NHLPA Rejects NHL Realignment Plan

The National Hockey League Board of Governors unvield their plans for the divisional re-alignment for the 2012-2013 NHL season.  It was unanimously accepted by the owners, but when put before the NHL Players Association, the players put the kybosh on the plan.

Realignment module.

I personally loke the new plan as it puts me in mind of the old divisional alignment of the 1980s.  Of course that's when my Jets were annualy crushed by the mighty Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers, but I long for the days when ther top four teams from the four divisions (Smythe, Norris, Adams and Patrick) would get into the playoffs, having teams in divisions in the first place some meaning.  Today, divisional standings mean squat.  You have to be in the top eight of your respective conference to make the post-season and the six divisional winners are then seeded one through three, even if a team who wins one division is seeded higher than a team in the same conference with more points.  Yeah, you ensure the top eight teams get in, so no teams that are lucky enough to just squeak in make the playoffs, but it really takes any meaning away from divisional battles.

Another thing is when a team today ends up atop of their division at the end of the regular season, they're declared divisional champions.  So what if you meet a divisional rival in the post-season and the "champs" lose out?  Should there be a re-crowning?  In the past, that wasn't a problem (not that it is today) because you had divisional playoffs.  The last one standing in any particular division were the divisional champs.  There were two rounds of any divisional playoff, then the last of four would go on to the conference final.

Anyway, this is all for not anyway, as the plan will be accepted by the players eventually after this grandstanding for the 2013-14 season.

NHL Unviels New Alignment Plan

This is what I think is a touch more than reminiscent of the 80s divisional and playoff formats.
This is going to be pretty cool.