Gee... sounds like the NFL !!
Maybe it makes a difference if the team in your city stinks.
NFL wise I love the rivalries that form every year. In the 90's you had GB SF and Dallas fighting it out every year.
Now we have Pitt, NE, Indy banging heads.
I agree with you that realignment was just bad. I liked the three divisions. I liked knowing who the teams were in each division. I dont like it now. I dont even know the name of the divison the Pats play in.
In Boston the NHL has has been ignored for years becasue of poor ownership and crappy teams. When Bourque left so did the Bruins identity.
i just remember growing up watching the Sabres, Canadiens, Nordiques, Bruins, and Whalers battle all the time. You knew the players on all teams and you hated all of them. I cant tell you who plays on any team. Im not even sure where Joe Thornton went!