to build up a bigger following thats one way to do it. devils vs isles in 1st round devils vs rangers in the 2nd. boom!

one plus to my baseball switch idea...it could be devils/rangers for the cup. or the nhls wet dream ovie/sid for the cup!

 

[MCDevils]

i know thats the point of divisional play...just imagine divisional playoff hockey! i was a bit young to remember what it was like in the early 90s but if you want to build up a bigger following thats one way to do it. devils vs isles in 1st round devils vs rangers in the 2nd. boom!

one plus to my baseball switch idea...it could be devils/rangers for the cup. or the nhls wet dream ovie/sid for the cup!

My only issue with divisional playoffs, is that it seriously hurts one division if it's much better. Imagine if the top 4 teams in the regular season are all from one division in the east. So the 4 best teams have to eliminate themselves and the next four get an easier path. I don't know if I like that, I think that there's already enough controversy when the SE winner used to get the auto 3rd despite having the 6-7 best record until the Caps turned it around.

 

[MCDevils]

i know thats the point of divisional play...just imagine divisional playoff hockey! i was a bit young to remember what it was like in the early 90s but if you want to build up a bigger following thats one way to do it. devils vs isles in 1st round devils vs rangers in the 2nd. boom!

one plus to my baseball switch idea...it could be devils/rangers for the cup. or the nhls wet dream ovie/sid for the cup!

That would also mean that Ovie and Sid are less likely to meet in the playoffs though.

 

[MCDevils]

Just curious. Did anyone else really like the 8 games in your own division, 4 in conference, a few outside? I really did. I'm sure the Devils preferred having 1/4 of their home games against the Rangers, Flyers, Capitals, Penguins.

 

[nj_cup]

you still have to win 16 games there is no "easy" path through the playoffs. i've made that argument before bout the 03 cup run and everyone always bashes me for it! the devils had a cakewalk through the 1st 2 rounds.

as for the sid/ovie they have been in the nhl what 5 years now and have met once in the 2nd round. the odds of them reaching the finals will be less yes but the nhl would like it.

i just think if your going to play 18 games against teams in your division then it would make sense to play them to get out of the division in the playoffs.

 

[nj_cup]

OR just get rid of divisions and conferences all together just make one super standing system top 16 make it