Nhl Eastern Conference Tickets

The Eastern Conference of the NHL is heading into the business end of the season. With so much at stake, every mistake can be costly which is why NHL teams representing the East will have to bring their A Game to the table.

The First Realignment

There was a time when the NHL Eastern Conference was known as the Prince of Wales Conference. Then a decision was made to restructure the National Hockey League. According to the new format, the entire league was to be divided into two conferences and each conference would comprise a further two divisions. This was done to make the NHL more structured and competitive.

The changes were put in place in 1974 and as a result of that, the Prince of Wales Conference was formed along with the Clarence Campbell Conference. The NHL decided to do away with the geographical divisions and so it was decided that the names would not have any references related to geography.

The Second Realignment

The National Hockey League decided to realign once more before the start of the 1981-1982 campaign. The restructuring was done according to the geographical locations of the sides taking part in both leagues. The Wales conference became home to the sides from the East side of the country. The names of both the conference remained as it is. That changed before the 1993-1994 season as both conference and the eight divisions were named to reflect the geographical locations of the teams.

The Structure

Now the NHL Eastern Conference consists of sixteen teams. It contains two divisions, the Atlantic Division and the Metropolitan Division. Both divisions have been divided equally with them having eight sides each. The Philadelphia Flyers represent the Metropolitan Division and have won the Stanley Cup in each of the last two seasons (2016 and 2017). They are once again among the favorites to win the biggest title in the NHL. Will they complete the stunning hat trick? It will not be easy but the Flyers are more than capable of doing that.

The Current Playoff Format

The NHL put in place a new format to decide the playoff positions in the year 2013. As per the new system, it was decided that the three top sides from each division will make it to the playoffs automatically. There will be an additional two spots for wild card teams so each conference will have eight representatives in the postseason every year.

The Prince of Wales Trophy

The Prince of Wales Trophy is one of the most coveted titles for the sides representing the Eastern Conference. The trophy traces its roots back to December of 1925. It is awarded to the playoff champions of the Eastern Conference before the last series to determine the Stanley Cup champions. It wasn't always the case though. Originally the Prince of Wales Trophy was given to the league's playoff winners.

Till the year 1926, the Stanley Cup was awarded to the winner of the contest between the champions of the National Hockey League and the Western Hockey League. During the time when there were no divisions in the NHL, those years being 1925-1926 and 1938 till 1967, the Prince of Wales Trophy winner used to NHL's regular season champions.

The American Division champions of the regular season used to get their hands on the trophy between 1926 and 1938. Then from 1967 to 1974, the Prince of Wales Trophy was given to the East Division's regular season champions. The regular season champions of the Wales Conference were given the trophy between 1974 and 1981.

What Is In Store!

Now the playoff position for the NHL Eastern Conference is taking shape. The postseason is not too far away and teams are trying their best to rubberstamp their presence in the business end of the season. This is the least any side aims for every year when the NHL season kicks off. If you want to be a part of the action, then book your NHL Eastern Conference tickets as soon as possible.