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Custom league in NFL/MLB style
Ok, guys, now we're in the third year of the custom league mode existence, and I decided why not to try something different. I want to create a league with conferences similar to NFL or MLB: determined not by geographical, but historical reasons. AFC and NFC were created as a result of the AFL-NFL merge, but I don't think it make sense to start with the NHL-WHA merge, since only four teams came from the WHA. So I start instead with the 1967 expansion. Let's create a bit of alternative NHL history, shall we?
So for 1967/68 - 1969/70 season we have following alignment:
National Hockey Conference:
Chicago Black Hawks (yes, two words at that time)
Detroit Red Wings
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
New York Rangers
American Hockey Conference:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Saint Louis Blues
Minnesota North Stars
Los Angeles Kings
Oakland Seals
Nothing really new, since the NHL indeed put all six expansion teams into a separate division. What could go wrong, huh?
Then in 1970 we have the Vancouver Canucks and the Buffalo Sabres coming into the league. Since we already have two west coast teams in the AHC, I would put the Canucks into the NHC, and the Sabres into the AHC.
In the 1972 expansion the league welcomes the NY Islanders and the Atlanta Flames. In both MLB and NFL two New York teams play in separate conferences/leagues, so I put the Islanders into the AHC, and the Flames into the NHC.
In 1974 the Washington Capitals and the Kansas City Scouts is coming into the league. Since we already have one team in Missouri, it makes sense to put the Scouts into the different conference than the Blues. That said, the Scouts go to the NHC and the Caps go to the AHC.
At this point the NHL split its conferences into divisions. Let's do the same.
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
NY Rangers
Atlanta Flames
NHC West:
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Black Hawks
KC Scouts
Vancouver Canucks
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Washington Capitals
Buffalo Sabres
AHC West:
St Louis Blues
Minnesota North Stars
LA Kings
California Golden Seals (former Oakland Seals)
Before the 1976/77 season the Scouts moved to Denver to become the Colorado Rockies. In our alignment they stay in NHC West. The Seals moved to Cleveland to became the Cleveland Barons. Probably makes sense to keep them in AHC West (no other team in AHC East suits for the West)
Before the 1978/79 season the Barons folded (by merge with the North Stars). Let's move the Sabres into AHC West to even the divisions out.
Before the 1979/80 four teams from the WHA are merged into the NHL. It makes sense to put the Hartford Whalers into the AHC, since New England region already has the Bruins in the NHC. Following the same logic, let's put the Quebec Nordiques into the AHC (the province of Quebec already has the Canadiens in the NHC). That said, the Edmonton Oilers and the Winnipeg Jets join the NHC. Let's take a look what we have now.
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
NY Rangers
Atlanta Flames
Detroit Red Wings
NHC West:
Chicago Black Hawks
Colorado Rockies
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Quebec Nordiques
Hartford Whalers
AHC West:
St Louis Blues
Minnesota North Stars
LA Kings
Buffalo Sabres
Washington Capitals
I moved the Caps to the AHC West, because the Nordiques and the Whalers kinda have to be in the East, and I didn't want to break probably already established rivalry between the Pens and the Flyers.
Before the 1980-81 the Flames move to Calgary (no name change though), so let's move them to the NHC West.
Before the 1982/83 season the Rockies move to New Jersey to become the Devils. Let's move them to the NHC East.
So from 1982/83 till 1990/91 we have following picture:
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
NY Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
New Jersey Devils
NHC West:
Chicago Black Hawks
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Quebec Nordiques
Hartford Whalers
AHC West:
St Louis Blues
Minnesota North Stars
LA Kings
Buffalo Sabres
Washington Capitals
Before the 1991/92 season the San Jose Sharks join the league. Since the NHC has one team more than the AHC, and the Sharks are kinda sorta successors of the Seals in the Bay Area, let's put them into the AHC West.
Before the 1992/93 the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Ottawa Senators join the league. I assume that by that time it was already known that the next summer the league would add the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Florida Panthers. Let's keep that in mind and treat it as one big expansion. The Mighty Ducks belong to the NHC since the AHC already has the Kings (similar to the Angels and the Dodgers in baseball), thus the Panthers join the AHC. It puts the Lightning into the NHC and the Sens into the AHC. Also, prior to the 1993/94 the North Stars relocate to Dallas to become just Stars. Let's take a look what we have now:
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
Toronto Maple Leafs
NY Rangers
Detroit Red Wings
New Jersey Devils
Tampa Bay Lightning
NHC West:
Chicago Black Hawks
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Pittsburgh Penguins
Philadelphia Flyers
Quebec Nordiques
Hartford Whalers
Florida Panthers
Ottawa Senators
AHC West:
St Louis Blues
Dallas Stars
LA Kings
Buffalo Sabres
Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks
Before the 1995/96 season the Nordiques move to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche. I guess, it also moves them from the AHC East to the AHC West. No we can move the Caps back to the AHC East.
Prior to the 1996/97 the Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix to become the Phoenix Coyotes. They remain in the NHC West.
Before the 1997/98 the Whalers move to Raleigh to become the Carolina Hurricanes. They remain in the AHC East.
Before the 1998/99 the Nashville Predators join the league. The league also realigns into six divisions instead of four. Let's try to do the same. But first, let's figure out where to put the Preds. Honestly, I have no clue. There's no reason to prefer one conference over the other. At that point it's already announced that the NHL will add a team in Atlanta next year and teams in Columbus and Minnesota the year after that. As we can see, the AHC has a bunch of southeastern-ish teams: Dallas, St Louis, Carolina and Florida, whereas the NHC has only Tampa in that region. So let's go ahead and put both the Nashville Predators and the Atlanta Thrashers into the NHC, and the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Minnesota Wild into the AHC. That said, we get following picture heading into the 2000/01 season:
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
NY Rangers
New Jersey Devils
Tampa Bay Lightning
NHC Central:
Detroit Red Wings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Nashville Predators
Atlanta Thrashers
Chicago Black Hawks
NHC West:
Vancouver Canucks
Phoenix Coyotes
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
Florida Panthers
Ottawa Senators
Washington Capitals
AHC Central:
Pittsburgh Penguins
Columbus Blue Jackets
Buffalo Sabres
Carolina Hurricanes
St Louis Blues
AHC West:
LA Kings
Dallas Stars
Minnesota Wild
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Before the 2011/12 season the Atlanta Thrashers move to Winnipeg to become the second incarnation of the Jets. They remain in the NHC Central.
Before the 2014/15 season the Phoenix Coyotes change their name to the Arizona Coyotes.
Before the 2017/18 season the Vegas Golden Knights come into the league. Since the NHC kinda has a team in that region (not exactly that region, but we probably can count Phoenix), let's put the Knights into the AHC West.
Before the 2021/22 season the Seattle Kraken come into the league. They go into the NHC to even things out.
Before the 2024/25 season the Arizona Coyotes kinda move to Salt Lake City to become the Utah Hockey Club (although Utah is treated as an expansion team and Arizona is considered inactive).
With 32 teams in the league let's realign it into 8 divisions.
NHC East:
Montreal Canadiens
Boston Bruins
NY Rangers
New Jersey Devils
NHC North:
Detroit Red Wings
Toronto Maple Leafs
Winnipeg Jets
Chicago Black Hawks
NHC South:
Tampa Bay Lightning
Nashville Predators
Anaheim Ducks
Utah Hockey Club
NHC West:
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
Calgary Flames
Seattle Kraken
AHC East:
NY Islanders
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
AHC North:
Minnesota Wild
Buffalo Sabres
Ottawa Senators
Columbus Blue Jackets
AHC South:
St Louis Blues
Dallas Stars
Florida Panthers
Carolina Hurricanes
AHC West:
LA Kings
Colorado Avalanche
San Jose Sharks
Vegas Golden Knights
I don't really like Anaheim and Tampa being in the same division. Too much traveling. But it seems like the only way to make things work.
Let's figure out the schedule. NFL teams play 6 out of 17 games against teams from their division, 6 out of 17 games against other teams from their conference and 5 out of 17 games against teams from the opposite conference. Extrapolating it to the 82-game schedule, we get 29 divisional games, 29 conference games and 24 interconference games. Which roughly means 10 games * 3 divisional opponents, 2 or 3 games * 12 conference opponents and 1 or 2 games against opponents from the other conference. Or maybe 10 games against divisional opponents, 3 against other teams in the same conference and 1 against teams from the opposite conference. But 10 games against divisional rivals sounds waaaay too many. So I would suggest 6 games against every divisional opponent, 4 games against every other team in the same conference and 1 game against every team from other conference.
In each conference 4 divisional winners + 4 next best teams make playoffs.
So, I hope you enjoyed this little alternative history experiment. Let me know your thoughts. What would you make differently (keeping in mind all that historical process of gradual league expansion)?
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