After a lockout shortened the 2013 regular season, the NHL must shake the foundation of the sport to draw more interest and maximize the local rivalries.
That’s where conference and divisional realignment will truly help the league, both fiscally and in the mainstream view of hockey.
The NHL has reportedly continued to work on a deal that would encompass realigning how the league is laid out. According to Elliotte Friedman on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada (h/t Adam Gretz of CBS Sports) and ESPN's Pierre LeBrun, the plan would entail four re-worked divisions and two overhauled conferences.
As seen by the chart above (h/t Icethetics), the decision to put the teams together in the most logical way possible—geographic position—is the best way to not only cut down travel costs for franchises across the league, but also help fuel rivalries between cities that likely already have history.
Nothing breeds rivalries like proximity.
The shock of changing the way the NHL is currently formatted may be too much for some fans to handle (there will always be traditionalists that reject change), but moving Wester ...
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Article written by donald wood
NHL Realignment Rumors: 4-Division Plan Is Shakeup League Needs
February 26th, 2013 by donald wood Leave a reply »
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