Reallignment big topic this weekend - my 4 options

[bdiam]

Another "work of art" by the parasite know as Bettman.

We had to do away with the Norris Division, the Patrick, the Adams, the Smythe, all because Americans couldn't or wouldn't be able to remember the names? Hmm, funny that 4/6 Original 6 teams were wait - in America!

Now, we're about to have the Gretzky Conference, the Howe Conference etc.?

What allot of people are missing, is this new garbage will see "allot" of top teams eliminated in the first round. Looking ahead for the next five years or so, it's likely that Pittsburgh, Philly and Washington will be three of the top five or six teams in the entire league. Under this new format, it's also likely (definite) in at least some cases, that 1-2 of the teams will be forced out in the first round of the playoffs.

People keep laughing but it's going to come sooner then later - the uniforms mirroring Nascar or teams from Europe - with advertising logos on them!

Bettmanstein only cares about one thing and always will - $$$$$$$$$

Another reason to watch even less hockey then I do now.

Too bad the NFL season couldn't last 12-months.

[edthesandwich]

Another "work of art" by the parasite know as Bettman.

We had to do away with the Norris Division, the Patrick, the Adams, the Smythe, all because Americans couldn't or wouldn't be able to remember the names? Hmm, funny that 4/6 Original 6 teams were wait - in America!

Now, we're about to have the Gretzky Conference, the Howe Conference etc.?

What allot of people are missing, is this new garbage will see "allot" of top teams eliminated in the first round. Looking ahead for the next five years or so, it's likely that Pittsburgh, Philly and Washington will be three of the top five or six teams in the entire league. Under this new format, it's also likely (definite) in at least some cases, that 1-2 of the teams will be forced out in the first round of the playoffs.

People keep laughing but it's going to come sooner then later - the uniforms mirroring Nascar or teams from Europe - with advertising logos on them!

Bettmanstein only cares about one thing and always will - $$$$$$$$$

Another reason to watch even less hockey then I do now.

Too bad the NFL season couldn't last 12-months.

What absolute, unfettered written garbage.

Checking your obvious hatred for American NHL fans at the door for a moment (a blazing start to your toxic diatribe, by the way), the original system was done away with to ensure a more level playing field when it came to the playoffs. It had nothing to do with whether or not people could remember the names of the divisions.) You can continue to believe that, if it helps you sleep at night.)

Fast-forward to an era where parity has become the norm ... no more do you have to worry about teams like the Minnesota North Stars or Toronto Maple Leafs sneaking into the playoffs with 52 points while the New York Rangers miss out with 80. The salary cap era has yielded the most competitive NHL hockey in history. As I posted in a different thread, the difference between the middle 10 teams in the Eastern Conference last year was something like six or seven points. That's a few lucky bounces and some extra power plays.

I take issue with your wildly baseless accusation that "a lot" (spelling) of top teams will be eliminated in the first round. Why, because you predict that ONE division will be top-heavy? This somehow correlates into "A LOT" of top teams being knocked off? Really? Please tell me how someone comes to that conclusion based solely on the information you have to work with. Because as someone who covers the game for a living, let me tell you what I think:

I think you're going to see a lot of entertaining first-round series. And that's all that matters to me.

Do I care if Pittsburgh AND Washington get knocked out in Round 1? Not even a little bit. I don't watch NHL hockey because I get SUQEEEEEEEE! for Sidney Crosby or Alex Ovechkin. I'm not "ratings." I'm the typical Canadian hockey fan who cares about seeing entertaining hockey, whether it's played by a team with 60 points or a team with 120. Under your premise, Pittsburgh, Philly and Washington would finish top-3 in their conference. You know what that means? Two of them will meet in the first round! That's AWESOME! And that's how people will see it. My way. Not yours.

I love when people think they can accurately predict the standings five years into the future. I'd bet you $10,000 you can't, and that will give you five whole years to save your money when I come collecting in 2016.

As for new conference names ... why not honor the sport's greats? You complain about removing the names Patrick, Smythe, Norris and Adams from the divisions way back when. Can anyone under the age of 25 name all four people responsible for the division names, and why they were so honored? I bet few can. This is a younger fan's game - in just about every conceivable way. If the NHL wants to recognize players who wowed us with their magnificence, then I'm 100,000% behind them for that. Go with Gretzky, or Howe, or Orr, or Bossy. Go with all four. Guys like that made me fall in love with this game. Not James Norris. Not Conn Smythe. Not Lester Patrick.

Regarding advertising on uniforms - I'm not even sure how that's relevant to your original point, but whatever.

And about yet another unprovoked attack on Gary Bettman ... enough. Please. The man came into this whole realignment fiasco with a target on his back. He had about a dozen owners complaining about their scheduling and travel. He had East teams pushing hard for Detroit to switch, and West teams threatening to cut off his manhood if he did. He was given a mandate to make things better but faced resistance from every corner when it came to taking the existing setup (six divisions, two conferences) and tweaking it. You get it, people? A TWEAK WASN'T GOING TO WORK. This required a complete facelift, and like it or not, that's what Bettman decided on. And guess what? It was approved 26-4, by people who know far more about the business of hockey than any of us ever will. So clearly, they think it's a fair compromise.

You can hate Bettman all you want. But don't say he only cares about $$$. He has committed to teams in poor markets with the goal of growing the game. He has funneled tens of millions of dollars into Glendale, rightly or wrongly, in order to keep the franchise afloat. You know what a commissioner who only cared about $$$ would do? Fold every team southeast of St. Louis, sell the Coyotes to the highest bidder, expand by two teams and scoop up the $250-million expansion fee per team (or whatever he could charge in 2011) and then retire. No, I think he actually wants to make something of this "NHL". People so ignorantly forget that he works for the 30 owners. They pay his salary. He listens to them. He advises them, but ultimately does what they ask. So if you want to blame people for decisions made by Bettman, try starting in the right place.

Maybe you should go ahead and watch less hockey, though. I'm sure your jaded outlook on the league will be sorely missed.

[xelloss1012]

Although Bettman is still probably unpopular with many fans, he has done some necessary things, whether good or bad. Note that the Board of Governors (owners) have the true say on what gets done.

Most people are not going to remember people from the early days of the Original Six unless they are a legendary player like Georges Vezina or Rocket Richard. Having the new conferences/divisions named after legendary players that can be considered household names would be a good idea. It's less boring than the simple regional names.

The radical re-alignment does make it possible for the Cup Final to be played by two teams in either the east or west. The early days of expansion from the Original Six had some interesting matchups that overlapped eastern and western teams. Reminds of playoffs where the Habs could play the Oilers, which has been possible in nearly three decades.

[RGM81]

Keep the sticks on the ice people and leave the personal comments out of things. We encourage dialogue, discussion, and debate, but keep it respectful and leave the moms out of it.

[dmaksymyshyn]

OK...so here is the map as it will be next year:

[dmaksymyshyn]

As for the organization, I guess it is ok...being a Sabres fan, having Tampa and Florida join the group is better than Detroit and Pitt.

My problem will be the playoff format. Points earned by the opposition in out-of-conference games will not mean anything to your team. So...as a game is nearing the end in a tie, and you are playing out of conference, it doesn't matter if they get a point, where as within your conference games, you don't want that other team to get the point. Sure, games within your conference are always more important, but won't teams play it more safe, and more defensively in out of conference games in these situations rather than go for that win in regulation in conference games? Perhaps this is already happening, but as it stands this year, you still don't want out of division teams to get the point, but this won't be the case next year. Not sure I like that.

[Prime B]

I am all about the new format for 2 reasons:

One, it will make some of the rivalries even more intense (Boston/Habs, Kings/Ducks, Wings/Hawks, Pens/Caps, Rangers/Flyers etc, etc)

Two, every team will come to every town every year! Gonna be some fun outings for The Grice Boys here in beautiful Colorado!

[Wickabee]

As for the organization, I guess it is ok...being a Sabres fan, having Tampa and Florida join the group is better than Detroit and Pitt.

My problem will be the playoff format. Points earned by the opposition in out-of-conference games will not mean anything to your team. So...as a game is nearing the end in a tie, and you are playing out of conference, it doesn't matter if they get a point, where as within your conference games, you don't want that other team to get the point. Sure, games within your conference are always more important, but won't teams play it more safe, and more defensively in out of conference games in these situations rather than go for that win in regulation in conference games? Perhaps this is already happening, but as it stands this year, you still don't want out of division teams to get the point, but this won't be the case next year. Not sure I like that.

Regardless of the alignment, playoff format or anything else, you're always going to have some games where the teams play for a tie and then fight over the extra point. It happened before they changed the overtime format, it happens now and it will happen long after everyone on these boards has taken their last breath.

[flemingc04]

Just thought I would share this interesting chart I came across on another site. Keep in mind that while it does show the average distances for each team, it isn't 100% realistic as teams who are travelling long distances tend to plan a few games within a region to save costs and flight time.


Regardless of how anyone looks at it, the East 2 Conference really has it made easy for them. Carolina has the longest average (366) in their Conference yet it remains shorter than any other team outside of that conference.

[Wickabee]

Looking at the map it looks like Florida will move to QC, Tampa will join the Dallas/Nashville group and Detroit move over to TO, Boston, Montreal territory.