Hockey Realigning Into Four Conferences

[BaltimoreTerp]

http://prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com/2011/12/05/nhl-approves-four-conference-realignment-scheme/

Can we get the old names, too? Caps back in the Wales Conference? Who's with me?

[Pedro Cerrano]

Love everything about this, including the new playoff format. The Caps leave their "rivalries" with Winnipeg, Florida and Tampa behind and join the gritty conference with Pittsburgh, Philly, New Jersey and the New Yorks. Awesome!

[DuffMan]

Wow this definitely quite the change from the rumored simple swapping of Winnipeg with Detroit or Columbus. It does remind me a bit of the old divisions. I'm with Pedro on this one getting rid of Winnipeg, and the Florida teams and swapping in the Pennsylvania and NY teams along with the Devils is great! I'm also a fan of the fact that you get to play ever team from the other conferences home and away. Ensures you see every team in the league on a consistent basis.

[Araqnid]

I really like that the regular season will be a dogfight just to get into the playoffs. That should bode well come playoff time for the Caps.

[ccbird]

How can you like the new playoff format. Say Pittsburgh, Philly, and Washington are 3 of the 5 or 6 best teams in the NHL. In this format only 1 of them will make it to the "FInal Four" or semifinals of the league. Worse yet what if 6 of the teams in one division are 6 of the 10 or 12 best teams in hockey. Well only 4 of them will even make the playoffs. I'm fine with 4 conferences but no need to change the general format of seeding 1-8 and letting it play out from there. All your doing is increasing your chances for crap teams to get to the FInals or winning the Cup. If you're going to do something this extreme then have the reg season mean everything and cut down the playoffs to only 2 teams or even 1 team per conference. You know, the old baseball rules pre wildcard.

[BaltimoreTerp]

How can you like the new playoff format. Say Pittsburgh, Philly, and Washington are 3 of the 5 or 6 best teams in the NHL. In this format only 1 of them will make it to the "FInal Four" or semifinals of the league. Worse yet what if 6 of the teams in one division are 6 of the 10 or 12 best teams in hockey. Well only 4 of them will even make the playoffs. I'm fine with 4 conferences but no need to change the general format of seeding 1-8 and letting it play out from there. All your doing is increasing your chances for crap teams to get to the FInals or winning the Cup. If you're going to do something this extreme then have the reg season mean everything and cut down the playoffs to only 2 teams or even 1 team per conference. You know, the old baseball rules pre wildcard.

Did you have a problem with there being, say, six good teams in one conference and ten in the other conference in the old system?