34 replies to this topic

[PenaltyKiller]

The NHL embraced its first major realignment since 1998 when the board of governors voted to switch to a new four-conference format that will also guarantee that every team will play the other 29 teams at least twice every season.

The breakdown of the four new conferences:

East 1: New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Carolina and Washington

East II: Florida, Tampa, Montreal, Toronto, Buffalo, Ottawa and Boston.

Central: Columbus, Detroit, Winnipeg, Nashville, Dallas, Minnesota, St. Louis and Chicago

West: Phoenix, Anaheim, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Colorado, Edmonton and Calgary

Sixteen teams will still make the playoffs, and the first two rounds of the playoffs will be within the conference.

"I think it's good for almost everybody in the league," Nashville Predators general manager David Poile said. "We know this is a very contentious issue … but at the end of the day, everyone went in the direction of doing what's right for the league."

Realignment became necessary because the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg and the Jets needed to be moved to the West.

The NHL had moved to six divisions in 1998 to accommodate the latest wave of expansion.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/story/2011-12-05/nhl-realignment/51663386/1

[Mitt]

http://www.usatoday....ment/51663386/1

No Florida teams in our conference.....THANK GOODNESS!!

[Mitt]

http://www.usatoday....ment/51663386/1

New playoff format

Once the playoffs are down to one team from each conference, the NHL will re-seed based on the regular-season records of the four finalists. No. 1 will play No. 4 in one semifinal and No. 2 will play No. 3 in the other. The winners of those two series will face each other in the Stanley Cup Final.

[Edu-ro]

The conference with the Florida teams and the Canadian ones is looking very strange, geographically speaking, but I like it. And I certainly like the new playoff format.

[The_Mighty_Tim]

If this alignment had been in place last season, the playoffs would have consisted of:

East 1: WAS, PHI, PIT, NYR
East 2: BOS, TB, MTL, BUF
Central: DET, NAS, CHI, DAL,
West: VAN, SJ, ANA, PHO

Of those teams, 15 really did make it to the playoffs. In the new system, DAL would have replaced LA.

Now, what I've done is attempted to simulate what would have happened in the playoffs. Although how the playoffs will exactly work is unknown (as to who plays who), I've simulated it using the following rules:

1. In the first round, the first placed team in a conference plays the fourth placed, and the second plays the third.
2. The winners from the first rounds meet their conference mates in the second round.
3. For the third round, East 1 winner plays East 2 winner and Central winner plays West.
4. Those winners meet for the Stanley Cup.

I simulated the results thus:

1. If a matchup really occurred in last year's playoffs, then that result is taken.
2. If not, the season series result is used.
3. If that ends in a tie, the highest finishing team goes through.

The simulation results are as follows:

First Round
WAS v NYR - WAS beat NYR 4:1 in the playoffs
PHI v PIT - PHI beat PIT 4:2 in the season series
BOS v BUF - BUF beat BOS 4:2 in the season series
TB v MTL - season series tied 2:2 - TB placed higher
DET v DAL - DAL beat DET 3:1 in the season series
NAS v CHI - season series tied 3:3 - NAS placed higher
VAN v PHO - season series tied 2:2 - VAN placed higher
SJ v ANA - season series tied 3:3 - SJ placed higher

Second Round
WAS v PHI - season series tied 2:2 - WAS placed higher
BUF v TB - season series tied 2:2 - TB placed higher
DAL v NAS - season series tied 2:2 - NAS placed higher
VAN v SJ - VAN beat SJ 4:1 in the playoffs

Third Round
WAS v TB - TB beat WAS 4:0 in the playoffs
NAS v VAN - VAN beat NAS 4:2 in the playoffs

Stanley Cup Final
TB v VAN - TB beat VAN 1:0 in the season series

[Edu-ro]

Nice work, Tim!

[Flyerfan52]

Cool Tim.

Vancouver still loses!

[DA-42]

I thought what Tim did was interesting, so I did the same thing but instead I used the WhatIfSports.com engine to simulate the games. It's not perfect since it doesn't take season injuries into account (like Sidney Crosby or Jonas Hiller being out), but I've always liked it a lot and wanted to try it for this.

Rd 1

WSH def NYR 4-2
PHI def PIT 4-1
BOS def BUF 4-3
TBL def MTL 4-3
DET def DAL 4-1
NSH def CHI 4-2
VAN def PHX 4-3
ANA def SJS 4-2

Rd 2

PHI def WSH 4-1
BOS def TBL 4-1
NSH def DET 4-1
ANA def VAN 4-2

Rd 3

PHI def NSH 4-1
BOS def ANA 4-2

Rd 4

BOS def PHI 4-3

Boston Bruins with the Stanley Cup!

[ericmedc]

You should be stripped your mod status and get banned for posting a simulation were the Flyers loose a game 7 in the finals to the bruins

[DA-42]

You should be stripped your mod status and get banned for posting a simulation were the Flyers loose a game 7 in the finals to the bruins

At home, I might add.

[TSA]

Geez, even in fantasy simulations the Cane's don't make the playoffs

[DA-42]

Geez, even in fantasy simulations the Cane's don't make the playoffs

Unfortunately for them it's going to be even tougher to make the playoffs in their new division (conference, whatever).

[TSA]

We know. We are to the new conference what the Tampa Rays are to the AL East. We're hoping for some of the same success the Rays have had. At the very least, the Canes are going to have spend more money and raise the skill level to at least make themselves more competitive.

Edited by TSA, 08 December 2011 - 02:05 PM.

[The_Mighty_Tim]

We know. We are to the new conference what the Tampa Rays are to the AL East. We're hoping for some of the same success the Rays have had. At the very least, the Canes are going to have spend more money and raise the skill level to at least make themselves more competitive.

Well, the Rays did make it to the World Series one year. However, they were beaten by a certain Pennsylvania based team, famed for it's furry green mascot...

[Johnthrax]

Maybe I'm just thick, or haven't read enough about the realignment...but why the 4 conference system instead of two conferences with 2 divisions in each?

[PenaltyKiller]

We know. We are to the new conference what the Tampa Rays are to the AL East. We're hoping for some of the same success the Rays have had. At the very least, the Canes are going to have spend more money and raise the skill level to at least make themselves more competitive.

Invest more in drafting and development. I don't understand why small market teams don't have the biggest scouting staffs around. More success on the developmental level will save them money in the long run and make them more competitive.

[propp16]

If I wasn't so lazy, I'd try to find my post suggesting the NHL do exactly this and see how close I was. I know it wasn't perfect, as I suggested some teams collapsing and others moving.

[Mitt]

If I wasn't so lazy, I'd try to find my post suggesting the NHL do exactly this and see how close I was. I know it wasn't perfect, as I suggested some teams collapsing and others moving.

Here's a radical idea: Fold the Devils, Coyotes, Islanders, Panthers, and Stars. Relocate Tampa Bay or Colorado to Quebec and fold the other.

Divisions:

Adams

Boston
Buffalo
Montreal
Toronto
Ottawa
Quebec

Norris

Chicago
Detroit
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg

Patrick

Carolina
Columbus
Philadelphia
New York
Pittsburgh
Washington

Smythe

Anaheim
Calgary
Edmonton
Los Angeles
San Jose
Vancouver

Why? Here are some reason:
1. Contraction means better players and better teams, which would increase parity and decrease the likelihood of a team struggling.

2. One of the major complaints from non hockey fans is that the season is too long. Meanwhile, fans complain that there are too many days between games. Lighter schedules mean less travel and well-rested players. A compacted schedule with more games played each week over fewer weeks is now possible.

3. Deeper talent pools mean less competition for players but much more competition for spots. Smaller market teams could complete because teams would no longer have to overpay players and the perceived "laziness" in the new NHL would diminish.

4. Deeper NHL teams means deeper AHL teams. Both leagues improve simultaneously. Everybody wins.

5. It's a return to old school division names, something many fans miss.

6. Fewer teams and fewer divisions mean shorter playoffs, which is a blessing in disguise. I dread the day that the hockey season ends but even I can admit it's a little ridiculous that the postseason stretches to the middle of June. It takes a toll on viewership. People want to be on the beach, not in an ice rink.

7. The depth of available players would eliminate the need/desire to circumvent the CBA and stay under the cap.

8. This could be a great jumping point to further develop hockey at the collegiate level like you see with college football. Players would be encouraged to stay in school and develop, the league would get better, and the fan base would increase. That tie-in to American college athletes that the hockey lacks but the other three major sports have is a big reason, IMO, why the sport is not as popular in this country. NCAA D1 Football averages 45,912 in attendance, which then feeds into the 68,240 average attendance in the NFL (highest sport in the world). By comparison, NCAA D1 mens hockey averages 3,985 fans per game. We complain about how ESPN ignores the sport and how Americans overlook the sport. Well, in order to make a change there, it needs to start from the ground level up.

Of course, the major downside to all of this is the loss of jobs. I would hate for players, employees, journalists, et al. to be out of work but I'm trying to think of this from the perspective of what would be best for the league on the whole. Naturally, nobody wants their team to fold either. I, for one, like the Avs and would hate to see them disappear.

You're welcome! (it didn't take much effort)

[propp16]

Hahaha. Thanks, Mitt. That just goes to show you how lazy I am.

EDIT: Aside from the teams I folder, if you consider that I moved TB to Quebec, I wasn't far off. Huh.

Edited by propp16, 19 December 2011 - 03:46 PM.

[tina78]

What I still don't get, why didn't they just add Columbus to the Eastern Conference (South East division)
Winnpeg would just take Colombus's spot in their division

Everything would have stayed the same, Conference's and Division's...