NHL realignment destined to fuel rivalries - and the fan base

When the Atlanta Thrashers ignominiously left the Deep South this summer to take up residency in chilly Winnipeg, Manitoba, players and owners knew the NHL's two-conference, six-division layout would need some tweaks.

Instead, the owners, in a 26-to-4 vote at the board of governors meeting at Pebble Beach, Calif., broke a carton of eggs and made a new omelet, leaving a few teams – especially the two Florida franchises – a bit sore, but securing the wishes of a contingent of fans, players, and commentators whom ex-coach Mike Keenan called the “rivalry geeks."

The radical NHL realignment into four regional conferences – no more will Nashville Predators fly regularly to Los Angeles for interconference games – is part of the post-1994 lockout revamp that is more fan-friendly but that often sets grizzled veterans of the game to grumbling. Post-lockout rule changes – such as resolving tied games with shootouts, bolstering the size of the offensive zones, and limiting goalie movement – have all helped to grow the once-anemic NHL fan base and to allow the league to sign a major 10-year deal with NBC Sports for broadcasting rights.

The realignment continues that trend by bolstering longtime rivalries – Pittsburgh versus Philadelphia, for example, or Original Six matchups like Boston against Toronto – by mandating six meetings a year among teams within a conference. It also requires so-called home-and-home matchups, which mean each team will visit every NHL city at least once in a season?, giving far-flung fans the opportunity to see the league's biggest stars in person every year.

The as-yet-unnamed conferences are as follows:

•L.A. Kings, Anaheim Ducks, San Jose, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Colorado, and Phoenix.

•Detroit, Chicago, St. Louis, Minnesota, Nashville, Columbus, Winnipeg, and Dallas.

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