While conference realignment in the NCAA continues its roll through the 2011 season, let's not forget that the NHL has its own conference realignment to go through. And it's just as geographically confused as the college leagues are.
Boise State to the Big East? Well, that certainly makes the term "big" appropriate. Memphis to the SEC? OK, that's more of a joke than a geography issue. There are bigger issues than geography when dealing with conference realignment and that's why much of this appears radical.
But the NHL? It appears that those guys just want to slap a band-aid on things and call everything fixed. Yahoo! Sports' Greg Wyshynski writes about several tweets from TSN's Bob McKenzie that make it plain that the NHL is most likely going to stick the Detroit Red Wings in the Southeast division. You know, that team in Michigan that's located closer to Canada than Cuba.
This is all because the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg to become the Jets. The Jets would likely take the vacant spot in the Central division. For the Avalanche, that would leave them without their previously intense, hopefully renewable rivalry with the team from Motown.