Out of Town Notebook: Boogaard, Fisticuffs and NHL Realignment

Some quick thoughts on two issues dominating NHL talk right now:

Derek Boogaard and Fighting in the NHL

For anyone who’s been living under a rock, here’s the original New York Times story about the study of Derek Boogaard’s brain.

The results of the study shouldn’t surprise anyone. If you’re a fighter, and you get punched in the head a lot, it’s logical the impact of these blows will have an effect on your brain and brain function.

The larger issue here is that, as scientists continue to show conclusive evidence that hockey fights endanger the health of those involved, it gives credence to the argument against fighting in the NHL.

See, it was easy before for the old guard to say that fighting has always been a part of the sport, and that those who want it removed don’t understand the game, or aren’t man enough or tough enough to understand.

Scientific evidence kind of robs these folks of their bully pulpit.

Look, there’s a simple solution here that should make both sides of the argument happy.

Don’t ban fighting in the NHL. Just kick anyone who fights out of the game.

Fight in the last five minutes of the game – you miss the next game. And then determine a suspension formula for players who fight multiple times in a year.

This way, the NHL can say they haven’t banned fighting but are going to great lengths to protect players.

Conversely, the reduction in NHL fights that would follow such a rule change would appease most of those who believe the game is better off without the pugilist sideshow.

Makes sense. So much sense that this is how it’s done for most amateur hockey leagues and beer leagues in Canada.

(Another option we’ve already discussed in this space – getting rid of the 4th liners who cause most of the NHL violence).

One more thought on this – I heard talk on Team 1040 today wondering if the NHL knows if its core audience is pro-fighting or fighting-opposed.

The NHL absolutely knows the answer to this question. It probably knows the answer to this question in Canada and the United States, if not for its fans in each NHL city.

Why? Because professional sports leagues do significant market research to protect and grow their brand.

Given this, if the NHL doesn’t move on fighting, then it says a lot about where their current fan base stands on the issue.

NHL Realignment

How would the NHL standings and playoffs have differed if the proposed NHL realignment had been in place since the lockout? Let’s have a look:

2005/2006

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Ottawa	113	1	Detroit	124
2	Carolina	112	2	Dallas	112
3	New Jersey	101	3	Calgary	103
4	Buffalo	110	4	Nashville	106
5	Philadelphia	101	5	San Jose	99
6	NY Rangers	100	6	Anaheim	98
7	Montreal	93	7	Colorado	95
8	Tampa Bay	92	8	Edmonton	95
9	Toronto	90	9	Vancouver	92
10	Winnipeg	90	10	Los Angeles	89
11	Florida	85	11	Minnesota	84
12	NY Islanders	78	12	Phoenix	81
13	Boston	74	13	Columbus	74
14	Washington	70	14	Chicago	65
15	Pittsburgh	58	15	St. Louis	57

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
Carolina – 112	Ottawa – 113	Detroit – 124	Calgary – 103
New Jersey – 101	Buffalo – 110	Dallas -112	San Jose – 99
Philadelphia – 101	Montreal – 93	Nashville – 106	Anaheim – 98
NY Rangers – 100	Tampa Bay – 92	Winnipeg – 90	Colorado – 95

Some notes about 2005/2006:

• Winnipeg makes the playoffs, while Edmonton, the Stanley Cup finalist that year, doesn’t.
• Ottawa still plays Tampa Bay in the first round (Sens won the series 4-1). That’s the only series that stays the same.

2006/2007

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Buffalo	113	1	Detroit	113
2	New Jersey	107	2	Anaheim	110
3	Winnipeg	97	3	Vancouver	105
4	Ottawa	105	4	Nashville	110
5	Pittsburgh	105	5	San Jose	107
6	NY Rangers	94	6	Dallas	107
7	Tampa Bay	93	7	Minnesota	104
8	NY Islanders	92	8	Calgary	96
9	Toronto	91	9	Colorado	95
10	Montreal	90	10	St. Louis	81
11	Carolina	88	11	Columbus	73
12	Florida	86	12	Edmonton	71
13	Boston	76	13	Chicago	71
14	Washington	70	14	Los Angeles	68
15	Philadelphia	56	15	Phoenix	67

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
New Jersey – 107	Buffalo – 113	Detroit – 113	Anaheim – 110
Pittsburgh – 105	Ottawa – 105	Nashville  – 110	San Jose – 107
New York Rangers – 94	Tampa Bay – 93	Dallas – 107	Vancouver – 105
New York Islanders – 92	Toronto – 91	Minnesota – 104	Calgary – 96

Some notes about 2006/2007:

• Toronto makes the playoffs, while Winnipeg does not in their new Conference. All the teams in the “old West” make it.
• Nashville plays Dallas for the second year in a row, as does Ottawa against Tampa Bay.

2007/2008

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Montreal	104	1	Detroit	115
2	Pittsburgh	102	2	San Jose	108
3	Washington	94	3	Minnesota	98
4	New Jersey	99	4	Anaheim	102
5	NY Rangers	97	5	Dallas	97
6	Philadelphia	95	6	Colorado	95
7	Ottawa	94	7	Calgary	94
8	Boston	94	8	Nashville	91
9	Carolina	92	9	Edmonton	88
10	Buffalo	90	10	Chicago	88
11	Florida	85	11	Vancouver	88
12	Toronto	83	12	Phoenix	83
13	NY Islanders	79	13	Columbus	80
14	Winnipeg	76	14	St. Louis	79
15	Tampa Bay	71	15	Los Angeles	71

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
Pittsburgh – 102	Montreal – 104	Detroit – 115	San Jose – 108
New Jersey – 99	Ottawa – 94	Minnesota – 98	Anaheim – 102
New York Rangers – 97	Boston – 94	Dallas – 97	Colorado – 95
Philadelphia – 95	Buffalo – 90	Nashville – 91	Calgary – 94

Some notes about 2007/2008:

• Washington doesn’t make the playoffs while Buffalo does. All the teams in the “old West” make it.
• Detroit and Nashville still play each other in the first round (Detroit won the series 4-2), as do San Jose and Calgary (San Jose won the series 4-3).

2008/2009

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Boston	116	1	San Jose	117
2	Washington	108	2	Detroit	112
3	New Jersey	106	3	Vancouver	100
4	Pittsburgh	99	4	Chicago	104
5	Philadelphia	99	5	Calgary	98
6	Carolina	97	6	St. Louis	92
7	NY Rangers	95	7	Columbus	92
8	Montreal	93	8	Anaheim	91
9	Florida	93	9	Minnesota	89
10	Buffalo	91	10	Nashville	88
11	Ottawa	83	11	Edmonton	85
12	Toronto	81	12	Dallas	83
13	Winnipeg	76	13	Phoenix	79
14	Tampa Bay	66	14	Los Angeles	79
15	NY Islanders	61	15	Colorado	69

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
Washington – 108	Boston – 116	Detroit – 112	San Jose – 117
New Jersey – 106	Montreal – 93	Chicago – 104	Vancouver – 100
Pittsburgh – 99	Florida – 93	St. Louis – 92	Calgary – 98
Philadelphia – 99	Buffalo – 91	Columbus – 92	Anaheim – 91

Some notes about 2008/2009:

• Both Carolina and the New York Rangers wouldn’t make the playoffs under the new format. Conversely, Florida (!?!?) and Buffalo do.
• All the teams in the “old West,” again, make it under the new format.
• San Jose and Anaheim would still play each other (Anaheim won the series 4-2), as would Detroit and Columbus (Detroit won the series 4-0).

2009/2010

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Washington	121	1	San Jose	113
2	New Jersey	103	2	Chicago	112
3	Buffalo	100	3	Vancouver	103
4	Pittsburgh	101	4	Phoenix	107
5	Ottawa	94	5	Detroit	102
6	Boston	91	6	Los Angeles	101
7	Philadelphia	88	7	Nashville	100
8	Montreal	88	8	Colorado	95
9	NY Rangers	87	9	St. Louis	90
10	Winnipeg	83	10	Calgary	90
11	Carolina	80	11	Anaheim	89
12	Tampa Bay	80	12	Dallas	88
13	NY Islanders	79	13	Minnesota	84
14	Florida	77	14	Columbus	79
15	Toronto	74	15	Edmonton	62

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
Washington – 121	Buffalo – 100	Chicago – 112	San Jose – 113
New Jersey – 103	Ottawa – 94	Detroit – 102	Phoenix – 107
Pittsburgh – 101	Boston – 91	Nashville – 100	Vancouver – 103
Philadelphia – 88	Montreal – 88	St. Louis – 90	Los Angeles – 101

Some notes about 2009/2010:

• All the teams in the “old East” make it under the new format. St. Louis qualifies under the new format; Colorado doesn’t.
• Washington/Philadelphia, New Jersey/Pittsburgh and Chicago/St. Louis play each other in the first round for the second year in a row.

2010/2011

Standings:

Eastern Conference	Team	Pts	Western Conference	Team	Pts
1	Washington	107	1	Vancouver	117
2	Philadelphia	106	2	San Jose	105
3	Boston	103	3	Detroit	104
4	Pittsburgh	106	4	Anaheim	99
5	Tampa Bay	103	5	Nashville	99
6	Montreal	96	6	Phoenix	99
7	Buffalo	96	7	Los Angeles	98
8	NY Rangers	93	8	Chicago	97
9	Carolina	91	9	Dallas	95
10	Toronto	85	10	Calgary	94
11	New Jersey	81	11	St. Louis	87
12	Winnipeg	80	12	Minnesota	86
13	Ottawa	74	13	Columbus	81
14	NY Islanders	73	14	Colorado	68
15	Florida	72	15	Edmonton	62

Playoff seeding under new format:

New Conference A	New Conference B	New Conference C	New Conference D
Washington – 107	Boston – 103	Detroit – 104	Vancouver – 117
Philadelphia – 106	Tampa Bay – 103	Nashville – 99	San Jose – 105
Pittsburgh – 106	Montreal – 96	Chicago – 97	Anaheim – 99
New York Rangers – 93	Buffalo – 96	Dallas – 95	Phoenix – 99

Some notes about 2010/2011:

• All the teams in the “old East” make it under the new format. Dallas qualifies this time around; the Los Angeles Kings don’t.
• Vancouver and Phoenix play each other for the second year in a row.
• Washington and the New York Rangers still play each other in the first round (Washington won 4-1 originally).

Final note on the new realignment, and how it impacts playoff matchups/qualifying:

Old Alignment		New Alignment
# of different playoff teams, 2005-2010	28 (only Toronto and Florida fail to make the playoffs)	# of different playoff teams, 2005-10	29 (only Edmonton fails to make the playoffs)
# of different first round matchups, 2005-2010	39	# of different first round matchups, 2005-10	34