Posted by ESPN.com
It's Friday, so we're coming at you with our Realignment Results.
In case you missed it Wednesday, we asked some of our experts to submit a realignment plan for the NHL. Given the recent controversies in Phoenix and on Long Island, we wondered what was the best plan for the NHL moving forward.
We asked them to have a little fun with the assignment; we didn't want the rules of reality (arena leases, bankruptcy courts) to get in the way. Before we unveil the winner, here's a recap of each man's plan:
John Buccigross: The more, the better
Bucci wanted more teams -- 40, to be exact.
"More teams, like 40, with smaller arenas in some of the new markets (12,000-15,000), with an aggressive shared-revenue system, could create more total revenue than there is now and produce more customers, which is the biggest challenge the NHL faces. I have always maintained more NHL teams create more NHL fans and, more importantly, more hockey fans. Youth hockey has taken off in places where the NHL has newly arrived (Dallas, Columbus, even Florida)."
He also called for two 20-team conferences … no divisions. The top 11 teams in each conference make the playoffs. Teams 10 and 11 would face off in a "play-in" game for the 10th seed. There would be a doubleheader two days after the regular season, one "play-in" game for each conference.
Scott Burnside: Downtown or bust!
Burnside's plan was non-corporate in spirit, as he'd say.
"We're not going to automatically dump the Phoenix Coyotes, either. Since no one really wants to buy the team, at least not yet, I think we should just loan the team out. It's clear making Phoenix fans come out 41 times a year is too onerous. So, have a few games there. The Vagabonds, as we'll call them, will play in any city that can guarantee to sell out at least two home dates and further guarantee to give back $100,000 per home date to grassroots hockey programs in that city. For the home dates in Phoenix, we're going to borrow the NHL's outdoor ice-making machine and play either in downtown or Scottsdale near those nice resorts.
"Florida Panthers? Out. Sorry. Bad place for an arena. No one cares. … But where to? Winnipeg. Just kidding! But we are going to move the Panthers to Vaughan, Ontario. It's going to be the only place in our league where the arena won't be in a true downtown area, but it's metro Toronto, so people will come from miles and miles."
We quickly got the feeling that Vaughan and Vagabonds didn't seem to go over well with Puck Nation, but we still don't mind Scotty's thinking out of the box.
Pierre LeBrun: European vacation
If you ever want to get Burnside and LeBrun's blood boiling, get the two of them to talk about the merits of the NHL expanding to Europe. This was a big part of LeBrun's plan, with five teams being moved across the pond.
"Apologies to friends and colleagues in the following cities, but you no longer have NHL teams as of 2010-11: Tampa Bay, Carolina, Florida, Atlanta, Phoenix, Nashville, Long Island and, yes, even New Jersey. Sorry, Lou. … I've transferred five of those eight franchises across the pond where hockey isn't a tough sell, where people love the game and don't need to be told what an offside is. I've also put two more teams in Canada -- you know, where they invented the game and live it 24/7. Oh, and I took the liberty of adding a team in Seattle in the vacant rink left behind by the NBA's SuperSonics. Hey Pete DeBoer, ever been to Seattle?"
But would fans go for this plan?
Barry Melrose: A simple route
Mr. Mullet kept his plan short and sweet.
"I love our game and I don't think our current lineup of teams needs too much tinkering. I would take Phoenix out and put them in Toronto, keeping the Coyotes in the West. Take the Red Wings and move them into the East. Take the Atlanta Thrashers and move them to Saskatoon. Next, move the Florida Panthers to Portland, Ore., and switch Nashville to the East. That should work."
And the winner is …
Well, either Puck Nation doesn't like too much change, or they just love The Mullet. We'll leave it up to you to decide.
But as of voting through 5 p.m. ET on Friday, with almost 29,000 of you checking in, 48 percent chose Melrose's plan. The full results:
• Melrose: 48 percent
• Buccigross: 35 percent
• LeBrun: 13 percent
• Burnside: 5 percent
We also asked fans to weigh in on two other topics: Should the Coyotes relocate out of Phoenix, and which city most deserves an NHL team? The results:
• Should the Coyotes relocate out of Phoenix?
Yes: 88 percent
No: 12 percent
• Which city most deserves an NHL team?
Winnipeg: 43 percent
Hamilton, Ontario: 28 percent
Seattle: 17 percent
Portland: 7 percent
Kansas City: 4 percent
We may hear from The Mullet on Saskatoon's not being added to that list. Stay tuned.
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