Wings’ move to East a good plan
And maybe the best part of this plan overall: the Wings will now be able to again play Original Six members Boston, Montreal and Toronto on a regular basis.
Longtime supporters remember the club’s rivalries with those three teams, particularly with the Leafs and Canadiens. Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday night with either of those teams was a special event for Detroit area residents.
Playing in Nashville, Dallas, Edmonton and Calgary the last several seasons just hasn’t had the same oompf, even though you’d see almost as many spectators in Wings jerseys as the home team’s.
Let’s face it: for a long time,wholesale jerseys from china the Wings helped attendance for the West Coast teams tremendously.
It was like the Miami Heat or Los Angeles Lakers coming to town for an NBA game. Everyone wants to see one of the best teams in a sport, regardless of whether it’s the home team or not.
The new realignment plan will mean the Wings’ rivalry with Chicago and to some extent, Minnesota will be snuffed out. But such is the price for a better idea.
And the Wings will still play all the Western Conference teams twice during the regular season, so there will still be some variety.
The playoff picture, meanwhile, calls for the top three finishers in each division qualifying for postseason play. The other two spots in each conference will go to the seventh and eighth highest placed teams as wild cards based on regular season points.
In theory, that would mean five teams from one division could make postseason play and only three from another. It’s still in the best interests of the NHL, however.
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