Possible Islanders move can create a solution for the much maligned division alignment.
by Sid the captain on Oct 15, 2009 5:33 PM EDT
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Wang is in Mario's shoes, the council of Long Island has till now been very reluctant to approve (or even disapprove) the "Lighthouse Project" the ambitions plans for a new multifunctional stadium. He is now threatening with relocation, just like Mario was a couple of years ago. But what if they move? Depending on where they move to, this could solve some problems that the current divisions face. Especially in the west.
Some possible destinations that have been named multiple times this summer is Seattle or Portland: In the NW US in other words. A team there could go to the NW division, Minnesota then could join the central making their traveling schedule much lighter and also relieving the West-Canadien teams a bit. Then one of the only two teams in an eastern time zone in the western conference could move east. These two teams are Detroit and Columbus. An old agreement from the nineties would see detroit go east. The simplest solution would be to move detroit in the atlantic but that would create the division from hell. Another option is to move Buffalo into the Atlantic and Detroit into the NE. What are your preferences should a scenario like this happen. Detroit, Columbus or Buffalo instead of the Islanders?
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I voted Buffalo because it just makes sense geographically (Columbus just seemed like it would be too far out west to consider an opponent to NY/NJ/Philly.
However i wouldn’t be opposed to the idea of considering Washington either.
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Washington would be nice as they are old patrick rivals, but who would go SE?
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 15, 2009 7:57 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmm yeah good question. Dallas is too far away for southeast and everything else is already in that division.
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Maybe we can make the Islanders relocate to housten :D
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 15, 2009 9:04 PM EDT up reply actions
it also sucks that we are seriously talking about the Islanders leaving. Seriously they were THE dynasty or a mere generation ago, that just freaks me out that a team like that can move but that Atlanta, Raleigh, Phoenix, and Dallas have teams and that LA has 2 teams!
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
assuming of course that Atlanta can continue to support a team, that is a logical leap I fear
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
Surprisingly enough Atlanta isn’t losing money on the Thrashers. They aren’t making as much as they’d like, but they’re not losing money. The investment group that owns the Thrashers also owns the arena and the Atlanta Hawks basketball team. My buddy who is a Thrashers fan filled me in on all this. Management has repeatedly declined any interest in selling the team. They profit every game, but they’d like to see the profits increase.
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Nashville was always the team I saw as the easiest move to the Southeast.
Eric Berry for sending the guy who wins the Heisman spinning 720 degrees in the air at the podium - or for intercepting it and returning it to where it rightfully belongs
by Chris Pendley on Oct 16, 2009 5:43 PM EDT up reply actions
They would be the Housten Hurricane
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 15, 2009 9:04 PM EDT reply actions
I know it’s just a rather lame Katrina joke.
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 16, 2009 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions
why isnt there
a pro team in a city like seattle? sounds like a darn good venue to me and given thier tenacity as fans supporting the seahawks, i betcha a nhl team would fit right in
" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009
by oldtimehockey09 on Oct 15, 2009 9:37 PM EDT reply actions
I think the NBA thought the same thing at one point. Gulp.
Of course I never would’ve suspected Oklahoma City as a landing point for the Super Sonics, but Salt Lake City isn’t an ideal market either.
I think hockey could make it in Seattle. The Pacific Northwest is ripe with hockey fans and short on teams to root for.
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exactly
whos gonna drive from seattle all the way vancouver just for a hockey game.
" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009
by oldtimehockey09 on Oct 18, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions
I figured that the Canucks would be the team of the Pacific Northwest. Is the market big enough to support another team? I mean, they are right next to each other.
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
granted
i thought there was signifcant ground between them. if not oh well, is there even a minor team there?
" Lord Stanley, scratch thier names on your fabled cup" Mike Lange june 12, 2009
by oldtimehockey09 on Oct 18, 2009 8:47 PM EDT up reply actions
It’s a three hour drive. If the border isn’t bad.
So it’s about like Cleveland and Pittsburgh.
How many Pittsburghers go to Cavs games?
by Phantaskippy on Oct 19, 2009 3:04 AM EDT up reply actions
Yeah, I go periodically but at that distance I wouldn’t consider Pittsburgh part of Cleveland’s Basketball market.
I think Seattle and Vancouver would not be too close market wise. Besides they are in different countries.
by Phantaskippy on Oct 19, 2009 5:19 PM EDT up reply actions
I tried to figure this all out once. Even with one team moved from the East to the West (geographically speaking) and that team switching conferences with one of the easternmost West Conference teams, it’s a fool’s errand. Putting the Islanders in Seattle and Columbus in the East/Atlantic would make the most sense. BUT…the Atlantic Division is by far the most compact division in the league. If you wanted to even them all out some, that wouldn’t be the best move, but there are no good moves. To quote WarGames, “The only winning move is not to play.”
I voted for Columbus for putting Detroit in the Atlantic Division doesn’t seem to make much sense due to travel. It is better than what they have now but one can’t take the Chicago-Detroit division rival away. Plus Detroit in the the Atlantic creates a Big East Basketball, or SEC Football scenario where one division is too top loaded
Buffalo belongs in the division they are in now for the same purpose, established division rivals.
Columbus is new so no real ties to their division. It is a mere 3.5 hour drive from Pittsburgh, which is no the most western team in the Atlantic so the travel is not as bad
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
Put Detroit in the EC, but put them in the NE. They have a natural geographic rivalry with the Leafs, another Original 6 team.
This was discussed pretty heavily at Japers’. We all want in to the old Patrick Division, but what a loaded division it would be – Flyers, Pens, Caps, Rangers, Devils. Anyone who makes it out of that division deserves their seeding.
by Knee high to a duck on Oct 16, 2009 8:51 PM EDT up reply actions
Seattle Islanders Atlantic > Northwest
move Minnesota Wild Northwest > Central
move Nashville Central > Southeast
move Washington Southeast > Atlantic
I win.
Winterion Game Studios
Visit us online at : http://winterion.com
I think you do win, how did you come up with that so quickly?
Life is about one simple choice, get busy living or get busy dying
Wasn’t terribly hard to think about.
Geographically, Nashville is relatively close to Atlanta and Raleigh. Nashville also gets a very necessary move from the ultra-rough Central to the softer (especially with Washington gone) Southeast, so they might do a bit better. Minnesota gets their long-deserved move to the Central, helping mitigate the really rough travel schedule that their presence in the Northwest was producing. Washington rightfully returns to the division they have all their classic rivalries in, including plenty of games against the Pens and Flyers. NHL fans rejoice.
Gary, if you need any more advice, April in marketing has my number.
Winterion Game Studios
Visit us online at : http://winterion.com
I uh, kinda, um, forgot about Nashville. That makes complete sense.
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I hope Gary is reading. I’d hate to lose the Isles but if we must this seems like the best plan of action. But you gotta admit, that southeast division will be horrid. At least Washington gives it some legitimacy.
No doubt. If you put Nashville in the Southeast last season than the only team to make it to the playoffs from that division would’ve been the Hurricanes.
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I’ve thought of Nashvill, but the reason i went with Columbus/Detroit is because they are afaik the two teams in the western conference while coming from an eastern timezone
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 16, 2009 1:14 PM EDT up reply actions
I thought about a similar realignment… there must be no problem for the hockey-crazy Vancouver market to support another NHL team and in Seattle there’s an major league sized arena left behind by the Sonics… my only concern is that this leaves the Southeast division as the weakest in the NHL for the next forever…
You have to see it for yourself...
my only concern is that this leaves the Southeast division as the weakest in the NHL for the next forever…
That is of course until the league decides to rig the lottery and land a big-time rookie sensation on one of those teams, much like they did with the Pittsburgh Penguins. And then they’ll fix games, let that team go all the way and make it look like they saved themselves. It’s all part of the big plan.
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Ladies and Gentlemen… please welcome your 2014 Stanley Cup champions… the ATLANTA THRASHERS!!! (after all Atlanta is the biggest market amongst them… should be the 1st choice:)))
You have to see it for yourself...
i think a couple of years after that would be more apropriate, give them some time to develop their own sidney crosby they will get in the rigged sweepstakes after the 2012-2013 lockout.
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 16, 2009 9:50 PM EDT up reply actions
Well I don’t know. 2014 ties right in with a five-year plan. That’s basically the sort of plan a team takes on when they land a big-name draft pick. The Pens had a five-year plan with Sid and did it in four.
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Yes but what i’m saying is they won’t get their crosby till the next lockout.
There is a knack to flying: it's learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.
by Sid the captain on Oct 17, 2009 7:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Nashville will never be moved into the Eastern conference as long as there are teams in the Eastern time zone in the Western conference (Nashville is on Central time).
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on Oct 21, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions
I'm originally from Seattle
New here and saw this thread. I’m from Seattle and I can shed some light on things from that end. The Seattle area can nd would support the NHL. I would hate for it to be poaching another team especialy one with the history and tradition of the Isles, but if that is what happens so be it. Am firstly a PENS fan though so I no worries there as MY guys are where they should be.
All that said, I would tell you that I think Columbus would be the team to move IMO as geography wise it makes most sense but the thought of Nashville et all is still a good idea I could live with.
Only trouble spot in Seattle is this. The Sonics had the Seattle Center Coliseum redone in the early 90’s and part of that work makes it very hard to host ice events. However it could be redone and (used temp like till finished).
The Seattle fan base would eat it up and make it real. Vancover is a LONG 2.5 hours away and NOT really a destination for hockey as there is a very good junior team in town (with a NEW arena btw)that keeps things hoppin in the season.
All in all I think Seattle would be the bomb.
regards from a long time lurker moved to finally post!
Mark
I also thought Seattle and Vancouver are not THAT close… they’re actually further apart than let’s say… Buffalo and Toronto. Anyway Seattle is a great place for a relocation (in the US… I still would support another Canada-based team first)… but I’d rather see Florida move than the Islanders…
You have to see it for yourself...
Florida can move
And more importantly, it can work better if you use Winterion’s idea
Seattle Panthers Southeast > Northwest
move Minnesota Wild Northwest > Central
move Nashville Central > Southeast
IHe still wins
This way, Washington stays in the Southeast and the Divisons are still fair
Space Weed Says Now Endorsed by Tyler Bozak
"DO NOT get stuck behind Kyle Wellwood in the buffet line. This isn't really etiquette, but it will prevent you from starving to death"- Down Goes Brown on Etiquette for Jason Spezza's wedding
by Kevin Sellathamby on Oct 18, 2009 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions
The agreement is already in place. If the East loses a team, Detroit gets to move first. It has to do with the realignment in 1997 to 6 divisions when Toronto moved from West to East and Detroit wanted to do the same. They wanted to go into the east and force Atlanta to expand into the West, or move Tampa into the West (the Lightning played their first season in the Western conference.).
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on Oct 21, 2009 2:40 PM EDT up reply actions
I don’t know if Detroit would take that option now though.
by Phantaskippy on Oct 21, 2009 7:10 PM EDT up reply actions
They would so they wouldn’t have to play 10 games in the Pacific Time zone every year (Vancouver, San Jose, Anaheim, LA, Phoenix), which means a start time of 10 PM for the fans at home, and another 6 games in the Mountain Time Zone (Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado). 40% of their road games start at 9 PM or later. If they played in the Eastern conference, they’d play less than half that amount every year.
Games on TV aren’t just entertainment for the fans like us who go to the game regularly and are hooked on this sport. The Games on TV are also an attempt by the team to generate interest in the casual fan and get them interested in buying tickets/merchandise/etc.
Let's go Caps!
by MikeL-Pivonka on Oct 22, 2009 9:27 AM EDT up reply actions
Conference Shifting
The Red Wings have a written agreement to be moved to the Eastern conference first if another team from the eastern time zone moves out of that time zone. Likely the Wings would go into the Northeast Division since they are next to Canada along with Buffalo (plus the three Candian teams). If that happens, Boston would move into the Atlantic along with the two remaining NY-area teams, and the two from Pa.
The Islanders are the most likely candidate to move west, but there have been rumors about Atlanta and Florida (not as strong). The most likely move for the Islanders thought would be to the new arena that’s being built in Brooklyn for the Nets basketball team. If that’s the case, there’d be no major change at all.
Let's go Caps!
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