Logical Divisional Realignment

Did you read about the radical realignment of the NHL's divisions and conferences? It's radical!

OK, arranging teams in divisions (or are they calling them conferences now?) where most every team is in the same time zone strikes most fans as the most logical realignment the NHL has ever done.

Remember this is the league that when the Vancouver Canucks entered in 1970 this westernmost team was placed in the Eastern Division. That started the Chicago Blackhawks (oops, sorry, Black [space] Hawks back then) on their westward divisional journey that has lasted to this day.Then despite two years later adding two expansion teams (the Atlanta Flames and the New York Islanders) based in the Eastern Time Zone, left the Canucks in the Eastern Division.

No, radical is further defined by what happened when the NHL decided from the 1974/75 to go with four divisions and two conferences and to heck with geography as follows:
CAMPBELL CONFERENCE
PATRICK DIVISION
Atlanta Flames
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
SMYTHE DIVISION
Chicago Black Hawks
Kansas City Scouts
Minnesota North Stars
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
WALES CONFERENCE
NORRIS DIVISION
Detroit Red Wings
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
Washington Capitals
ADAMS DIVISION
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
California Seals (no longer Golden)
Toronto Maple Leafs

Sealing the deal

It doesn't stop there. When the Seals who had moved to Cleveland and were now known as the Barons merged (say what?) with the North Stars, the league folded the Barons and "moved" the North Stars into the Adams Family.

Then for the 1979/80 and 1980/81 the merger with the WHA became a free-for-all. A balanced schedule was set up (imagine that!) and the divisions were now:
CAMPBELL CONFERENCE
PATRICK DIVISION
Atlanta Flames
New York Islanders
New York Rangers
Philadelphia Flyers
Washington Capitals
SMYTHE DIVISION
Chicago Black Hawks
Colorado Rockies (the former KC Scouts and the now New Jersey Devils)
Edmonton Oilers
St. Louis Blues
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets
WALES CONFERENCE
NORRIS DIVISION
Detroit Red Wings
Hartford Whalers
Los Angeles Kings
Montreal Canadiens
Pittsburgh Penguins
ADAMS DIVISION
Boston Bruins
Buffalo Sabres
Minnesota North Stars
Quebec Nordiques
Toronto Maple Leafs

Finally, from 1981/82 the NHL woke up from its most likely drug-induced haze (hey, it was the '70s, man) and created divisions from then on that had a semblance of geographical sense while still naming the divisions after founders of the league.

I won't even go into how the playoffs worked over those seasons as you may need serious medical attention in trying to understand the best-of-three series and byes in the first round to division winners.