East Division (NHL)
Formerly | |
---|---|
Last champion(s) | Pittsburgh Penguins (1st title) (2021) |
Most titles | Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens (3) |
The East Division of the National Hockey League existed from 1967 until 1974 when the league realigned into two conferences of two divisions each. The division was reformed for the 2020–21 NHL season (and branded as the MassMutual East Division for sponsorship reasons) due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 1967, the NHL
When the NHL expanded again in 1970, the two new teams, the Vancouver Canucks and Buffalo Sabres, were placed into the stronger East Division. In an effort to create more balanced competition, the Chicago Black Hawks were transferred into the West Division. When the NHL expanded again in 1972, each division was given one of the expansion clubs, with the New York Islanders joining the East Division and the Atlanta Flames joining the West Division.
By
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 East Division teams were members of the Eastern Conference in the 2019–20 season.
Division lineups
1967–1970
- Boston Bruins
- Chicago Black Hawks
- Detroit Red Wings
- Montreal Canadiens
- New York Rangers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Changes from the 1966–67 season
- The East Division is formed as the result of NHL realignment
- All Original Six teams are placed in the division
1970–1972
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Detroit Red Wings
- Montreal Canadiens
- New York Rangers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
Changes from the 1969–70 season
- The Chicago Black Hawks move to the West Division
- The Buffalo Sabres and Vancouver Canucks are added as expansion teams
1972–1974
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- Detroit Red Wings
- Montreal Canadiens
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Toronto Maple Leafs
- Vancouver Canucks
Changes from the 1971–72 season
- The New York Islanders are added as an expansion team
After the 1973–74 season
The league was reformatted into two conferences with two divisions each. The Boston Bruins, Buffalo Sabres and Toronto Maple Leafs moved to the Adams Division. The Detroit Red Wings and Montreal Canadiens moved to the Norris Division. The New York Islanders and New York Rangers moved to the Patrick Division, while the Vancouver Canucks moved to the Smythe Division.
2020–21
- Boston Bruins
- Buffalo Sabres
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
Changes from the 2019–20 season
- Due to COVID-19 restrictions the NHL realigned for the 2020–21 season
- The East Division is reformed for the 2020–21 NHL season
- The Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres come from the Atlantic Division
- The New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals come from the Metropolitan Division
Changes from the 2020–21 season
- The division is dissolved as the league returned to previous two conference and four division alignment
- The Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres move to the Atlantic Division
- The New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals move to the Metropolitan Division
Division champions
- 1968 – Montreal Canadiens (42–22–10, 94 pts)
- 1969 – Montreal Canadiens (46–19–11, 103 pts)
- 1970 – Chicago Black Hawks (45–22–9, 99 pts)
- 1971 – Boston Bruins (57–14–7, 121 pts)
- 1972 – Boston Bruins (54–13–11, 119 pts)
- 1973 – Montreal Canadiens (52–10–16, 120 pts)
- 1974 – Boston Bruins (52–17–9, 113 pts)
- 2021 – Pittsburgh Penguins (37–16–3, 77 pts)
Season results
(#) | Denotes team that won the Stanley Cup |
(#) | Denotes team that lost Stanley Cup Finals |
(#) | Denotes team that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs |
‡ | Denotes team with most points in the regular season |
Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1967–68 | Montreal (94)‡ | NY Rangers (90) | Boston (84) | Chicago (80) | Toronto (76) | Detroit (66) | ||
1968–69 | Montreal (103)‡ | Boston (100) | NY Rangers (91) | Toronto (85) | Detroit (78) | Chicago (77) | ||
1969–70 | Chicago (99)‡ | Boston (99) | Detroit (95) | NY Rangers (92) | Montreal (92) | Toronto (71) | ||
1970–71 | Boston (121)‡ | NY Rangers (109) | Montreal (97) | Toronto (82) | Buffalo (63) | Vancouver (56) | Detroit (55) | |
1971–72 | Boston (119)‡ | NY Rangers (109) | Montreal (108) | Toronto (80) | Detroit (76) | Buffalo (51) | Vancouver (48) | |
1972–73 | Montreal (120)‡ | Boston (107) | NY Rangers (102) | Buffalo (88) | Detroit (86) | Toronto (64) | Vancouver (53) | NY Islanders (30) |
1973–74 | Boston (113)‡ | Montreal (99) | NY Rangers (94) | Toronto (86) | Buffalo (76) | Detroit (68) | Vancouver (59) | NY Islanders (56) |
Division not used from 1974–2020 | ||||||||
2020–21 | Pittsburgh (77) | Washington (77) | Boston (73) | NY Islanders (71) | NY Rangers (60) | Philadelphia (58) | New Jersey (45) | Buffalo (37) |
Stanley Cup winners produced
- 1968 – Montreal Canadiens
- 1969 – Montreal Canadiens
- 1970 – Boston Bruins
- 1971 – Montreal Canadiens
- 1972 – Boston Bruins
- 1973 – Montreal Canadiens
East Division titles won by team
Teams in bold were in the division in its most recent season.
Team | Wins | Last win |
---|---|---|
Boston Bruins | 3 | 1974
|
Montreal Canadiens | 3 | 1973
|
Chicago Blackhawks | 1 | 1970
|
Pittsburgh Penguins | 1 | 2021
|
Buffalo Sabres | 0 | — |
Detroit Red Wings | 0 | — |
New Jersey Devils | 0 | — |
New York Islanders | 0 | — |
New York Rangers | 0 | — |
Philadelphia Flyers | 0 | — |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | — |
Vancouver Canucks | 0 | — |
Washington Capitals | 0 | — |
References
- ^ MacKinnon, John (1996). NHL Hockey: The Official Fans' Guide. Vancouver: Raincoast Book Distribution Ltd. p. 128.