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NHL Realignment Project
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Maps, conferences, divisions, travel and the arguments behind them.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 46: Relegation Arrives
Week 46 merged the NHL and AHL into a 60-team, three-tier league with promotion and relegation, then listed every reason it could never happen.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 47: Portland and Seattle
Week 47 returned from a long hiatus with two Pacific Northwest cities, five three-team divisions per conference, and a warning about Key Arena.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 48: Markham and Quebec City
Week 48 added Markham and Quebec City, guessed at Bettman's need for a positive legacy, and kept the four-conference, 32-team shape with a 28-48-6 schedule.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 49: Gary's Dream, With Sauce
Week 49 dropped Markham and used only approved arenas in Kansas City, Quebec City and Seattle, inside four conferences named for the game's greats.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 50: Metropolitans and Bulldogs
Week 50 took the two largest former Stanley Cup cities without a team, Seattle and Quebec City, and named the conferences after Gretzky, Howe, Orr and Kennedy.
NHL Realignment Project – Week 51: A Tweak for Rivalries
Week 51 reworked the previous map after readers said too many rivalries had been split up, swapping Kennedy for Lemieux and balancing the East.