The Best Rivalry in Sports.

A few of the highlights:


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Dec. 3, 1995: Patrick Roy, then a star Montreal goalie, argued with the team's coach and president after an 11-1 rout by the Red Wings the day before, was suspended indefinitely by the Canadiens and placed on the trading block.


Roy, who led the Canadiens to Stanley Cups in 1986 and 1993, was upset that coach Mario Tremblay left him in a game in which he was being shelled. He was traded to Colorado three days later.


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May 29, 1996: In Game 6 of the Western Conference final, Claude Lemieux's blind-side check on Kris Draper sent the Red Wings forward into the boards face-first. Draper suffered a fractured jaw, broken nose, severe facial cut and had to undergo surgery. Colorado won the game, which eliminated Detroit and sent the Avs to their first Stanley Cup final, which they won.


In a strongly worded decision handed down later, the NHL termed Lemieux's hit a "cheap shot" and "premeditated" and suspended him for the first two games of the Cup final.


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March 26, 1997: Lemieux, playing his first game in Detroit since the hit on Draper, was hammered by Darren McCarty in a first-period brawl.


The trouble began with a collision between Detroit's Igor Larionov and Colorado's Peter Forsberg along the boards. McCarty then decked Lemieux with a straight right hand and hit him with several lefts after he went down.


The McCarty-Lemieux battle drew Roy out of the crease. Brendan Shanahan intercepted him at centre ice and knocked him down.


Detroit goalie Mike Vernon then entered the fray and easily got the best of Roy. Neither goalie was penalized for leaving the crease.


Lemieux, Roy and Forsberg were bloodied in the melee.


McCarty scored the winning goal 39 seconds into overtime of a 6-5 Detroit victory.


The Red Wings gained momentum from the game, ousting Colorado from the playoffs a few weeks later during their drive to the Stanley Cup championship.


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April 1, 1998: Call it Goalie Fight II. Detroit netminder Chris Osgood punched out Roy, the highlight of a melee that broke out in the third period of a 2-0 Detroit win.


The main event started in front of the benches when Warren Rychel got into it with Detroit's Bob Rouse. Within seconds, everyone on the ice was fighting. At that point, Roy slipped off his mask and skated to centre ice, gesturing for Osgood to come out.


Osgood, unstrapping his mask as he headed to the showdown, completely dominated the taller Roy. The 19,983 fans in Joe Louis Arena were chanting Osgood's name as he and Roy were ejected.


"It's Colorado playing Detroit, and that (fighting) seems to be part of the game," Rychel said. "They don't like us, and we don't like them."


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May 18, 1999: Colorado eliminated Detroit from the playoffs in the second round.


The six-game victory ended Detroit's quest for a third straight Stanley Cup.


"I honestly believed we were going to win this," Shanahan said. "Even being down 3-2."


The Avalanche won four straight games after losing the first two.


It was only the fourth time in team history the Red Wings had lost three home games in a playoff series, and the first since 1966.


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May 5, 2000: The Avalanche again bounced the Red Wings from the playoffs, this time in five games.


Colorado's Bob Hartley became the first coach to beat Wings coach Scotty Bowman in back-to-back playoff series.


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March 23, 2002: A fight started when Detroit's Kirk Maltby ran into Roy and ended up in the Colorado goal.


Roy jumped on Maltby after the collision and hit him several times while both players were lying in the net. A scrum broke out in front of the net, then each player paired off with an opponent as gloves and sticks flew across the ice.


Detroit goalie Dominik Hasek jumped into the fray a few seconds later, skating the length of the ice before slipping into the back of Roy. Officials had to separate the two goalies, who took off their masks and jawed at each other halfway down the ice.

as much as I love the Avs-Wings rivalry, which is the best current rivalry in hockey, unfortuneately it is not the best rivalry in sports. That award goes to the Red Sox and Yankees, no other rivalry has the history that the Sox and Yanks do.

Who wrote this?

Who wrote this?

obviously a wings fan...

as much as I love the Avs-Wings rivalry, which is the best current rivalry in hockey, unfortuneately it is not the best rivalry in sports. That award goes to the Red Sox and Yankees, no other rivalry has the history that the Sox and Yanks do.



:handclap: :handclap: :handclap:

and OSU-Michigan...and Army-Navy

obviously a wings fan...

Either that or a writer with a monster bias. The whole thing is slanted torwards the Wings perspective.

Who wrote this?

obviously a wings fan...


http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/020517/6/mgqo.html

What, you no likey?

Either that or a writer with a monster bias. The whole thing is slanted torwards the Wings perspective.

Please, why don't you give me your perspective on our rivalry? Ya, I thought so...

I am a Wings fan, but as far as the bias goes, I think when Lemieux laid the hit on Drapes, the Wings perspective became more central (Avs became the bad guys - so to speak, from a "constructing a storyline" media slant). Since then, the Wings have become more of the bad guys with the skyrocketing payroll and the 2 first round exits (America hates an underachiever).

The one thing that's just flat out wrong though is that Osgood beat Roy. Man, it wasn't the beating Vernon gave Roy, but it was pretty clear that Roy slapped Chris around. I remember them cutting to Ozzie's mom in the audience cringing.

Plus a couple things I'd add:
1. Crawford going nuts in the Conf. championship and Bowman saying, "I know your father and he wouldn't be very proud right now..."
2. The fact that the Avs first game (an Avs win - unassuming but foreshadowing) was against the Wings.
3. The last season as Nordiques, 1 overall but losing to a veteran Rangers (8 seed) squad (lessons learned)
4. The last reg. season head to head at the Joe in the first year of the Avs. Wings fans had realized that the Avs were good, but saw this as a test. Lit Roy up again, and then took the Avs too lightly in the playoffs.
5. That playoffs - game 1 - Coffey nets a hattrick, one to force ot, but one in his own net.
6. Some of the classic quotes "I can't believe I shook his friggin' hand" Cicerelli, "They're a bunck of homers. Homers" Keane


As for rivalries, in the spring, Avs Wings will heat up. But with Sox and Yanks, I don't know. I mean when it's so lopsided, I'm not sure it's all that great of a rivalry. I don't think there is a definitive one right now. Avs- Wings definitely held the torch for a while though.

The one thing that's just flat out wrong though is that Osgood beat Roy. Man, it wasn't the beating Vernon gave Roy, but it was pretty clear that Roy slapped Chris around. I remember them cutting to Ozzie's mom in the audience cringing.

THANK YOU! you are the FIRST wings fan that i have seen admit that osgood didn't beat roy's ass. i'd have been fine if you said it was a draw as well, but i get so sick of hearing that osgood won. the fact that the AP had that in their timeline shows that it was probably a wings fan writing the article or whatever.

As for rivalries, in the spring, Avs Wings will heat up. But with Sox and Yanks, I don't know. I mean when it's so lopsided, I'm not sure it's all that great of a rivalry. I don't think there is a definitive one right now. Avs- Wings definitely held the torch for a while though.

All well said. There's definitely been a lot more respect than hatred between the teams in recent meetings, but all it will take is a slash by Maltby or a near-murder by Worrell to get things going again. I really want to see the grind lines go at each other, the Avs (when we get everyone back on the top lines) have their best 3rd line in years, and the Wings always have that Maltby, Draper and McCarty line. Ought to be good.

It would also be a lot easier to hate the Wings with Hatcher in the lineup. I don't think anyone likes that guy who isn't a fan of the team he's on at the time, and even then I can't be sure. ;)

6. Some of the classic quotes "I can't believe I shook his friggin' hand" Cicerelli, "They're a bunck of homers. Homers" Keane

You can remember all of that, but you can't spell CICCARELLI! What kind of Wings fan are you? No, I'm just kiddin buddy.

Uhum, Enoch buddy, still waiting.

THANK YOU! you are the FIRST wings fan that i have seen admit that osgood didn't beat roy's ass. i'd have been fine if you said it was a draw as well, but i get so sick of hearing that osgood won. the fact that the AP had that in their timeline shows that it was probably a wings fan writing the article or whatever.

To be totally truthful with you, I say it was a draw in that tilt. It looked a little fuzzy being that Roy kinda tripped and Ossy landed on top of him by the boards and everyone thinks Ozzy won because of that. Not to mention that Roy splits like a peach whenever He gets hit.

You can remember all of that, but you can't spell CICCARELLI! What kind of Wings fan are you? No, I'm just kiddin buddy.

Uhum, Enoch buddy, still waiting.


yeah, yeah, I was typing too fast. As evidenced by the fact that I managed to spell "bunch" wrong.

aditya ;)

THANK YOU! you are the FIRST wings fan that i have seen admit that osgood didn't beat roy's ass. i'd have been fine if you said it was a draw as well, but i get so sick of hearing that osgood won. the fact that the AP had that in their timeline shows that it was probably a wings fan writing the article or whatever.


Yeah, what's worse is that the casual Wings fan in Det often thinks this "Osgood win" was in other game - the real game (3/26/97). I think a lot of it has to do with the undeserved criticism Vernon took in Det. You'd think with 2 trips to the final, a cup win and the Conn Smythe he'd silence the critics, but he never really managed to in Det. Anyway, back to the point, I know some people who "remember" Vernon losing the second fight (the year he wasn't even on the team anymore).

That's the worst list I've ever seen regarding the history of the NHL's best rivalry of the late '90's.

They missed out on so many things and totally make the Wings come out like angels.

Where was Slava Kozlov slamming Adam Foote's head into the boards and bloodying up his face during the 1996 playoffs? How about the Lemieux-McCarty fight 1 second into an early 1998 game? Mike Keane calling the Wings "gutless" for waiting to attack Lemieux at home when they had their first chance in Colorado a few weeks prior? Two Avs having to be carted off in stretchers due to borderline dirty hits by Marty Lapointe and Aaron Ward in a December 1997 game?

I can't believe a published article stated that Osgood beat Roy. That fight was more lopsided than Vernon-Roy the year before, as it should have been, since Ozzy is a midget.

That's the worst list I've ever seen regarding the history of the NHL's best rivalry of the late '90's.

They missed out on so many things and totally make the Wings come out like angels.

Where was Slava Kozlov slamming Adam Foote's head into the boards and bloodying up his face during the 1996 playoffs? How about the Lemieux-McCarty fight 1 second into an early 1998 game? Mike Keane calling the Wings "gutless" for waiting to attack Lemieux at home when they had their first chance in Colorado a few weeks prior? Two Avs having to be carted off in stretchers due to borderline dirty hits by Marty Lapointe and Aaron Ward in a December 1997 game?

I can't believe a published article stated that Osgood beat Roy. That fight was more lopsided than Vernon-Roy the year before, as it should have been, since Ozzy is a midget.

Jesus Christ, I agreee with everything you just said. Must be the sign of the apocolypse.

That's the worst list I've ever seen regarding the history of the NHL's best rivalry of the late '90's.

They missed out on so many things and totally make the Wings come out like angels.

Where was Slava Kozlov slamming Adam Foote's head into the boards and bloodying up his face during the 1996 playoffs? How about the Lemieux-McCarty fight 1 second into an early 1998 game? Mike Keane calling the Wings "gutless" for waiting to attack Lemieux at home when they had their first chance in Colorado a few weeks prior? Two Avs having to be carted off in stretchers due to borderline dirty hits by Marty Lapointe and Aaron Ward in a December 1997 game?

Was it Maltby who slashed Kamensky and broke his forearm, or am I way off?

Was it Maltby who slashed Kamensky and broke his forearm, or am I way off?

Yes it was Kirk "Lumberjack" Maltby.

:handclap: :handclap: :handclap:

and OSU-Michigan...and Army-Navy

Colorado - Detroit is the current best hockey rivalry. However, if you want to watch two teams absolutely hate each other and want to literally kill one another - watch the Summit Series between Team Canada and The Soviets in 1972. Nothing in hockey has ever come close to this. These guys didn't get paid one cent and played without regard for their bodies. For any Americans who aren't familiar with this series, I highly recommend you go out and buy the DVD reliving the event. You won't be disapointed.

You can remember all of that, but you can't spell CICCARELLI! What kind of Wings fan are you? No, I'm just kiddin buddy.

Uhum, Enoch buddy, still waiting.

Good lord dude, I posted on this thread yesterday, and return to have several posts with you calling me out? Get a grip!

I'm not going to go into detail, but the article is clearly written in a favorable manner to the Wings. I saw the fights, and it definitely didn't look like a "clear win" for Osgood, etc. It mentions nothing of the cheapshots etc. thrown by the Wings, or any of the bad things they did. Yet, it harps on Claude, and how cheap he was.

What a piece of crap article. Or at least, what you posted of it anyways.

Yes it was Kirk "Lumberjack" Maltby.

OK, then I think I can trace my hatred for him back to that very incident.

Wait, maybe Rangers-Celtic.

I think you may be right (although a few Turkish footballing rivalries may come close!). And have you seen those South Americans when someone starts showboating??? Mass brawls, players chased down the tunnel...

The Avs-Wings rivalry stopped being the best rivalry in hockey a couple of years ago. There are plenty more entertaining rivalries now. Avs and Canucks is a better rivalry for the Avs. Wish this outdated hype would stop.

The Avs-Wings rivalry stopped being the best rivalry in hockey a couple of years ago. There are plenty more entertaining rivalries now. Avs and Canucks is a better rivalry for the Avs. Wish this outdated hype would stop.
More like outdated hopes IMO. I've seen most of hte Avs-Wings tilts since the dawn of hte rivalry, and after the Avs cleanly (minus the Forsberg hit on Shanahan) dropped the Wings during the 99 season, the rivalry took a turn for the worse. Every game since then, I, along with other fans surely, had hoped for something big. These hopes and letdowns were epitomized when Dominik "slipped" on that stick "trying" to get at Roy.

And yes, Roy smacked Osgood around quite well. Not to the degree that Vernon did to him one year prior, but Osgood was struggling to even throw a decent punch. The very next offseason, the Avs drafted Scott Parker in the first round. This move was expected to further the rivalry, but the Wings never produced an opponent for Parker to fight in the coming years. IIRC, Parker's first game was agaisnt the Wings. I still remember the teams slowly going to the lockerrooms during the first intermission as the jawwed at each other. Parker, who towered over every since Wing was right in the middle of it.

And another mention should at least go to the Forsberg/Shanahan hit during Game 3 (I think it was) in 99 which I mentioned above. It was called as boarding, and in the end Shanahan ended up with some nice croche marks above his eye brow. It arguably was the watershed moment in the series, as the Avs went on to light up Bill Ranford, and then Chris Osgood as they cruised on to the next round.

Other than that, the Avs-Wings games have been of a lower intensity. Still hard fought agressive battles, but certainly blown out of proportion by the media. The Avs-Canucks rivalry and the Avs-Kings rivalry of a season and a half ago IMO have been bigger since the Cup year.

I enjoyed the rivalry, but at the same time, I can acknowledge that it's over--or at the very least on hiatus. Most of those involved on the Avs side have departed (starting with Crawford, working down to Roy), but still many of the Wings culprits still remain. You'll also notice that the Avs-Stars hatred has died down to a minimum as well.

as much as I love the Avs-Wings rivalry, which is the best current rivalry in hockey, unfortuneately it is not the best rivalry in sports. That award goes to the Red Sox and Yankees, no other rivalry has the history that the Sox and Yanks do.


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Blah-blah..so say the americans.. I'd take Habs-leafs and Habs-bruins over that anyday.

Baseball and rivalries...that just doesnt seem to click with me. I mean..fighting in baseball is so stupid and pre-meditated..there's no point to it..and when it happens they all suck..basically a rivalry in baseball is when two teams seem to play each other a lot in big games and make some trades that piss one of the teams off.

Come on..gimme a hockey rivalry over those anyday..the blood..hostility..the fighting that happened quite often in the stands..the grit when these two teams would play(say habs-leafs)..the intensity in which a game is played...Baseball has absolutely no intensity..in fact, it's too damn dull.

That rivalry is just put up by the media and the whiner boston fans..

roy calling osgood to center ice was a funny sight.