Too bad, but there is NO ONE at those games. It never had a "home" feel to it at all.

_________________
"...they came down into the stands and asked if I knew how to do play by play. I said...No. But. I'll take a shot at it if you want".- Rick Jeanneret

Very cool from a Winnipeggers’ point of view, but you also have to wonder how this plays on the minds of the players. Not knowing where you'll end up even though you may be under contract for the next couple seasons and having to uproot your family has to be tough. Although, they’d go through it if they were UFA’s anyway I guess…

Also, they'd be in the east? cbc need to check their facts because last I knew they were more west than Chicago and Minnesota.

_________________
If it's a tight squeeze, spit on it! - NyI

He's a middling AHL player who had the good fortune of a drunk arbitrator. - The Squanto re: Tim Kennedy

there isnt enough time re realign the divisions and conferences and put it to a vote. a move to the west could come in 12-13. at which, detroit or columbus would likely move east (detroit keeps asking to move east, i bet they do, sadly, even though the NHL has said otherwise.)

_________________

I live in Seattle, and as much as I would love a team here... I'm not convinced it would survive. The fans up here are fairly fickle.

Stories I'm seeing suggest it'll be Columbus joining the Southeast Division and that being the end of it.

_________________
mechaphil

Columbus to the SE makes more sense to me than Detroit heading there. Putting Detroit anywhere else involves divisional realignment, and I don't think they'd really want to blow up the NE or Atlantic division rivalries.

Exactly. I was reading an Aaron Portzline story today about it and when he talked about Columbus versus Detroit going to the EC, Detroit would be 5 states away from its closest divisional rival as opposed to Columbus being only 3 states.

_________________
mechaphil

i think what youd see is detroit in the NE division, boston head to the atlantic, and new jersey to the SE. or the isles.

_________________

Doubtful. Columbus to the SE sounds like the only sensible option.

_________________
mechaphil

I thought they should put Nashville in the SE and Winnipeg in the Central division

_________________

"Oh honey, I would but...I don't want to" ~ Karen Walker

That makes perfect sense....if you don't think about it at all.

You're going to break up BOS/MTL, one of the best rivalries in the sport? Just to put Detroit in a division where they don't fit?

detroit and toronto and detroit and montreal have a rivalry.

CBC reported detroit has first cracks at moving to the east. the closest team to detroit is buffalo. it makes more sense then you may realize.

http://detroit.sbnation.com/detroit-red ... conference

_________________

TSN has also reported that there is no such handshake agreement giving Detroit first crack at moving to the east.

Your Michigan homer is showing.Detroit is not moving to the east, and they're certainly not moving to the NE division.

Detroit hasn't had a rivalry with Toronto and Montreal since the 70s. Putting Detroit anywhere in the east just doesn't make sense, even if you desperately want it to.

How about;

Atlanta/Winnipeg -> Northeast Division

Colorado -> Pacific Division

Dallas -> Central Division

Nashville -> Southeast Division

_________________


"Let's just trap Sekera in the caverns underneath HSBC arena." -BlueandYellow

Reporter: "Steve, you guys now lead the league in defensive scoring."
Montador: "It's probably because of how good-looking we are."

um, ok...

detroit and toronto does have a rivalry, considering much of southwest ontario is leafs territory, and of course many fans here still bring up 1993. http://www.macombdaily.com/articles/201 ... 885322.txt

detroits been asking to go east for years, and its assumed that they will have first crack at it. the fact that the red wings front office is so vocal about it holds water, IMO.

thats not my michigan homerism showing, its that detroit probably belongs in the east. and will probably get first cracks at it IF atlanta moves west.

i dont know whats going to happen. they may move columbus to the east, or nashville (though i doubt they will, based on the time zone alone)... atlanta may not even move. buts its not a secret the wings want to move east.

http://aol.sportingnews.com/nhl/story/2 ... eg-phoenix

who knows, maybe they wont even accept it, like the royals turned down the chance to move to the NL in 1997.

_________________

Is it bad that I'm excited for teams to move?

_________________
"Call a cop he robbed Delmore blind!!!"
Rick Jeanerette after Marty Biron's diving save back in 2000.

"I'm going to go to the spa and have a hot tub and massage and relax," Miller said. "That's it, and it's back to work tomorrow." Ryan Miller after clinching the North East division.

Bill Daly is on record that there is no agreement in place for Detroit to move. He has also been very clear that any of this would be subject to a Board of Governors vote.

The Red Wings front office can beg and plead and say they want it all they want. It's not up to them.

it may not be up to them, but again, it makes a shit ton of sense for detroit to move east. i mean, hell, atlanta is further west then detroit AND columbus. throw in illitches pull with the board of governors, its location... i mean why the hell not?

throw in their histories with teams like toronto and montreal, if a team does go east, i bet its detroit. i dont want it to be detroit, but it probably will be. i dont think itll be nashville, because nashville is in central time zone (which is a selling point, IMO, because it would be silly to have 2 eastern time zones in the west, while a central in the east)

and i mean, if detroit DOES go east, of course theyd go to the north east... they wouldnt put detroit in a division with florida teams. (actually, some speculate buffalo or ottawa would move to the south east... but i dont think so)

and some say detroit will stay west because of the amount of people they draw at away arenas in the west that possibly couldnt survive them leaving.

the earliest the NHL would realign would be next year. and that would mean atlanta moving, which they arnt yet. and by this time next year, the yotes could be moving east as well. we shall see. lots of what ifs, but if a team does change conferences, my money is on the wings.

_________________

Your plan :

ATL- > WIN , W Conf, NW Div
DET -> E Conf, NE Div
Existing NW Division Team (prob MIN) -> Central Division
BOS, E Conf, Atlantic Div
Existing Atlantic Division Team (prob Pit) -> SE Division

1 team move, 5 division changes. Completely blows up current NE and Atlantic division rivalries.

My plan:

ATL-> WIN , W Conf, NW Div
MIN -> Central Division
CBJ or NSH -> SE Division

1 team move, 3 division changes. Minimal disruption of divisional rivalries. Maintains geographical continuity in divisions.

I would predict the BoG wants as much continuity as possible, and would prefer to make as few changes as possible.

But Atlanta is on the Eastern side of the continent because of how the coast is, it would be stupid to put them in the Western conference when Florida is still more west than Atlanta, yet it's one of the States on the far east of the USA.

The most sensible thing would be Move Nashville to the SE and Winnepeg to the Central.

_________________