One of the great NHL franchises is in grave danger of losing it’s fan base, home, and history. The team that gave us Super Mario and, now, Sid the Kid, is going the way of the Nordiques, Jets, Whalers, and North Stars thanks to the ineptitude of Bettman. Sure, argue that he can’t do much because it’s between the owners and the local government entities. Other leagues with stronger commisioners have faced similiar situations that resulted in retention of the team.

One team that may benefit from the Pen’s move to KC: the Detroit Red Wings. An interesting post in a local Detroit paper paints it this way:

“Someone mentioned the Wings going to the Atlantic division if they get in the East, but that wouldn’t happen. The league sticks close to geography. If the Pens moved to KC, they’d take the Wings spot in the Central division. The Wings would move East and join the Northeast division. Then, to balance the divisions out, Boston would move from the Northeast division to the Atlantic, effectively replacing the Pens. Here are the theoretical standings if the Pens move:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTIC
New Jersey
NY Islanders
NY Rangers
Boston
Philadelphia

NORTHEAST
Buffalo
Detroit
Ottawa
Montreal
Toronto

SOUTHEAST
Tampa Bay
Atlanta
Carolina
Florida
Washington

WESTERN CONFERENCE

CENTRAL
Nashville
Kansas City
St Louis
Columbus
Chicago

NORTHWEST
Vancouver
Calgary
Minnesota
Colorado
Edmonton

PACIFIC
Anaheim
Dallas
San Jose
Phoenix
Los Angeles”

Thanks to Jaster for the post!

I’m not sure I buy all the movements but it sure makes things interesting! It’d be nice to hear from more team’s fans about the possible changes in conferences!