Realignment Approved by BoG

[5Minute Major]

I don't mind the realignment, it works out very well for TV. Yes it looks kind of funny with the Florida teams skipping an entire division but its still the same time zone.

Besides Detroit/Chicago being broken up I think its fine.

With 14 teams in the West I'm thinking its clear the NHL will expand. Once Seattle gets an NBA team (the Kings) then they'll also get their NHL team, and I'm expecting Quebec to eventually get a team as well...Even though that would give the east another team, hopefully there is a mix of expansion AND relocation.

Put Florida or Columbus in Portland or Houston and in a couple years it would all make sense.

My last thought is that the NHL should let the fans vote on the new division names. Put Adam and Smythe and the others up against Gretzky and Lemeiux and a bunch of other greats from Hockey's past.....Just anything besides the unoriginal west, east, central, atlantic mumbo jumbo.

 

[RandoDoomer]

I hope so, but I doubt it. The NHL doesn't want to confuse all the casual fans.

Ah yes, "casual hockey fan", the ultimate oxymoron.

Seems like with every passing year, there are more and more things I don't like about the game versus things I do. Oh well, what can ya do...

 

[IcedMaidenDeth]

I really don't see the problem with this re-alignment. If you can't finish in the top half of your conference, whether it's 16 teams or 14 teams, you don't deserve to make the playoffs. Period. You could also look at this as the West has much tougher travel in general, so giving them better "odds" of making the playoffs is one way to compensate for that.

And complaining about the use of "wildcards?" Come on, you could basically say that right now, there's 3 division winners and 5 wildcards in each conference. I'd say it makes even more sense this way as in general you will be competing against your division opponents the most often, so competing against them for a playoff spot makes more sense than competing for one of five wildcard spots (unless you're from the SE Division and only the winner makes it in...).

 

[apice3*]

I can care less about realignment honestly. Just schedule the games and they'll play them. Although nothing improves rivalries like removing games from the stronger ones to fabricate ones on the fly. Stupid. Plus, do teams really need 7 rivals? Seems like overkill.

I haven't heard of the official playoff changes if any, but if they plan on making divisional teams play each other first two rounds, they're out of their minds. So redundant.

 

[Devils86]

There is not much you could do to avoid the Florida team situation..anyway you do it a southern team would have to fly over a division unless you took Pitts and put them into division C with Columbus. As for the playoffs what the wild card does is insure that the top 8 still male the playoffs. Just imagine this board if the Devils finished 5th with more points than the 4th place team in Div C and didnt make the playoffs. Now this can't happen. I would argue that this is more fair than what we have now, Now the playoffs are conferenced based yet the schedule is division weighted so the strength of schedule is different within the divisions. My big question is what are they going to do if a west team moves east. Swap back Det and Qub City? Wings will not like that as this makes it much easier on the travel for them.

 

[apice3*]

I really don't see the problem with this re-alignment. If you can't finish in the top half of your conference, whether it's 16 teams or 14 teams, you don't deserve to make the playoffs. Period. You could also look at this as the West has much tougher travel in general, so giving them better "odds" of making the playoffs is one way to compensate for that.

Disagree with this. If the West wants easier travel they should relocate and stop complaining.

 

[Devils86]

I can care less about realignment honestly. Just schedule the games and they'll play them. Although nothing improves rivalries like removing games from the stronger ones to fabricate ones on the fly. Stupid. Plus, do teams really need 7 rivals? Seems like overkill.

I haven't heard of the official playoff changes if any, but if they plan on making divisional teams play each other first two rounds, they're out of their minds. So redundant.

I have no idea how old you are but it sounds like you weren't around for the old Patrick division where there were only 6 teams and the first two rounds were played in division..I loved it...you always played a rival instead of say Tampa/ Florida round 1 . The intensity started from the opening faceoff. Games 3/4 last year against Fla felt more like the regular season than the playoffs. This will not happen with the new first round. (assuming Columbus is always bad). I like this alot more.

 

[Rob Nieds work ethic]

The playoff set-up was absolutely perfect, why did they have to **** it up? I'm truly disappointed about this.

 

[apice3*]

I have no idea how old you are but it sounds like you weren't around for the old Patrick division where there were only 6 teams and the first two rounds were played in division..I loved it...you always played a rival instead of say Tampa/ Florida round 1 . The intensity started from the opening faceoff. Games 3/4 last year against Fla felt more like the regular season than the playoffs. This will not happen with the new first round. (assuming Columbus is always bad). I like this alot more.

I'm 23 so you're right, I wasn't old enough to remember that.

But from what I've read from the older guys on this board, the series become redundant after a few years of playing the same teams over and over.

 

[IcedMaidenDeth]

Disagree with this. If the West wants easier travel they should relocate and stop complaining.

Well I mean, it's not like that was the NHL's actual reasoning, but it would be able to compensate in some minds at least. But either way, if you can't finish in the top half of your conference regardless of how big that conference is or whatever uneven schedule you have, you have no business being in the playoffs.

 

[Devils86]

8/14...57% of teams make playoffs ....8/15,,..53% make playoffs,,,,,8/16 50% make playoffs....so your talking about 3.3 % difference in what the odds are right now. I agree if you cant finish in the top half no way you should be in the playoffs anyways

 

[RandoDoomer]

I have no idea how old you are but it sounds like you weren't around for the old Patrick division where there were only 6 teams and the first two rounds were played in division..I loved it...you always played a rival instead of say Tampa/ Florida round 1 . The intensity started from the opening faceoff. Games 3/4 last year against Fla felt more like the regular season than the playoffs. This will not happen with the new first round. (assuming Columbus is always bad). I like this alot more.

I'd rather play a rival later in the playoffs. Great ECF's like '94, '00, '12 will be a thing of the past with the new format.

 

[Volodya Krutov]

Jacobs and his Bruins are going to love the realignment. What a coincidence.... F'ers

 

[Volodya Krutov]

Did the Kings finish in the top half last season ? Did we ?

 

[manilaNJ]

I'd rather play a rival later in the playoffs. Great ECF's like '94, '00, '12 will be a thing of the past with the new format.

Exactly.
At the benefit of having more 'exciting' earlier rounds, you're kind of watering down the quality of the later rounds where more is on the line.

Did the Kings finish in the top half last season ? Did we ?

We would have been a wild card squaring off against one of Detroit/Boston, if I'm looking at it correctly.

 

[Devils86]

I'm 23 so you're right, I wasn't old enough to remember that.

But from what I've read from the older guys on this board, the series become redundant after a few years of playing the same teams over and over.

I'm probably the oldest guy on this board and I would bet the only one who was at the first playoff games... It was so much better IMO. I hate the meaningless first round opponent. The devils struggled with attendance first round wise in the Byrne when they changed the format. I call it the Atlanta Braves syndrome. The Devils make the playoffs so often that the first round becomes devalued, just like it did with the Braves and now the Yankess with the ticket prices but if you put Philly, Pitt, NYI.NYR as first round opponents that round has juice and it created even more hatred within the rivalry. I would be interested in any other over 40 peoples POV cause we are the only ones who have seen this. Remember until 1982 it was 1-16 seeded league wise..In 83 they went to division format and in 93-94 to what we see now. The new playoff is kinda a hybrid is it a bracket like the NBA or will they re seed again in Rd 2?

 

[Devils86]

I'd rather play a rival later in the playoffs. Great ECF's like '94, '00, '12 will be a thing of the past with the new format.

You still could but they would have to be a wild card team...so look at your example...its happened 3 times in 20 years,,,with this way you guarantee a rival almost every year,,,with the possibilities of the semi-final too. i'd argue you'd have it at least twice in 20 years this way too.

 

[Devils86]

Exactly.
At the benefit of having more 'exciting' earlier rounds, you're kind of watering down the quality of the later rounds where more is on the line.



We would have been a wild card squaring off against one of Detroit/Boston, if I'm looking at it correctly.

IMO you arent watering down anything...you're creating a better all around playoff system. The Semi-Finals should be able to stand on its own whether the Rangers or Montreal/Boston/ Detroit/ Ottawa is the opponent, The first rounds not so much.

 

[MartyOwns]

I'm probably the oldest guy on this board and I would bet the only one who was at the first playoff games... It was so much better IMO. I hate the meaningless first round opponent. The devils struggled with attendance first round wise in the Byrne when they changed the format. I call it the Atlanta Braves syndrome. The Devils make the playoffs so often that the first round becomes devalued, just like it did with the Braves and now the Yankess with the ticket prices but if you put Philly, Pitt, NYI.NYR as first round opponents that round has juice and it created even more hatred within the rivalry. I would be interested in any other over 40 peoples POV cause we are the only ones who have seen this. Remember until 1982 it was 1-16 seeded league wise..In 83 they went to division format and in 93-94 to what we see now. The new playoff is kinda a hybrid is it a bracket like the NBA or will they re seed again in Rd 2?

respect

 

[Devils86]

 

[devilsblood]

This realignment, or one very similar to it, has been long a foregone conclusion. The league had to deal with the time zone problem eventually, and this does that. The changes to the playoff format bother me, though, because there's no reason to go that route that I can see.

I do think this suggests the league is looking to expand with two teams in the West. At this point, Seattle/Portland feels like a foregone conclusion, the question is where the second team goes; adding Quebec City or a second Toronto team feels like it would cause a ton of problems.

Why did they have to deal with the time zone "problem"?


I know it's good for TV, but having Florida teams flying over a dozen NHL cities to get to their divisional rivals is ridiculous.


Not to mention the time zone "problem" still exists in this format.

 

[Capt Nico Poo]

The age of rivalries is back. Florida situation sucks tho, but all the money is within the atlantic division of today, no point in messing with that, financial vise.

 

[Classic Devil]

Why did they have to deal with the time zone "problem"?


I know it's good for TV, but having Florida teams flying over a dozen NHL cities to get to their divisional rivals is ridiculous.


Not to mention the time zone "problem" still exists in this format.

No, it doesn't. The time zone problem was principally the eastern teams playing in the western conference. The problems that remain are unavoidable ones, and they're far smaller than they were.

From the perspective of the league, travel is a negligible concern compared to keeping teams in consistent time zones.

On a different note, I have no idea what they're going to do when Quebec City starts making noise again.

On a different different note, I have to say that from a purely selfish perspective, I love this. Having Columbus in New Jersey's division is awesome, since I'm going to be in Columbus for a few years yet.

 

[ScottyK]

Hockey Central ‏@SNHockeyCentral
Bettman: Looking at "fan-friendly" names that are geographically based.

If we play in the Messier division I'm rioting.

 

[Classic Devil]

Hockey Central ‏@SNHockeyCentral
Bettman: Looking at "fan-friendly" names that are geographically based.

If we play in the Messier division I'm rioting.

I think he meant we'll be "Mid-Atlantic" or something. "Fan-friendly" pretty much guarantees it won't be the Patrick division.