15°c Overcast
12°c Rain
Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
NHL, union move toward realignment
NEW YORK -- The NHL moved a step closer to realignment Thursday as the players' association approved a proposed plan that is set to go into effect next season.
Now that the league has gotten the go-ahead from union chief Donald Fehr, the NHL will only need to get approval from team owners to put it in place.
"The NHL Players' Association confirmed to us today that it has consented to a revised plan for realignment, effective for the 2013-14 season," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said in a statement. "Our next step will be to bring the proposed plan for realignment to the NHL board of governors for its consideration."
Fehr signed off on the plan after discussions with the union's executive board and said the realignment issue will be "re-evaluated following the 2014-15 season."
No official details of the changes have been released by the NHL, but it is widely believed teams such as Detroit and Columbus will be put into more travel-friendly divisions in the Eastern time zone, and the Winnipeg Jets -- formerly the Atlanta Thrashers -- will leave the Southeast Division for a spot in the Western Conference.
Up until now, there has been an even split of teams with 15 in each conference. Under the new plan, the East will have 16 clubs in it -- making playoff qualification a bit tougher.
The two divisions out West will contain seven teams each. The East divisions will both contain eight.
Each conference will still have eight teams in the playoffs but the setup will be slightly different.
Instead of the current system, under which the top eight teams in each conference make the playoffs, the new plan will award spots to the top three teams in each division along with the next two teams with the best records as wild cards.
The new Atlantic Division in the East will be comprised of Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, New York's Rangers and Islanders, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Washington. The Central Division will contain Boston, Buffalo, Detroit, Florida, Montreal, Ottawa, Tampa Bay and Toronto.
Out West, the new Midwest Division will feature Chicago, Colorado, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St. Louis and Winnipeg. The Pacific Division will be made up of Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Los Angeles, Phoenix, San Jose and Vancouver.
-- The Associated Press
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 8, 2013 C2
More NHL
- Back to Top
- Return to NHL
More NHL
(1 of 50 articles for this week)
Canada's Paul Henderson, Danielle Goyette enter IIHF Hall of Fame
1:07 PM 0
Poll
Most Popular NHL
- Sharks fined $100,000 for GM Doug Wilson's comments about Raffi Torres' suspension
- Logan Couture scores PP goal in OT to give Sharks 2-1 victory over Kings in Game 3
- Ex-Jets MacLean, Carlyle on Sochi coaching list
- NHL Playoff Capsules
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- 'Peg sniper aims for MemCup success
- Brunner, Smith lead charge as Red Wings beat Blackhawks 4-1 in Game 2 to tie Western semifinal
- Bruins draw first blood
- Timely return: Jason Spezza will be back in Ottawa Senators lineup for Game 3
- Rangers (the other kind) help motivate Boston Bruins as they push toward Stanley Cup
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- Boston completes miraculous comeback in overtime to oust Maple Leafs
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- 'It's the worst feeling'
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- The Boston OT Party
- Blue surge forces Game 7
- Fast start for Hawks
- Tale of two stars as Crosby outshines Karlsson in Penguins 4-3 win over Senators
- The Gretzky of Gretzky collectors sells hoard that brought him closer to game
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Grapes claims women have no place in locker-room
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- Former Leafs GM Burke files defamation suit
- Slideshow: Things that didn't exist the last time the Leafs were in the playoffs
- Sens packing plenty of punch
- Boston completes miraculous comeback in overtime to oust Maple Leafs
- Get it through your thick head, NHL
- From the rubble of disaster: Lokomotiv picking up pieces after entire team was killed in a 2011 plane crash
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- The Boston OT Party
- Burke will be back; he's just that good
- The Gretzky of Gretzky collectors sells hoard that brought him closer to game
- When money talks, it says, 'End fighting in the NHL'
- Slideshow: Things that didn't exist the last time the Leafs were in the playoffs
- Men's locker-room no place for women says hockey commentator Don Cherry
- Classy group joining Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame
- Tim Leiweke named president and CEO of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment
- Sens-Habs series gets ugly:Eric Gryba suspended two games for Lars Eller hit
- Pesky Sens: Turris scores in OT as Ottawa beats Montreal to grab 3-1 series lead
- Sharks will be without injured F Adam Burish for 2nd round of playoffs
- Boogaard family sues NHL for son's death, says it is to blame for brain damage
- The Boston OT Party
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.