Hockey East used to be a powerhouse and I actually looked forward to matchups between the grind-it-out style of the WCHA vs the quick and flowing play of HE. They have waned in the last decade, in my opinion. I remember cheering when we pasted them up in the corners, and then biting my lip as we ground out the PK afterwards......
Fast forward to now. I really don't see the differences between conferences now like there was then. Differences in individual teams, for sure, but not really a "conference personality" like it used to be.