From: gdejong@napier.uwaterloo.ca (Greg DeJong)
Subject: Re: NHL Realignment Proposed
Followup-To: Re: NHL Realignment Proposed
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 22:53:31 GMT

In article <C1HuFB.7u6@constellation.ecn.uoknor.edu> mfoster@alliant.backbone.uoknor.edu (Marc Foster) writes:

>In article <C1HD3A.G88@mentor.cc.purdue.edu> kellerjb@sage.cc.purdue.edu >(Jeffrey Keller) writes:
>>
>>Here is the NHL's latest realignment plan, currently under consideration:
>>
>>*'s are next to teams who would be switching divisions and new teams:
>>
>> ADAMS          PATRICK        NORRIS         SMYTHE
>> -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------
>> Boston        *Miami          Chicago       *Anaheim 
>> Buffalo        New Jersey     Detroit        Calgary
>> Hartford       N Y Islanders  Minnesota      Edmonton
>> Montreal       N Y Rangers   *Pittsburgh     Los Angeles
>> Ottawa         Philadelphia   St. Louis      San Jose
>> Quebec        *Tampa Bay     *Winnipeg       Vancouver
>>*Toronto        Washington 
>>
>>
>>By having 14 teams in one conference (geographically east) and 12 in the
>>other (geographically midwest and beyond), does this anticipate the next
>>expansion (latest word in before 2000) to give one team to a midwest city,
>>such as Indianapolis or Milwaukee?  The other team could go to a city like
>>Seattle or Denver.  Just a thought.

>Once again, you're leaving Texas out of the equation, and Phoenix for that
>matter.  Houston and Phoenix have just as good a shot at expansion as Denver
>or Indianapolis.  In fact, I'd give give them better odds.

>Marc 

	I agree with Marc, I believe that Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, have to be
the favourites in the next round of expansion.  The NHL wants to expand in the south badly.  The NHL feels that they can let Milwaukee and Seattle wait.

	One nice effect of the NHL's desire to expand to the southwest is that
it will help make the divisions better in the future.  One of the big problems right now is that 16 of 26 NHL cities are in the eastern time zone.  Under the proposed plan, Pittsburgh and Detroit, should probably be in the Eastern Conference somewhere.  It would take expansion to 6 cities in the west to balance the conferences, so that all eastern time zone teams are in the east.  Since, this not likely to happen within , say 10 years, there will have to be compromises.

The following would be my plan for realignment:

 ADAMS          PATRICK        NORRIS         SMYTHE
 -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------

 Boston		New Jersey    *Winnipeg       *Anaheim
 Buffalo	NY Islanders   Chicago         Calgary
 Hartford	NY Rangers     Minnesota       Edmonton
 Montreal       Philadelphia   St.Louis        Vancouver
 Ottawa         Washington     Detroit         Los Angeles
 Quebec         Pittsburgh     Tampa Bay       San Jose
*Toronto                      *Miami

This plan achieves the following goals:

	1) Toronto can move into a division with traditional rivals Montreal.
          potential rivals in Buffalo, Boston, and other Canadian teams.

	2) The NHL no longer has to pay Winnipeg off $1 million a year for being
	  in the Smythe.

	3) Patrick division rivalries stay intact.  The division is perfect as is.

	4) Balanced 13 team conferences.

This plan has the following problems:

	1) Teams like Hartford and Buffalo could complain about the high Canadian
	  content in the Adams.

	2) Four of five recent expansion teams are in the Campbell Conference

	3) Tampa Bay and Miami, although eastern teams, play in the Central.  This
	  is offset by the fact that they are together, and are not really that
	  close to the Patrick teams anyways.  Hopefully, in the long run, they
	  can move to the Patrick.


In the long run, I would like to see the divisions come out like this:


 ADAMS          PATRICK        NORRIS         SMYTHE
 -------------  -------------  -------------  -------------

 Boston		New Jersey    *Winnipeg       *Anaheim
 Buffalo	NY Islanders   Chicago         Calgary
 Hartford	NY Rangers     Minnesota       Edmonton
 Montreal       Philadelphia   St.Louis        Vancouver
 Ottawa         Washington    *Phoenix         Los Angeles
 Quebec         Pittsburgh    *Dallas          San Jose
*Toronto       *Tampa Bay     *Houston	      *San Diego
*Detroit       *Miami         *Milwaukee      *Seattle


	This would of course involve expansion team in Phoenix,Dallas, Houston.
Seattle,Milwaukee, and San Diego.