The NHL is undergoing some big changes, namely the names of its divisions and which teams comprise those divisions. For instance, the Atlantic division remains, but consists of an entirely different set of clubs than it has in the past.
The conferences have been re-jiggered, with the East consisting of two eight-team divisions, while the West contains two seven-team divisions.
In the East, the Atlantic Division was re-named the Metropolitan Division; in it, the New York Rangers, New York Islanders, New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, Philadelphia Flyers, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets, moving from the West will do battle.
The new Atlantic division consists of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the West, the Winnipeg Jets, Chicago Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues make up the Central Division.
Finally, the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks.
The league considered using the names of past hockey greats as division names, but ultimately decided in favor of geographical distinctions to make it easier to follow for fans, and also to not step on the toes of Hall of Famers whose names were not used.
The new divisions mean new schedules; the NHL announced that Eastern teams will play five games against four teams in their division and four games against one, in order to make up for the East having two extra teams. East squads then play three games each against teams from the other division, and the rest vs. Western foes. Also, playoff position will now be based on divisional standing, not just conference records. This is done in an effort to ramp up inter-division and conference rivalries.
In other news, the NHL will take a mid-season two and a half week break in February to allow star players to take part in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
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