Realign Shuffle o_O

Give credit to the NHL marketing department for taking a simple realignment issue and turning it into a problem, or at least a anti-Canadian scheme to marginalize the participation of Canadian teams in the NHL playoffs. Commissioner Gary Bettman also a hand in this fiasco, which NHL governors approved for the upcoming 2012-13 season. It is a four-conference setup based on time zones, and while these conference do not have names, the league already decided who plays from where.

• Conference A (Smythe? Pacific?): VAN, CGY, EDM, SJ, LA, COL, PHX
• Conference B (Norris? Central?): CHI, DET, MIN, STL, DAL, WIN, NSH, CBJ
• Conference C (Adams? Northeast?): BOS, BUF, MTL, TOR, OTT, TB and FLA (Wait, what?)
• Conference D (Patrick? Atlantic?): NJ, NYI, NYR, PHI, PIT, WSH, CAR

1. What was the point? Since 1994, the best eight teams of each of the two conferences made the playoffs with the division leaders in each conference earning the top seeds in the playoffs. In the new system, the top four in each of the four conference makes the playoffs. So, if you finish fifth in conference A with a better record than a second or third ranked team in conference B you don't make the playoffs. The whole reason for the 1994 realignment was to insure the best teams made the playoffs, and now the NHL is forcing hockey back twenty years with other professional sports league laughed at the NHL's old 16/21 playoff system. This is worse, however, as Canada can only send at the maximum two NHL teams to the Stanley Cup semi-finals (Yes, I am aware Winnipeg is in Conference B, but how long before we see Winnipeg emerge as its champion in front of Chicago, Detroit, Minnesota, and so on? How long can Jets fans afford to wait?)
2. Can you say BIAS? It's obvious American television loves a good rivalry, so Crosby (Penguins) and Ovechkin (Capitals) in the same division was an obvious decision. No one dare separate Canada's westernmost teams, but the newly-formed Winnipeg Jets can be tucked away in the tough Norris-Central conference. Florida, for whatever reason, is too south to be a northeastern division team. Considering the number of hockey fans from outside in the state of Florida in the same division, who will visit the Lightning and Panthers' barns next season, far exceed the combined number of season ticket holders for both clubs, it will not be long under this alignment we may see the Panthers play hockey somewhere north (I may need to brush up on my French) o_O. Worse still, every team plays two home-and-home games against inter-conference opponents. That means Crosby visits Canada six times, down from season's 8+ visits. The Ovechkin steamroller also leaves the rubble that was the Southeast Division, and the Hurricanes, Lightning, and Panthers will not see him as much next year.
3. Admission of Guilt or Overreaction to a solvable problem? All the National Hockey League had to do next year was move Winnipeg to the Western Conference, and put Nashville in its place in the Southeast Division; it is simple and quick. However, NHL Marketing once again proved it could outdo its previous errors and make another ridiculous one. I don't know what it worse: This or the NHL Governors voting for this to go ahead? Sure, granting one of the first three seeds for division winners in each conference was a bad step; let the four best teams in each conference (3 division winners, 1 team with next best record) duke it out for the first four spots. The radical realignment plan proves the Southeast Division was doomed from the start, and did not generate anywhere near the amount of interest or fan base Bettman and Co. wanted us to believe was there (NHL Lockout and departure of Atlanta franchise to Winnipeg in spite of the tens of supporters dotting the arena parking in the "Save the Thrashers" campaign saw to that). This was all the NHL had to do...
1. Winnipeg Jets and Nashville Predators make a straight swap of their places in the SOUTHEAST and CENTRAL divisions respectively.
2. Winnipeg Jets move to the NORTHWEST division, Minnesota Wild moves to the CENTRAL division, and Nashville Predators move to the SOUTHEAST division.

As NHL teams leave the empty arenas of the southern United States, and head for colder climates and sellout stadiums in Canada, the marketing brass designed a realignment strategy that can promote expansion or movement of NHL franchises to the north, but also keep as many Canadian teams out of the Stanley Cup race as possible.

For once, I am not a fan of realignment.

There are supporters, so why not link to article just to be objective? (Ok...) Dan Rosen, senior writer for NHL.com, wrote something about the Wild and Stars meeting again in the new deal as well as realignment's high and low points.