As a Toronto fan, I consider Ottawa our biggest rival by far.
Also, maybe it's because of the old Campbell Conference days, but a Toronto-Detroit game gets my blood boiling FAR more than a Toronto-Montreal game. Also, Toronto-Philadelphia in recent years is big for me, although that has been pretty one-sided...
Toronto-Montreal does nothing for me.
Ah, those were the days. Why can't the league see it in their hearts to schedule one game between the Wings and Leafs each season?
One of the best are the Pens-Caps rivalry. Even now, when both teams are at the bottom of the league, they're still exciting and rowdy games to go see.
I can't agree, because frankly I think the rivalry doesnt exist. A lot of Pens fans I talk to couldn't care less about the Caps. It's just the incessant whining of their players and staff after they lost to the Pens in the playoffs that garnered any attention. After losing 6 of 7 series, their management just grew to hate us. before then no one really saw it as a rivalry. And the two teams are only getting built up against eachother now because of Crosby and Ovechkin. Take one away and no one cares.
As for good rivalries, Battle fo Alberta and usally any Atlantic division games. None of the teams like eachother so it makes for an entertaining meeting msot times.
I'm gonna go old school on the best -- Boston/Montreal.
Worst rivalry? If the teams don't care about each other, is it by definition even a rivalry. I am gonna guess something like Columbus v. Panthers Have they even ever played?
If Luongo had stayed, i'd say those games would have become alot more intense .
Teams who play in different conferences, who play each over very little, who are still relatively new franchises are unlikely to have a rivalry.
NYR vs Buffalo could be a rivalry that is beginning to heat up. Last season Grier had a cheap shot Kasper, then kasper went and knocked Conolly for a couple months, maybe some bad blood carries over.
Hopefully after the Sens rebuild is when we'll see a rejuvenated and equal Battle of Ontario.
Why does Ottawa have to rebuild exactly? If I'm not mistaken we actually showed up for the brawl this past season... where Toronto conveniently was absent.
If there's any rebuilding to be done it isn't on our end... and by the looks of it, it appears Toronto has already started the process.
Why does Ottawa have to rebuild exactly? If I'm not mistaken we actually showed up for the brawl this past season... where Toronto conveniently was absent.
If there's any rebuilding to be done it isn't on our end... and by the looks of it, it appears Toronto has already started the process.
Why does Ottawa have to rebuild? Well, I'm pretty sure you can come up with your own answer to that question by looking at past performance in the last 5-6 years. It's clear this team won't come close to the cup.
Why does Ottawa have to rebuild? Well, I'm pretty sure you can come up with your own answer to that question by looking at past performance in the last 5-6 years. It's clear this team won't come close to the cup.
Yeah, with guys like Wade Belak and Andrew Raycroft, your destined for cups .
Why does Ottawa have to rebuild? Well, I'm pretty sure you can come up with your own answer to that question by looking at past performance in the last 5-6 years. It's clear this team won't come close to the cup.
I'm not going to get into it all, because it's a bit off topic..
But we made a couple of adjustments where needed, and should be better prepared... did we rebuild? No. Do we need to? No.
As mentioned, it appears it was more of a concern for Toronto.
Nucks and Flames fans just hate each other. We can respect the other teams players(I can) until game time. When game time happens we hate each other. A flame fan, and a nuck fan can't like each other. It's just too weird. IMO it's the most heated rivalry in hockey right now. The teams hate each other, and the fans hate each other even more.
Last edited by Russian_fanatic: 08-02-2006 at 10:58 PM.
Nucks and Flames fans just hate each other. We can respect the other teams players(I can) until game time. When game time happens we hate each other. A flame fan, and a nuck fan can't like each other. It's just too weird. IMO it's the most heated rivalry in hockey right now. The teams hate each other, and the fans hate each other even more.
Turning on each other now? I knew Flames fans were passionate, but not this insane. Im never gonna piss of a flames fan now. Jesus, imagine what they would do to nucks fans.
It goes past hockey to football, baseball, economics. Pure rivalry.
Worst
Edm-Calgary
Some children take it too far on hockey websites. It's as if a bunch of 16 year olds live their whole lives trashing each other and would rather hang around here and type "Oilers/Flames suck" than go talk to a pretty girl.
Nucks and Flames fans just hate each other. We can respect the other teams players(I can) until game time. When game time happens we hate each other. A flame fan, and a nuck fan can't like each other. It's just too weird. IMO it's the most heated rivalry in hockey right now. The teams hate each other, and the fans hate each other even more.
None of my friends hate Vancouver, how can you hate them?.
I was always confused as to when people get so worked up over Toronto-Montreal. There were so many years when we barely played you guys...I actually like Montreal...
Montreal-Boston is pure hate. Especially on the Boston end.
It goes past hockey to football, baseball, economics. Pure rivalry.
Worst
Edm-Calgary
Some children take it too far on hockey websites. It's as if a bunch of 16 year olds live their whole lives trashing each other and would rather hang around here and type "Oilers/Flames suck" than go talk to a pretty girl.
I guess what's always confused me about the Alberta rivalry is how often I've seen fans of one team root for the other in the playoffs. Respecting your rival is one thing, but, as an example, there are very, very few Islander or Ranger fans who would do anything other than root for a humiliating, bloody defeat for the other side. I'm blown away by how many CGY/EDM fans I meet who say "well, now that my team is out, Im pulling hard for [the other alberta team]". NYers have as much regoinal pride as anyone, but most NYI/NYR fans would rather stick pins in their eyes than see their rivals win anything, certainly not the Cup.
I'm blown away by how many CGY/EDM fans I meet who say "well, now that my team is out, Im pulling hard for [the other alberta team]". NYers have as much regoinal pride as anyone, but most NYI/NYR fans would rather stick pins in their eyes than see their rivals win anything, certainly not the Cup.
To be certain, I have never seen in my entire life any true Oiler fans ever, EVER cheer for the Flamers once. I know there we're casual fans and junior fans cheerings the Flames on during their run in 03-04. I know there we're bandwaggon Flamer fans and junior fans cheering on the Oilers during their recent run. There are kind of common, respectable "Alberta" fans...
However, the hatred runs deep, it is beyond hockey, beyond anything tangible. It's rich in history and the hockey rivalry itself has extended for a century. Do not be mislead by the "tameness" of it over the last few seasons. It picked itself back up last year, and I know for a fact, particularly after E-Town's run to game 7 of the Finals this year that it's gonna be a sight to behold coming up this season.
Lets not go completely nuts here. Edmonton had a nice cinderella run last year. But this year they will be back in the basement watching the playoffs with the other non playoff teams as usual, while Calgary and Vancouver are vying for the Stanley Cup.
It's been 15+ years since you won a stanley cup, maybe not as pathetic as Toronto but certainly not what I'd call a "winning franchise"
Don't try to drag us down to your level because you're bitter that the Leafs are undisputedly the worst team in Canada, and probably one of the worst in the NHL. "As usual"? How often have the Oilers "finished in the basement" enough for you to justify an insult like that with a straight face? You have so much hatred and jealousy towards our team that I'll take everything you say about them with the tiniest grain of salt, thank you very much! "Calgary and Vancouver vying for the Stanley Cup"... Calgary, maybe.
Since Edmonton joined the NHL, we are the winningest team of the Stanley Cup, the Clarence Campbell Trophy, we've been to the finals more than anyone else, almost 200 games over .500 as a franchise, so I think that qualifies us as a "winning franchise" no matter how much you don't like it. Haha!
Don't try to drag us down to your level because you're bitter that the Leafs are undisputedly the worst team in Canada, and probably one of the worst in the NHL. "As usual"? How often have the Oilers "finished in the basement" enough for you to justify an insult like that with a straight face? You have so much hatred and jealousy towards our team that I'll take everything you say about them with the tiniest grain of salt, thank you very much! "Calgary and Vancouver vying for the Stanley Cup"... Calgary, maybe.
Since Edmonton joined the NHL, we are the winningest team of the Stanley Cup, the Clarence Campbell Trophy, we've been to the finals more than anyone else, almost 200 games over .500 as a franchise, so I think that qualifies us as a "winning franchise" no matter how much you don't like it. Haha!
Have they even ever played?
.
Calgary, maybe.
