NHL Realignment Proposal

[elocomotive]

Below is the potential realignment the NHL is going to take a vote on. Among the changes:

-Teams will play a home-and-home against all non-division opponents and the rest of their games in division
-Playoffs will be formatted such that the first two rounds are against division opponents.

I HATE this proposal because...
(1) If you are going to have uneven divisions, how can you not have conference-wide playoffs? That gives an unfair advantage to the smaller divisions who have a better chance of making the playoffs.
(2) It would mean fewer games against conference rivals. I don't want to see my team play two fewer games against teams I like seeing us play against like Boston, Pittsburg, and Montreal to play one more against teams like Anaheim or Colorado that I could give two shits about and who we have no history with.

I'm about 100% sure this gets voted down. Makes no sense.

 

[recon]

this is fucked up on so many levels

 

[pixburgher66]

Pens and Flyers already voiced their dislike for this setup.

 

[elocomotive]

Allegedly Pittsburgh and Philly have already come out against it. The nice thing about the current 6-division format is that even if you aren't in the same division as an old rival, at least you play them a number of times.

And the games are predominantly against your OWN conference because THAT is who you play in the playoffs (until one final round set) and it makes the meetings with the team in the other conference a treat. I don't know how the owners plan to sell more tickets by taking away more rivalry/regional games and having far away teams come to their arena more often. Ridiculous.

 

[sbb122]

I heard on NHL Network yesterday it would need 20 votes to pass. All 15 of the current Eastern Conference teams have already stated they would vote no.

 

[Forty_Sixand2]

This is so stupid. It is like the US government is running it. they are coming up with a complex solution to a simple problem. :smh:

 

[elocomotive]

All 15 of the current Eastern Conference teams have already stated they would vote no.

Wow. You'd think they would have run it by a few owners to test the waters before trotting it out there to get knocked down.

Almost makes me wonder if this is a proposal designed to lose so that the next will be happily and quickly accepted? Makes no sense.

Unless this is a fake story. But the Washington Post is reporting on it, as are a number of reputable outlets.

 

[buffhockey]

I heard on NHL Network yesterday it would need 20 votes to pass. All 15 of the current Eastern Conference teams have already stated they would vote no.

Total failure.

 

[pixburgher66]

I posted this in another thread, but it works here too:
This would cut down the rivalry to 2 games a year (home and home), as well as taking the Pens out of basically every rivalry they have and bringing it down to 2 games. I'm sure they'd just create new ones (like Boston), but still. Not a fan.

Other issues with this: unbalanced divisions, with one division in each conference being one team larger. I like the way this article put it. Brief and to the point. Pens, Flyers Teaming Up For Right Reason ~ PENS UNIVERSE - Real hockey

I agree with his points about doing away with divisions in general, especially because that would mean the top 8 teams in each conference, regardless of divisional ranking, make it in. That would also ensure that teams are playing equally challanging schedules, because lets face it, in past years (not neccessarily this year) the Southeast just didn't match up with the Atlantic, and similarly with many other 'weaker' divisions.

 

[Slimpikins]

Not nearly as bad of an idea as most of you are making it out to be. This way the star players get showcased across all markets. As a Sharks fan I don't even get to see the lightning, Pens, Caps, or Rags on any consistent basis. I get completely shut off from seeing half of the talent in this league play live in any given year.

I think if they did this they would need to scrap the divisions and have a home and away with each team in the other conference and fill the rest of the schedule with the in-conference games.

Let me be clear: This is not my ideal solution, but it is also not the end of the world as we know it.

 

[Destroydacre]

Not nearly as bad of an idea as most of you are making it out to be. This way the star players get showcased across all markets. As a Sharks fan I don't even get to see the lightning, Pens, Caps, or Rags on any consistent basis. I get completely shut off from seeing half of the talent in this league play live in any given year.

I think if they did this they would need to scrap the divisions and have a home and away with each team in the other conference and fill the rest of the schedule with the in-conference games.

Let me be clear: This is not my ideal solution, but it is also not the end of the world as we know it.

True you'd have a chance to see every team play every season, however the league could just do that anyway without this. Leaving Winnipeg in the SE division as things stand now is a better idea than this change IMO. I don't see why one team relocating means the league setup needs a complete overhaul. Only the idiots in the NHL brass would think like that.

 

[BOSSMANPC]

 

[juliansteed]

I hate it! What is so hard about moving Columbus or Nashville into the Southeast and putting Winnipeg in the Central (or Northwest and put Minny in the central)?

If they don't want to keep the 6 divisions that they currently have then they should go with no divisions and just have the 2 conferences.

 

[sherbert1421]

wow what fail

just to be clear, this is bettman's proposal?

 

[DaBoltsNIsles]

Below is the potential realignment the NHL is going to take a vote on. Among the changes:

-Teams will play a home-and-home against all non-division opponents and the rest of their games in division
-Playoffs will be formatted such that the first two rounds are against division opponents.

I HATE this proposal because...
(1) If you are going to have uneven divisions, how can you not have conference-wide playoffs? That gives an unfair advantage to the smaller divisions who have a better chance of making the playoffs.
(2) It would mean fewer games against conference rivals. I don't want to see my team play two fewer games against teams I like seeing us play against like Boston, Pittsburg, and Montreal to play one more against teams like Anaheim or Colorado that I could give two shits about and who we have no history with.

I'm about 100% sure this gets voted down. Makes no sense.

I hate it as well.

The problem is this is what every team in the Western Conference wants. They feel the Eastern Conference teams have an unfair travel advantage. All Bettman needs is 5 or so votes & this crap passes.

 

[juliansteed]

I don't know why the NHL doesn't just do this. Pretty sure it would make a lot more sense than what they are proposing here.

Eastern Conference

Northeast Division

Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa
Washington
New York Ranger
New York Islanders
New Jersey Devils

Southwest Division

Philly
Pittsburgh
Buffalo
Carolina
TB
Florida

Western Conference

Western Canada Division

Winnipeg
Calgary
Edmonton
Vancouver

California Division

San Jose
Anaheim
LA

Everyone Else Division

Detroit
Minnesota
Dallas
Colorado
Phoenix
St Louis
Nashville
Boston
Columbus
Chicago

I guess this would just be too perfect.

 

[IPostedWhat]

For the beat writers

Pros: Only one trip to Buffalo for local reporters. There's only so many times you can go for "suicidal" wings at the Anchor Bar or get stranded at Buffalo Niagara International by lake effect snow. As for my Edmonton brethren, I'm sure they wouldn't mind trading St. Paul for Los Angeles and Anaheim.

The Good Ol’ Hockey Game: Pros, cons and selfish thoughts on proposed NHL realignment - Capitals Insider - The Washington Post



What an asshole.

 

[elocomotive]

What an asshole.

Lol. I'm guessing you're referring to this...

For the beat writers
Pros: Only one trip to Buffalo for local reporters.

 

[awaz]

if they want to go with a massive realignment to ease the travel, why not do this?

5 divisions of 6 teams

Atlantic
Philly
NYR
NYI
NJD
Pitt
Wash

Northeast
Buffalo
Boston
Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa
Detroit

Central
St Louis
CBJ
Winnipeg
Chicago
Minnesota
Edmonton


South
Dallas
Nashville
Tampa
Florida
Carolina
Columbus

Pacific
LA
Anaheim
San Jose
Vancouver
Calgary
Phoenix

every division is made up of teams that are, at-most, 1 time zone away.. so the travel would be as close to even as you could get it.. teams in the northeast and atlantic would have a slight advantage because they are all in the eastern time zone, but thats as good as you can get IMO

Regular Season
Play a home-home with every team outside your division (24x2 = 48 games) and play 6 (3 home, 3 away) against every team in your division (5x6 - 30) and cut 4 games from the schedule (not a big deal)..

or, if you desire, keep the 4 games in and add in 2 extra sets of home-home games for 'rivalry' games.. could have something like a rivalry week in hockey or something.. for example, since calgary and edmonton get split in my divide, they can have 2 extra games every season against each other for the rivalry.. and calgary could add 2 extra against winnipeg as well, bringing their total to 82.. could be an interesting addition, but it could also get tricky for 'rivalries' less defined than the battle of alberta and would add an extra scheduling headache to break out the cross-division rivals to see what extra games are going to be added in.. but it could grow some new rivalries when it gets down to the teams that are put together when all the existing rivalries are used up (could help the wings/hawks out too, but i'm less concerned about that one because if detroit wants to move east, they'll have to make sacrifices)

Post Season
The top 2 from each team make the playoffs (not guaranteed any position, just that they make the playoffs).. 2x5 = 10 teams.. the final 6 are wild cards, going to the top 6 teams remaining after the top 2 are takin from each division.. seed them 1-16.. 1 plays 16, 2 plays 15, 3 plays 14 etc..

anybody see a glaring hole in that proposal?

edit: damn you columbus, youre in the eastern time zone.. does anybody care if the BJ's get the shaft?....

 

[awaz]

wow i listed CBJ twice!

it works! colorado takes columbus' spot in the 'central'

i always forget about the avs