And here we thought everything was neatly tied up. With one (publicly) overwhelming vote in Pebble Beach, the Board of Governors found a realignment solution that accomplished almost everything. It helped prop up struggling franchises like the Columbus Blue Jackets and Dallas Stars by getting more games in their time zone while bringing in more attractive opponents throughout the season. It delivered on promises made to Detroit Red Wings owner Mike Ilitch. It provided plenty of flexibility should the Phoenix Coyotes move next season. It even got the Winnipeg Jets into a conference where its division rival wasn't a team near a beach in South Florida.
There was just one tiny oversight. It didn't have the blessing of the players. Or as one agent wrote in a text this morning: "NHL froze PA out, tried to jam it down their throats."
When things are going well between the league and the NHLPA you hear a lot about the partnership between the NHL and its most important assets. As one player pointed out to me last night, there was no partnership in realignment. This was a league-driven initiative and that's part of the reason why it didn't get the green light. So now, the inability of the two sides to reach a suitable conclusion unravels things that were neatly tied up. And it does so on a multitude of fronts, affecting this wide range of groups:
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- Senior NHL writer for ESPN The Magazine
- Wrote for Atlanta Journal-Constitution
- Wrote for The Sporting News
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Craig Custance
Craig Custance joined ESPN in September 2011 as an NHL reporter for ESPN the Magazine, ESPN Insider and ESPN.com. A graduate of Michigan State University, he lived for nearly a decade in Georgia working for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution where he spent time covering the late Atlanta Thrashers. He was the only Thrashers beat writer to get the team to the playoffs.
From 2008-11 he was the national hockey writer for the Sporting News, writing regularly in print and online. A member of the PHWA, he's a proud voter for the major NHL awards and can occasionally defend his selections.
Like hockey, he left Atlanta to return north where he currently lives in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, with his wife Cassie and their three kids.
Follow Craig on Twitter: @CraigCustance
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