CENTRAL DIVISION: The Most Colorful Teams in the NHL
If you find it difficult to remember what teams are in each of the six NHL divisions, Central is the easiest of the bunch. It’s made up of the five easternmost teams of the Western Conference. Or better still, just think “Central is colorful”—red, black, blue and bluer—with dab of orange thrown in.
You’ve got the Detroit Red Wings, Chicago Blackhawks, Columbus Blue Jackets and St. Louis Blues. Even the hueless Nashville Predators are colorful, especially when their intimidating fans dress up for games on home ice, all wearing bright Tennessee orange.
The NHL’s Central Division came into existence in 1993, rising from what once was the James E. Norris Division of the Clarence Campbell Conference. “Central” is so much easier to say.
Three of the five current Central Division teams—Detroit, Chicago and St. Louis—have been here from the start. They include two of the “Original Six,” the Red Wings and the Blackhawks, whose rivalry dates back to the beginning of the Ice Age in 1926.
Other teams that belonged to fledgling Central in 1993 were the Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes, the Dallas Stars and the Toronto Maple Leafs. During realignment in 1998, those three franchises left and the Division welcomed the Nashville Predators as an expansion team. The Columbus Blue Jackets were similarly added in 2000.
The Red Wings won the Central Championship in the Division’s very first season, and they haven’t shared it much with others since then. They’ve won 14 of the last 17 titles for the Motor City, including a string from 2001 to 2009 when the only opponent to beat them was the 2005 lockout.
Early on, the Dallas Stars provided some resistance, winning Central in 1997 and 1998 before skating off to the Pacific Division. In 2000, the Blues snuck in a championship for the Gateway City, and the Blackhawks caught one for the Windy City in 2010. But in 2011, the Motown mojo was back action and another Division pennant got hung at Joe Louis Arena.
Does that mean the Central Division isn’t really competitive? Not by a long slap shot. In 2011, all of the teams had winning records during the regular season except the Blue Jackets, who finished just a single win off breakeven at 34-35-13. For colorful hockey and tough NHL schedules, Central is the place to be.
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