NHL realignment on the table again.

[DudeMan2766]

Yeah theres no way they name a division after Mario with him owning a team.

A-Melrose
B-Pang
C-Guerin
D-McGuire

Each named for a legend that either played or coached for a team in that division

Genuinely not sure if serious

an I'm gonna keep it that way

[slappybrown]

I could be wrong, but with trying to make hockey relevant to a larger audience, I don't see them going with the traditional division names of people that have been dead since long before most of us have been alive.

Orr, Hull, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe are all still alive.

[Rylan]

Why name them?

[shafnutz05]

I could be wrong, but with trying to make hockey relevant to a larger audience, I don't see them going with the traditional division names of people that have been dead since long before most of us have been alive.

Orr, Hull, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe are all still alive.

I was referring to the people that think they will go back to Patrick, Smythe, etc

[Pavel Bure]

The division with the Florida teams is a joke.

[mikey287]

I could be wrong, but with trying to make hockey relevant to a larger audience, I don't see them going with the traditional division names of people that have been dead since long before most of us have been alive.

Will division names really matter to fans that aren't diehards anyhow? Even diehards, for that matter...?

I, for one, predictably, would support some sort of history-respecting names...

[slappybrown]

I could be wrong, but with trying to make hockey relevant to a larger audience, I don't see them going with the traditional division names of people that have been dead since long before most of us have been alive.

Orr, Hull, Gretzky, Lemieux, and Howe are all still alive.

I was referring to the people that think they will go back to Patrick, Smythe, etc

Is that a thing? Those people are wrong I feel.

[It'sagreatdayforhockey!]

So if I have the playoff seeding correct, applying it to current standings with *=conference leaders:

EAST
Montreal (1st*) -Detroit (2nd WC)
Boston (2nd) - Ottawa (3rd)

Pittsburgh(1st) -Toronto(1st WC)
Carolina (2nd) - NJ (3rd)

WEST
Chicago(1st*) -San Jose(2nd WC)
St. Louis(2nd) - Minnesota (3rd)

Anaheim (1st)- Phoenix (1st WC)
Vancouver (2nd) - LA (3rd)

That's what I had as well. Making it a grand total of 2 changes to the playoff teams. NYR out, SJ in (because of the Det move). So it hurts the east a bit, but since the west still has to deal with more travel and more time zone changes it evens itself out long term.

I also like what they did with the Eastern conference alignment. It gives the Florida teams short flights while clustering the Mid-Atlantic teams together to allow for more bus travel than if they moved Florida teams into our division and the NY teams north.

Historically, I wonder how much of an effect this really has had on playoff teams? I think the big thing is that it adds one more team to the West playoffs and one less to the east on account of Detroit making it every year for what seems like 30 years (and Winnepeg/Atlanta + Columbus not doing anything).

[GDR]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

[slappybrown]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

What is "fan-friendly" geography?

[DelPen]

Pacific, Central, Atlantic, Northeast. Florida throws a wrench int here but when Tampa moves to Hartford and Florida to Quebec City it won't really be a problem anymore

[PensFanInDC]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

What is "fan-friendly" geography?

West
Mountain
Central
East

[Pavel Bure]

NASCAR Division
NFL Division
Brazzers Division
James Patterson Division

[Rylan]

Not based on history so that new fans don't look stupid.

[columbia]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

What is "fan-friendly" geography?

True North
East India Company
Comedy Central
Mae West

[shafnutz05]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

What is "fan-friendly" geography?

West
Mountain
Central
East

With all but one team in your "Mountain" division actually located in flat areas, not sure this is the best bet.

[no name]

I don't think you will see any movment of team for the next 2 seasons. Under this new CBA teams that once struggled to stay afloat might be able to survive. If in the next 2 seasons some teams don't rebound. (Florida, Nashville, Dallas, CBJ) you can see two of these teams relocating. In addition of 2 expanision teams. So in 2015 when they revisit realignment it could be a whole new ball game hope the NHL picks teams based on where they will survive and not by what time zone they are in.

It still boggles my mind all 16 teams in the east didn't veto this concidering how much harder it will be to make the playoff cut.

On another thought, even when the league has 32 teams (4 confrences) i hope they keep the wild card alive. I would hate to see at some point a team get screwed out of a playoff spot if they had more points than another team from another confrence.

[MRandall25]

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

Mike Zeisberger ‏@Zeisberger
Bettman says names for divisions will come in next few weeks. #NHL

What is "fan-friendly" geography?

West
Mountain
Central
East

With all but one team in your "Mountain" division actually located in flat areas, not sure this is the best bet.

Time zones, bro

Though I realize that doesn't really cover it either.

[Shyster]

Please, this is a modern sports league we are talking about. How will they name their divisions? Corporate sponsorship! We’ll have divisions like:

The Enjoy Coca Cola Division
Verizon FIOS Triple Play Division
The BMW Ultimate Driving Machine Division
The McDonalds I’m Lovin’ It Division

[penny lane]

going from the map ; pacific /mid pacific/mid atlantic/atlantic or mint/teal/orange/lemon

[mikey287]

Pepsi Presents the Pacific Divison of the Amway Global League...

[enenvee]

[Sigwolf]

Keep in mind that the locations of some teams (cough-couch, Florida, Phoenix, Dallas, cough-cough) may not be the same in a few years.

And even if true, the likely locations of a relocated team does nothing to help offset the inbalance of the conferences. The NHL should not have bowed down to Illitch, and Detroit should still be in the west, leaving two balanced conferences. Nothing in the near future will correct that inbalance, and that is just wrong. The whole league is thrown out of whack because Detroit has to get what it wants...

edit... not to mention... Detroit has been treated so unfairly in the west, they are only the third team in the league with 11 total Stanley Cup wins. Clearly they deserve a chance in the east to show their worth...

[mikey287]

Detroit should play in the east though, they're an eastern team...they've always had a lot of clout with the league and as much as I hate them and their horrendous fans, I don't have a problem with this really...at least, not yet.

[DocEmrick]

this is the dumbest proposal ever