Quote:
Originally Posted by freeweed
Err, guys... divisions mattered in the 1980s. Being in the same division doesn't really limit your chances of being in the playoffs that much, unless you honestly believe that all of these Canadian teams would place first in their division. Beyond the top 3 in a conference, who's in your division really doesn't matter. It's a free for all.
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Sort of. Teams play other teams in their division more often than they do other teams, which means how you do in your divisional games matters. Having a slight edge in your season record against divisional rivals will have a big influence on putting you in better standings, but equally as important, it influences how the other teams end up too. In other words, a team can control their divisional rivals' destiny moreso than other teams in the league.
Basically, any one division will typically have a whipping boy that everyone can beat, and a team that is the class of the group. With almost invariably (the NE and SE divisions this year being that variance in a wonky eastern conference), only 2 or 3 teams from each division will make the playoffs. With 4 Canadian teams in the same division, chances are greater that two or even three of them will miss the playoffs in the same year.
I do agree with the rivalry angle.
The other issue is timezones. The NW division would be spread across 3 of them, which is brutal for travel. 2 is manageable, but three is a bit ridiculous.