In a past Sports Illustrated article about the NHL's original six teams, it was pointed out how those franchises generate a large portion of the leagues overall revenue. I started thinking about how historic it would be to have all of those teams in the same division, & what a bold move it could make in the marketability of the league.
Since currently their are 5 teams in every division, pulling 6 out of any given division would cause imbalance and also cause an odd number of divisions. So with re-alignment on the NHL docket already, this would be a prime opportunity to implement a division that pays homage to the tradition of the leagues roots.
Another aspect I thought would be interesting is that the Original Six division would not be in either conference. It would be a stand alone 'super division', but each team would have an established playoff conference designation, with 3 in the Eastern and 3 in the Western, so it would be possible for 2 Original Six teams to meet in the Stanley Cup Finals. Here's what I was thinking.
Original Six Division
Chicago - W
Boston - E
Montreal - E
NY Rangers - E
Toronto - W
Detroit - W
Eastern Conference
Atlantic Division
New Jersey
Buffalo
NY Islanders
Washington
Northeast Division
Pittsburgh
Ottawa
Philadelphia
Columbus
Southeast Division
Tampa Bay
Nashville
Florida
Carolina
Western Conference
Central Division
St. Louis
Dallas
Minnesota
Winnipeg
Northwest Division
Vancouver
Edmonton
Colorado
Calgary
Pacific Division
Anaheim
San Jose
Los Angeles
Phoenix
Then what I'd do is give the Rangers, Boston, & Montreal an Eastern Conference designation, & Chicago, Detroit, & Toronto a Western Conference designation. Which ever team won the Original Six division*, they would get a top four designated conference rank based on point total. Either the Eastern or Western Conference would have an extra divisional winning seed dependant on which team won the Original Six division. All other teams not winning thier division would fall into rankings based on their point totals. So come playoff time you'd see rankings like this.
Eastern Conference
1. New Jersey*
2. Pittsburgh*
3. Tampa Bay*
4. Montreal
5. Boston
6. Nashville
7. NY Rangers
8. Philadelphia
---------------
9. Ottawa
10. Buffalo
11. Florida
12. Carolina
13. NY Islanders
14. Washington
15. Columbus
Western Conference
1. Chicago*
2. St. Louis*
3. Vancouver*
4. Anaheim*
5. San Jose
6. Dallas
7. Minnesota
8. Los Angeles
----------------
9. Toronto
10. Phoenix
11. Colorado
12. Edmonton
13. Winnipeg
14. Calgary
15. Detroit
Divisional re-alignment keeps all teams in geographically correct divisions, and all divisions would have an even amount of teams. Although some teams would change divisions, the only teams that would be forced to change Conferences would be Columbus, and Nashville. A unique opportunity to pay homage to the history and tradition of the league, while restoring some of the rivalries from the Original Six era. Oh yah, .... anyone catch where Detroit finished in this model?
