Comments on: Report: NHL introduces new realignment plan

By: ussportsfanuk

ussportsfanuk — Thu, 28 Feb 2013 20:59:37 +0000

I actually thought one of the main things that didn’t seem right in the last plan was the division that the Lightning and Panthers were put into. Its one of the few things they have actually kept!

I know this new plan sorts out the division issue for the Jets but it looks a lot like it is helping some, maybe one, other team(s) a lot more!

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 14:27:58 +0000

I agree with everything except for the first part. Well I should say I know why the NHL didn’t do that. Rivalries out of the picture they could have split up the eastern teams better no doubt. But they weren’t breaking up the NYC teams from Philly being right across the border. Add to that they weren’t breaking up the Pens and Flyers to the Pens had to be with the NYC teams too. And I’m sure they wanted the Caps and Pens to play more than twice a year so the Caps go put in there too. Canes were added cause they were closer to DC and the Jackets make the most sense with the Pens. The Florida teams are sort of off by themselves after you put that “Atlantic” conference together. It’s actually probably good for the FLA teams because every time the Wings go down to Tampa and Sunrise the fans pack those places. So to be able to have them going there 3 times a year is huge. Plus the Canadian fans and Boston fans will flock down there as well. So while they don’t make sense in terms of location it should good for revenue.

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 00:07:23 +0000

More Original 6 games for both teams, is a GOOD idea

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:58:06 +0000

The NBA is able to get all 30 teams to play in each arena at least once, why shouldn’t the NHL be able to?

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:53:44 +0000

When Toronto moved to the East, Bettman told Detroit they would go East “when the need arose”, that happened when Atlanta moved to Winnipeg

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:46:35 +0000

phillyphanatic77- The 1-8 Conference seeding was Bettman’s idea when he became Commissioner…Until then the playoffs were ALWAYS a divisional set-up goign back to the original expansion when the Flyers, Penguins, Blues and Kings came into the league

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:39:40 +0000

If they would keep the 6-team/2-conference set-up, and Columbus goes East instead of Detroit, then Bettman should be fired for lying to the Wings

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:33:56 +0000

I don’t like where the Florida teams are either…My tweak to this plan would be to move the Florida teams, and Buffalo to the other East conference for the 3 NYC teams

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:25:28 +0000

“the only “natural” rival I see in their conference is Toronto.”

Montreal and Boston are as well, remember the Original 6

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:17:07 +0000

Why should a team in the Eastern or Central Time zone play a team in the Pacific Time Zone in the 2nd round?…That was a MAJOR complaint of the Western Conference teams (especially Detroit and Columbus) in those zones

By: dieseldeej

dieseldeej — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 23:09:32 +0000

I like this idea except for the Florida teams…They should not be in the one they’re proposed to be…Why not put the 3 NYC teams in that conference for the Florida teams and say Buffalo?

Hope the players from the now Eastern Conference will shut up about their increased travel, which was the main reason Fehr nixed the 2011 plan…Keep the schedule matrix because every team will play at least once in every arena

If they adopt the 4-5 play-in for the 8 team conferences, make it 1 game like MLB put in place last season

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:51:35 +0000

In terms of location, you’re right it doesn’t make sense. But in terms of rivalries it does. You aren’t separating the NYC teams, which also means you aren’t taking Philly away from them either. So those 4 teams have to be in the same division/conference. You aren’t splitting up the Pens and Flyers so there’s 5 teams that have to stay together. They want the Caps and Pens to meet more than twice a years and the Jackets make sense in the Pens division. Carolina is just a throw-in since they are close to DC. FLA and TBL don’t fit anywhere else so they get lumped into the NE. Detroit also fits there because of Montreal and Toronto.

By: valiantdraws

valiantdraws — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 21:05:23 +0000

Can someone please explain just why the two Florida teams continue to languish in a division with a bunch of Great Lakes teams? And Why isn’t Pittsburgh in with the Great Lakes Teams. It makes no sense.

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:07:46 +0000

As a Wings fan I love this. I will miss seeing the Blues and Hawks quite a bit but will still get to see them twice a year. This take the Wings games outside of their own timezone from 32 down to 14. Playoffs will be great too. I love my Wings but it’s tough staying up for 10:30 starts in the playoffs when I have to get up early for work or because my two year old son decides he wants to wake up early. I have to say I’m surprised by this though. When Lebrun said 2 teams were moving from the original proposal I sure didn’t think the Jackets AND the Wings.

As someone mentioned it does seem to bring into question Quebec City and Markham. I mean I still believe they will expand, and very possibly to those 2 cities, so do the Jackets and Wings move back to the Central if that happens or do we get a new realignment plan in a few years? If the Coyotes move, which I still expect them to, it probably means Seattle would be the place.

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 20:02:34 +0000

There is no East and there is no West anymore. It’s 4 conferences. Two with 7 and two with 8. Where those conferences happen to land geographically doesn’t matter anymore.

By: tmoore4075

tmoore4075 — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:58:31 +0000

I disagree. I think Detroit wanted to move to the “East” to avoid going to San Jose in round 2 again. The idea of the “divisional” playoffs was to cut down on travel and making it only one round doesn’t really help that much.

By: Anthony Maiorana

Anthony Maiorana — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:25:32 +0000

Reblogged this on Evening the Score.

By: valoisvipers

valoisvipers — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:39:11 +0000

Tell that to the Toronto fans.

By: kvashasux

kvashasux — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 14:54:03 +0000

Like the re-alignment. Two issues with the playoffs: 1. Take the re-seeding one step further, after 1 vs. 4 and 2 vs. 3 in each conference, re-seed the remaining teams 1 thru 8. Teams shouldn’t mind the travel if they have already won one round. 2. Give the first place teams 5 potential home games in the first round. Why should a fourth place team get game six at home. Then, there would be a difference between 1st and 2nd place. If all 1st round matchups go 7 games, the 1st place team would get 5 home games, 2nd place team 4 home games, 3rd place teams 3 home games and 4th place team 2 home games. This makes where you place in the standings mean something, not “just make it in”.

By: greatminnesotasportsmind

greatminnesotasportsmind — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 06:29:40 +0000

Cups are won in June, not February. Let’s keep it real

By: Ponsonby_Britt

Ponsonby_Britt — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:52:30 +0000

Another one in the plus column for the realignment. Can’t think of too many negatives, though it will be surreal to see the Wings in the East.

By: Ponsonby_Britt

Ponsonby_Britt — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 02:40:43 +0000

That’s a great one for the plus column of this proposed re-alignment. Of course, if the ‘Hawks fail to lose, you may as well hand the cup to them at the end of the regular season.

By: baseballbarrister

baseballbarrister — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 01:53:06 +0000

Talk about a solution in search of a problem.

The real solution is to move Nashville, Detroit, or Columbus to the east and move Winnipeg west. It’s really that simple.

That said, if the NHL hadn’t turned its back on Atlanta, this wouldn’t be an issue at all.

By: lionstigersandwingsohmy

lionstigersandwingsohmy — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 00:46:08 +0000

So you would move a team in located in the central time zone to the eastern conference and leave two teams
located in the eastern time zone in the western conference? Makes no sense to me.

By: emperorzero

emperorzero — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 22:49:52 +0000

I’m not a Red Wings fan and the only “natural” rival I see in their conference is Toronto.

By: mizbinboston

mizbinboston — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:59:44 +0000

Hear hear! We’ll (I’m a Wings fan) get Boston and Montreal, and FINALLY get to play in our own freakin time zone. The day after play-off games against teams like Anaheim and half the state of Michigan wanders around like zombies because we’ve all been up til 3 am watching the d@mn thing go into triple overtime. Losing the Hawks isn’t fun, but I’ll take it.
P.S.- hope Malkin’s doing okay. Don’t like the Pens but that made me feel sick to my stomach when I heard.

By: xtb3

xtb3 — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:50:38 +0000

what exactly do you like about it? no selfish reason such as detroit out of your teams division! do you like 44 of 84 non conference meaningless games for every team? me i like rivalry games more of them mon/bos det/chi etc tham ott/phoenix etc

By: cardsandbluesforever

cardsandbluesforever — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 21:08:30 +0000

yup, or the Blues and Wings to meet in the finals. that would be one HELL of a stanley cup final for Wings and Blues fans- we already hate each other with a passion…

By: dfpoor

dfpoor — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:55:53 +0000

Who wouldn’t pay to see Stamkos?

By: greatminnesotasportsmind

greatminnesotasportsmind — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 20:32:33 +0000

Nashville is in the central time zone and Detroit is in the eastern….