Thrashers headed to Winnipeg

Atlanta is also the only city to ever lose a team to Canada, if I remember correct, and it's now done it twice. Winnipeg could shake up the divisions, unless the Coyotes go to Quebec next year. Still, that would cause some change. I think in that situation, Pittsburgh would have to go to the Southeast, Boston would go to the Atlantic, Quebec joins the Northeast, Winnipeg joins the Northwest and Colorado slides to the Pacific.

If only Winnipeg moves, Columbus has to be the team that moves. Detroit will scream bloody murder, but Columbus belongs in the East more than Detroit and can slide into the Southeast, while Detroit cannot. Putting Detroit in the Northeast totally screws up the rivalries the NHL has worked to create.

 

Columbus is another market getting bludgeoned by awful management. And while I'm a Sun Belt hockey apologist, the Panthers are begging to be put out of their misery.

 

The Gund brothers see nothing wrong with how some of these NHL teams have been run.

 

As far as Atlanta as a bad sports town goes, it's dogged by two things:

- De-centralization. Its teams all play right in the middle of the city, and yet the urban area is very much Balkanized/spread out.
- Transplants. Went to a bar a couple of Fridays ago. Canucks/Sharks were playing. Place was bonkers; one corner was packed with Canucks fans. Did they love hockey? Yup. Give a shit about the Thrashers? Nope.

Of course, both those put together make Atlanta the best college football town in the country. But it makes pro sports a tougher sell.

 

I suspect eventually Nashville will move to the Southeast Division. It can also help Dallas, which has been begging to get out of the Pacific Division for years.

NORTHEAST: Stays constant

ATLANTIC: Stays constant

SOUTHEAST: Nashville, Washington, Carolina, Tampa Bay, Miami

CENTRAL: Detroit, Columbus, Chicago, St. Louis, Dallas

NORTHWEST: Minnesota, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado OR Vancouver

PACIFIC: Los Angeles, Anaheim, Phoenix, San Jose, Colorado OR Vancouver

Geographically, it makes more sense to shift Vancouver to the Pacific and keep Colorado in the Northwest. Some Canadians will whine about wanting to have one division with four Canadian teams. Doesn't matter much.

 

Dixie's right. He is a Sun Belt hockey apologist.

 

Not sure when Orlando will get a team. Did you mean Tampa Bay?

Also, I think it has to be all four Canadian teams in one division. If you can only put in three, you can't split Vancouver from Calgary and Edmonton. They've played in the same division since the Flames moved from Atlanta. You'd have to split Winnipeg.

 

I don't think the NHL will split up the Canadian teams out west.

 

Putting Colorado in the Pacific makes sense with the Rockies and the Broncos being in the West in their respective leagues. Wouldn't having four Canadian teams in the same conference be a bigger drawing card?

 

Unfortunately, I agree with you about Detroit. The Wings-Blackhawks rivalry has made NHL execs salivate over the last three years, and Wings travel maybe the best of any team in the league. They show up in droves in Anaheim and San Jose and Phoenix, and four of the six Original Six teams are already in the East.

 

I wonder if Winnipeg will try to get on U.S. TV in North Dakota and northern Minnesota. Probably wouldn't be on FOX Sports North, but Midcontinent, the largest cable company in the area, has an HD sports channel.

 

Orlando?