NHL Schedule 2013-14: New Divisions Will Add Excitement to Upcoming Season

The 2012-13 NHL season brought plenty of excitement to the table for fans of all ages. 

The Chicago Blackhawks took home the Stanley Cup at the conclusion of an epic 2013 playoff slate. The Boston Bruins took the Blackhawks to six games in the series finale and were one of the most thrilling teams to follow throughout the playoffs, but came up just short in their pursuit of glory. 

As the remnants of that season end, another will soon be here to take its place. This time, though, we're going to get a completely new layout of both teams and divisions in the league's two conferences.  

On Friday, the NHL offered fans and players alike the first chance to see what the 2013-14 season is going to look like. The league's official website released next year's slate to the public just before the work week ended, giving hockey aficionados everywhere a chance to start marking their upcoming calendars.  

It will also give them a chance to beef up on learning about the four new division names and team alignment in the Eastern and Western Conference. The East will now have two eight-team divisions, while the West will have two seven-team divisions. 

"Metropolitan" and "Atlantic" will be the two Eastern Conference names. "Central" and "Pacific" divisions will make up the Western Conference. 

To complete the balance, the Columbus Blue Jackets are moving to the Eastern Conference. The team's official Twitter account had this post as the move became official on Friday:

It's an exciting time for hockey fans with all the new additions to the schedule, alignment and setup for both the regular and postseason, and the realignment offers a chance for the league to shake things up and inject new life into the framework of the current NHL layout. 

In fact, the NHL was very busy on Friday. 

League officials also announced that NHL players are going to have the chance to play for their countries in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

As NHL.com first reported, the league and NHL Player's Association (NHLPA) reached an agreement with the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to secure inclusion of NHL players in the 2014 games in Sochi, Russia. 

The 22nd Winter Olympics will take place in February of 2014 and span from the seventh to the 23rd in the month. As a result, the league will take an extended hiatus in the middle of the 2013-14 season to afford its stars the chance to achieve international glory. 

The NHL is also promising a number of new events and changes to the schedule that are being implemented to help increase the amount of exposure and coverage the sport will receive. 

In addition to realignment, the Maple Leafs and Red Wings will be playing in the 2014 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic. The outdoor showdown between the two teams will be the sixth time the NHL has scheduled the event since Pittsburgh and Buffalo started the tradition in 2008. 

The 2013 Winter Classic was cancelled due to the 2012-13 lockout. 

Other high points in the NHL release include five other outdoor games in various stadiums, the Olympic break in February, a new mix of the schedule between both conferences and a new format for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Per the release, here's what you can expect when the NHL begins postseason play in 2014:

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The Stanley Cup Playoffs have a new division-based format. Playoff qualification will be primarily Division-based, with the top three finishers in each Division qualifying for the first 12 spots in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (and the first three "seeds" in each Division). The two additional playoff spots in each Conference, designated as "Wild Cards," will be awarded to the next two highest-placed finishers in each Conference, ranked on the basis of regular-season points and regardless of Division. The League will play under this new alignment and playoff system for a minimum of three seasons, through the 2015-16 NHL season.

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All in all, the league did more than just take a look at the molding for the 2013-14 schedule. By adding outdoor games, revising the conferences and promising a new format (even if it's on a trial basis) moving forward, the NHL is promising fans a chance to be along for the new ride. 

Even if you aren't in favor of the new changes, one thing is for sure—the NHL season will begin on time. As ESPN's Andy Deossa put it on Twitter, that in itself is something to be excited about:

The NHL's official Twitter account posted the question that will be floating through league circles quite frequently now that the schedule is out:

While the season is still months away, training camp and preseason will be here before you know it. It might not seem like it yet, but a return to hockey is right around the corner. 

If I was a betting man, I'd say the schedule release on Friday was like Christmas to diehard NHL fans everywhere. As an added bonus, they found one more present under the tree in the form of the conference realignment. 

Change isn't always a good thing, but if nothing else it will be intriguing to see how the new framework of each conference shakes up the balance of power in the NHL moving forward. 

At the bare minimum, hockey fans have to be excited to see how the new format helps (and hurts) their favorite franchise. 

Follow B/R's Ethan Grant (@DowntownEG) on Twitter.