Good read Pete. This kind of set-up would definitely be a step in the right direction for minimizing the East's travel advantages over the West. It would definitely be interesting to have the Original Six regularly duking it out again. However I'm not sure lumping all of the Canadian teams in one conference would be a smart idea.

The travel will never be fair for everyone but the league does help the further travelled teams to some degree. Using the leafs as an example... They constantly travel between games. Very few home games in a row and few away games in a row. Even when playing back to back games. I dont know every western conference team but they all seem to have plenty of home stretches and away stretches...rarely playing home, away, home, away. I dont believe that travelling a far distance inside of the same time zone matters much either... cost yes but these planes are very nice now of days to complain of jet leg

You lumped together every team that no one cares about, minus Pens and Flyers, together into one super money-loss conference.

Everyone remember the NHL's 4 conference idea? Do that except have 2 conferences with 4 division that are the same as the NHL's idea except have Columbus in the same division as Pittsburgh & Washington. And your done, maybe add some tweaking:

-Guaranteed home and home with the entire NHL, even out the rest with the conference / division.

-Playoff structure that allows for ANY Stanley Cup final. Here is my idea:

1st round of the playoffs is the same. 1 through 8 East and West, blah, blah, blah.

2nd Round is the Stanley Cup Quarter finals, all remaining 8 teams get re-seeded by points. And you go from there. This will allow for any Stanley Cup Final. Toronto/Montreal? Edmonton/Calgary? New York/New York? About time I say.

If travel is such a big issue for the playoff structure I have then you just do what the AHL does:

Games 1 & 2: better team has home ice advantage
Games 3, 4, & 5: lower team has home ice advantage
Games 6 & 7: better team finishes with home ice advantage

Save 2 trips right there, better team still ends up with home ice advantage, if they lose the series in 5 the weaker team gets more home ice games but that is the better team's fault for losing a game at home.

Can't be that hard to do.

How about 5 divisions of 6

Including the Original 6 Division
Montreal
Toronto
NY
Boston
Detroit
Chicago

Worked for 100 years

5 Division winners are in and then the next best 11 records

1 vs 16 2 vs 15 etc

Great work, Pete! Anything other than the current proposed format would work for me, it's complete BS that the NHL wants to have uneven conferences/divsions. I've been a huge fan of the NHL obviously, but a move like that would be absolutely horrible. I still like having 2 conferences with divisions within them like you proposed. It would suck to no longer be in the same conference with a team like the Hawks.

You lumped together every team that no one cares about, minus Pens and Flyers, together into one super money-loss conference.
- trolleytracks

Yeah the south is pretty weak for hockey revenue.

Great work, Pete! Anything other than the current proposed format would work for me, it's complete BS that the NHL wants to have uneven conferences/divsions. I've been a huge fan of the NHL obviously, but a move like that would be absolutely horrible. I still like having 2 conferences with divisions within them like you proposed. It would suck to no longer be in the same conference with a team like the Hawks.
- Nucker101

Certainly would kill one of the better rivalries in hockey.

Peter Tessier: Think Different: Realignment
It's time to apply a different way of thinking when looking at future league alignment of teams.
- Peter.Tessier

This is the type of idea that looks good on paper or in an NHL video game because everything is categorized nicely but it's impractical. It doesn't help reduce the travel schedule at all. And the idea is, especially for the NHLPA, is to reduce travel time as much as possible. To do that, divisional opponents need to be as close as geographically possible and preferably in the same timezone.

The easiest way to fix the league alignment is to adjust the schedule and to keep teams close to each other.

So, for starters, the divisions that change would look like this.

Western Conference

Northwest
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Vancouver Canucks
Colorado Avalanche

Central
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Detroit Red Wings

Eastern Conference

Southeast
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

As far as the schedule goes, the NHL needs to find a way for teams to go on long, circular road trips to reduce the total amount of time spent flying. Teams like the Canucks and the Red Wings should go on long road trips where they play a bunch of teams that are close to each other so they don't have to fly back and forth unnecessarily. So as an example, the Canucks would go on a road trip that starts in Edmonton and goes through, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis and then Colorado while Detroit would start in Winnipeg and goes through Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix and Colorado. Longer road trips but less time spent going to road games, then back home and then back on the road again.

Teams should also start the year by playing all the teams that aren't in their division and get all those games out of the way early in the year. Towards the end of the season, all the games should be divisional games so that not only are the games geographically close to each other but they also create a divisional playoff-like atmosphere before the playoffs actually begin.

This is the type of idea that looks good on paper or in an NHL video game because everything is categorized nicely but it's impractical. It doesn't help reduce the travel schedule at all. And the idea is, especially for the NHLPA, is to reduce travel time as much as possible. To do that, divisional opponents need to be as close as geographically possible and preferably in the same timezone.

The easiest way to fix the league alignment is to adjust the schedule and to keep teams close to each other.

So, for starters, the divisions that change would look like this.

Western Conference

Northwest
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Vancouver Canucks
Colorado Avalanche

Central
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Detroit Red Wings

Eastern Conference

Southeast
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

As far as the schedule goes, the NHL needs to find a way for teams to go on long, circular road trips to reduce the total amount of time spent flying. Teams like the Canucks and the Red Wings should go on long road trips where they play a bunch of teams that are close to each other so they don't have to fly back and forth unnecessarily. So as an example, the Canucks would go on a road trip that starts in Edmonton and goes through, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis and then Colorado while Detroit would start in Winnipeg and goes through Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix and Colorado. Longer road trips but less time spent going to road games, then back home and then back on the road again.

Teams should also start the year by playing all the teams that aren't in their division and get all those games out of the way early in the year. Towards the end of the season, all the games should be divisional games so that not only are the games geographically close to each other but they also create a divisional playoff-like atmosphere before the playoffs actually begin.
- Two_For_Truth

Other than the Canucks being lumped in with the northwest instead of the Pacific I can agree with your alignment.Vancouver belongs in the Pacific division.

First thing I would really do is drop it to a 72 game schedule.

But that's NOT going to happen!!
- Peter.Tessier

yuuuuuup!

Other than the Canucks being lumped in with the northwest instead of the Pacific I can agree with your alignment.Vancouver belongs in the Pacific division.
- kaptaan

Geographically, it doesn't make sense. How long does it take to fly from Vancouver to Phoenix compared to Winnipeg?

I like this set up better (assumes growth of 2 teams - Seattle and Quebec City):
- 2 conferences, 4 divisions per conference, 4 teams per division.
- Top team from each division plus next best 4 teams make playoffs:
Western Conference:

Rockies:
Vancouver
Seattle
Calgary
Edmonton

Pacific:
LA
Anaheim
San Jose
Phoenix

Central:
Colorado
Dallas
Winnipeg
Minnesota

Midwest:
Detroit
St. Louis
Columbus
Chicago

Eastern Conference:

Northeast: :
Montreal
Quebec City
Ottawa
Boston

York
New York I
New York R
Buffalo
Toronto

Beltway:
Washington
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
New Jersey

Southeast
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Nashville

You play 1 game a year against opposite conference, 4 games per year with same conference, other divisions, 6 games per year within the division. Would create serious rivalries as well as overall minimizing travel as much as possible.

Edit: Fixed formatting
- Eliminason

Good poop. Every team seems to be in a division fit for them. And the divisions are even named well. Again, good poop.

Geographically, it doesn't make sense. How long does it take to fly from Vancouver to Phoenix compared to Winnipeg?
- Two_For_Truth

Almost identical: 2h50m to either.

This is the type of idea that looks good on paper or in an NHL video game because everything is categorized nicely but it's impractical. It doesn't help reduce the travel schedule at all. And the idea is, especially for the NHLPA, is to reduce travel time as much as possible. To do that, divisional opponents need to be as close as geographically possible and preferably in the same timezone.

The easiest way to fix the league alignment is to adjust the schedule and to keep teams close to each other.

So, for starters, the divisions that change would look like this.

Western Conference

Northwest
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Vancouver Canucks
Colorado Avalanche

Central
Chicago Blackhawks
St. Louis Blues
Columbus Blue Jackets
Minnesota Wild
Detroit Red Wings

Eastern Conference

Southeast
Florida Panthers
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

As far as the schedule goes, the NHL needs to find a way for teams to go on long, circular road trips to reduce the total amount of time spent flying. Teams like the Canucks and the Red Wings should go on long road trips where they play a bunch of teams that are close to each other so they don't have to fly back and forth unnecessarily. So as an example, the Canucks would go on a road trip that starts in Edmonton and goes through, Calgary, Winnipeg, Minnesota, Chicago, Detroit, Columbus, St. Louis and then Colorado while Detroit would start in Winnipeg and goes through Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, San Jose, Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix and Colorado. Longer road trips but less time spent going to road games, then back home and then back on the road again.

Teams should also start the year by playing all the teams that aren't in their division and get all those games out of the way early in the year. Towards the end of the season, all the games should be divisional games so that not only are the games geographically close to each other but they also create a divisional playoff-like atmosphere before the playoffs actually begin.
- Two_For_Truth

I'd be on board with this for sure.

As a Blackhawks fan, there's no way you can separate us and St. Louis. That's one of the more underrated rivalries in the game, and has been since the Blues entered the league. And not to mention, St. Louis shouldn't really be considered a "southern" city.

Northwest
EDM
CGY
WIN
MIN
COL

Pacific
ANA
LAK
SJS
PHO
VAN

Central
STL
CBJ
DET
CHI
NSH

Northeast
TOR
MTL
BUF
OTT
BOS

Atlantic
NYR
NYI
NJ
PHI
PIT

Southeast
TBL
FLA
DAL
WSH
CAR

Everyone plays within 1 timezone of eachother, but the East still has the travel advantage

Northwest
EDM
CGY
WIN
MIN
COL

Pacific
ANA
LAK
SJS
PHO
VAN

Central
STL
CBJ
DET
CHI
NSH

Northeast
TOR
MTL
BUF
OTT
BOS

Atlantic
NYR
NYI
NJ
PHI
PIT

Southeast
TBL
FLA
DAL
NSH
CAR

Everyone plays within 1 timezone of eachother, but the East still has the travel advantage
- BigDre

Not trying to be wiener but you have them twice. And you left out the caps. I assume they would be in the south east?

Not trying to be wiener but you have them twice. And you left out the caps. I assume they would be in the south east?
- tomburton99

ty - fixed it

Almost identical: 2h50m to either.
- Eliminason

Now compare the difference from Calgary, Edmonton and Colorado compared to Anaheim, Los Angeles and San Jose. Vancouver might be closer to the Pacific Ocean but it doesn't mean it makes sense.



The only other way it could work would be like this. But it hurts more teams than it helps.

Western Conference

Northwest
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche

Pacific
Vancouver Canucks
San Jose Sharks
Anaheim Ducks
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotes (Seattle Stickhandlers)

Eastern Conference

Southeast
Florida Panthers (Quebec Nordiques) Another problem for another day.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Dallas Stars
Carolina Hurricanes
Washington Capitals

I like this set up better (assumes growth of 2 teams - Seattle and Quebec City):
- 2 conferences, 4 divisions per conference, 4 teams per division.
- Top team from each division plus next best 4 teams make playoffs:
Western Conference:

Rockies:
Vancouver
Seattle
Calgary
Edmonton

Pacific:
LA
Anaheim
San Jose
Phoenix

Central:
Colorado
Dallas
Winnipeg
Minnesota

Midwest:
Detroit
St. Louis
Columbus
Chicago

Eastern Conference:

Northeast: :
Montreal
Quebec City
Ottawa
Boston

York
New York I
New York R
Buffalo
Toronto

Beltway:
Washington
Pittsburgh
Philadelphia
New Jersey

Southeast
Florida
Tampa Bay
Carolina
Nashville

You play 1 game a year against opposite conference, 4 games per year with same conference, other divisions, 6 games per year within the division. Would create serious rivalries as well as overall minimizing travel as much as possible.

Edit: Fixed formatting
- Eliminason

switch Boston and Toronto. Move York to same division as Toronto.

I have 2 problems with this..

#1 the time zones.
#2 would anyone actually care about the southern conference..?

These 2 factors are enough reason why this will NEVER happen.

I have 2 problems with this..

#1 the time zones.
#2 would anyone actually care about the southern conference..?

These 2 factors are enough reason why this will NEVER happen.
- Erik6Karlsson5

It's not that difficult is it ?? Move Columbus or Detroit East. Move Winnipeg west.

It's not that difficult is it ?? Move Columbus or Detroit East. Move Winnipeg west.
- Erik6Karlsson5

or move the jets to the NW, move the wild to CEN and move the preds to the SE. Done.

or move the jets to the NW, move the wild to CEN and move the preds to the SE. Done.
- tomburton99