NHL Realignment - Change is a good thing

Well, that was quick and efficient. Took about an hour for the NHL board of governors to drastically change the landscape in the NHL since the 1993-1994 season. During that season, the NHL transitioned from the Norris, Smythe, Adam, and Patrick divisions within the Clarence Campbell and Prince of Wales conferences to the Atlantic, Northeast, Central and Pacific divisions within the Eastern and Western conferences. Wasn't that big of change compared to the one we will see in the 2012-2013 NHL season.

The new setup looks like this...

From a regular season perspective there are some nice changes that will come to fruition as a result of a four conference league...

• Every arena in the NHL will see every team in the NHL every year - that's great for the fans
• Important rivalries have been maintained with those rivals playing each other 5 or 6 times per year
• The good Sheppard of the NHL in the Detroit Red Wings finally get their wish - being slotted in with teams in the same time zone
• TV ratings should improve for teams like Detroit, Nashville, Columbus, Dallas and Minnesota as the late games will be minimized and more evenly distributed amongst the league
• The geographical improvements are obvious - minus the odd ball Florida teams shelved with the Northeast, but that in itself has its own benefits for the Sunshine State and the snowbirds
• The setup is flexible with two conferences of 8 teams and two conferences of 7 teams for potential relocation of a Phoenix team or general NHL expansion. Good initiative to be forward looking in making such a drastic change to the complexion of the NHL.

Of course there are also the negatives, which in my mind are very digestible given the the pros above...

• More travel for all teams overall with the home-and-home set-up which means more costs to the organizations and more wear and tear on the players 
• The playoff picture is still hazily uncomfortable for most. Some are clamouring to just have the top 8 teams in each of two geographically aligned conferences making the playoffs - similar to the current structure with 8 teams from the East and 8 teams from the West. Others would like to know what the structure will be once teams reach the 3rd round of the post-season

Overall, the realignment decision is the right one to make with the "good of the people" mentality. The playoff picture will iron itself out as well. Ultimately, change is an uncomfortable thing especially when you believe that if it is not broken don't fix it. But change is a fact of life and it is all a matter of getting used to. A few years from now this won't all seem like a big deal, will just be the norm. 

And would anyone really be barking with discontent if the Montreal Canadiens found themselves in a Stanley Cup Final against the Pittsburgh Penguins anyway?