Posted by thesportsjunky on October 1, 2013 · Leave a Comment
Realignment has been a main subject in all of the previews and in many of the looks ahead to the upcoming season. Although the divisions get a lot of the attention the one thing that has rarely been the topic of discussion yet is the new playoff format for the league. With new division comes a new balance of teams with 7 teams in each of the Western Conference divisions and 8 teams in the Eastern Conference divisions.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 30, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The realignment has been a big story in the preseason as new divisions mean new opponents and new rivalries. This change in alignment for the NHL would all come down to one thing as one team’s move would require a massive change. The Atlanta Thrashers were struggling in 2011 and instead of fighting two battles, Phoenix would go under NHL ownership, the NHL decided that they would give up.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 29, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The new Central Division is not the same as it once was with the top two teams taken away from the group. The Central Division had been built off of the rivalry between Detroit and Chicago but that is no longer there. The Chicago Blackhawks remain in the Central Division while the Detroit Red Wings move to the Eastern Conference.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 28, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The Newest name division might not have a name that rolls off of the tongue but it is pretty accurate. The Metropolitan Division is just that as it features some of the biggest markets in the NHL. It may not have the Maple Leafs or the Canadiens but the size of the cities that love hockey in this division are much bigger. It will feature two states that have some of the biggest followings in the game while also including some of the largest Eastern cities.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 27, 2013 · Leave a Comment
With realignment in the NHL the teams began preparing for a new season with brand new opponents while the fans wondered what their divisions might be called. The realignment was not the only big story in the offseason as the names of these new divisions was also a popular topic of debate. The NHL would announce the official realignment and also the new names for these division. Most would be the usual names but one would be a complete change as the Metropolitan Division was born.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 26, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The new alignment for the NHL was big for teams like the Detroit Red Wings and Columbus Blue Jackets as they were able to move to their respectful places in the Eastern Conference. It would be the main story for the majority of the preseason when realignment was brought up. These teams would finally get a move to a place where they belonged rather than staying in the west and having another bad travel schedule.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 25, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The NHL continues to grow and despite many teams in the south struggling to get by there is one area that is not following suit with other non-traditional markets. The west coast of the USA, or more accurately California, was never a hockey market when the Los Angeles Kings entered the NHL in 1967. It was one of the first major expansions in the NHL and they would look to the West Coast to add two teams.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The Red Wings will enjoy their new division as they finally get the move they wanted to the Eastern Conference. Although they will be one of the big stories in the realignment it is not the only one for the new Atlantic Division. Joining the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Boston Bruins the Detroit Red Wings will be a part of a truly Original Six division.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 23, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The newly revamped alignment of the NHL will have its affects in every one of the new divisions including the new Atlantic Division. The Atlantic Division will see a new host of teams from the Northeast join the division. In fact the entire Northeast division has joined the new Atlantic Division among a number of familiar faces. Then there are the new faces for many of these teams in the form of the Florida teams who will move from the southeast to the Atlantic.
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Posted by thesportsjunky on September 22, 2013 · Leave a Comment
The offseason for the NHL was much less nerve racking for fans as there was no debate surrounding the start of the season. Instead of an offseason full of meetings between people in suits this season was about preparation for a new season. That doesn’t mean that the offseason didn’t have its share of meetings between people with suits but the CBA was not the main conversation.
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