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Monday, December 05, 2011
Realignment into four conferences
That’s what the NHL is now doing. That means two 7-team conferences and two 8-team conferences.
The first two rounds will feature 1 v 4 and 2 v 3 for each conference. Presumably, the four teams that come out of there won’t be stuck in an east/west setup like it currently is.
We’ve talked about this in the past for MLB, and it’s a great setup. I’m not sure how the schedule is going to shake out, but if you do 2 games against the 22 or 23 teams in the other 3 conferences, that leaves you with 36 games against the other 6 intra-conference teams or 38 games against the 7 other intra-conference teams.
Anyway, back in 1997-1998, the NHL had 4 divisions (two conferences) of 6 and 7 team divisions. So, the new setup is more of a throwback to that. But the wrinkle here is that we have no divisions, and instead it’s 4 conferences. (Presumably, as I read it.)
This really will open things up. The difference is most clear in the NBA, where the Lakers, Spurs, Mavs can never meet in the finals. Now, with the new setup, if the Canadiens and the Penguins are in different conferences, they can potentially meet in the Finals.
***
As for Conference names, I will propose:
Gretzky, Howe, Orr, Lemieux
As a bonus, the Oilers/Kings, Redwings, Bruins, Penguins are in separate conferences already.
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