OILERS PREFER TO STAY WHERE THEY ARE NOW
Inclusion of Seattle could complicate divisional alignment in West Conference
There doesn’t appear to be much remaining doubt about Seattle entering the National Hockey League as a 32nd franchise during the NHL Board of Governors meetings this week. The official vote on the Seattle application is Tuesday.
But there is a major question attached to it.
Could the result of Seattle coming in the fold result in a move out of the Pacific Division and into the Central Division for Edmonton and Calgary under a new realignment of the Western Conference?
Geographically, it would make all sorts of sense.
To keep the Oilers and Flames in the Pacific would likely mean Arizona would move to the Central, even though Phoenix is in the Pacific time zone.
Phoenix is within an afternoon’s driving distance — four to five-and-a-half hours — of Las Vegas, Anaheim and Los Angeles.
To move Edmonton and Calgary to the Central would require a team from that division to join Seattle in the Pacific, likely Colorado.
A portion of that Mountain time zone state is at least on the west side of the continental divide. But Denver is a one hour and 40 minute flight (or 12:38 hour drive) from the nearest team in the Pacific Division.
You might think the two Alberta teams would see some positives in such a move such as more TV games in prime time (6 p.m. starts in the Central time zone compared to 8 and 8:30 p.m. starts in the Pacific).
But think again.
‘Hell no! We don’t want to go!,’ say the Oilers.
“We want to stay in the Pacific. And we’re pretty strong about it,” insists Bob Nicholson, vicechairman and CEO of the Oilers Entertainment Group. “Seattle is going to come into the league and when they do come in, we definitely do not want to move.
“We feel the rivalries are too strong for the NHL to do that to our franchise,’’ says Nicholson.
“The Calgary and the Vancouver rivalries are so strong. And two years ago in the playoffs, we built the rivalries up with Anaheim and San Jose.
“We will make strong statements about us staying, for sure,” added Nicholson in a cellphone interview on his way to the airport Sunday.
“I just believe we’ve been in the league a long time now and hopefully the league will respect our rivalries, especially the rivalries with Calgary and Vancouver,” said the head of the team celebrating its 40th season since joining the NHL in the WHA merger.
You would have to figure nobody would want to split up Edmonton and Calgary and the nice, compact travel flip between the two towns, if for no other reason.
“There’s a bit of a rivalry with Winnipeg but nothing compares to the Calgary rivalry and there’s no question that Vancouver wants both the Flames and Oilers to stay in their division and build rivalries with Seattle as well.
“I think all four teams can see the potential (rivalries) involved. We can have those four teams in the Northwest,’’ said Nicholson.
“Will our rivalry with Seattle become what it is with Vancouver? I think over time it will. I think that would be real important for all four franchises. We’d certainly view it as adding a rivalry for our fans in Edmonton.”
Nicholson said he’s happy that Alberta didn’t bring in that insane idea of scrapping daylight time that had somehow gathered momentum a few months ago.
“What it would have done to television and the time when people were watching the games from the west coast, it would have been ridiculous. We’re happy we don’t have to deal with it. It didn’t happen.”
Nicholson said he’s been talking to key people around the league and he’s getting a strong sense that the people involved are going to have respect for the wishes of Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver on this.
“The executive committee will make a recommendation and it will be discussed and finalized by the board. I’m relatively confident from the unofficial conversations that have gone on so far. I’m expecting it to be simple and that it will be Arizona that would move into the Central. If it gets more complicated than that, I think there would be big debates. We expect to stay where we are. I would think it would be Arizona that would move.”
Nicholson wouldn’t say it, nor likely will anybody else, but the Coyotes haven’t exactly been anchored in Arizona like the Oilers are in Edmonton. The Phoenix franchise might eventually be on the move in more than a set of standings.