Divisional Realignment

[Urgefan02]

If you were to realign the conferences and divisions, what would you do?

[STLADOGG]

Move Detroit to Pacific Division....well honestly move Wild to Central...not sure who to move out...give Quebec City and Winnipeg teams.

[Ruutu15]

My alignment would look like this:

Western Conference

Norris:
Chicago
St. Louis
Detroit
Minnesota
Columbus
Dallas
Nashville

Smythe:
Vancouver
Los Angeles
Anaheim
Colorado
Edmonton
Calgary
Phoenix
San Jose

Same sort of thing in the Eastern Conference. I know the rivalries and geographic things with the East, as well as the old divisions, but I don't follow the East nearly as much as the West. It's kinda like the American League in baseball to me...it's there, and I still like it, but not nearly as much. Anyway, my realignment doesn't end there. I would go back to the old playoff format. The top 4 teams in each division make the playoffs, and play each other for the first 2 rounds. The winner of each divisional playoff plays the other in-conference division for the conference final.

[glen a richter]

I'm with Ruutu on this one, screw the geographical crap. Western, Eastern, all that stuff was put there to pander to the clueless assholes who don't understand tradition.

Give me the Norris, Smythe, Adams and Patrick any day of the week.

[goon attack]

I too support bringing back the old school names. West? East? Who gives a big fat (Franking) turtle cock?

[Robb_K]

Move Coyotes back to Winnipeg (Northwest). Move Colorado to Pacific (now Southwest) Division. Move Thrashers to Quebec (Northeast). Move Wild to Central, and Preds to Southeast.






Less serious commentary:
Also make these moves:

Move Tampa Bay to Hamilton and Carolina to Halifax. Move Florida to Saskatchewan (Provincial team, half in Saskatoon and half in Regina). Move L.A. & San Jose, to Montréal & Toronto. Contract remaining US teams. A new, more compact NHL.

New Conferences:

[b]Canadian Conference:[/b]

[b]Maritime/East Division[/b]

Montréal Canadiens
Montréal Maroons
Ottawa
Halifax
Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Marlboros

[b]Canadian West Division[/b]

Hamilton
Winnipeg
Saskatchewan
Edmonton
Calgary
Vancouver

[b]American Conference[/b]

[b]Atlantic Division[/b]

Boston
Buffalo
New York Rangers
New Jersey
Philadelphia
Washington

[b]Central Division[/b]

Detroit
Pittsburgh
Minnesota
Chicago
St. Louis
Colorado