NHL move to regional based play great for the game.

The news that the NHL is going to four conferences with more regional play to include the first two rounds of the playoffs is music to the ears of fans of old time hockey.  Playing inside your division and then having to beat those same teams you fought hard with all year will bolster rivalries and can only be good for the sport.  The Hawks get to keep Detroit in the conference who was heavily rumored to be headed to the Eastern Conference in a switch for Winnipeg.  Former division rival Winnipeg joins the yet to be named conference and the Hawks will be reunited with long time Norris Division rival the Dallas Stars, formerly the very much hated Minnesota North Stars.  The Hawks will also get the Minnesota Wild in the conference.  The Central Division is staying intact and adding Minnesota, Dallas, and Winnipeg to form the new conference.  Here is what the four new conferences will look like:

A                                 B                                 C                                 D

Ducks                          Blackhawks                 Bruins                          Hurricanes

Flames                         Blue Jackets                Sabres                          Devils

Avalanche                   Stars                            Panthers                      Islanders

Oilers                           Red Wings                  Canadiens                   Rangers

Kings                           Wild                            Senators                      Flyers

Coyotes                       Predators                     Lightning                    Penguins

Sharks                         Blues                           Maple Leafs                Capitals

Canucks                      Jets

Four teams will make the playoffs in each conference and play a 1-4, 2-3 format for the first two rounds to come up with four conference champions.  It is yet to be decided by the NHL General Managers if they will re seed for the third round.  My opinion is that this is a great move for hockey.  It is great for the fans and the players.  Players will have less travel as they will only have to make one trip a year to the west coast if you are on a team that is currently in the Western Conference.  As far as the fans that means less games coming on late at night.  It also means for the fans that they will get to see every single NHL team come to their city every year.  The new format will be heavy on Conference games with a home and home against every other team in the league.  That means the likes of Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Steve Stamkos, Jonathan Toews, the Stanley Cup Champions, etc., will be coming to your city every year.  I love it, I think the players, coaches, and GM’s are going to like it, and I think the fans are going to  love it.