Realignment is coming to the NHL next season; it's just a matter of whether we'll witness a dramatic or conservative restructuring of the League's standings.
Of course isn't the first or the last time the NHL throws all of its toys on the ground and rearranges its playroom. Via Puck Daddy's Master of Graphics Dan Gustafson of Sixteen Wins, here's an Illustrated History of NHL Realignment since 1967:
What configuration feels right to you probably depends on your age.
The 1982-1993 alignment, for example, is a like a warm blanket for me: Those are the standings I read in the paper every night, and that I saw on my first NHL video games. Then the Tampa Bay Lightning went to the Norris, there were a bunch of other expansion teams and relocations and before you knew it the Whalers were in North Carolina. Things got weird.
How many logos will shift places in 2012?
(Dan will be working with Puck Daddy on creating some whimsical and informative NHL graphics throughout the season. If you have any requests, email us at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com. Visit Dan at Sixteen Wins and follow him on Twitter here.)
Previously on Puck Daddy:
• Illustrated guide to Brendan Shanahan's NHL suspensions (so far)
• Illustrated guide to the Bruins' $156,679 Foxwoods bar tab