text: why is detroit in the western conference they should clearly be in the eastern.? toronto and buffalo are east coast and they are about 2 hour drive from each other. what is the deal with that. the redwings definitely get the shaft when it comes to conference affiliation.  they have to travel 1000's of miles to play teams like the kings, sharks and mighty ducks several times a year.  but since the nhl has most of its teams located in the eastern united states, some cities like detroit, chicago and columbus have to be put out west.