NHL Conference Realignment

The NHL Board of Governors approved a plan Monday night to re-align the entire NHL. When one thinks conference re-alignment, one usually thinks how the MLB has decided to move the Houston Astros from the NL Central to the AL West, or the NFL taking the Atlanta Falcons out of the NFC West, or perhaps the NBA maybe doing something about the stupidity of the Oklahoma City Thunder playing out of the Northwest Division. But no, the NHL is doing something much grander for next season. Come next season, the NHL will split their 30 teams into 4 conferences with 2 conferences with 8 teams and 2 with 7 teams. Generally, the new conferences will be geographic, although the Southeast is in the same conference as the Northeast, while the mid-east coast will be mostly its own conference.

The 4 new conferences

The former Western Conference, now with 16 teams, makes up what the NHL has for now deemed "Conference A" and "Conference B," but with the inclusion of the Winnipeg Jets, formerly the Atlanta Thrashers. The former Eastern Conference now has 14 teams, which opens the possibility of expanding the NHL to 32 teams in Conference C or D. Based on the nature of the new conferences, it's possible for the Deep South to get another hockey team (for whatever stupid reason) or the northeast, or the general east coast to get another one.

It's a pretty ambitious move, one that may change the NHL's playoff structure because of the new traveling requirements for certain teams. The Florida Panthers now have the most brutal travel schedule, having to make frequent trips up to Canada for conference games as well as making road trips to every other team.

More news as it develops...