NEW YORK (March 14, 2013) -- The National Hockey League's Board of Governors
has approved realignment and a division-based format for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, effective
for the 2013-14 season. The realignment plan creates two eight-team divisions in the Eastern
Conference and two seven-team divisions in the Western Conference. The names of the
divisions will be formalized at a later date.
The new alignment will place several clubs in more geographically appropriate
groupings and will intensify already-fierce rivalries throughout the League. The new scheduling
matrix will ensure that all 30 teams play in all 30 arenas at least once a season for the first time
since 1997-98.
The new alignment:
WESTERN CONFERENCE
Division A
Anaheim
Calgary
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose
Vancouver
Division B
Chicago
Colorado
Dallas
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg
EASTERN CONFERENCE
Division C
Boston
Buffalo
Detroit
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto
Among the many strategic goals achieved by the realignment plan:
* provides the Winnipeg Jets a more geographically suitable grouping of rivals;
* enables the Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings to compete primarily against
clubs in their own time zone;
* moves the Dallas Stars out of the Pacific Division to a more geographically appropriate and
time-zone friendly grouping;
* changes the Minnesota Wild's alignment to a more historically relevant and time zone
friendly grouping;
* ensures that the Colorado Avalanche, as the only U.S.-based team in the Mountain Time
Zone, is placed in a more geographically suitable grouping.
NEW REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE MATRIX
Western Conference (7-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 29 games
* 5 games vs. five teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. two teams, 2 Home/3 Away vs. three teams) AND
4 games vs. one team (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 5 X 5 =25 games
* 1 X 4 = 4 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 21 games
* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. three teams).
Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 3 X 7 = 21 games
Non-Conference: 32 games
* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)
* 2 X 16 = 32 games
(Exception: one team from each division plays one less game inside Division and one more
game inside Conference outside Division)
Eastern Conference (8-Team Divisions)
Within Conference (Division): 30 games
* 5 games vs. two teams (3 Home/2 Away vs. one team, 2 Home/3 Away vs. one team)
AND 4 games vs. five teams (2 Home/2 Away). Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 5 X 2 =10 games
* 4 X 5 = 20 games
Within Conference (Non-Division): 24 games
* 3 games vs. each team (2 Home/1 Away vs. four teams, 1 Home/2 Away vs. four teams).
Teams rotated on a yearly basis.
* 3 X 8 = 24 games
Non-Conference: 28 games
* 2 games vs. each team (1 Home/1 Away)
* 2 X 14 = 28 games
NEW STANLEY CUP PLAYOFF FORMAT
Playoff qualification will be primarily Division-based, with the top three finishers in each
Division qualifying for the first 12 spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (and the first three "seeds"
in each Division).
The two additional playoff spots in each Conference, designated as "Wild Cards," will
be awarded to the next two highest-placed finishers in each Conference, ranked on the basis
of regular-season points and regardless of Division.
"Seeding" of the Wild Card teams within each Divisional Playoff will be determined on
the basis of regular-season points. The first-place finisher with the highest number of regular-
season points in the Conference will be matched against the Wild Card team with the lowest
number of regular-season points, and the first-place finisher with the second-highest number
of regular-season points in the Conference matched against the Wild Card team with the
second-lowest number of regular-season points.
The Playoffs will proceed on a "Divisional Basis" as follows:
* #1 vs. #4 / #2 vs. #3 -- winners play each other for Division Championship
* Conference Finals -- Division A Champion vs. Division B Champion and Division C
Champion vs. Division D Champion.
* Eastern and Western Conference Champions will meet in Stanley Cup Final.
The National Hockey League Players' Association has given its consent to play under
this new Alignment and Playoff System for a minimum of three seasons.
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