Central Division.

About Central Division

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 it's 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 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; the Stars were moved to the Pacific Division in 1998, while the Blues were moved to the West Division during the temporary 2020–21 realignment. The Winnipeg Jets were an original member of the division before it deactivated in 1996, with its hockey assets relocating to Phoenix as the Coyotes. The Coyotes assumed the Jets' place in the Central Division before moving to the Pacific Division in 1998. A second incarnation of the Jets–formerly the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011–moved back to the Central Division in 2013. Two of its teams—the Minnesota Wild and Nashville Predators—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. In all, the division today comprises the Blackhawks, Jets, Stars, Blues, Wild, Predators, Colorado Avalanche, and Utah Mammoth.