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List of NHL rivalries

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Rivalries in the National Hockey League (NHL) have occurred between many teams and cities, including the Boston Bruins vs. Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens, Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders, and the Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames rivalries. Recently, with the addition of an NHL team based in Ottawa, there has been a revival of a much older Battle of Ontario between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators. The current Atlantic Division has a strong list of rivalries, from the Devils-Rangers rivalry to the Flyers-Penguins rivalry, going back to 1982 when it was known as the Patrick Division.

Original Six rivalries

In the Original Six era of the NHL, teams played more frequently, and games were often underscored by personal rivalries between players. These personal and team rivalries persisted for many years as the turnover rate on NHL rosters was very low. The strongest rivalries were:

Maple Leafs-Canadiens Rivalry

The rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens is the oldest and perhaps most bitter rivalry in the history of the National Hockey League. From 1944 to 1978, the two teams met each other in the playoffs 12 times, and faced off in five Stanley Cup Finals. While the on-ice competition is fierce, the Maple Leafs-Habs rivalry is actually symbolic of a much deeper cleavage in Canadian history and society — that between English- and French-Canadians.

From the time of the British conquest of Quebec at the Plains of Abraham in 1759, the chief tension in what eventually became Canada has been between English- and French-speaking Canadians. The English Canadians were for the most part of British ethnic stock and Protestant, and possessed conservative and imperialist loyalties. The French Canadians, meanwhile, were not only of French descent, but were also Roman Catholic in religion, politically liberal, and continentalist in economic thought.

When the NHL was created in 1917, these differences received the opportunity to play themselves out in a rivalry between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. The Maple Leafs' fanbase consisted mainly of English-speaking Canadians of British descent; in fact, the team's logo was in essence a stylized version of the Canadian Army's Cap Badge Insignia during World War I. This held particular significance for Leaf owner Conn Smythe, who had served as an artillery officer during the Great War. As late as the 1970s, a portrait of the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, was hung in the Leafs' home arena, Maple Leaf Gardens, and God Save the Queen was sung as an anthem before the game (the former practice was famously discontinued by the team's owner at the time, Harold Ballard, who asked, "The Queen doesn't pay anything to get in, does she?"). The Canadiens, meanwhile, captured the imaginations of French-speaking fans, mainly concentrated in the province of Quebec. In stark contrast to the anthem practice in Toronto, the Habs pioneered the use of the current Canadian national anthem, "O Canada," at the Montreal Forum.

While certainly heated during the 1940s and 1950s, the Leafs-Habs rivalry was particularly acute during the 1960s; one of the two teams would capture the Stanley Cup each year in the decade, with the exceptions of 1961 and 1970. The rivalry perhaps reached its zenith in the 1967 season, when both teams met in the Stanley Cup finals during the centennial year of Canadian Confederation. Montreal was hosting Expo 67 that year and the Canadiens were expected to beat the Leafs quite handily. Still, underdog Toronto upset the Habs to capture the Cup.

After 1967, the rivalry cooled slightly due to NHL expansion and realignment. The fanbases of both teams began to erode somewhat: new franchises in Vancouver (the Canucks), Calgary (the Flames), Edmonton (the Oilers) and Winnipeg (the Jets) captured the allegiances of English-speaking fans in Western Canada, while the Quebec Nordiques competed with the Canadiens for the loyalties of Francophone fans within Quebec from 1979 to 1995. From 1981 to 1998, Toronto and Montreal were in opposite conferences — the Maple Leafs in the Clarence Campbell/Western Conference and the Canadiens in the Prince of Wales/Eastern Conference. The fortunes of the two teams since 1967 have also seen a marked difference; the Habs have won ten Stanley Cup championships since that year, while the Maple Leafs still have yet to reach the Stanley Cup Finals. Toronto came close to reaching the Finals in 1993, where they would have faced the Wales Conference champion Habs in the 100th anniversary year of the Stanley Cup. However, they were narrowly defeated in the Campbell Conference Finals by the Los Angeles Kings.

In 1998, the Leafs moved into the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division, along with the Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Buffalo Sabres, and Boston Bruins. This has served to rekindle the rivalry somewhat, although the two teams have yet to appear in a playoff series against each other.

The teams faced off in what was each team's final game of the 2007 regular season, on April 7, 2007. Coming into the game, the two teams were separated by one point, with the Canadiens sitting in 8th place in the East: if Montreal were to win it, they would secure a playoff spot; if Toronto were to win it in regulation time, they would capture 8th place (though a playoff spot would be dependent on the final game of the season for the New York Islanders). The game was heavily hyped during the weeks leading up to it; it was arguably the most important game between the two teams since the 1980s. In the end, the Maple Leafs emerged victorious, thus eliminating the Habs from the playoffs and pushing them down to 10th. But when the Isles beat the New Jersey Devils the following afternoon, the Leafs were shunted into 9th place and also missed the playoffs.

Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry

The Bruins-Canadiens Rivalry is a rivalry in the National Hockey League (NHL) between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens, two teams that are considered a part of the Original Six. It is considered one of the most bitter in the NHL, particularly by Bruins fans, and especially as the Bruins and Canadiens have played each other more times than any other two currently existing teams in NHL history. The rivalry is considerably one-sided, with the Canadiens winning 23/30 of their head-to-head playoff series' and all 7 of the finals series', but the Bruins have gotten some memorable wins in. As of the start of the 2005-06 NHL season, the Bruins have won some 250 of these matches, with the Canadiens winning over 310 of them, with 105 other games between the two teams ending in ties, going back all the way to the Bruins' first NHL season of 1924-25.

In the 1950s, the Canadiens would defeat the Bruins in the Stanley Cup finals three times. Also, during the 1952 playoff semi-finals, Maurice Richard was knocked out in the seventh game but returned to score the series-winning goal. One of the most famous NHL photos is the one of Richard and Bruins goaltender "Sugar" Jim Henry shaking hands after the conclusion of the series; Richard has a cut above his eyebrow while Henry has a black eye.

On March 13, 1955, Rocket Richard was given a match penalty and suspended for the remainder of the season for deliberately injuring Hal Laycoe, in a game against the Bruins. Laycoe had moments earlier high-sticked Richard in the head but no penalty was called. When Richard saw blood, he skated at Laycoe, who dropped his gloves to fight. The incident was exacerbated by Richard repeatedly breaking away to attack Laycoe with hockey sticks, and then assaulting linesman Cliff Thompson who attempted to restrain him. The suspension prevented Montreal from winning the Stanley Cup, finishing first and personally cost Richard the league scoring title. It went to Habs teammate Bernie Geoffrion (better known as "Boom Boom" Geoffrion for his powerful slap shot), who was booed by the Montreal faithful when he passed Richard for the point lead on the last day. Geoffrion had struggled just to gain recognition of his considerable talents, as Gordie Howe, Andy Bathgate and Richard were some of the most outstanding players in the 1950s in the NHL.

While the teams played each other often, the teams became truly pronounced rivals in the 1970s, when both were yearly contenders. In 1971, despite the Bruins finishing first in the league and shattering many NHL scoring records, they lost in the first round to the Canadiens in seven games; the pivotal moment was game two when the Bruins squandered a 5-1 lead to lose 7-5. This ended a potential Bruins dynasty, although they would win the Stanley Cup the following season. Don Cherry's "Lunch Pail Gang" in 1977 and 1978 would lose both finals to the Habs. Canadiens fans remember the rough tactics that Cherry's players used against Guy Lafleur, whose head was swaved in bandages at the end of the 1978 series after repeated highsticking from Bruins players.

The seminal moment in the history of the rivalry was probably Game 7 of the 1979 Semi-Finals (the terms Wales/Campbell Conference Finals was in use during 1982-93 NHL playoffs). After a rough and tumble series which saw both sides win at home through the first six games, in Game 7 in Montreal the Bruins were ahead in the closing four minutes thanks to a goal by Rick Middleton which Ken Dryden would later remark as "the most beautiful goal" that he ever let in.

However, after the Boston bench was charged with a minor penalty for "Too Many Men on the Ice," Lafleur scored the tying goal on the ensuing power play, and Montreal's Yvon Lambert won it in overtime. The win allowed Montreal to advance to the Stanley Cup finals, wherein they won for the fourth consecutive year.

The rivalry continued throughout the 1980s, mainly due to a division-oriented playoff format that seemed to pair the teams every year. In 1988, the Bruins finally won a playoff series against Canadiens in the latter's Montreal Forum on the way to advancing to the Stanley Cup Final. The next year, the Canadiens beat the Bruins on their trip to the finals. In 1990, the Bruins finished off the Canadiens for the first time in the Boston Garden since 1943 and would also win the 1991 and 1992 playoff match-ups against the Canadiens, the last one being a 4-0 sweep. Part of the Bruins' victories over the Canadiens was due to goaltender Andy Moog who was, after, known as the "greatest Hab killer" that the Bruins ever had. Ironically, Moog signed with the Canadiens for the 1997-98 season and helped them to their first playoff series win in several seasons.

In 1994, the Canadiens were the defending champions but they were knocked out in the first round by the Bruins. Nonetheless, that seven-game series was notable in the eyes of Montreal fans as superstar net minder Patrick Roy came down with appendicitis and missed game three. Roy convinced doctors to let him return for Game Four and led the Canadiens to a 5-2 victory, stopping 39 shots[1].

The Bruins were defeated in both the 2002 and the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs in the first round by the Canadiens, despite the Bruins being seeded higher, which contributed to the animosity. The first time the Bears finished first in the Eastern Conference, and the second time, Beantown was second in the East.

The recent signing of former Bruins star left wing Sergei Samsonov to the Canadiens, for play starting in the 2006-07 NHL season, possibly looks to warm up the rivalry for the near future. Samsonov's first goals for the Canadiens against his former team came in a game on December 12, 2006. He scored two goals, one each in the second and third period of the game played in the Habs' Bell Centre that night (a 4-3 victory for the Canadiens), to do his part in resuming North America's oldest professional hockey rivalry[2].

Atlantic Division Rivalries

The New Jersey Devils, Philadelphia Flyers, Pittsburgh Penguins, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers had been together since being part of the Patrick Division in 1982, developing a strong rivalry with each other. With the renaming of the Patrick Division to the Atlantic Division in 1994, minus the Penguins (they were moved to the Northeast Division until 1998), that their rivalries had become established and historic in its own way starting with the Rangers/Devils Game 7 match in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the realignment in 1998 the Devils, Flyers, Islanders, and Rangers remained together in the Atlantic Division with the Pittsburgh Penguins returning to the group. In the post-lockout NHL, the Atlantic Division rivalries have become more intense with season-ending comebacks, shrewd trades, and more games played against each other during the regular season. This is the only division in the NHL where all its members has won the Stanley Cup at least twice in their own franchises existence.

Their strongest rivalries are:

Hudson River Rivalry

The Devils-Rangers Rivalry is known as the Hudson River Rivalry. The two teams are called "cross-river rivals." This is due to the fact that Madison Square Garden in Midtown Manhattan where the Rangers play is less than ten miles and across the Hudson River from the Continental Airlines Arena at the Meadowlands where the Devils play. Both arenas are accessible via the Lincoln Tunnel and New Jersey Route 3.

For over 25 years, fans have seen the best out of both their clubs, whenever these two teams exchange hands. Despite the Devils' overall playoff superiority since 1990, the first three playoff series between these teams were all Rangers victories. The first series occurred in the spring of 1992, when the Presidents' Trophy champion Rangers survived a seven-game series to beat the Devils and move on in the playoffs (where the Pens, Stanley Cup champions the previous year, beat them in six and defended their title).

The rivalry's most famous moments are centered around the Devils-Rangers' 2nd encounter, the 1994 conference finals. Although both teams were the top point-getters in 1994 (Rangers 112, Devils 106), the story entering the series was the Rangers' 6-0 record against New Jersey that regular season. However, all ideas of a quick New York series were soon ended after Game 1, a 4-3 double overtime victory that was sealed by Devs' sniper Stephane Richer. The Rangers routed the Devils 4-0 in Game 2, and used a double overtime goal by Stephane Matteau to take a 2-1 lead after Game 3. After dropping Games 4 and 5, the Rangers faced elimination going to New Jersey for Game 6. Prior to the game, Blueshirts captain Mark Messier guaranteed a victory in Game 6 at the Meadowlands; with the Rangers down 2-0 to the Devils, Messier scored a hat trick to tie the series at 3-3 and send it back to New York for Game 7. In Game 7, thanks to another Matteau goal in double overtime the Rangers won the series and later the Stanley Cup. Interestingly, the first six games were won by the team that lost that respective game in 1992. That trend was reversed when the Rangers won Game 7 in '94.

The 3rd Devils-Rangers playoff series happened only 3 years later. The Rangers, led by Messier, eliminated the Devils in the 1997 playoffs before losing to the Flyers in the conference finals. New Jersey was limited to five goals in the five-game series, including two shutout losses.

From the start of 1998, however, the pendulum began to swing the other way. New Jersey dominated New York during the regular season in the late 1990s and early 2000s. At one point, the Devils had an unbeaten streak against the Blueshirts, going 15-0-8 starting February 17, 1997 and ending March 31, 2001 — a streak spanning four years.

At the end of the 2005-06 season, the Devils had won 11 straight games — the second such streak of the season — and capped off the run by winning the Atlantic Division in comeback fashion against the Montreal Canadiens, a division win made all the more exciting by the fact that the Devils had been 19 points out of the lead just months prior, and many thought the team wouldn't make the playoffs. Meanwhile, the Rangers had the division lead for most of the latter part of the season, but fell victim to a losing skid as the season came to a close. The Devs took the Division Title away from the Rangers by ending the season with 1 more point than New York. As fate would have it, the red-hot Devils met the Blueshirts in their 4th playoff meeting. The result was a four-game sweep by New Jersey over their cross-river rivals for the first time ever in Devils history.

Fans on both sides have agreed the rivalry has become even stronger as of late, due in large part to the fact that both teams have shown much more parity towards each other. Since the NHL Lockout, the two teams have met a total of 16 times in the regular season. The Devils won 9, the Rangers taking 7.

Many Rangers fans have been seen burning Devils memorabilia after Ranger victories over the Devils, and lighting their cigarettes with it, while exiting Madison Square Garden. Devils fans, meanwhile, enjoy making confetti which reads "Rangers Suck" and handing them out during games at Continental Airlines Arena. The Jersey fans also have a cheer that is yelled and whistled at every game. In response to the "Let's Go Band"/"Potvin Sucks" chant of Rangers fans against the Islanders, the Devils fans at the Continental Airlines Arena cheer "Rangers Suck." This chant, just like the Potvin chant being heard whether the Rangers are playing the Islanders or not, is heard at every Devils home game.[citation needed]

This rivalry was satirized in the Seinfeld episode The Face Painter in which David Puddy, a hard-core Devils fan, paints his face red at a game against the Rangers in the Garden, to the embarrassment of Jerry, Kramer, and Elaine.

Flyers-Rangers Rivalry

The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers have met ten times in Stanley Cup playoff contention, with the Flyers winning six of the series'.

On their way to a Stanley Cup title in 1973-74, the Flyers eliminated the Rangers in the semifinals. The series went seven games, with the Rangers sealing their own fate, taking a too-many-men penalty in the waning moments of the game while trying to replace the goaltender with an extra attacker. The Rangers would defeat the Flyers in five games in the 1978-79 quarterfinals on their way to a Stanley Cup Finals berth; the Flyers did the same to New York the subsequent year.

During the 1980s, the two teams met in the first round of the playoffs 5 out of 6 seasons. Beginning in 1981-82, the Rangers defeated the Flyers in four games, then swept them in three straight in 1982-83. In 1984-85, the Flyers returned the favor by sweeping the Rangers, but in 1985-86, a "Cinderella" Rangers team got revenge, eliminating the Flyers in five. In 1986-87 the first round format was expanded to best-of-seven, and the Flyers eliminated the Rangers in six.

The Flyers and Rangers renewed their playoff rivalry once more when the two teams met in the playoffs in 1994-95 and 1996-97, both series won by the Flyers. The first series was bitter for the Rangers — the Flyers' four-game outbroom eliminated the defending Cup champions in the second round. Many Flyers fans remember this for the second game the Flyers won in overtime. Kevin Haller scored, sending normally laid-back Flyers color analyst Gary Dornhoefer into a frenzy. The latter series was the Eastern Conference Finals that sent the Flyers to the 1996-97 Stanley Cup Finals. With a 4-1 series win, it marked the last time the Rangers have made the playoffs until the 2005-06 season and it later turned out to be both Wayne Gretzky's and Mark Messier's last playoff game. Also adding to this rivalry was the original conflict between the teams in 1992 over the rights to Eric Lindros, Philadelphia winning, and then the Flyers trading Lindros to the Rangers in 2001.

There is a mutual hatred between the sports fans from both New York City and Philly (for example, the heated rivalry between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League). Any time the two sets of fans get together for a hockey game, there are always nasty words exchanged, beers thrown at each other, and numerous fights in the stands. Flyers fans take great pride in their ability to buy large quantities of seats for Flyers games at Madison Square Garden, and starting fights with the home Rangers fans. Conversely, Ranger fans take great pride in their ability to buy large quantities of seats for Ranger games at the Flyers' Wachovia Center, and drowning out the Flyer fans with their Ranger cheers. In recent years, there have not been as many fan incidents between the two teams although Rangers fans have started attending games in Philadelphia in larger numbers due to the fact that Philadelphia is only about 100 miles south of New York City and easily accessible on the train (Amtrak) and due to the fact that the Flyers have struggled more recently. In January of 2007, "Potvin Sucks" chants were heard often throughout the game at the Wachovia Center by Rangers fans.

Devils-Flyers Rivalry

The Flyers-Devils rivalry between the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils took off with their first playoff meeting in lockout-shortened 1994-95 when the Devils eliminated the Flyers 4-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals, en route to winning the Stanley Cup. The turning point of the series came in Game 5, when Claude Lemieux scored from 65 feet out, sending a wobbly puck past Flyer goalie Ron Hextall, with 44 seconds left in regulation of a tie game. The series was considered an upset, as the Devils were barely able to qualify for the playoffs, while the Flyers had made a dramatic improvement to end their five-year playoff drought and were led by eventual Hart Memorial Trophy winner, captain Eric Lindros. Lindros and Devils captain Scott Stevens were afterwards known for their on-ice feuds.

During the 1999-2000 regular season, the Devils were leading in both the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division, but their 10-game slump near the end of the season resulted the Flyers overtaking them for both the division title and the No.1 seed in the East. They would meet once again in the Eastern Conference Finals; this time, the Flyers blew a 3-1 series lead over the Devils, including losing 2 games in Philadelphia. Game 7 of this series would also be the final game for Eric Lindros as a Flyer, suffering a concussion at the hands of Stevens, whose hit was viewed by some as the key moment of the Devs' playoff. The loss in 2000 has been attributed by some Flyers fans to The Curse of Billy Penn, as the Devils would go on to win the Cup by beating the defending champion Dallas Stars in 6 games.

The Flyers would finally defeat the Devils in the playoffs in 2003-04, when they eliminated the defending Cup champs 4-1 in the first round of the playoffs.

This rivalry has become quite intense in New Jersey itself, with the northern part of the state being the Devils fanbase, while the southern part of the state is overwhelmingly Flyers fans.[verification needed] The Flyers practice in Voorhees Township, New Jersey, and since their Stanley Cup days of 1974 and 1975, many members of the team have lived in South Jersey. A painful reminder of this fact, for Flyer fans, was the death of Flyer star goalie Pelle Lindbergh in the aftermath of a drunk-driving auto crash in Voorhees early in the 1985-86 season.

In the 2006-07 NHL season, Martin Brodeur of Jersey broke Philadelphia legend Bernie Parent's single season wins record of 47 by earning his 48th win against the Flyers. Flyers fans booed Brodeur, but Parent offered his praise.[3]

The first meeting between the two franchises was in the 1977-78 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and had no geographic significance. The Devs were then known as the Colorado Rockies. The Flyers took the best-of-three Preliminary Round series 2-0. It was the only Playoff series the team would play in during their six seasons in Denver, and the only one they would play in during their first 13 seasons of play, until the 1987-88 season.

Islanders-Rangers Rivalry

The Islanders-Rangers Rivalry was established when the NHL awarded a second franchise in the New York metropolitan area. With the impending start of the World Hockey Association in the fall of 1972, the upstart league had plans to place a team in the new Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau County. The National Hockey League did not want the competition in the nation's largest metro area,[verification needed] so despite having expanded two years before, the NHL awarded franchises to Atlanta and Long Island. The fledgling New York Islanders had an extra burden to pay in the form of a $4 million territorial fee to the nearby New York Rangers.

In 1975, the Islanders made their first trip to the NHL playoffs, facing the heavily favored Rangers in a best-of-three first-round series. After splitting the first two games, the Islanders won Game 3, and the series, when J.P. Parise scored a minuscule 11 seconds into overtime. The teams met again in the 1979 playoffs; this time the underdog Rangers were victorious, eliminating the heavily favoured Islanders in 6 games and earning a spot in the Stanley Cup finals. This was particularly memorable as it continued the Isles' reputation for playoff "chokes" despite finishing first in the league during the regular season.

The teams also met in the playoffs every year from 1981-84; the Islanders won each series by margins of 4-0, 4-2, 4-2 and 3-2 enroute to 4 finals and three Stanley Cups (in addition to their 1980 win to make it four championships and 5 finals in a row). The closeness of the 1984 series led it to be nicknamed the "Battle of New York".[citation needed] In the 1990s, the teams met twice, with the Rangers winning 4-1 in 1990, and sweeping the Islanders 4-0 in 1994, en route to winning their first Stanley Cup since 1940.

With both teams' fans visiting "enemy territory" for games, organized shouting matches and fights break out in the stands. Fans will direct derisive chants at their rivals regardless of whether the teams are actually playing. At each home game, Ranger fans engage in perhaps their most popular chant: humming the song "Let's Go Band" and punctuating it with "Potvin sucks", referring to retired Islander Hall of Fame defenceman Denis Potvin. Rangers fans also occasionally bring out the chant "Beat your wife, Potvin, beat your wife", a reference to unconfirmed allegations that Potvin has committed domestic abuse.

Islander fans taunted Rangers fans for many years with the chant "Nineteen Forty", referring to the Rangers having the all-time longest drought without winning the Stanley Cup, until the Blueshirts finally won in 1994. For a period in the late '90s and early 2000s, Islanders fans would punctuate the "Chicken Dance" with chants of "the Rangers suck", but in recent years the song has not been played. Rangers winger Theoren Fleury used the chant as an excuse for flapping his arms to taunt Islanders enforcer Eric Cairns. In addition a popular chat was "Crackhead Theo!" referring to Fleury's erratic behavior and history of substance abuse at the time. Islanders fans also sing a song to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It", replacing the standard lyrics with "If you know the Rangers suck, clap your hands."

One well-known incident at an Islanders/Philadelphia Flyers game in 2003 turned an innocent holiday promotion at Nassau Coliseum into an on-ice brawl between Rangers and Islanders fans in Santa suits.

As of 2007, the Rangers lead the all-time series with 97 wins, 93 losses (including overtime and shootout losses), and 19 ties. In the playoffs, however, the Islanders hold the lead with a 20-19 record, and have won five of the eight playoff series' between the two teams.

Since 2001, the Pat LaFontaine Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the Rangers-Islanders regular season series. The winning team receives a trophy to parade around for their fans and bragging rights for another year, while the losing team must make a $50,000 contribution to the charity of Pat LaFontaine's choice.

Battle of Alberta

Main article: Battle of Alberta

The Battle of Alberta is the bitter rivalry between the Edmonton Oilers and Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). The 2 teams are based in the cities of Edmonton, the provincial capital of Alberta and Calgary, the province's largest city.

The Oilers joined the NHL as one of the teams making the switch from the World Hockey Association in 1979, soon followed by the Atlanta Flames moving to Calgary in 1980, suddenly making the question of who would be #1 in Alberta pro hockey a hot topic. At first it was the Flames who were the dominant squad (making it to the Stanley Cup conference final in their first season), but the Oilers were starting to make headlines with their rising star, Wayne Gretzky. It was the Oilers who became champions first, building an NHL dynasty with a lineup that included legends like Grant Fuhr, Paul Coffey, and Mark Messier.

Edmonton defeated Calgary in the playoffs in 1983, 1984, 1988, and 1991, winning the Stanley Cup in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1990. Calgary interrupted Edmonton's bid for a third championship by beating the latter in the infamous 1986 series. The Flames had surprised the Oilers by taking the two-time defending Cup winners to seven games and the series was decided when Oiler Steve Smith accidentally deflected the puck in his own net. Afterwards, when ever the Oilers played in Calgary, Flames fans would taunt them about Smith's own goal. The following season, the Oilers exacted revenge on the Flames to win the championship, and The Great One first handed the Cup to Smith after the former had hoisted it as captain.

The Flames eventually won the Cup in 1989 with Lanny McDonald, Doug Gilmour and Mike Vernon leading them; but they did not have to face the Oilers who were eliminated by the Los Angeles Kings. They did sweep the Kings in the Smythe Division Finals. The Oilers did the same to Los Angeles the following year after Calgary fell at the Kings' hands. The last time the two teams met in the playoffs was in 1991 during the first round, and it is often cited as one of the most exciting playoff series of all time, with the Oilers advancing.

With the fortunes of both teams hitting a relative nadir during the 1990s, the rivalry cooled. Both teams were in the spotlight because of their dire financial situation, with experts predicting the demise of all Canadian NHL teams except for the Toronto Maple Leafs. The passions ignited in the 1980s playoff sagas would only make brief appearances during the regular season.

The Flames made the Stanley Cup final in 2004, and the Oilers made the last round in 2006. Both teams lost in seven games each, to the Tampa Bay Lightning and Carolina Hurricanes, respectively, but the Battle of Alberta has been re-ignited.

As both cities are rivals when it comes to many things (not just pro sports), the Battle of Alberta label has been applied to various other endeavours, most notably the rivalry between the Edmonton Eskimos and Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.

Battle of Ontario

Main article: Battle of Ontario

The rivalry between the Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs is popular and often surfaces during the playoffs, as the two teams are in the same division (the Northeast) and have repeatedly met in the postseason. It is often referred to as the Battle of Ontario. The major catalyst for this rivalry is the fact that both cities' roles to Canada are vital: Ottawa is the nation's capital and Toronto is Canada's overall largest city (in addition to being Ontario's provincial capital).

The Senators entered the league in 1992, but the rivalry between the two teams did not begin to emerge until the late 1990s. From 1992 to 1998, Toronto was in the NHL's Clarence Campbell/Western Conference and Ottawa was in the Prince of Wales/Eastern, which meant that the two teams rarely played each other. But before the 1998-99 season, the conferences and divisions were re-aligned, and Toronto was moved into the Eastern Conference's Northeast Division with Ottawa and the Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins and Buffalo Sabres. By 1999, both Ottawa and Toronto were elite Eastern Conference teams, annually competing for the division title. Anglophones in Eastern Canada finally had a team other than Toronto to root for, and eagerly embraced the Senators. In the same way, many Franco-Canadians hoping to distinguish themselves from "les equipes Quebecois" adopted the Sens as their own. What makes this rivalry even more intense is the fact that not all Leafs fans in the Ottawa area become Senators fans upon the granting of the Ottawa franchise. This has resulted in a base of Maple Leafs fans who attend Leafs-Senators games in Ottawa.

In 2000, the teams met for the first time in the playoffs, with the Maple Leafs (Northeast Division top-offs that year) dispatching the Senators in six games. Some Leafs fans saw this as revenge, since the Sens' Marián Hossa had accidentally clipped the Leafs' Bryan Berard in the eye on March 11, thereby ending the young rearguard's season and almost his career. Berard forgave Hossa, but no Leaf fan wanted to do so.

The next season, they met again in the first round as Ottawa entered the playoffs ranked 2nd in the East and the Maple Leafs 7th. While the Senators were expected to defeat the Maple Leafs, especially since they had swept the regular season series against them, the Leafs swept the series in a major upset instead; Ottawa did not score their first goal of the series until 16:51 of the third period in the third game. It was after this series that the rivalry became more pronounced, especially in the eyes of Senators fans.

In 2002, the teams met in the playoffs for the third straight year. The two teams were very evenly matched, and the Maple Leafs, despite missing several key players, managed to win the second-round series in the full seven games and advance to the conference finals. One incident happened late in Game Five when Sens' captain Daniel Alfredsson hit forward Darcy Tucker in what Toronto called a hit-from-behind, and then seconds after hitting Tucker in the Leafs zone, he scored the game-winning goal. Tucker suffered an injury on the play, and Alfredsson was not penalized or suspended for it. This began the ongoing TO fans' hatred of Alfredsson. Tucker had gotten his share of hatred in the first round against the New York Islanders when he wasn't penalized for a hit that dislocated the right knee of the Isles' Michael Peca. That play, despite no punishment for Tucker, was still included in a video of "unacceptable plays" that the NHL sent to all its teams.

In 2003, the rivalry hit an all-time high when Tucker attacked the Senators' Chris Neil, who was sitting on the bench. Neil started punching Tucker back; Tucker then attacked Shane Hnidy, but Hnidy started beating on Tucker as well. This resulted in numerous players exchanging punches before order was restored. Tucker, Neil and Hnidy all received fighting majors and game misconducts for the same incident. After the game Tucker claimed Neil spit on him, an allegation which Neil denies. The NHL board looked into this claim and concluded Neil did not do this. Tempers remained frayed, especially with 1:23 to play, when Toronto's Tie Domi jumped Magnus Arvedson from behind and threw several punches at Arvedson. Domi received a roughing minor, instigator minor, fighting major, misconduct and game misconduct. Arvedson did not get a penalty on the play. The suspensions were announced a few hours after Tucker and Domi appeared at NHL head offices in Toronto for a hearing. Tucker was suspended for five games, without pay, and it was made clear at the hearing that Neil didn't spit at Toronto's bench. Domi was suspended for three games, also without pay. A total of 163 minutes in penalties were called in the game. The Maple Leafs went on to win the series but the Sens still topped off the NHL. [4] [5]

Earlier that same season, Ottawa tough-guy Rob Ray, as if hoping to add to Tucker's troubles just before the latter was suspended, said in Sports Illustrated magazine (referring to the Tucker-Peca incident), "That was crap, not fining him, not suspending him, sending out the tape saying this can't happen. Why didn't they do anything when this happened?!?!?"

Another incident in the regular season fueled the rivalry even more. On January 6, 2004, the Maple Leafs were playing a game against the Nashville Predators, when Leaf captain Mats Sundin's stick broke on an attempted shot at the blue line and he threw it away in disgust. Instead of hitting the glass, the stick went over and into the crowd. The NHL reacted by giving him a one-game suspension. The game he was suspended for was a game against the Senators in Toronto. During the game, Daniel Alfredsson's stick broke, and immediately he faked a toss of his stick into the stands. This caused an uproar with the Maple Leafs, in part because they had also lost the game badly, by a score of 7-1. Alfredsson dismissed the Leafs' reaction, calling it an over-reaction. This incident added to the rivalry, and Leafs fans continue to boo Alfredsson at games in both Toronto and Ottawa.

Ottawa and Toronto matched up in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years in 2004. Alfredsson guaranteed a victory after the Leafs took game 5. He delivered on his promise in game 6, but the Sens turned in a lacklustre performance in the series finale. As was the case each time prior, the Leafs beat the Senators in 7 games, but many observers thought that Ottawa outplayed Toronto, and gave credit for Toronto's win to an exceptional performance by Leaf goaltender Ed Belfour, who shutout the Senators three times. The questionable play of Senators goalie Patrick Lalime was also blamed and Lalime went to play for the St. Louis Blues after the NHL lockout.

In 2005-06, the two teams nearly met again, but the Maple Leafs missed the playoffs by two points, while the Senators clinched the top spot in the East. The Sens largely dominated the season series by winning 7 of the 8 games (including 3 routs of 8-0, 8-2, and 7-0) which may have been the main catalyst for the Leafs. Ottawa TV station CJOH even called it "The Public Beating of Ontario".

Avalanche-Red Wings Rivalry

The groundwork for the rivalry between the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings was laid well before Denver even had a NHL franchise, during games between Detroit and the Quebec Nordiques. Once the Nordiques moved to Denver, the small rivalry still existed. On their way to a Stanley Cup, the Avalanche (second in the league only to the Red Wings but by a whopping 27 points) were forced to face Detroit in the 1996 Western Conference Finals. During Game 6, Claude Lemieux, who had won the Conn Smythe Trophy the year before with the New Jersey Devils when they swept the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, checked Kris Draper into the boards as Draper was leaving the ice, giving him a concussion, broken cheek bones, and several facial lacerations. Red Wings players refused to shake Lemieux's hands during the handshake ceremony at the end of the series.[citation needed]

Next season, during the final game between them in the regular season, the incident known now as the Brawl in Hockeytown, the Red Wings' Darren McCarty got into a fight with Lemieux. Patrick Roy went out to assist but was stopped by Brendan Shanahan as both teams erupted into a huge brawl. Detroit won the fight and also the game in overtime. The teams would meet again in the Western Conference Finals that same year. Tied one game a piece going to Detroit, the Red Wings won both of their home games. A Game 4 6-0 win would provide the Avalanche with enough anger to get their own six-goal shutout in game five. Game 6 saw a different playing style from the last two games for the Red Wings, where they switched to defense to win the conference and eventually, the Stanley Cup.

The next year the Avalanche wouldn't make it past the first round, being upset by the Edmonton Oilers. In 1999, they did meet again in the second round with Detroit looking to get its third title in a row. Colorado was the lower seeded team but Detroit's starting goaltender Chris Osgood had sustained a groin injury in the final game of the previous round against the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. Behind backup goalie Bill Ranford Detroit managed to win the first two games but Colorado came back for four straight to win the series, including the clinching game six at Joe Louis Arena, despite the fact that Osgood had come back early from his injury to start game 5. The Red Wings had acquired Chris Chelios at the trade deadline and Colorado fans often poke fun at how that was unable to lead Detroit to a three-peat.

In 2000, the teams met again in the second round, with Colorado being seeded higher because it won its division despite Detroit having a better regular season record. The Avalanche took the first three games, while the Red Wings managed to win back one, but the Avalanche prevailed in game five held on their home ice.

Colorado's Adam Deadmarsh played a key role in defeating Detroit during the 1999 and 2000 playoffs. Near the 2001 trade deadline, Deadmarsh was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, and with the Kings he helped to defeat the Red Wings in the first round, prompting Detroit captain Steve Yzerman to remark that Deadmarsh was "killing them". Ironically, Deadmarsh would meet his former team in the second round, though the Avalanche prevailed in a hard-fought seven-game series.

In 2002, Colorado and Detroit both made it to the Western Conference Finals. Detroit had won four straight after losing the first two in the first round against the Vancouver Canucks then won a series four games to one against St. Louis Blues. Colorado had been forced to game sevens by both of their other opponents, the Los Angeles Kings and the San Jose Sharks. The series was tied going into a game seven wherein the Red Wings scored seven goals and earned a shutout. As with the teams' other meetings in the Conference Finals, the winner went on to win the Cup.

In recent seasons, the rivalry has been very much muted, mainly due to Colorado being a non-factor in the Western Conference Playoff race as of the 2006-07 season, the fact that the two teams have not met in the playoffs since the 2002-03 season, and many of the key players on both teams either retired, or playing for other teams.

Blues-Blackhawks Rivalry

Not unlike the Major League Baseball rivalry between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs, the Chicago Blackhawks and St. Louis Blues share an intense hatred of each other. Separated by 300 miles and at one time owned by the same man (Arthur Wirtz, who had a stake in the St. Louis Arena, where the 'Hawks farm club, the St. Louis Braves, played before the Blues entered the NHL in 1967), the clubs have been in the same division (Western 1970-74, Smythe 1974-81, Norris 1981-93, Central 1993-present) since 1970. The matchups were at a hilt in the early '90s, when both teams had well-known stars such as Denis Savard, Chris Chelios and Ed Belfour for the Hawks and Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Curtis Joseph for the Blues and played in old arenas (St. Louis Arena and Chicago Stadium) that were regarded as two of the loudest in the league.

Possibly the greatest moment in the rivalry was the 1993 Norris Division Semifinal: Chicago had won the division handily but got swept by the Blues, winning the series on an overtime goal. Belfour, who said he had been interfered with on the goal by Hull, went on to cause thousands of dollars' worth of damage to the visiting locker room at the Arena, breaking a coffeemaker, hot tub and television among other objects. To this day Belfour refuses to appear in regular-season games in St. Louis: the only exception coming in 1999 when he replaced Roman Turek for the Dallas Stars in the 3rd period of a 4-4 game, and only after Turek had allowed four unanswered goals. When he was spotted skating onto the ice, the Savvis Center crowd greeted him with the "Bellll-foooour" chant, first popularized in the '93 series. Ironically, Hull and "The Eagle" were Dallas teammates in 1998-99, and both critical in the Stars' narrow Cup win that summer, which came at the expense of the Buffalo Sabres and Belfour's former teammate Dominik Hašek.

Although the Hawks have had a large string of bad fortune under Craig Hartsburg, Dirk Graham and Bob Pulford, keeping them out of the playoffs in recent years, whilst the Blues had made the playoffs for 25 successive years (a streak ending with the 2005-06 season), the Blues and Blackhawks did meet in the 2002 Western Conference Quarterfinals. The Blues won the series 4 games to 1.

Other Historical Rivalries

See also

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