Thread: Realignment Blog Post

Originally Posted by KINGS17

The NHL is making noise about going back to 4 divisions and 2 conferences.

We could see a return to the day where the top 4 teams in each division make the playoffs with divisional playoffs followed by a conference championship series.

And this is exactly what SHOULD happen.

Originally Posted by AngelEyes

I miss the possibility of a SC Final between Montreal and Toronto . . . or Boston and New York . . . or in more modern terms, L.A. and Anaheim. I guess the only way this could happen is if all the playoff teams go into the same pool. It'll never happen, but it's what I'd like to see.

There's a way to do this - a crossover during the Conference Finals. Have top team in the West player lower seed in the East, and vice versa. This accomplishes two things:

#1 - if the two best teams in the NHL are in the same conference, then they should play for the championship.

#2 - the potential for a inter conference or division rival in a seven game series for the Stanley Cup could be a ratings bonanza.

Worst case is that the top teams in each Conference win and we have what we have today.

Originally Posted by NastiMarvasti

And this is exactly what SHOULD happen.

Why?

The same playoff pairings every year? Yawn.
Unfair situation where teams in stronger division get screwed. Great.

Never liked it. Never will.

Originally Posted by dgrycan

There's a way to do this - a crossover during the Conference Finals. Have top team in the West player lower seed in the East, and vice versa. This accomplishes two things:

#1 - if the two best teams in the NHL are in the same conference, then they should play for the championship.

#2 - the potential for a inter conference or division rival in a seven game series for the Stanley Cup could be a ratings bonanza.

Worst case is that the top teams in each Conference win and we have what we have today.

Good ideas there. They did this for a short time in the early 70s when there was a East and West conference. Since all of the expansion teams were in the West Conference they thought it was a fair way to do it. So it isn't unprecedented.

I still think the best way for a playoff is to have the teams seeded from 1 to 16. Yeah, I know that is a lot of travel but isn't that the problem now with the eastern teams having an advantage?

jom

Originally Posted by NastiMarvasti

And this is exactly what SHOULD happen.

Anything from the Gretzky era is the greatest thing ever. We get your position on that, but it isn't true.

Originally Posted by KINGS17

Anything from the Gretzky era is the greatest thing ever. We get your position on that, but it isn't true.

Hater.