2011-12 NHL Season

[Still MIGHTY]

9187 announced at the Blue Jackets game, or just above 50% capacity. If this persists, I'll understand why they need that taxpayer bailout.

At the Canucks game last night? Hosting the Western Conference Champion and President Trophy Winner? I guess it was a Monday, but it was a normal start time. And hell it was Columbus Day... IN COLUMBUS!

That one is harder to give an excuse than the Dallas game. The only thing you can say is that it was a Monday, or I guess you could say some asinine thing like it was a Canadian team. But still, that Canadian team was the Western Champ and went to Game 7 of the Final. That should be a draw in itself, no matter where the team happens to be from.

[BrySmalls]

9187 announced at the Blue Jackets game, or just above 50% capacity. If this persists, I'll understand why they need that taxpayer bailout.

That's all? Move them to Quebec already! Make it Eight, eh?

[The_Admiral]

They're not going anywhere because they'll probably get their bailout, even though they're in a state capital with a Tea Party governor. Also, the local newspaper of record is a minority shareholder in the team and is visibly doing all it can to show that it's a great business deal to buy a hockey rink so the tenant doesn't have to pay rent anymore.

[BrySmalls]

They're not going anywhere because they'll probably get their bailout, even though they're in a state capital with a Tea Party governor. Also, the local newspaper of record is a minority shareholder in the team and is visibly doing all it can to show that it's a great business deal to buy a hockey rink so the tenant doesn't have to pay rent anymore.

I was being sarcastic, but I believe the Ponzi scheme clusterpuck in Arizona deal you're referring to is that the county arena authority will use state and various loans, as well as casino (!) revenue, to buy the arena from Nationwide Realty Investors, then Nationwide will invest roughly $52 million into the Blue Jackets and will own 30% of the team.

[HedleyLamarr]

I don't want this to spawn into 10 pages of realignment talk, so I hope you knuckleheads save your erections of realignment dreams for the proper thread.....

According to TSN's Bob MacKenzie, the realignment plan that seems gaining the most support is a simple trading of Detroit going to the East (Southeast Division) and Winnipeg going to the West (Central Division). Why?

-Detroit's played nice since their move to the West, and there seems to be an agreement between them and the NHL to move them back East whenever the league's landscape allows.

-Winnipeg is willing to play in the Central.

-The NHL isn't too high on creating 5-team divisions with a 4:1 ratio of Canadian/American-based (or vice-versa) teams. Although the Central would be 4 American teams and 1 Canadian, it makes better travel sense than a division of VAN-EDM-CGY-WPG-MIN.

Dallas would love to play in the Central, but I'd think they don't have enough clout to get their way. Regardless, the NHL wants to settle on their realignment plan by early December.

[TFoA]

The Red Wings & Panthers being divisional rivals would be the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled.

[Sport]

Of all the realignment ideas I think Detroit to the Southeast is possibly the worst one, though it'd be nice to not have to play them 6 times every year.

It's just typical of the way the league operates though. Let's not do what makes the most sense. Let's base the decision off of who has the most influence and an unwritten promise in the backhalls that may or may not have happened 12 or so years ago.

If Detroit does move to the Southeast, they're never going to miss the playoffs ever again and Florida is never going to make the playoffs ever again.

[HedleyLamarr]

It's usually a good idea to keep teams moving to a minimum, anyway.

Besides, it depends more on how the schedule gets made. If the NHL adopts an NBA-type schedule, Detroit being in the Southeast doesn't really mean much, since they'd play their divisional opponents just as many times as their other intra-conference opponents.

[DrAwesomeberry]

If Bettman is too scared to do something unique, at least move Dallas to the Central, Colorado to the Pacific, and Winnipeg to the Northwest. However, divisional playoffs would be the best option, so of course it isn't going to happen.

[NEW.ERA]

I really don't know how travel would effect a CGY/EDM/MIN/VAN/WPG division?

Minnesota and Winnipeg backyard rivals, and are pretty much the exact same distance to the rest of the division. Colorado traveling to Minnesota would suck and same goes with pretty much the rest of the division. Colorado to the Pacific, Dallas to the Central. Too simple I guess.

[The_Admiral]

I was being sarcastic, but I believe the Ponzi scheme clusterpuck in Arizona deal you're referring to is that the county arena authority will use state and various loans, as well as casino (!) revenue, to buy the arena from Nationwide Realty Investors, then Nationwide will invest roughly $52 million into the Blue Jackets and will own 30% of the team.

Sounds more like Nationwide is converting its unpaid rent into equity.

[Cujo]

Placing the Detroit Red Wings in the Southwest Division would be as insane. It'd be like putting the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East!

[Still MIGHTY]

Placing the Detroit Red Wings in the Southwest Division would be as insane. It'd be like putting the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East!

Or the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC East, Tampa Bay Bucs in the AFC West, or the Atlanta Braves/Falcons in the NL/NFC West.

Leagues have always had geographical anomalies. Every league is cluttered in the Northeast corridor and extremely spread out past the Appalachian Mountains. Unfortunately, things like this happen, and it looks ugly.

But like TFoA said, having the Red Wings play in the Southeast would be so choice. Another chapter in the fierce and storied rivary as the Red Wings travel to Sunrise in a divisional clash with the Panthers! *Confetti*

[Sport]

The NFL is a different animal when it comes to divisional alignment because the travel is so much less intense for a sport that plays once a week.

A better example would be the Cardinals and Cubs playing in the old NL East, while the Reds and Braves played in the NL West. That made no sense.

[FiddySicks]

The prospect of a Red Wings Sharks (I know blah blah blah Sharks suck in the playoffs durrr) Stanley Cup final gets me a little bit stiff.

[Dexter Morgan]

What's the early predictions for the Maple Leafs this season? I'm a Leafs fan but have become less and less knowledgeable about them since I left Canada nearly 10 years ago. Looks like they found themselves a goalie, which they haven't had since Curtis Joseph left.

[IceCap]

What's the early predictions for the Maple Leafs this season? I'm a Leafs fan but have become less and less knowledgeable about them since I left Canada nearly 10 years ago. Looks like they found themselves a goalie, which they haven't had since Curtis Joseph left.

Reimer (the goalie) is in his second season. He impressed at the end of last year, so the question is can he handle being the starter for a full season? It's to early to tell, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

They missed out on the two big free agent signings this off-season (Stamkos and Richards) but they've been improving non the less. Again, it comes down to if players who produced last year can keep it going. Again to early to tell, but after the two games played I'm cautiously optimistic.

Are they a playoff team? Only if enough teams ahead of them underachieve/collapse. They've improved from years past, but they're still a few years away from being a consistent playoff contender.

I'll say this though, for the first time in a while the future looks bright.

[Breakwood]

I don't want this to spawn into 10 pages of realignment talk, so I hope you knuckleheads save your erections of realignment dreams for the proper thread.....

According to TSN's Bob MacKenzie, the realignment plan that seems gaining the most support is a simple trading of Detroit going to the East (Southeast Division) and Winnipeg going to the West (Central Division). Why?

-Detroit's played nice since their move to the West, and there seems to be an agreement between them and the NHL to move them back East whenever the league's landscape allows.

-Winnipeg is willing to play in the Central.

-The NHL isn't too high on creating 5-team divisions with a 4:1 ratio of Canadian/American-based (or vice-versa) teams. Although the Central would be 4 American teams and 1 Canadian, it makes better travel sense than a division of VAN-EDM-CGY-WPG-MIN.

Dallas would love to play in the Central, but I'd think they don't have enough clout to get their way. Regardless, the NHL wants to settle on their realignment plan by early December.

I just wish it would be as simple as switching Winnipeg and Nashville, so that the Southeast conference would be made up of Southeastern cities, and the Central would be made up of Central teams.

[Lee.]

Yeah but a division with Winnipeg and Chicago that doesn't have Minnesota in it is a pretty piss-poor division.

[Cujo]

Philly fans at it again, boo a cancer awareness commercial.