| Conference | Western Conference |
|---|---|
| League | National Hockey League |
| Sport | Ice hockey |
| Formerly | Norris Division |
| Founded | 1993 |
| Teams | |
| No. of teams | 8 |
| Championships | |
| Most recent champion(s) | St. Louis Blues (4th title) |
| Most titles | Detroit Red Wings (13 titles) |
The NHL's Central Division (currently branded as the Discover Central Division for sponsorship reasons) was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment. Its predecessor was the Norris Division. As part of the 2013 realignment, the Central Division expanded into 7 teams. It is also one of two successors to the Northwest Division. Three of its teams—the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets (as the Atlanta Thrashers)—joined the NHL in the league's last expansion phase between 1998 and 2000. The fourth team in that group, the Columbus Blue Jackets, was for a period of time not a part of the Central Division, having moved to the Metropolitan Division.
After the addition of the Vegas Golden Knights to the Pacific Division in 2017, the Central Division was the only division in the NHL without eight teams. This situation remained in effect until the 2020–21 NHL season, when the COVID-19 pandemic compelled a radical re-alignment of the divisions, including the temporary abolition of the Eastern and Western conferences. The Central Division was the only existing division retained for the 2020–21 NHL season. Only three of the eight Central Division teams for 2020–21 were members of the division in the previous season.
The Central Division has sent five teams to the Stanley Cup playoffs on seven occasions. In the first three seasons after the realignment of 2013, Central Division teams occupied both Wild Card playoff spots in the Western Conference. This occurred again in the 2018–19 season, for the fourth time in six seasons. In the pandemic-shortened 2019–20 season, all Central Division teams made the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs due to the 24-team format.
Current standings
| Pos | Team | GP | W | L | OTL | RW | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tampa Bay Lightning | 11 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 42 | 20 | +22 | 19 |
| 2 | Florida Panthers | 10 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 32 | 28 | +4 | 16 |
| 3 | Chicago Blackhawks | 14 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 39 | 41 | −2 | 16 |
| 4 | Columbus Blue Jackets | 14 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 39 | 45 | −6 | 15 |
| 5 | Carolina Hurricanes | 10 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 34 | 27 | +7 | 14 |
| 6 | Dallas Stars | 10 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 25 | +9 | 13 |
| 7 | Nashville Predators | 13 | 5 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 31 | 46 | −15 | 10 |
| 8 | Detroit Red Wings | 14 | 3 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 46 | −19 | 8 |
Updated to game(s) played on February 9, 2021. Source: National Hockey League[1]
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
Rules for classification: 1) Fewer number of games played (GP, only during regular season); 2) Greater number of regulation wins (RW); 3) Greater number of wins in regulation and overtime, excluding shootout wins (ROW); 4) Greater number of total wins, including shootouts (W); 5) Greater number of points earned in head-to-head play; if teams played an uneven number of head-to-head games, the result of the first game on the home ice of the team with the extra home game is discarded; 6) Greater goal differential (GD); 7) Greater number of goals scored (GF)
Division lineups
1993–1996
Changes from the 1992–93 season
- The Central Division is formed as the result of NHL realignment
- The Minnesota North Stars move to Dallas, Texas, and become the Dallas Stars
- The Chicago Blackhawks, Dallas Stars, Detroit Red Wings, St. Louis Blues, and Toronto Maple Leafs come from the Norris Division
- The Winnipeg Jets come from the Smythe Division
1996–1998
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Dallas Stars
- Detroit Red Wings
- Phoenix Coyotes
- St. Louis Blues
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Changes from the 1995–96 season
- The Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix, Arizona, to become the Phoenix Coyotes
1998–2000
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Detroit Red Wings
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
Changes from the 1997–98 season
- The Dallas Stars and Phoenix Coyotes move to the Pacific Division
- The Toronto Maple Leafs move to the Northeast Division
- The Nashville Predators are added as an expansion team
2000–2013
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Detroit Red Wings
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
Changes from the 1999–2000 season
- The Columbus Blue Jackets are added as an expansion team
2013–2020
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
Changes from the 2012–13 season
- The Northwest Division is dissolved due to NHL realignment
- The Columbus Blue Jackets move to the Metropolitan Division
- The Detroit Red Wings move to the Atlantic Division
- The Colorado Avalanche and Minnesota Wild come from the Northwest Division
- The Dallas Stars come from the Pacific Division
- The Winnipeg Jets come from the Southeast Division
2020–present
- Carolina Hurricanes
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Dallas Stars
- Detroit Red Wings
- Florida Panthers
- Nashville Predators
- Tampa Bay Lightning
Changes from the 2019–20 season
- Due to COVID-19 restrictions the NHL realigned into four divisions with no conferences for the 2020–21 season
- The Colorado Avalanche, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues move to the West Division
- The Winnipeg Jets move to the North Division
- The Carolina Hurricanes and Columbus Blue Jackets come from the Metropolitan Division
- The Detroit Red Wings, Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning come from the Atlantic Division
Division champions
- 1994 – Detroit Red Wings (46–30–8, 100 pts)
- 1995 – Detroit Red Wings (33–11–4, 70 pts)
- 1996 – Detroit Red Wings (62–13–7, 131 pts)
- 1997 – Dallas Stars (48–26–8, 104 pts)
- 1998 – Dallas Stars (49–22–11, 109 pts)
- 1999 – Detroit Red Wings (43–32–7, 93 pts)
- 2000 – St. Louis Blues (51–19–11–1, 114 pts)
- 2001 – Detroit Red Wings (49–20–9–4, 111 pts)
- 2002 – Detroit Red Wings (51–17–10–4, 116 pts)
- 2003 – Detroit Red Wings (48–20–10–4, 110 pts)
- 2004 – Detroit Red Wings (48–21–11–2, 109 pts)
- 2005 – no season (NHL Lockout)
- 2006 – Detroit Red Wings (58–16–8, 124 pts)
- 2007 – Detroit Red Wings (50–19–13, 113 pts)
- 2008 – Detroit Red Wings (54–21–7, 115 pts)
- 2009 – Detroit Red Wings (51–21–10, 112 pts)
- 2010 – Chicago Blackhawks (52–22–8, 112 pts)
- 2011 – Detroit Red Wings (47–25–10, 104 pts)
- 2012 – St. Louis Blues (49–22–11, 109 pts)
- 2013 – Chicago Blackhawks (36–7–5, 77 pts)
- 2014 – Colorado Avalanche (52–22–8, 112 pts)
- 2015 – St. Louis Blues (51–24–7, 109 pts)
- 2016 – Dallas Stars (50–23–9, 109 pts)
- 2017 – Chicago Blackhawks (50–23–9, 109 pts)
- 2018 – Nashville Predators (53–18–11, 117 pts)
- 2019 – Nashville Predators (47–29–6, 100 pts)
- 2020 – St. Louis Blues (42–19–10, 94 pts)
Season results
| (#) | Denotes team that won the Stanley Cup |
| (#) | Denotes team that won the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, but lost Stanley Cup Finals |
| (#) | Denotes team that qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs |
| ‡ | Denotes winner of the Presidents' Trophy |
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | (1) Detroit (100) | (3) Toronto (98) | (4) Dallas (97) | (5) St. Louis (91) | (6) Chicago (87) | Winnipeg (57) | ||
| 1994–95[a] | (1) Detroit (70)‡ | (3) St. Louis (61) | (4) Chicago (53) | (5) Toronto (50) | (8) Dallas (42) | Winnipeg (39) | ||
| 1995–96 | (1) Detroit (131)‡ | (3) Chicago (94) | (4) Toronto (80) | (5) St. Louis (80) | (8) Winnipeg (78) | Dallas (66) | ||
| 1996–97 | (2) Dallas (104) | (3) Detroit (94) | (5) Phoenix (83) | (6) St. Louis (83) | (8) Chicago (81) | Toronto (68) | ||
| 1997–98 | (1) Dallas (109)‡ | (3) Detroit (103) | (4) St. Louis (98) | (6) Phoenix (82) | Chicago (73) | Toronto (69) | ||
| 1998–99 | (3) Detroit (93) | (5) St. Louis (87) | Chicago (70) | Nashville (63) | ||||
| 1999–2000 | (1) St. Louis (114)‡ | (4) Detroit (108) | Chicago (78) | Nashville (70) | ||||
| 2000–01 | (2) Detroit (111) | (4) St. Louis (103) | Nashville (80) | Chicago (71) | Columbus (71) | |||
| 2001–02 | (1) Detroit (116)‡ | (4) St. Louis (98) | (5) Chicago (96) | Nashville (69) | Columbus (57) | |||
| 2002–03 | (2) Detroit (110) | (5) St. Louis (99) | Chicago (79) | Nashville (74) | Columbus (69) | |||
| 2003–04 | (1) Detroit (109)‡ | (7) St. Louis (91) | (8) Nashville (91) | Columbus (62) | Chicago (59) | |||
| 2004–05 | No season due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | |||||||
| 2005–06 | (1) Detroit (124)‡ | (4) Nashville (106) | Columbus (74) | Chicago (65) | St. Louis (57) | |||
| 2006–07 | (1) Detroit (113) | (4) Nashville (110) | St. Louis (81) | Columbus (73) | Chicago (71) | |||
| 2007–08 | (1) Detroit (115)‡ | (8) Nashville (91) | Chicago (88) | Columbus (80) | St. Louis (79) | |||
| 2008–09 | (2) Detroit (112) | (4)Chicago (104) | (6) St. Louis (92) | (7) Columbus (92) | Nashville (88) | |||
| 2009–10 | (2) Chicago (112) | (5) Detroit (102) | (7) Nashville (100) | St. Louis (90) | Columbus (79) | |||
| 2010–11 | (3) Detroit (104) | (5) Nashville (99) | (8) Chicago (97) | St. Louis (87) | Columbus (81) | |||
| 2011–12 | (2) St. Louis (109) | (4) Nashville (104) | (5) Detroit (102) | (6) Chicago (101) | Columbus (65) | |||
| 2012–13[b] | (1) Chicago (77)‡ | (4) St. Louis (60) | (7) Detroit (56) | Columbus (55) | Nashville (41) | |||
| 2013–14 | (1) Colorado (112) | (2) St. Louis (111) | (3) Chicago (107) | (WC1) Minnesota (98) | (WC2) Dallas (91) | Nashville (88) | Winnipeg (84) | |
| 2014–15 | (1) St. Louis (109) | (2) Nashville (104) | (3) Chicago (102) | (WC1) Minnesota (100) | (WC2) Winnipeg (99) | Dallas (92) | Colorado (90) | |
| 2015–16 | (1) Dallas (109) | (2) St. Louis (107) | (3) Chicago (103) | (WC1) Nashville (96) | (WC2) Minnesota (87) | Colorado (82) | Winnipeg (78) | |
| 2016–17 | (1) Chicago (109) | (2) Minnesota (106) | (3) St. Louis (99) | (WC2) Nashville (94) | Winnipeg (87) | Dallas (79) | Colorado (48) | |
| 2017–18 | (1) Nashville (117)‡ | (2) Winnipeg (114) | (3) Minnesota (101) | (WC2) Colorado (95) | St. Louis (94) | Dallas (92) | Chicago (76) | |
| 2018–19 | (1) Nashville (100) | (2) Winnipeg (99) | (3) St. Louis (99) | (WC1) Dallas (93) | (WC2) Colorado (90) | Chicago (84) | Minnesota (83) | |
| 2019–20[c] | (1) St. Louis (71 gp 94 pts. .662 ppct.) | (2) Colorado (70 gp 92 pts. .657 ppct.) | (4) Dallas (69 gp 82 pts. .594 ppct.) | (6) Nashville (69 gp 78 pts. .565 ppct.) | (9) Winnipeg (71 gp 80 pts. .563 ppct.) | (10) Minnesota (69 gp 77 pts. .558 ppct.) | (12) Chicago (70 gp 72 pts. .514 ppct.) | |
- Notes
- a The 1994–95 NHL season was shortened to 48 games due to the lockout.
- b The 2012–13 NHL season was shortened to 48 games due to the lockout.
- c The 2019–20 NHL season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the imbalance in the number of games played among teams, the regular season standings were determined by points percentage.
Stanley Cup winners produced
- 1997 – Detroit Red Wings
- 1998 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2002 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2008 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2010 – Chicago Blackhawks
- 2013 – Chicago Blackhawks
- 2015 – Chicago Blackhawks
- 2019 – St. Louis Blues
Presidents' Trophy winners produced
- 1995 – Detroit Red Wings
- 1996 – Detroit Red Wings
- 1998 – Dallas Stars
- 2000 – St. Louis Blues
- 2002 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2004 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2006 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2008 – Detroit Red Wings
- 2013 – Chicago Blackhawks
- 2018 – Nashville Predators
Central Division titles won by team
Teams in bold are currently in the division.
| Team | Wins | Last win |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 13 | 2011 |
| St. Louis Blues | 4 | 2020 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | 2017 |
| Dallas Stars | 3 | 2016 |
| Nashville Predators | 2 | 2019 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1 | 2014 |
| Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes | 0 | — |
| Carolina Hurricanes | 0 | — |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 | — |
| Florida Panthers | 0 | — |
| Minnesota Wild | 0 | — |
| Tampa Bay Lightning | 0 | — |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | — |
| Winnipeg Jets | 0 | — |
References
- ^ "NHL Hockey Standings". www.nhl.com. National Hockey League.