A New Look NHL

On December 5, 2011, the NHL (National Hockey League) Board of Governors approved a conference realignment plan that will eliminate the current six-division setup and move into a four-conference structure.

Under the new plan, which is designed to better accommodate the effects of time zone differences, each team will play 36 or 38 intra-conference games, depending on whether it is in a seven- or eight-team conference, and two games (home and road) against each non-conference team.

The four new conferences are generally based on the current divisions, with the two more westerly based ones consisting of teams in the current Western Conference (plus Winnipeg, a new team that has spent this season playing largely in Florida- 2 time zones and thousands of miles away!) and the easterly ones consisting of teams in the current Eastern Conference. The Southeast Division will be broken up, while the Pacific and Northwest divisions merge into one. Each of the other three divisions (currently known as Central, Northeast and Atlantic) will pick up two or three teams resulting from those moves.

The Current Setup (Souce - Wikipedia)

 The new alignment will take effect at the start of the 2012-13 season, pending the approval of the NHL Players Association.The currently unnamed conferences will align as follows:

Anaheim Ducks Calgary Flames Colorado Avalanche Edmonton Oilers Los Angeles Kings Phoenix Coyotes San Jose Sharks Vancouver Canucks

Chicago Blackhawks Columbus Blue Jackets Dallas Stars Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild Nashville Predators St. Louis Blues Winnipeg Jets

Boston Bruins Buffalo Sabres Florida Panthers Montreal Canadiens Ottawa Senators Tampa Bay Lightning Toronto Maple Leafs

Carolina Hurricanes New Jersey Devils New York Islanders New York Rangers Philadelphia Flyers Pittsburgh Penguins Washington Capitals