NHL New Division Names Announced: Metropolitan Became The Newest Name For The Fasted Sport On Ice
The NHL new division names have been announced Friday and are as follows: The seven-team Pacific and Central divisions will comprise the Western Conference. The eight-team Metropolitan and Atlantic divisions will comprise the Eastern Conference.
These NHL new division names are the beginning of a newly aligned NHL that starts officially on October 1 of this year. The realignment moves Detroit Red Wings and the Columbus Blue Jackets to the Eastern Conference. In turn, the Winnipeg Jets move to the Western Conference.
Now, the NHL new division names include the Metropolitan division in the Eastern Conference. The teams in the division are Washington Capitals, Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils, New York Rangers, New York Islanders, Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets.
"A number of alternatives were considered for Metropolitan, but due to the make-up of our divisions, none were perfect. So that was, obviously, the toughest one to nail down. But, ultimately, you have to come to a resting place," Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN in an e-mail.
Joining the Atlantic division will be the Maple Leafs, Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, Detroit Red Wings, Boston Bruins, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Jets, Blackhawks, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators and St. Louis Blues make up the Central division in the Western Conference.
In the Pacific division, Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames, Oilers, San Jose Sharks, Los Angeles Kings, Phoenix Coyotes and Anaheim Ducks make up the teams in this new division.
Like the current format, eight teams from each conference will make the playoffs. The top three seeded teams in each division at the end of the regular-season automatically enter the postseason. The other two spots will be considered "wild card" teams.
When the teams dwindled down to two in each conference, the four teams will be re-ranked, which means matchups of the west vs. east can take place in the semi-finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
