west > east
- keithward

Boston won it last year. West < East

Pitt is the best team in hockey. They would own anyone in the West

Basically, this is what you've found:

In an insufficiently small sample of games, Washington, Ottawa and Toronto have won fewer than 50 percent of their games against an arbitrarily selected group of teams (sorry, but 8-6-3 is a losing record -- that's 8 wins versus 9 wins for your opponents). Tampa Bay has won 50 percent. Buffalo, Winnipeg/Atlanta, Carolina and Florida have won more than 50 percent.

So what does this prove?

Nothing, that's what. It's random statistical variance over a small sample size. It's like saying Goalie A is a "beast" against Division B because he has a .960 save percentage in 8 games against those teams. Every league-average goalie in the NHL possesses the ability to put up an .960 average in eight arbitrarily selected games, or even eight consecutive games. That's what happens with small samples.

It's ridiculous to claim, for example, that Carolina (11th in the East) is "better" than, say, Calgary (11th in the West) because Carolina happened to win 10 of 16 against Colorado, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Calgary, San Jose, Anaheim and Minnesota over the last two years. Four games over .500 in just 16 games against seven medium-quality opponents tells you absolutely nothing statistically meaningful.

Just for fun, what would the teams look like if the best players from the west took on the best players from the east. If the best from the west played the beasts in the east, who would stack up better?

13 best forwards, 7D, 2 goalies. Let's see it... I was surprised.

Just for fun, what would the teams look like if the best players from the west took on the best players from the east. If the best from the west played the beasts in the east, who would stack up better?

13 best forwards, 7D, 2 goalies. Let's see it... I was surprised.
- AlfieisKing

My sense is that the East has more elite talent than the West (especially at forward), but Eastern teams also seem to lock up more money in their elite talent and have more top-heavy rosters on average.

Very best from the East probably takes the very best from West. But if you ran the cap hits for the all-star teams, the East team would probably be way more expensive.

13-4-1 Colorados record against the east this season

Here's another example of meaningless statistics:

The New York Islanders are 4-0-1 against Detroit since the lockout. I guess that proves that Eastern bottom-feeders would be division winners in the West.

Why do most of you even come to this site? Just to whine at and about Ek?
- wolfhounds

I certainly do. What else can I do here?

Bruins beat Flames 9-0, can't beat the Canes, so the East must be better.

Why do most of you even come to this site? Just to whine at and about Ek?
- wolfhounds

Yeah, but which is better, East or West?

Wow, 12 pages of people saying they don't care. Must have the entire 7th grade responding at once.

Why do most of you even come to this site? Just to whine at and about Ek?
- wolfhounds

Yes. Anyone that owns a keyboard must know as much and be as well connected as everyone else. Internet democracy theorem #1.

Yeah, but which is better, East or West?
- Flyfreaky

Best Division in hockey - Atlantic

in the east and they kinda just make up the conference with boston.... so overall... West is better.

Wow, 12 pages of people saying they don't care. Must have the entire 7th grade responding at once.
- peezie

I care and passed sixth grade on my ninth try...

Wow. Really reaching there Ek'. Release the guy's name, he is 1000% right. The East teams are a joke compared to the bottom teams in the West.

The Avs are like 11 points away from Vancouver, and in a battle for their playoff lives, and I would take them over any East team not in the Top 4 ( I don't include Florida in the joke division in the NHL, the Southeast )

You can run a few numbers of records in one game, but if you took the time to actually listen ( instead of this hilariously huge love for your own opinion...well, its your site, I guess here that is totally fine ), he said a 7 game series.

He's right. none of the teams you tried to pump the tires of would win a 7 gamer against the Avs, or even the Flames, or the Coyotes.

Nice try. Laughing at you son, not with you...

The only thing superior about the east is their schedule.

In the east you can go go on a 5 game road trip and still sleep in your home every night.

In the west you are worn down down with all the travel throughout the year.

Oh, and wolfhound, peezie, and whomever else is chastising people for having an opinion.

Thats the whole point of his site. He puts a thing out there that is laughable to get hits.

One might ask what you get out of coming here just to mock people, instead of, actually, you know, having an opinion and voicing it.

But then its obvious you are just a couple of mouthy children, so, apart from offering you your soother so you stop crying, there is nothing else to be done.

Waaaaaaahhhh....Mommy Ek, the mean man said not nice things!

Best Division in hockey - Atlantic

in the east and they kinda just make up the conference with boston.... so overall... West is better.
- jps7878

Central might have something to say about that.

The subtitle to this should have been:

Why Ek is part of the East Coast Media Bias.

Central might have something to say about that.
- Tweek

True true i just see the blue jackets so thats a bunch of easy points... but there are the islanders also... Both divisions are beasts though. Rangers, Pens, Devils and Flyers vs Blues, Preds, Hawks and Wings... both divisions have 4/8 spots... also both have teams that aren't lower than 6th in their respective confrences... its a close call... only reason i say atlantic is because I see them more so its bias but its a tough call either way you cant go wrong

True true i just see the blue jackets so thats a bunch of easy points... but there are the islanders also... Both divisions are beasts though. Rangers, Pens, Devils and Flyers vs Blues, Preds, Hawks and Wings... both divisions have 4/8 spots... also both have teams that aren't lower than 6th in their respective confrences... its a close call... only reason i say atlantic is because I see them more so its bias but its a tough call either way you cant go wrong
- jps7878

Absolutely, between the two divisions you could see as many as 8 teams with 100 pts or more this season.....that's just ridiculous.

ek you missed breaking news, nabokov signed a 1yr extension

ek you missed breaking news, nabokov signed a 1yr extension
- dmarsden2988

Hmmmm, that news just tilted the East/West issue...

It's just random statistics. Buffalo also beat Vancouver this year, so I'm guessing that makes them better than Vancouver?

Although I do think some of the western teams are a bit overrated. Chicago and San Jose have big names but if you watch them play they don't impress at all.

you mean going 3-3 against the rangers this season is being sliced open

at least my team knows what success is
- dmarsden2988

yeah clearly i wasnt referencing the total beatdown the devils got last night off the opening faceoff or anything