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Realignment Talk
by Paul on 01/09/09 at 02:04 PM ET
Comments (4)
Our weekly “Faceoff” features ESPN.com NHL writers Scott Burnside (based in Atlanta) and Pierre LeBrun (based in Toronto), who duke it out over any given hockey topic. Let the games begin!
This week’s topic: Should the NHL consider realigning its 30 teams?…
Scott Burnside: ...When you see compelling games like the Flyers-Caps tilt the other night, it makes you pine for more. It brings us to the question of realignment, which pops up every now and then, and will likely continue to do so as we discuss the future of franchises in Phoenix, Atlanta and Nashville, among others.
The assumption has long been if the NHL ever gets to a point where it is serious about realigning the conferences, the first order of business will be to move Detroit into the Eastern Conference, which would set up some interesting rivalry possibilities with Toronto, Buffalo and Ottawa.
Pierre LeBrun: Scotty, I wouldn’t be so sure about moving Detroit. I think Chicago, among others, would have serious issues with that.
Filed in: NHL Teams | KK Hockey | Permalink
Comments
I agree with Nate. That makes the most sense from a ‘fairness in competition’ standpoint. But not necessarily from the $$$ standpoint, which is why it will never happen.
Of course every team wants more Wings/Leafs/Rangers/etc visits, that’s not the issue. Few (if any) want more Thrashers/Preds/Yotes/etc.
I’m pretty certain that Detroit will never be moved to the East, even if teams were to sprout in Seattle, Las Vegas, Kansas City, and Houston. The West teams would have a sh!tfit. I’m still amazed Toronto got away with it.
Posted by shep on 01/09/09 at 03:54 PM ET
I think Chicago would miss a rivalry with Detroit, but it isn’t as significant a factor in their fan interest as before. They don’t have to rely on visiting fans to fill the arena anymore - fans are coming out to see the home team. A rivalry would be missed, but financially they would be fine.
Posted by Baroque from Michigan on 01/09/09 at 07:01 PM ET
I really want to talk to this Jerry Bruckheimer idiot because Las Vegas is a sorry market for the NHL. Really sorry. They’d have more success having an MLS team than an NHL team and that’s the truth.
Posted by SYF from Las Vegas, NV on 01/09/09 at 07:11 PM ET
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Not that I expect it to happen, but if there’s any realignment, the East and West should be done away with. Split em up like MLB’s AL and NL.. The biggest complaint is is the travel. Split the teams up more randomly so everyone has the same burden of travel.
Call your 2 new conferences something to honor game history, return to the Campbell and Wales works just fine. Divisions can stay geographic based in location and name, to make it easier for casual fans to remember.
Splitting the teams up more randomly lets you preserve most of the historic match ups, work with some new natural rivalries, spread out the weak markets, and can share the wealth of the O6 and various Canadian teams.
Posted by Nate A from Dark side of the moon on 01/09/09 at 03:26 PM ET