The Central is the best division in hockey. At this point, there’s not much left to debate on that front. The St. Louis Blues have pulled themselves into a race with Nashville for the top spot and are poised to finally break through in the postseason. The Chicago Blackhawks are lurking in third place, perhaps the division’s best shot at a Stanley Cup winner. There hasn’t been a hotter team than the Minnesota Wild since the All-Star break, and Winnipeg has emerged as a big, heavy team that -- if it gets the goaltending -- should make it to the postseason.

Even the bad teams -- Colorado and Dallas -- aren’t bad. They’re just future playoff teams figuring things out.

It’s a powerhouse division and it makes what the Anaheim Ducks have done against it even more impressive.