2012/2013 NHL Thread: Cup Quest

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Themanofbat

Dipietro placed on waivers... what a shock...

Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do.

[Immortalfire]

Originally Posted by Themanofbat

Dipietro placed on waivers... what a shock...

Inconceivable.

[MMMMM...Dounuts]

Originally Posted by Pink Ranger

I'm not complaining: in my yahoo pool, Dave Clarkson was like my 8th round what-the-hell pick, and he's destroying right now.

Of course, you mean Easter Conference champions to the Stanley Cup champion Vancouver Canucks.

Please excuse me Pinky as I choke on my laughter.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by MMMMM...Dounuts

Please excuse me Pinky as I choke on my laughter.

Hey, do NOT use the "c-word" around me when talking about hockey!

[The Incredible Hulk]

Originally Posted by Themanofbat

Dipietro placed on waivers... what a shock...

Originally Posted by Pink Ranger

Forgive them, father, for they know not what they do.

DPeezus falls the first time....

/stations of the crossbar

[Themanofbat]

Well, looks like we have the new proposal for realignment...

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=416887

Eastern Conference

Atlantic Division

Carolina
Columbus
New Jersey
NY Islanders
NY Rangers
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Washington

Central Division

Boston
Buffalo
Detroit
Florida
Montreal
Ottawa
Tampa Bay
Toronto

Western Conference

Mid-West Division

Chicago
Colorado
Dallas
Minnesota
Nashville
St. Louis
Winnipeg

Pacific Division

Anaheim
Calgary
Edmonton
Los Angeles
Phoenix
San Jose
Vancouver

Top 3 teams in each division make the playoffs, and the 7th & 8th seeds go to the 2 teams with the better records in the conference...

First 2 rounds of Playoffs will be Divisional play... with the 8th ranked team playing the better team of the two division winners...

I like it.

[Poeman]

I dont...It makes little sense to have a wild card in the NHL and that realignment sucks for Florida teams

[Themanofbat]

Sure it does... it means that divisional games become WAY more important than they do now... and it avoids having the 4th place team in one division making the playoffs even though the 5th place team in the other division might have a better record.

And let's be honest... I think Winnipeg is gonna feel the brunt of realignment.

Also, every team in the NHL plays every body twice... one home and one away.

I like it.

[Pink Ranger]

Detroit in the East, and Winnipeg in the west, I like it.

[Hush]

Odd seeing Detroit in the East but then again as a Blues fan less Detroit is nice.

[The Incredible Hulk]

I have no problem with the realignment other than that I'd swap Florida and Tampa with Columbus and Carolina.

South/Central Florida teams are in Divisions with NY teams in every other sport (except the Bucs). Large segments of the population in those areas are originally from the Northeast so it would help attendance there a great deal. I know there are a good amount of Canadians down there too, but there are FAR more people from NY/NJ/CT/PA/DE that root for those other Atlantic teams.

Carolina would return to their ancestral home with all the former Adams Division teams (Whalers Forever!) and while Columbus wouldn't get Pittsburgh in their division, they would stay with Detroit and get another close geographic rival in Buffalo.

[MMMMM...Dounuts]

Is there any team out there that wants to stop us?

[Immortalfire]

Put the Thrash...I mean, Jets in the central, move the Predators to the southeast. Problem solved simply.

[Themanofbat]

Originally Posted by MMMMM...Dounuts

Is there any team out there that wants to stop us?

Listen... those Blackhawks came within 2 seconds of losing to Calgary in regulation a few weeks ago... so yes, there are teams that can stop them...

[MMMMM...Dounuts]

Yeah I think we're going to have a tough time against Detroit tomorrow so I better talk like a cocky douche while I still can.

[snyderrocks]

my nj devils have been in a slump since david clarkson cooled off and martin brodeur got hurt but our record is still better then the ny rangers .

[Themanofbat]

RIP Stompin' Tom Connors...

I had the pleasure of seeing him play a few years back... truly a Canadian Legend.

[Themanofbat]

The PA approves the new re-alignment...

[stryfe]

Originally Posted by Themanofbat

The PA approves the new re-alignment...

Next up, approving relocation for coyotes, lightning, panthers.

[Shifty]

Originally Posted by stryfe

Next up, approving relocation for coyotes, lightning, panthers.

Tack on big relocation fees as well to bring the sale price up. The Thrashers sold for $110 but had a $70 million relocation fee that the NHL owners split.

Obviously teams in Quebec City and Markham, Ont. would fetch big expansion fees but the NHL should just relocate three teams to make up the lost expansion fees.

CLB to Markham, FLA to Quebec, PHX to Kansas City. I wouldn't want to see more teams added but you know the league wants two more. If so, expansion teams to Seattle and Houston or Las Vegas (they're building a new arena). That would balance out the league with 16 teams in each conference. The relocation/expansion fees could bring in $610 million or more to the league, over $20 million for each team. You don't need to win the Stanley Cup to make money when you can just move some teams and expand.

LA, ANH, SJ, COL, SEA, VAN, CGY, EDM

WPG, MIN, CHI, KC, STL, NSH, DAL, HOU

TB, CAR, WSH, PHI, PIT, NJD, NYR, NYI

DET, TOR, MAR, BUF, OTT, MTL, QUE, BOS

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Shifty

Obviously teams in Quebec City and Markham, Ont. would fetch big expansion fees but the NHL should just relocate three teams to make up the lost expansion fees.

Lol, call me old fashioned, but I think I will never get used to Americans being aware of the existence of Markham, Ontario.

[Shifty]

Originally Posted by Pink Ranger

Lol, call me old fashioned, but I think I will never get used to Americans being aware of the existence of Markham, Ontario.

The team will probably be called the Ontario _______.

[Pink Ranger]

Originally Posted by Shifty

The team will probably be called the Ontario _______.

The Ontario Blanks? Yeah, that's pretty much an accurate reflection of Markham.

[The Incredible Hulk]

Originally Posted by Immortalfire

Put the Thrash...I mean, Jets in the central, move the Predators to the southeast. Problem solved simply.

Predators don't want to play in a conference where every other team is in a different time zone. Imagine having 80% of your road games start at 6 PM local time, not great for your fanbase or local TV ratings.

Originally Posted by Shifty

Tack on big relocation fees as well to bring the sale price up. The Thrashers sold for $110 but had a $70 million relocation fee that the NHL owners split.

Obviously teams in Quebec City and Markham, Ont. would fetch big expansion fees but the NHL should just relocate three teams to make up the lost expansion fees.

CLB to Markham, FLA to Quebec, PHX to Kansas City. I wouldn't want to see more teams added but you know the league wants two more. If so, expansion teams to Seattle and Houston or Las Vegas (they're building a new arena). That would balance out the league with 16 teams in each conference. The relocation/expansion fees could bring in $610 million or more to the league, over $20 million for each team. You don't need to win the Stanley Cup to make money when you can just move some teams and expand.

LA, ANH, SJ, COL, SEA, VAN, CGY, EDM

WPG, MIN, CHI, KC, STL, NSH, DAL, HOU

TB, CAR, WSH, PHI, PIT, NJD, NYR, NYI

DET, TOR, MAR, BUF, OTT, MTL, QUE, BOS

Relocating Columbus and Florida makes no sense at this point, as both teams are doing well from a financial standpoint. Despite having less than ideal crowds, the Panthers are owned by the people who own their arena, and act as a loss leader for them. As long as that group owns them, don't expect them to go anywhere soon.

Not to mention Markham is a pipe dream. Leafs will never let it happen. They balked when Balsillie wanted to buy the Coyotes and move them to Hamilton, you think they'll allow a team right in the Toronto burbs? No way.

Who knows about the Coyotes at this point? If they move at this point, I'd say Seattle is pretty much a lock at this point as long as they get the Sacramento Kings and the new arena that will be built with them.

Quebec City I dont believe is the foregone conclusion for a team that some might think. I think that's maybe a last desperate resort for the league. It would automatically be the smallest market in the league something the NHL likely wont want to repeat after losing Atlanta for Winnipeg. I think the latest realignment sort of hammers home the point, that the NHL is too Northeast heavy as is.

Houston is a great big market and would be a nice rival for Dallas, but you have no interested ownership group. And the only possible person that could own a team there (Les Alexander) also owns the new arena there and has stated he has no interest in hockey.

Kansas City is a terrible market. They may have a newer arena but now ownership prospects and fan support is suspect at best. They've never sold out any of the preseason games there.

I'd keep an eye on places like Portland, OR, especially if Seattle gets a team.

[Cosmic]

I like it.