Everyone knows the Central Division is tough, but the facts say it is, by far, the NHL‘s strongest division.

Many fans like to believe that their favorite NHL team plays in the best division in hockey. A sense of pride is attached to playing in a strong division, plus it enables the fan to have an excuse if their team isn’t in first place. Something like, “Well we play in the best division in the league” is often said to justify why someone’s favorite team isn’t in first place. But which fans can really claim that their teams play in the NHL’s best division?

Only the fans of the teams that play in the Central Division can make this claim. It really is the best division in hockey, no matter how you break it down the Central comes out on top. Here are three reasons why the Central is the league’s top division.

Depth of Top Contenders

As of the morning of Jan. 29, 2015 the Central Division is the only division in the NHL to boast four teams with at least 60 points. The Pacific Division has only one team with at least 60 points, the Metropolitan has two teams, and the Atlantic has three such teams.

However, unlike the other three divisions, the Central Division doesn’t bottom out as low in the standings. It’s talent doesn’t drop off dramatically after its top league-leading crop of contenders.

All four of the teams with at least 60 points in the Central are legitimate contenders and those teams are Nashville (67 points), St. Louis (62 points), Chicago (62 points), and Winnipeg (60 points). All four feature goaltenders that could lead them through the playoffs and all but Chicago have been hot as of late. One could argue that the Atlantic and Metropolitan also boast four contenders, but those division’s contenders still haven’t racked up as many points as the Central’s top four.

Talent From Top To Bottom

All four divisions are going to have teams in the cellar, that’s just a fact of sports. However, the Central Division’s bottom two teams are better than any other division’s bottom teams. Dallas (49 points) and Minnesota (48 points) have more combined points (97) than all other division’s bottom two teams by a wide margin.

The Metropolitan’s cellar dwellers have 83 combined points, the Atlantic’s bottom teams have 78 combined points, and the Pacific’s last two teams have just 72 combined points.

As you can see, the Central Division is the toughest from top to bottom and that means that the division as a whole is stronger. Simply put, there are no easy games in the Central. We haven’t even mentioned Colorado, a team that boasts 51 points, which is much more talented than its points suggest. No other division can claim that it has no easy games.

Highest Collective Goal Differential

Not only does the Central Division boast the highest goal differential for an entire division — it’s the only division that comes out on the positive side of zero. In fact, the Central is +97 as a division goal differential. That in itself is impressive, but it becomes much more so when you look at the other three divisions. The Metropolitan has a 0 goal differential, the Atlantic has a -37 goal differential, and the Pacific has a shocking -60 goal differential.

This stark disparity of production reinforces the fact that the Central Division is, by far, the NHL’s best division. Its elite teams are racking up points at the highest collective rate and its teams lower in the standings are still incredibly competitive. No other division can make either claim with the same certainly that the Central, and its fans, can.