Because the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography, geographical references were removed.

Then-new NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association, National Football League, and Major League Baseball all use geographic-based names for their conferences and divisions.

However, the trophy awarded to the conference champion, the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, retains some connection to the heritage of the league.

Conversely, should they fail to establish a new suitable arena for play by then, the 16 teams with Utah taking Arizona's place will stand as is and the Coyotes franchise will likely fold.

Prior to 1982, the NHL had a unique playoff system compared to the NFL, NBA.

[2] As a result, two teams from the same conference could meet in the Stanley Cup Finals, as happened in 1977, 1978, and 1980.

In the Smythe Division, the Calgary Flames and the Edmonton Oilers missed the playoffs only once and the original Winnipeg Jets twice.

In most years, this format resulted in the strongest teams during the regular season being forced to meet in the first or second round rather than the conference finals.

For instance, in 1985, Winnipeg finished with the fourth-best record in the entire league, only to be forced to meet fifth-best Calgary in the first round before losing to second-best Edmonton in the division finals.