Central Division (NHL)
division of the National Hockey League
The NHL's Central Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Western Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Norris Division. It is the only division with 7 teams, the other 3 in the league having 8.
Division lineups change
1993–1996 change
Changes from the 1992–93 season change
- 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 change
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Dallas Stars
- Detroit Red Wings
- Phoenix Coyotes
- St. Louis Blues
- Toronto Maple Leafs
Changes from the 1995–96 season change
- The Winnipeg Jets move to Phoenix, Arizona, to become the Phoenix Coyotes
1998–2000 change
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Detroit Red Wings
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
Changes from the 1997–98 season change
- 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 change
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Columbus Blue Jackets
- Detroit Red Wings
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
Changes from the 1999–2000 season change
- The Columbus Blue Jackets are added as an expansion team
2013–Present change
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Colorado Avalanche
- Dallas Stars
- Minnesota Wild
- Nashville Predators
- St. Louis Blues
- Winnipeg Jets
Changes from the 2012–13 season change
- 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
Division Champions change
- 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)
Season results change
| Season | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Detroit (100) | Toronto (98) | Dallas (97) | St. Louis (91) | Chicago (87) | Winnipeg (57) | |
| 1994–95 | Detroit (70) | St. Louis (61) | Chicago (53) | Toronto (50) | Dallas (42) | Winnipeg (39) | |
| 1995–96 | Detroit (131) | Chicago (94) | Toronto (80) | St. Louis (80) | Winnipeg (78) | Dallas (66) | |
| 1996–97 | Dallas (104) | Detroit (94) | Phoenix (83) | St. Louis (83) | Chicago (81) | Toronto (68) | |
| 1997–98 | Dallas (109) | Detroit (103) | St. Louis (98) | Phoenix (82) | Chicago (73) | Toronto (69) | |
| 1998–99 | Detroit (93) | St. Louis (87) | Chicago (70) | Nashville (63) | |||
| 1999–2000 | St. Louis (114) | Detroit (108) | Chicago (78) | Nashville (70) | |||
| 2000–01 | Detroit (111) | St. Louis (103) | Nashville (80) | Chicago (71) | Columbus (71) | ||
| 2001–02 | Detroit (116) | St. Louis (98) | Chicago (96) | Nashville (69) | Columbus (57) | ||
| 2002–03 | Detroit (110) | St. Louis (99) | Chicago (79) | Nashville (74) | Columbus (69) | ||
| 2003–04 | Detroit (109) | St. Louis (91) | Nashville (91) | Columbus (62) | Chicago (59) | ||
| 2004–05 | No season due to 2004–05 NHL lockout | ||||||
| 2005–06 | Detroit (124) | Nashville (106) | Columbus (74) | Chicago (65) | St. Louis (57) | ||
| 2006–07 | Detroit (113) | Nashville (110) | St. Louis (81) | Columbus (73) | Chicago (71) | ||
| 2007–08 | Detroit (115) | Nashville (91) | Chicago (88) | Columbus (80) | St. Louis (79) | ||
| 2008–09 | Detroit (112) | Chicago (104) | St. Louis (92) | Columbus (92) | Nashville (88) | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago (112) | Detroit (102) | Nashville (100) | St. Louis (90) | Columbus (79) | ||
| 2010–11 | Detroit (104) | Nashville (99) | Chicago (97) | St. Louis (87) | Columbus (81) | ||
| 2011–12 | St. Louis (109) | Nashville (104) | Detroit (102) | Chicago (101) | Columbus (65) | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago (77) | St. Louis (60) | Detroit (56) | Columbus (55) | Nashville (41) | ||
| 2013–14 | Colorado (112) | St. Louis (111) | Chicago (107) | Minnesota (98) | Dallas (91) | Nashville (88) | Winnipeg (84) |
| 2014–15 | St. Louis (109) | Nashville (104) | Chicago (102) | Minnesota (100) | Winnipeg (99) | Dallas (92) | Colorado (90) |
| 2015–16 | Dallas (109) | St. Louis (107) | Chicago (103) | Nashville (96) | Minnesota (87) | Colorado (82) | Winnipeg (78) |
| 2016–17 | Chicago (109) | Minnesota (106) | St. Louis (99) | Nashville (94) | Winnipeg (87) | Dallas (79) | Colorado (48) |
| 2017–18 | Nashville (117) | Winnipeg (114) | Minnesota (101) | Colorado (95) | St. Louis (94) | Dallas (92) | Chicago (78) |
- Green background denotes qualified for playoffs
Stanley Cup winners produced change
- 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
Presidents' Trophy winners produced change
- 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 change
| Team | Number of Championships Won | Last Year Won |
|---|---|---|
| Detroit Red Wings | 13 | 2011 |
| Chicago Blackhawks | 3 | 2017 |
| Dallas Stars | 3 | 2016 |
| St. Louis Blues | 3 | 2015 |
| Colorado Avalanche | 1 | 2014 |
| Nashville Predators | 1 | 2018 |
| Minnesota Wild | 0 | – |
| Winnipeg Jets | 0 | – |
| Columbus Blue Jackets | 0 | – |
| Toronto Maple Leafs | 0 | – |
| Winnipeg Jets/Phoenix Coyotes | 0 | – |
Teams in bold are currently in the division.