A few days late in reporting, but I didn't want it to get buried under my must read Golden Points!!
The weekend started with news that the NHLPA rejected the new alignment that was proposed earlier in the season. They sited unanswered questions regarding the extra travel for some teams (boo hoo) and the uneven number of teams in each conference, making it easier for teams in the 7 team conferences to make the playoffs. Instead the current format will still be in place for the 2012-2013 season (and yes, Winnipeg will still be in the Southwest division of the Eastern conference... makes sense).
I was shocked when I heard this. When this plan was first released, it seemed like a majority of the people had a positive reaction about it. I know fans in the midwest were particularly happy because they'd be playing against more Midwestern teams and not the west coast.
I'm also very nervous now. The CBA is up after this season and the NHL absolutely cannot afford to have another lockout. Granted I'm not going anywhere, but the casual sports fan who has started to watch more hockey will be scared away for good. Although this isn't part of the actual CBA negotiations, this is not a good start. If this is any indication of how the talks will go this summer, I'm nervous. The players association has pissed off the owners with this rejections and I'm sure the owners won't forget this.
Keep your fingers crossed and let's just enjoy the rest of the 2011-2012 season while we can.
A Boston Bruins blog by Dome
Showing posts with label Realignment. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Realignment. Show all posts
Monday, January 9, 2012
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
New Realignment
After allowing representatives from various teams the opportunity to voice their opinions on which direction the league should go in regarding realignment, the Board of Governors have approved a brand spanking new, four conference alignment. Here's how it shakes down (the conferences haven't been named yet):
Conference "A": Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver
Conference "B": Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
Conference "C": Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Conference "D": Carolina, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
You play everyone in your conference 6 times and everyone else twice (one home game, one away game). I like the continued importance of "divisional" play. What I also like is that every single season (until the next realignment) the Wings and Hawks visit the Hub. It was a near crime that there could be a year not all six of the Original 6 teams would visit the Hub. Unfortunately we only play Conference C (the other East conference) two times instead of four. The little rivalries that have developed with NYR, Philly and Pitt will suffer, but I'll live.
The top four teams of each conference make the playoffs, so the same amount as the current format. The first two rounds are played against your conference foes and I love this. The B's / Habs rivalry has been so good lately because we've been lucky enough for them to have met in the playoffs. With the heavy influence and emphasis placed on conference play, old rivalries will continue to flourish and I'm sure we'll see many new ones sprout up.
The first alignment plan was just a one for one swap: Winnipeg for either Detroit or Columbus. If you think about it, it doesn't solve many of the problems that some teams face. Mainly travel and the start time of games... plus that would've split up one of the better rivalries in the game. Conference "A" and Conference "B" are aligned more appropriately with their time zones and should help garner more fans. Not every fan base is as dedicated as Detroit and Chicago and stays up 'til midnight watching there team.
Overall, I'm a fan. The great Northeast division remains intact and we welcome the two Florida teams to the fold. Right now, that makes the conference even better as the Florida Panthers are leading the Southeast division right now and we all know what Tampa Bay brings. Hell we now have 6 opportunities to get out of frozen New England and watch the B's in Florida in our floaties and our floral pattern swim trunks. Not too shabby!!
Conference "A": Anaheim, Calgary, Colorado, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose, Vancouver
Conference "B": Chicago, Columbus, Dallas, Detroit, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis, Winnipeg
Conference "C": Boston, Buffalo, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay, Toronto
Conference "D": Carolina, New Jersey, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington
You play everyone in your conference 6 times and everyone else twice (one home game, one away game). I like the continued importance of "divisional" play. What I also like is that every single season (until the next realignment) the Wings and Hawks visit the Hub. It was a near crime that there could be a year not all six of the Original 6 teams would visit the Hub. Unfortunately we only play Conference C (the other East conference) two times instead of four. The little rivalries that have developed with NYR, Philly and Pitt will suffer, but I'll live.
The top four teams of each conference make the playoffs, so the same amount as the current format. The first two rounds are played against your conference foes and I love this. The B's / Habs rivalry has been so good lately because we've been lucky enough for them to have met in the playoffs. With the heavy influence and emphasis placed on conference play, old rivalries will continue to flourish and I'm sure we'll see many new ones sprout up.
The first alignment plan was just a one for one swap: Winnipeg for either Detroit or Columbus. If you think about it, it doesn't solve many of the problems that some teams face. Mainly travel and the start time of games... plus that would've split up one of the better rivalries in the game. Conference "A" and Conference "B" are aligned more appropriately with their time zones and should help garner more fans. Not every fan base is as dedicated as Detroit and Chicago and stays up 'til midnight watching there team.
Overall, I'm a fan. The great Northeast division remains intact and we welcome the two Florida teams to the fold. Right now, that makes the conference even better as the Florida Panthers are leading the Southeast division right now and we all know what Tampa Bay brings. Hell we now have 6 opportunities to get out of frozen New England and watch the B's in Florida in our floaties and our floral pattern swim trunks. Not too shabby!!
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