Wednesday, April 16th, will be the day that the National Hockey League Playoffs get under-way. This is a tournament which many mad-men (hockey players) participate in, all for one common goal.

The Stanley Cup.

This Cup is perhaps the most treasured of any trophies in sports history. The wide-range of emotions this cup creates is drastic. It has made some grown-men cry like a baby and others jump for joy, while testing the will of every player. What hockey players go through in the NHL Playoffs is something that the faint-of-heart cannot bear-witness.

The 2013-2014 season marked a new era for the NHL Playoffs, as the league re-structured the entire format. Unlike the past 20 years, the league moved back to a “Divisional” feel in hopes of sparking more intense-rivalries.

What Has Changed?

Instead of having three-divisions in each conference (Eastern and Western Conferences), they instead created two-divisions in each (Metropolitan and Atlantic Divisions in the Eastern Conference, Central and Pacific Divisions in the Western Conference). Eight teams in each conference still make the cut for the playoffs, but it’s very different now.

Since 93-94 season the top eight teams in each conference went to the tournament regardless of division. Now, the top three teams in each division automatically get-in (six in each conference for 12 teams total), and the addition of two wild-card teams per conference shakes things up. These wild-card teams can be from either division within their respective conference. So the representation could be an even split at four teams apiece, or it could be five against three in favor of one division, according to SB Nation.

Because there are 16 teams that make-it, there is still four-rounds. The first round is named the Divisional Semi-Finals where the #2 and #3 seeds in each division square off. The #1 seed in each division will take on a wild-card team from the same conference (wild-cards are the top two teams from each conference that are not in the top three of each division).

The NHL is basically now making the first-two rounds of the playoffs an “In-Division” battle, before they move on to the final-four (Eastern and Western Conference Finals). The structure is very similar to the format they used during the 80’s and early 90’s. Fans of the NHL during the 80’s fondly remember those days as NHL rivalries were at its peak, notes Pro Hockey Talk, NBC Sports.

The second-round of the playoffs is title the “Divisional Final.” The winner of each #2 vs #3 seed will play the winner of the #1 vs #2 Wild-Card (#1 being the top team within their own division). The only team that might not be from the same division could be the wild-card, as they would be “Invading” the other-division’s foursome.

But that is where it gets interesting.

Although they are creating an “In-Division” battle during the first two-rounds, the addition of those two wild card teams per conference creates a likely possibility that a team from the “Other” division can be mixed-in.

Everybody understand? I thought-so.

The winners of those match-ups move on to the third-round which would be the Eastern and Western Conference Finals (final-four). Then, obviously, the fourth and final round would be the Stanley Cup Finals.

Here is a better way of explaining how the first-round match-ups will look:

Remember, there are two #1 seeds (representing each division), but the team with the better record of the two will face the Wild-Card Team with the lesser record (of the two wild-card teams.)

Eastern Conference

Metropolitan Division
#1 Seed vs Wild-Card Team (Metropolitan or Atlantic)
#2 Seed vs #3 Seed
*The winner of these two games face each other in next round

Atlantic Division
#1 Seed vs Wild-Card Team (Atlantic or Metropolitan)
#2 Seed vs #3 Seed
*The winner of these two games face each other in next round

Western Conference

Central Division
#1 Seed vs Wild-Card Team (Central or Pacific)
#2 Seed vs #3 Seed
*The winner of these two games face each other in next round

Pacific Division
#1 Seed vs Wild-Card Team (Pacific or Central)
#2 Seed vs #3 Seed
*The winner of these two games face each other in next round

Perhaps the easiest way to explain it is this: No longer is the NHL re-seeding during the playoffs, and Divisional Rivalries will heat up. Those first-two rounds will now be “In-Division” battles, for the most part.