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Life Without Rivalries?
by IwoCPO on 11/25/07 at 04:52 PM ET
Comments (5)
We, the even-keeled staffers here at A2Y, admit that the Dive no longer present us with the rivalry we enjoyed so much for nearly six years. We’ve come to grips with the fact that a team who misses the playoffs doesn’t provide the level of competition required to sustain the sort of hate-fest that we thrived on up until Roy’s failed State of Liberty in ‘02.
And, yes, we’ve been searching for a replacement. Last night may have given a glimpse into what could be a future rival. But, honestly, there is none. Not now.
Greg Eno has more on this.
Looking around the NHL the other day, I couldn’t come up with a single team that elicits anything close to the hostility that the Red Wings mustered up against the Colorado Avalanche a decade ago. Thanks to the league’s ridiculous unbalanced schedule, you can forget about getting anything going with any of the teams from the Eastern Conference. The Red Wings hardly play those teams anymore. It should be noted that residing in the East are such Original Six teams as the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, once fierce rivals with the team from Detroit. No longer, thanks to enforced separation.
Another reason to read? A quote you may have forgotten from Patrick Roy that will remind you of what an ass he is and was.
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Comments
I’ve got to agree with W2j2—while we may not hate them with the burning thousand suns that we still hate teams like the Avs and Leafs with, the Wings’ pair of games against the Ducks were charged and vicious, the Sharks absolutely despise us now, and we don’t like them, and I honestly think that Tuesday’s game against Calgary will be a little spicy…
But the Hawks beating us four times? It’s gone from the BS about the tough times being “Good for the league” to,
“Dear Robert Lang,
“You seem to be playing really well for Chicago. We Wings fans were wondering when exactly during the process of moving from Bloomfield Hills to Chicago that you found the little sack where you put your balls—and then lost them for two seasons—while playing here.
Love,
Red Wings fans”
The Hawks’ grins when their little punks run us into the boards and their little superstar boy-men score on us (or when the ex-Wing club of Lang, Williams, Lapointe, and The Defector [Sopel]) do something well makes me stew with hatred. They’re an Original Six rival, and I grew up back in the day when Dirk Graham, Steve Larmer, Michel Goulet, Jeremy Roenick, Gary Suter, Keith Brown, Chris Chelios, and Eddie Belfour would come into the Joe and regularly hand our asses to us, so as far as I’m concerned, I hate the “revival”—the longer that Chicago and their fans were curled up in the fetal position, on the ground, while the rest of the NHL repeatedly kicked their groins was one big blur of a good time, and their, “If we can beat the Red Wings, we must be Cup Contenders” media attitude pisses me off. I want to see the Wings make that team, its whiny media, and its bandwagon fans suffer.
Posted by George Malik from South Lyon, MI on 11/25/07 at 08:58 PM ET
George Eno also disses the “unbalanced schedule” homered by Devils’ GM Lou Lamoriello. I hate it. I absolutely abhor to pieces for the last three years (I’m not counting the lockout year). I’m sick of seeing the same Central Division teams eight times and traveling THOUSANDS of miles back-and-forth with other Western Conference teams who are just as pissed off about the unbalanced travel all the while Lamoriello revels in the comfort that HIS players don’t have to travel as hard and as far so he saves money for HIS team. It was all about him after all. Right, Louie???
Rumor has it on foxsports.com that the League is finally doing away with the unbalanced schedule…FINALLY! It is reported that the League is going with a modified version of the Red Wings proposal of an 84-game, home-and-home series with all 15 Eastern Conference teams schedule. ‘Bout damn time…
As for recent rivalries. The Wings/Slides rivalry had no equal in the NHL and ESPN was there at the right time to document the whole affair. It was riveting sports TV at its best. The closest thing to that right now would indeed be the Ducks and even more so because of a number of former Wings on that team (notably Schneider and Bertuzzi). But let’s not forget that Babcock also has a bit of a history with the Ducks from the Cincinnati team (which at one point was shared with the Detroit Red Wings as a farm team) to the Ducks team that nearly won it against the Devils. So, yeah, lots of reason to hype up the rivalry with the Ducks but for true rivalry? Nothing like the Wings/Slides rivalry from 1995 to 2002.
Posted by SYF from a "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" on 11/26/07 at 12:08 AM ET
Some simple things need to happen for something to be called a rivalry:
1) Playoff meetings::: nothing more important than whopping butt when everything is on the line. Note the hatred Calgary and San Jose have for us and we for Progner…
2) speaking of the devil, there needs to be a vicious incident; I think the tag team on Homer counts, not to mention the physics lesson P-dumdiddy offered afterwards…
3) Hateable people; people have offered several people from other teams, and my own vote is for Sasquatch. The flip question, however, is who do we have that inspires hate? No more Mac, or jabbering Shanny, or who-the-hell-ever the Dive hated. Downey, Drake, Kopecky, Maltby need to be those guys…
Posted by srt on 11/26/07 at 01:04 AM ET
George hits it right on the head with
the longer that Chicago and their fans were curled up in the fetal position, on the ground, while the rest of the NHL repeatedly kicked their groins was one big blur of a good time
and, from the previous post
I would rather have boring wins in perpetuity against Central Division doormats
Every time I hear this “good for the league” stuff I have to shake my head… yeah, yeah, yeah, I know that somebody should be looking out for the good of the league… but it sure as hell doesn’t have to be me. Not when I’m watching the team that I’m a fanatic about.
When we talk about obstruction, et. al., I can think about good for the league. When we talk about the schedule I can think about good for the league. Maybe. But when I’m watching I’d like the Wings to razzle-dazzle their way to 9-0 victories every time. Well, almost every time. I suppose it’s ok to intersperse a few games of the let them think they might have a chance and then yank it away variety, like Filppula did with his last-minute goal a few weeks ago — especially if they do that to the teams I really hate.
Posted by BobTheZee on 11/26/07 at 06:17 PM ET
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I would have to say the Ducks have the best potential, what with Pronger, Perry and company. Ron Wilson & Joe Thornton’s Sharks are in there, and just maybe Robert Lang, Patrick Sharp & the Hawks. Rivalries do not begin overnight…They require lingering nastiness…..
Posted by w2j2 from Michigan on 11/25/07 at 06:39 PM ET