Former National Hockey League division
The National Hockey League's Patrick Division was formed in 1974 as part of the Clarence Campbell Conference. The division moved to the Prince of Wales Conference in 1981. The division existed for 19 seasons until 1993. It was named in honor of Lester Patrick, player and longtime coach of the New York Rangers, who was a developer of ice hockey. It is the forerunner of the original Atlantic Division, which later became the Metropolitan Division in 2013.
Division lineups
1974–1979
1974-79 Patrick Division Teams
Changes from the 1973–74 season
- The Patrick Division is formed as a result of NHL realignment
- The New York Islanders and New York Rangers come from the East Division
- The Atlanta Flames and Philadelphia Flyers come from the West Division
1979–1980
1979-80 Patrick Division Teams
Changes from the 1978–79 season
1980–1981
1980-81 Patrick Division Teams
- Calgary Flames
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Washington Capitals
Changes from the 1979–80 season
- The Atlanta Flames move to Calgary, Alberta, to become the Calgary Flames
1981–1982
1981-82 Patrick Division Teams
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
Changes from the 1980–81 season
- The Patrick Division switches from the Clarence Campbell Conference to the Prince of Wales Conference
- The Calgary Flames move to the Smythe Division
- The Pittsburgh Penguins come from the Norris Division
1982–1993
1982-93 Patrick Division Teams
- New Jersey Devils
- New York Islanders
- New York Rangers
- Philadelphia Flyers
- Pittsburgh Penguins
- Washington Capitals
Changes from the 1981–82 season
- The Colorado Rockies move to East Rutherford, New Jersey, to become the New Jersey Devils
- The New Jersey Devils come from the Smythe Division
After the 1992–93 season
The league was reformatted into two conferences with two divisions each:
- Eastern Conference
- Western Conference