Formerly | Norris Division |
---|---|
Conference | Western Conference |
League | National Hockey League |
Sport | Ice hockey |
Founded | 1993 |
No. of teams | 8 |
Most recent champion(s) | Dallas Stars (4th title) |
Most titles | Detroit Red Wings (13 titles) |
The National Hockey League's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment. Its predecessor was the Norris Division and its also one of two successors to the Northwest Division. The Chicago Blackhawks have been a member of the Central Division in all of its seasons since the original 1993 realignment. The Arizona Coyotes (as the original Winnipeg Jets), Dallas Stars and St. Louis Blues were also original members of the division, but were realigned to a different division for a while before returning; both the Coyotes and Stars were moved to the Pacific Division in 1998 (the Stars moved back to the Central in 2013, and the Coyotes followed in 2021), while the Blues were moved to the West Division during the temporary 2021 realignment. Three of its teams—the Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Winnipeg Jets (as the Atlanta Thrashers)—joined the NHL during a league expansion phase between 1998 and 2000. The fourth team in that three-year expansion period, the Columbus Blue Jackets, was once a member of the Central Division, but moved to the Metropolitan Division after the 2013 realignment.
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.
From the 2013-20 alignment to this grouping, the only change was the addition of the Arizona Coyotes, moved from the Pacific Division to make room there for the expansion Seattle Kraken.
(#) | 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.) | |
2020–21 [d] | Temporary realignment for season | |||||||
Carolina (80) | Florida (79) | Tampa Bay (75) | Nashville (64) | Dallas (60) | Chicago (55) | Detroit (48) | Columbus (48) | |
2021–22 | (1) Colorado (119) | (2) Minnesota (113) | (3) St. Louis (109) | (WC1) Dallas (98) | (WC2) Nashville (97) | Winnipeg (89) | Chicago (68) | Arizona (57) |
2022–23 | (1) Colorado (109) | (2) Dallas (108) | (3) Minnesota (103) | (WC2) Winnipeg (95) | Nashville (92) | St. Louis (81) | Arizona (70) | Chicago (59) |
2023–24 | (1) Dallas (113) | (2) Winnipeg (110) | (3) Colorado (107) | (WC1) Nashville (99) | St. Louis (92) | Minnesota (87) | Arizona (77) | Chicago (52) |
Teams in bold are currently in the division.
Team | Wins | Last win |
---|---|---|
Detroit Red Wings | 13 | 2011 |
Dallas Stars | 4 | 2024 |
St. Louis Blues | 4 | 2020 |
Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | 2017 |
Colorado Avalanche | 3 | 2023 |
Nashville Predators | 2 | 2019 |
Carolina Hurricanes | 1 | 2021 |
Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes/Arizona Coyotes | 0 | — |
Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 | — |
Florida Panthers | 0 | — |
Minnesota Wild | 0 | — |
Tampa Bay Lightning | 0 | — |
Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | — |
Utah Hockey Club | 0 | — |
Winnipeg Jets | 0 | — |
The National Hockey League's Norris Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Prince of Wales Conference. When the NHL realigned into geographic divisions in 1981, the division moved to the Clarence Campbell Conference, where it comprised the league's Great Lakes and Midwest teams, with the Detroit Red Wings being the only member to remain from the previous season. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. The division was named in honour of James E. Norris, longtime owner of the Red Wings. It is the forerunner of the NHL's Central Division. Intense rivalries developed between its constituent teams, which through the 1980s were noted for enforcer-heavy squads that had poor performances – qualifying for the playoffs with .500 points percentages, and achieving no Stanley Cup titles or appearances in the finals – but great local popularity. Despite the division's reputation, the 1985–86 St. Louis Blues made an impressive cinderella run by reaching the Conference Finals where it took the Calgary Flames 7 games to dispatch them following The Monday Night Miracle, and the 1990–91 Minnesota North Stars reached the Stanley Cup finals.
The 2010–11 Detroit Red Wings season was the 85th season of play for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926, and saw the Red Wings equal the Dallas Cowboys in second place for the most consecutive winning seasons in major North American professional sports.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League during the 2014–15 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed. The 2014–15 trade deadline was on March 2, 2015. Any players traded or claimed off waivers after this date were eligible to play up until, but not in the 2015 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2017–18 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick (s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed. The 2017–18 NHL trade deadline was on February 26, 2018. Players traded after this date were not eligible to play in the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2018–19 Winnipeg Jets season was the 20th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997, and the eighth in Winnipeg, since the franchise relocated from Atlanta prior to the start of the 2011–12 NHL season. The Jets clinched a playoff spot of March 23, 2019, after a 5–0 win against the Nashville Predators. The Jets faced the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs, where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in six games.
The 2018–19 Colorado Avalanche season was the 24th operational season and 23rd playing season since the franchise relocated from Quebec prior to the start of the 1995–96 NHL season. As well as the franchise's 40th season in the National Hockey League and 47th season overall.
The 2018–19 Dallas Stars season was the 52nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 5, 1967, and 26th season since the franchise relocated from Minnesota prior to the start of the 1993–94 NHL season. The Stars clinched a playoff spot on April 2, 2019, after a 6–2 win against the Philadelphia Flyers. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the First Round, and faced the St. Louis Blues in the Second Round, where they were defeated in seven games.
The 2018–19 Minnesota Wild season was the 19th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. On April 2, 2019, the Wild were eliminated from playoff contention after the Colorado Avalanche's 6–2 victory against the Edmonton Oilers, marking the first time the Wild missed the postseason since the 2011–12 season.
The 2018–19 Nashville Predators season was the 21st season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. They entered the season as the defending Presidents' Trophy winners, which was won by the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 18, 2019. The Predators clinched a playoff spot on March 25, after a 1–0 win over the Minnesota Wild. They were upset in the first round by the Dallas Stars, losing in six games.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2018–19 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick(s), if applicable. Players who have retired are also listed.The 2018–19 NHL trade deadline was on February 25, 2019. Players traded after this date were not eligible to play in the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The 2019–20 Nashville Predators season was the 22nd season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997. They entered the season as the two-time defending Central Division champions.
The 2019–20 Colorado Avalanche season was the 25th operational season and 24th playing season since the franchise relocated from Quebec prior to the start of the 1995–96 NHL season. As well as the franchise's 41st season in the National Hockey League and 48th season overall. The Avalanche will commemorate their 25th anniversary in the 2020-21 season.
The 2019–20 Arizona Coyotes season was the 41st season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on June 22, 1979, the 24th season since the franchise relocated from Winnipeg following the 1995–96 NHL season, and the 48th overall, including the World Hockey Association years.
The 2019–20 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 94th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks were led by head coach Jeremy Colliton in his first full year as head coach.
The 2019–20 Calgary Flames season was the Flames' 40th season in Calgary, and the 48th for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 6, 1972. The Flames entered the season as the defending Pacific Division champions.
The 2019–20 Minnesota Wild season was the 20th season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997.
The 2019–20 Winnipeg Jets season was the 21st season for the National Hockey League franchise that was established on June 25, 1997, and the ninth in Winnipeg, since the franchise relocated from Atlanta prior to the start of the 2011–12 NHL season.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League during the 2020–21 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick(s), if applicable. Players who have retired or that have had their contracts terminated are also listed. The 2020–21 NHL trade deadline was on April 12, 2021. Players traded or claimed off waivers after this date were not eligible to play in the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League during the 2021–22 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick(s), if applicable. Players who have retired or that have had their contracts terminated are also listed. The 2021–22 NHL trade deadline was on March 21, 2022. Players traded or claimed off waivers after this date were not eligible to play in the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs.
The following is a list of all team-to-team transactions that have occurred in the National Hockey League for the 2022–23 NHL season. It lists which team each player has been traded to, signed by, or claimed by, and for which player(s) or draft pick(s), if applicable. Players who have retired or that have had their contracts terminated are also listed.