Organized sports are so fascist

This is Obama's fault.

This is actually a very clever realignment but not perfect. This is it:

Pacific Division
Anaheim
Calgary
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose
Vancouver
Seattle

Mid-West Division
Chicago
Colorado
Dallas
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg
Calgary

Central Division
Boston
Buffalo
Detroit
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto

Atlantic Division
Carolina
Columbus
New Jersey
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

They should switch Columbus and Boston. The Rangers, Devils, Islanders, and Bruins NEED to be in the same division. I'm guessing Calgary will be the other expansion. Maybe.

As an Avs fan, I don't like the fact that the current realignment proposal takes our Mountain Time Zone team and places it in a dvision with only Central Time Zone rivals. No, there aren't many teams in the Mountain zone, but there are some (Edmonton, Calgary, and Phoenix*). Further, we're losing rivalries with three of our current divisional rivals (the Oilers, Flames, and Canucks) which is excessive IMO, to say nothing of Detroit's return to the East.**

As far as room for expansion goes, the west has to keep in mind that our region is set for a net zero change in teams. The Coyotes are eventually going to leave Phoenix. Seattle may get a team, but I sincerely doubt Portland or Salt Lake City would. Nor Kansas City for that matter (for the uninitiated, all Central Time Zone locales are considered to be "west" in the NHL because the league is heavily concentrated in the northeast). Everyone is predicting that Quebec City will get a new Nordiques team, so that would be the one bringing the total to a nice, round 32 squads. (Maybe that will bump Detroit back west? They hate being in the West but it's good for the NHL.)

* Arizona doesn't observe Daylight Savings Time, so Phoenix is basically a Pacific Time Zone city during the preseason, October, and after mid-March. But the bulk of the hockey season is during Standard Time.

** That rivalry has been pretty one-sided in recent years, but it still fills the seats at Pepsi Center.

I'm dumb. Not Calgary, I meant Winnipeg.

Goldy, you shouldn't have to make excuses for digging sports.

@ 1 - Organized fascism is so sporty.

@5 I suspect Winnipeg is doing just fine with one current NHL team. Clearly you meant Edmonton. Er wait, Minnesota. Oh, wait...

I agree with @4 -- it'll be a rebirth of the Nordiques plus someone out west (i.e., Seattle), with Detroit or Columbus getting shoved into the Mid-West.

The NHL adding teams seems really unlikely. Hopefully Seattle can get Phoenix or an under performing team from the southeast.

@ 3 - I think it's pretty unlikely that the Bruins would be in a division that doesn't include the Canadiens, regardless of what makes sense geographically.

@ 4 - 800 games a year against the Flames and the Oilers and the Wild is maybe the worst part of being an Avs fan. Good riddance.

@ 11, I like the Flames and Oilers for their history and for being Canadian, but I'm with you on the Wild. WHY are we stuck with them?

Hey! Minnesota, ugh...but the Oilers will be a pretty entertaining team to watch for awhile and Flames will be a...team... So why no love @11?

*cough* 6-4 comeback win *cough*

How refreshing to see an NHL post from Goldy in addition to Megan Seling.

About this realignment proposal. Hate it. Divisional playoffs?! What, so you have some kind of Frozen Four? And expansion? Hate it too, even if it means a Seattle team. No North American professional sports league should have more than 30 teams. (OK, the NFL. 32. Don't like it but can live with it.)

You can make the argument that the NHL over-expanded--or to be more precise, expanded too fast. Just don't ask me which market should lose a team so Seattle can gain one.

BTW, as long as words on comments threads are cheap, wouldn't it be awesome to have Vancouver, Seattle, and Portland NHL franchises? And throw in San Francisco too. In the Warriors' new digs on the pier. San Francisco Seals, baby!

Obviously we need an NHL team in Seattle in the West division and an NHL team in Spokane in the Mid-West division.