NHL launched the new four-division format Tuesday for the 2013-2014 regular season. NHL's Board of Governors approved the realigned plan in March. Under the new format, 16 teams would be playing in the Eastern Conference while 14 teams would be part of the Western Conference. All 30 teams would be able to play in all the 30 arenas at least once in every season. Eight teams from each conference would make it to the Stanley Cup Playoffs which would be division-based. There was also a wild card system added to the realigned format. Conference championship winners would play in the Stanley Cup Final.
According to a Forbes report, NHL's realigned format would impact the financial aspect of the sport in various ways. An additional USD 1 billion in cumulative revenue was anticipated by executives in the next three seasons of the sport. NHL was able to post revenues of USD 3.2 billion in the last full season. Ticket prices which have increased by as much as 14% in the secondary market would help increase the league's revenues. In addition, the NHL has also secured a new rights agreement on Canadian television which would drive revenues.
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