With all the bracket-yap-ology going down over March Madness, it is hard to get any enthusiasm regarding the NHL’s shift of 16 teams in the East (Detroit and Columbus move) and 14 in the West (Winnipeg finally is relieved of being in the Southleast). I miss the old names: Wales, Patrick, Calder, so on. The current six divisions are lame sounding, inaccurate but they did divide into 30 easily.
I’m amazed Detroit got moved to the East too. Numerous Western teams looked forward to the Red Wings coming to town, this usually put butts in seats. Columbus going made more sense, they’ve been terrible since day one, putting them in the East could get them to improve. The better solution is to just fold the franchise. If Columbus is the largest city in Ohio now, then it’s a dead state. I also don’t care for national elections hinging on place which is mostly Northern Kentucky in its mindset.
Give it to Bettman not to go with an easier solution: Winnipeg joins the Northwest, Minnesota goes to the Central and Nashville to the Southeast. The Jets are closer to Alberta and Edmonton; Minneapolis-St. Paul is culturally a Central city, not Canadian; and despite Nashville being in the CST zone, the residents have more in common with Florida, North Carolina and norther Virigina/southern Maryland than urban Ohioans, namely being the descendants of slave owners and resisting the civil rights movement.
The second-guessing on a 16/14 split is the possibility of expansion. In this economy? After another PR bruising lockout? Lastly, the league still doesn’t have an owner for Phoenix and Columbus is in trouble. Dallas was kept a secret making more financially instability with a couple more teams likely; my personal guess would be Pittsburgh and Florida. Rumors abound with Seattle, Portland and Quebec. I recall talk about Las Vegas yet I’ll let it drop, few attend Wranglers games, I doubt the AHL will bother. Hamilton is another prospect. Toronto has always quashed this. With the Leafs’ new owners being Canada’s two biggest cable TV operators, they may open it up for coverage concessions.
I want to wrap up with how well my Stars are doing. The losing skid ended. They defeated the Heat 4-3 and they finished a weekend in Charlotte with three points! Ending the regular season in first for the South Division and Western Conference would be sweet.