| Formerly | Pacific Division,Central Division (2020) |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Founded | 1967 (original) 2020 (second) |
| Ceased | 1974 (original) 2021 (second) |
| Replaced by | Campbell Conference (1974) Pacific Division,Central Division (2021) |
| Last champion | Colorado Avalanche (1st title) (2021) |
| Most titles | Chicago Black Hawks (3) |
TheWest Division of theNational Hockey League existed from1967 until1974 when the league realigned into two conferences of two divisions each. The division was reformed for the2020–21 NHL season (and branded as theHonda West Division for sponsorship reasons) due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.
In 1967 the NHL doubled in size, going from six teams to twelve. TheOriginal Six, as the pre-1967 teams became retroactively known, were grouped into theEast Division, while the expansion teams were placed into the West Division. This was done in order to keep teams of similar competitive strength in the same division, regardless of geographic distance,[1] and to ensure playoff revenue for the new franchises.
When the NHL expanded again in 1970, the two new teams, theVancouver Canucks andBuffalo Sabres, were placed into the stronger East Division. In an effort to create more balanced competition, theChicago Black Hawks were transferred into the West Division. When the NHL expanded again in1972, each division was given one of the expansion clubs, with theNew York Islanders joining the East Division and theAtlanta Flames joining the West Division.
By1974, another two teams (theWashington Capitals andKansas City Scouts) entered the league, and the league underwent a major overhaul. The East and West Divisions were renamed thePrince of Wales andClarence Campbell Conferences, respectively, composed of nine teams each. The conferences were further divided into two divisions: theNorris andAdams Divisions for the Wales Conference; thePatrick andSmythe Divisions for the Campbell Conference. Because the Conferences were not composed based on geography, the league opted to name the conferences and divisions after notable persons associated with the NHL.
The East and West Divisions were re-formed for the 2020–21 season as the result of the COVID-19 pandemic which forced the NHL to radically re-structure the League and to temporarily abolish the conferences. All eight West Division teams were members of theWestern Conference in the2019–20 season.
The league was reformatted into two conferences with two divisions each. The California Golden Seals moved to theAdams Division. The Los Angeles Kings and Pittsburgh Penguins moved to theNorris Division. The Atlanta Flames and Philadelphia Flyers moved to thePatrick Division, while the Chicago Black Hawks, Minnesota North Stars, and St. Louis Blues moved to theSmythe Division.
| (#) | Denotes team that won theStanley Cup |
| (#) | Denotes team that lostStanley Cup Finals |
| (#) | Denotes team that qualified for theStanley Cup playoffs |
| ‡ | Denotes winner of thePresidents' Trophy |
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967–68 | Philadelphia (73) | Los Angeles (72) | St. Louis (70) | Minnesota (69) | Pittsburgh (67) | Oakland (47) | ||
| 1968–69 | St. Louis (88) | Oakland (69) | Philadelphia (61) | Los Angeles (58) | Pittsburgh (51) | Minnesota (51) | ||
| 1969–70 | St. Louis (86) | Pittsburgh (64) | Minnesota (60) | Oakland (58) | Philadelphia (58) | Los Angeles (38) | ||
| 1970–71 | Chicago (107) | St. Louis (87) | Philadelphia (73) | Minnesota (72) | Los Angeles (63) | Pittsburgh (62) | California (45) | |
| 1971–72 | Chicago (107) | Minnesota (86) | St. Louis (67) | Pittsburgh (66) | Philadelphia (66) | California (60) | Los Angeles (49) | |
| 1972–73 | Chicago (93) | Philadelphia (85) | Minnesota (85) | St. Louis (76) | Pittsburgh (73) | Los Angeles (73) | Atlanta (65) | California (48) |
| 1973–74 | Philadelphia (112) | Chicago (105) | Los Angeles (78) | Atlanta (74) | Pittsburgh (65) | St. Louis (64) | Minnesota (63) | California (36) |
| Division not used from1974–2020 | ||||||||
| 2020–21 | Colorado (82)‡ | Vegas (82) | Minnesota (75) | St. Louis (63) | Arizona (54) | Los Angeles (49) | San Jose (49) | Anaheim (43) |
Teams inbold were in the division in its most recent season.
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