NHL Realignment Project – Week 52

Schedule:

Against each divisional opponent — 3 home and 3 away games:
6 games x 4 teams = 24 games

Against each non-divisional conference opponent — 1 home and 1 away game:
2 games x 10 teams = 20 games 

Against each non-conference opponent — 1 home and 1 away game:
2 games x 15 teams = 30 games

Against each pod-rival — an additional home-and-home series:
2 games x 4 teams = 8 games

24+20+30+8 = an 82 game season

Playoffs:

Playoffs remain unchanged from current format of 8 qualifying teams from each conference playing in a four-round (all best-of-seven) knock-out tournament.  Three division champs from each conference are seeded 1-3 and the next five best records round out the 8 conference qualifiers.

Round 1 — Conference Quarter-finals:
1 vs 8, 2 vs 7, 3 vs 6, 4 vs 5

Round 2 — Conference Semi-finals (teams reseeded after first round):
1 vs 4, 2 vs 3

Round 3 — Conference Finals:
Two surviving teams vie for Conference Championship

Round 4 — Stanley Cup Finals:
Eastern Conference Champion vs Western Conference Champion

A Big Thank You:

Okay guys. That’s it! Over a year ago, I challenged myself to show the endless possibilities of realignment  (and the fact that none of them will make everyone happy). While my “52 scenarios in 52 weeks” plan fell through because of life and work, I did finally see it through to the end. Thank you so much for reading and commenting over the last (quite a) few months. Your input has shaped quite a few of the proposals I put forward (killing the Buffa-slug logo… pointing out that breaking up PHI and NYR is just as bad in Flyer eyes as breaking up PHI and PIT… hearing from Columbus Blue Jacket and Phoenix Coyote fans (and Atlanta fans) who are just as passionate as any out there… here’s to hoping that the stupid strife of this lockout will at least create a smarter, better, more fair league where no one even again has to suffer through what the fans in Atlanta (yes, there are plenty), Hartford and Quebec City have had to endure in the relatively recent past.

Please keep coming back to the site to check out more hockey infographics, more polls, more silly venn diagrams and other (mostly) hockey shenanigans… and, almost undoubtedly more realignment scenarios (I just won’t be able to contain myself).

So thanks again for the patience and the participation. And here’s to hoping that the fans in Seattle and Quebec City get teams soon and that the league resolves its issues, and becomes healthy enough to grow and flourish forever.

Cheers!

—Tom