Dale Arnold is a Huge Fan of the Proposed Plan for NHL Realignment

There's so much stuff to talk about on this Sunday morning it's it's like you don't even know where to start. There is hockey on the table. As they're always does this time of year the Bruins continued their five game road trip this afternoon yes it's a 3 o'clock face off this afternoon in sunrise. It is the fourth game of the five game road trip you know the -- show comes into the TD garden this time of year and the Celtics and Bruins have to head. Other clients and the Bruins have been in Tampa for a few days they played -- I've been they've been in Florida the Clayton Tampa the other night they play against the Florida Panthers this afternoon in the nick complete the five game road trip Tuesday. On Long Island against the islanders -- We will talk about hockey as the day goes on because I gotta tell you as a hockey fan just forget about. The host job on -- and that I do forget about my connection with the Bruins organization. As a hockey fan. The NHL has put together a proposal. Which I can't tell you how much it excites me. We've talked about realignment in the national hockey league for a long time now there are some some things currently in place in in the NHL which are idiotic. The Winnipeg jets being in the Eastern Conference. Mean I know they used to be the Atlanta Thrashers they moved into Winnipeg. They left them in the Southeast Division which is where the thrashers were it's stupid. The Detroit Red Wings being in the Western Conference. Which means that a fair chunk of their TV games start late at night not exactly conducive to high television ratings for their fans. The Columbus Blue Jackets are in the Western Conference makes no sense whatsoever. The NHL has apparently come up with a proposal. I it was leaked out on Hockey Night in Canada last night and if you're a Bruins fan if you're a hockey fan. All in my gonna excite -- here. What they're talking about is four and they're calling them conferences for now as opposed to divisions for conferences in the NHL. Two of the conference's. Will have. Seven teams in each of them. Two of the conferences will have eight teams in each of them because there -- thirty team league and they're kind of forced with having that. Net misalignment here in in terms of numbers. They'll be able to change that later on as expansion comes about and and they're going to be able to ultimately get I think they'll get to -- 32 team conference but. What you -- called eastern half of the NH what is now the Eastern Conference. Conference number one for lack of a better term -- they have named these conferences yet conference number one -- Carolina. Columbus. New Jersey the islanders the Rangers Philadelphia Pittsburgh and Washington. It's like the old Patrick division for lack of a better term in and out the big winner here is the Columbus Blue Jackets. They get out of the Western Conference they moved to the Eastern Conference they get the opportunity to have Pittsburgh Philadelphia the Rangers all coming into their building on a more regular basis. This is a huge positive move for the Columbus Blue Jackets and one that they should be very excited about. Here's where I get real excited conference number 2 the other eastern conference for the lack of a better term let's call a conference number two. These are the teams that would be participating in that conference. Boston. Buffalo. Detroit. Florida Montreal. Ottawa Tampa Bay and Toronto yes you did hear me right. The Detroit Red Wings would move not only to the east. They would not all been to the conference that the Boston Bruins are -- Thank about the TV bonanza and I know the red wings are down right now I don't think anybody expects them to stay down for -- Ken Holland does a great job running that franchise. I would expect him to get a whole lot better. But think about this bringing the Detroit Red Wings into the TD garden on a more regular basis think about the TV ratings bonanza in Detroit. When their playing Montreal and Toronto and Ottawa. I you have the two Florida teams in this conference is well Florida and and Tampa Bay. I'm telling you as a hockey fan and as a Bruins fan. I couldn't be more excited than to be in the exact same. They're calling conferences will say divisions what do you wanna say being in the exact same conferences the Detroit Red Wings. Conference number three out west. Would be Chicago. Colorado. Dallas. Minnesota. Nashville Saint Louis and Winnipeg. Think about all those teams in the central time zone in effect that's what you got here big winner here is Winnipeg. They get him pulled back to the Western Conference. They're going to be able to be in that and in almost the same time zone with -- all these other teams it's going to be perfect for them. And then the fourth and final conference is in effect all the teams out west Anaheim Calgary Edmonton. Los Angeles Phoenix San Jose and Vancouver. This is. Perfect. Who ever thought it up whoever put it on the table from the NHL's perspective good for you. And a big winners here big big winners are Winnipeg. Columbus and Detroit Detroit has been promised for a number of years now. That the NHL was gonna get them back in the eastern half of the of the scheduling thing they were gonna get them to the Eastern Conference. They do that here if you're a Bruins fan not only are they in the east. During your division. The Boston Bruins in the Detroit Red Wings would play on a regular basis a number of times and I am telling ya I know down this year. But they're going to be back they're gonna be good it's going to be fun. I love this idea and the National Hockey League now has to get the approval of the NHL PA. I think this will ultimately be approved. They've got some some hurdles here they've got to figure out and I think they well one of me as. And they correctly point out that if you can't have the same number of teams make the playoffs in an eighteen conference as it makes seventeen conference. And so what they're talking about has the possibility of a wild card. Play in game or series. So you'd take and I'm just giving him this is an exam example do you take the number of foreign number five seeds. In an eighteen conference you'd have them play and then the winner. Plays the regular season champion. They've also talked about the possibility of doing away completely with you how you -- play in your division first in in the division winners ultimately play for the conference. What they're talking about ultimately is having the top eight teams in the east. Top eight teams in the west and you -- weigh that with the divisions when you get to the playoffs what they've also talked about and this to be the best of all possibilities. They even talked about the possibility of just ranking. The sixteen best teams in the NH. Here's the sixteen best one place 162 plays -- do without you know what that means. Is that at some point down the road and just as an example. The Boston -- Bruins could play the New York Rangers for the Stanley Cup championship. I would love to see. They've got to work up a playoff issues with the seventeen. Divisions in the eighteen divisions they'll work that out. But if you're a hockey fan if you're Bruins fan. A possibility of being in the same division and they're calling them conferences and I -- -- confusing you here but that's their term not mine. That that division in the East Boston buffalo. Detroit. Loretta Montreal Ottawa Tampa Bay and Toronto. The other part of this that they're talking about from a scheduling perspective. Is that you would play every single team in the NHL home and away. You would get everybody coming into your building at least once you would go and every other building in the NHL at least wants. I love this idea I love everything about it. Six figure out of the playoff part of it I understand that that's a hurdle would be to be vaulted here I think they'll figure it out I think they'll get past it. Love everything about good for the NHL. They may actually. They're talking about the possibility of of working on this voting on this as early as this week. So that's gonna be great. I I think this is spectacular and and as a hockey fan first. Forget about the hosting the Bruins games and all that stuff just as a hockey fan. This makes all the sense in the world so you've got that part of it Bruins as we set are playing this afternoon 3 o'clock face up to thirty airtime on -- cheap plug -- quickly. Against the Florida Panthers in sunrise. You've got baseball on the docket I can't tell. You tell yourself you won't do what and then you do -- anyway. How much did you watch yesterday. Or how much did to listen to yesterday -- admit. I listened to the first couple of innings because I was out about and then watched all the rest of them. I mean I slightly -- at the two run home run to tie the game I mean I'm watching this stuff you tell yourself you won't. Because c'mon it's exhibition baseball and -- pitchers running in the outfield while the game's going on analysts stuff but it's the first one. If it's the very first opportunity to see baseball players wearing Red Sox uniforms. Wearing Tampa Bay. Rays uniforms and I watched. Here's Iglesias. We begin to pinch running time fly ball the last Felices piggyback ride on wall and they. Did -- balloon. In other states have more of them on -- two run homer for Jose Iglesias. And the Red Sox if I didn't -- -- not only bomb. I watched. And you guys watched him you'd admit it you listen to part watched part you saw a lot or heard a lot more of -- than you expected. Even though the expectations are lower around here for baseball this season even a Red Sox fans don't think that their team is going to be you know this this juggernaut. It's the start of the baseball season it's the unofficial start of spring. You see baseball players in the sunshine in Florida and it's on your TV or on your radio you're listening you watch I did I admit it. I'm not gonna pretend that I'm gonna sit here and listen to or watch all nine innings of every. Grapefruit league game a -- -- myself watching yesterday couldn't help myself I didn't take a little break in the middle of it. Because I had to like a whole lot of people I had to go to the NFL network. And listen to demand tight tape -- press conference. I I'm going to be honest with -- here. He sold me. -- I thought he handled himself with maturity he handled. All the questions I I've I I wondered how he was gonna I was gonna pull off. I was pretty impressed and if you read a lot of the things out of the NFL since then. More and more. Player personnel people in the National Football League are saying. You know probably isn't gonna affect hole now his draft stock has probably slipped some. Because of the issues in the offseason. Let's be honest most Notre Dame players are a bit over -- begin starring Notre Dame fans but at the back. They're on TV all the time. You know I got that national television contract with -- NBC we -- over rake them a little bit to begin with. I'm not sure he's quite as good as the reputation. At worst I seem slipping to second round now everything I read is at worst he's gonna slipped to the second round instead of being a first round. Most people think. That the way he's handled this has been professional. Seems to have been forthright with -- all of -- GMs and player personnel people who ask him the obvious questions. Good for him -- -- I was impressed with his performance yesterday was pretty short. But it was. I mean it was wall to wall. Those of you -- watched on the NFL network got -- a glimpse of it I mean nobody. No player. At the -- come -- and is probably ever performed in front of that many people at a press conference before.