NHL Tries New Lineup for ‘93-94 : Hockey: League’s wide-ranging realignment includes playoff format and conference names.

Citing “overwhelming support” from owners, the NHL announced a history-making realignment plan on Wednesday that will affect, among other things, the setup of the Stanley Cup playoffs and the defending champion Pittsburgh Penguins.

Under the plan, which will go into effect next season, the divisional playoff format will be junked in favor of a conference format matching the strongest teams against the weakest.

Taking a page from the NBA, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman announced that the top eight teams in each of the new Western and Eastern conferences would compete in a descending order starting with the No. 1 team against No. 8.

The conference champions would meet in the Stanley Cup finals.

“From the outset (of discussions) there was a great deal of interest toward going toward conference playoffs,” said Bettman, a former official with the NBA. “I believe this is a system that will work well for the fans, the media and the teams. It will be easier for the casual fans to follow.”

Bettman also said during a conference call that tradition wasn’t being spurned, despite the elimination of traditional division names such as the Patrick, Adams, Norris and Smythe.

“We will continue to honor the founders of the game with awards in their names,” Bettman said. “At the same time, we’re going to make the game easier to follow.”

In the Western Conference, formerly the Campbell, the Pacific and Central divisions will replace the Smythe and Norris. In the Eastern Conference, formerly the Wales, the Northeast and Atlantic will replace Adams and Patrick.

The Penguins were probably the team most directly affected by the new plan. They will play in the Northeast Division, in effect moving from the old Patrick to the Adams.

The Penguins will join Boston, Buffalo, Hartford, Montreal, Quebec and Ottawa in the Northeast.

“Pittsburgh was very gracious,” Bettman said. “They agreed they would do it in the league’s best interest.”

That, actually, was the theme of Bettman’s news conference. Admitting that not all of the realignment was everyone’s first choice, Bettman added, “We have to look at it as a complete package -- one that would accommodate the needs of the league as a whole.”

There were special requests, of course. For instance, the Florida teams wanted to play in the same division.

And both Tampa and the new South Florida entry will do so, in the Atlantic Division, along with New Jersey, the New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia and Washington.

In the Pacific, it will be Vancouver, Los Angeles, San Jose, Edmonton, Calgary and the new team in Anaheim.

The Central, the only division without an expansion team, will include Winnipeg, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, St. Louis and Toronto.

The teams in the West will play six intradivisional games against each opponent, four against teams in the other division in the conference and two against teams in each of the other divisions.

Teams in the East will play five intradivisional games against each opponent, four against teams in the other division in the conference and two against teams in each of the other divisions.

Bettman was asked if the imbalance of 14 teams in the East and 12 in the West was a problem.

“No,” he said. “The perceived imbalance of 14 to 12 teams is only the difference of one expansion team. We have to see what happens down the road. Right now, I’m comfortable that this will work.

“By and large, everyone is happy.”

Bettman said the plan was designed to “introduce more teams to more areas and to make it easier for fans to follow the schedule.”

“All across the board, it was a positive step for the league.”

Regarding the playoffs, the series will continue to be conducted on a 2-2-1-1-1 basis, except for certain instances in series between the Pacific and Central divisions. To reduce travel, those may be played on a 2-3-2 arrangement.

Bettman also said that Central division teams will be matched against expansion teams in neutral-site games for at least five years to bring more equity to the schedule. There were four games added to the schedule this season as a result of the neutral-site games. Next season, the there will only be two in an 82-game schedule.

Bettman said that no team was compensated in any way for the realignment procedure.

“There’s been a consensus of opinion about throughout eight weeks of discussion,” Bettman said. “The owners have been cooperative and supportive. I was comfortable with the whole process. Hopefully, it’s a good omen for the league.”