Included in the following ZIP file is a Photoshop file of the NHL realignment the league announced recently with a ton of layers you can turn on and off, and selectable teams that can be relocated (or contracted) at will. If you want to add team logos that aren’t part of the current 30, there are plenty of resources online for finding those. But again, this template has the current 30 teams divvied up the way Gary and the Boyz™ decided was best, with the style of connectors that I’ve been using for the last (quite a) few months.

Also included is a blank version that you can divvy up the way you think is best using your own version of connector lines… who says you need to make ‘em look like mine, right? Again the current 30 teams are included, but this is a flattened image file, so no relocations.

Not included are the fonts I used (those cost money)… but you can switch ‘em to system fonts like Arial easy enough.

Click on the icon below to download.

Enjoy!

— Tom

NHL-Realignment-Map-DIY

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On Twitter, Defending Big D‘s Brandon Worley (@brandonworley) commented that the new Star Trek Into Darkness poster could be any modern action flick if you took away the title. Turns out he was right:

Click image to enlarge

I might have to make this a regular feature.

— Tom

The post Nondescript Movie Posters Presents: Mission: Impossible V appeared first on The Home Of The NHL Realignment Project.

Now that it has been approved, here is “The Official Tom Fulery Version” of the 2013-14 NHL realignment (click image to enlarge):

NHL Realignment 2013-14

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My final proposal is just a little too late. And it’s too bad, because I went all “Howard Hughes” obsessive with it and made it into more of an infographic — and the Scheduling Pods and Scheduling Quads concept was so cool… oh well.

In both phases of this two phase plan:

Chicago fans can now calm down as I’ve put the Wings back in your conference.

Wings fans, please put down the pitchforks. In phase two of the plan, your team only has to play nine road games per season in the Mountain or Pacific Time Zones… and you get to play the Leafs and the Rangers four times each during the regular season… and the Habs and Bruins twice each, rounding out the Original Six.

Click the thumbnail to expand to the full size infographic.

Two Step NHL Realignment

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You all knew I wouldn’t be able to stop.

Here is the most radical, yet positively doable re-imagining of the NHL yet. It’s a crazy hybridization of the plans being tossed around lately, plus relocation and expansion. It addresses the biggest gripe of the latest realignment—Chicago losing Detroit as a more-than-two-games-per-season opponent. It does however keep the other gripe that half(ish) fans have, the “final four” playoff style. Also, since we’ve upped to 32 teams, there shall be no whining about uneven/unfair playoff chances.

The key to it all is this: In addition to Conference opponents, each team gets two non-confence rivals which whom they have an additional home-and-home series. I picked the pairings based on previous rivalry history (i.e. Chicago/Detroit), relocation history (i.e. Quebec City/Colorado), Stanley Cup finals history (i.e. LA/Montreal). These pairings can obviously be tweaked, but the idea is there, and dare I say, really interesting to me.

I’ll stop talking now… other than to apologize to the fans in Miami and Phoenix.

Additional Note: Florida to Houston could just as easily be to Kansas City or Milwaukee or some other Central Time Zone city.

Click the image to enlarge and read the details:

Radical NHL Realignment — Crazy can sometimes work.

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DefendingBigD‘s Brandon Worley presents his take on the NHL’s new realignment plan. Dallas’ placement in the Pacific is one of the main inspirations for my year-long NHL Realignment Project, and the folks over at DBD is THE place for Stars fans to to their thing. Good stuff, Brandon.

NHL realignment: New plan a win for nearly everybody – SBNation.com »

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Elliotte Friedman of Hockey Night in Canada (@FriedgeHNIC) reported that the forth-coming NHL Realignment Plan will be similar, but not exactly the same as the one the NHL proposed back in December of 2011. It’ll still be four conferences (two of 8 teams, two of 7 teams), but Detroit and Columbus would be moved to the “eastern” two conferences to reduce travel and better reflect the fact that they are actually in the Eastern time zone. I’m still processing it all, and considering the implications it has with future expansion and/or relocations.

In the meantime, here is one of my maps reflecting the proposed breakdown (click it for a larger version):

Interesting times ahead.

Bring on the super-happy few… and the very pissed off masses.

—TF

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In case you missed it on Sunday (I did because I was busy bringing the newborn back from the hospital—pardon the proud papa digression). The Globe’s Sunday Hockey Notes begins with some realignment talk, included “one man’s view of a potential realignment scheme”.

NHL governors and players try to get in line on realignment – Sports – The Boston Globe »

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Washington Times talks NHL Realignment:

Jason Chimera addresses NHL realignment, Take 2 – Washington Times.

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Timing may not be right for Coyotes purchase – Koinlocal6.com »

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