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The Western Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League (NHL) used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Eastern Conference . Previously known as the Campbell Conference, it was created in 1974 when the NHL realigned its teams into two conferences and four divisions. Because the new conferences and divisions had little to do with North American geography, geographical references were removed. The name was changed in 1993 to realign the teams to better fit their geographic locations. Then-new NHL commissioner Gary Bettman made the change to help non-hockey fans better understand the game, as the National Basketball Association , National Football League , and Major League Baseball all use geographic-based names for their conferences and divisions. However, the move angered purists and older hockey fans, who felt the change removed any touch of the history of the league. The trophy awarded to the conference champion, the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl , retains some connection to the heritage of the league. DIVISIONS Prior to the 1993 realignment, the Campbell Conference consisted of the , Northwest , and Pacific . Central
Northwest CHAMPIONS The Western Conference champion faces the Eastern Conference champion every year in the final round of the playoffs to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup .
Stanley Cup champions
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