Colorado or Anaheim?

[DMAC 25 18]

in my opinion i think the ducks and wings have a good rivalry. that was the same with colorado a few years ago. just to see what other people think which one is/could be a bigger rivalry. i know detroit and colorado had great games and it was the biggest rivalry but it seems like thats gone down and now its with the ducks and thats just gettin started. the only thing is that theres not as many fights right now because the red wings dont carry that many fighters.

discuss

sorry guys i was bored in one of my classes and we had computers and i'm always on this website and me and one of my friends were talking about the game and i just wanted to see what others thought, yea i know it wont be as good as colorado but just was seeing what others thought and if u guys thought it would be a good rivalry or not. my bad sorry again

Edited May 8, 2009 by DMAC 25

[55fan 5,133]

The Ducks are my most-hated current team, but they have a looooooooooooong way to go to match Colorado of the 90's. The Ducks have done some damage- Pronger's elbow to Homer's head, Brown's stick to Hudler's head... but nothing like what Lemeow did to Draper.

We have a long way to go before someone has to avenge this:

And even then, who on this team will go out there and do it?

Drapes was seriously injured. Mac and Drapes had a solid friendship that gave Mac's revenge an extra edge. Turtle was unrepentant. Ok, Pronger was unrepentant about Homer's head, but that's about where the similarity ends.

If they do more damage to us and we get them back, then maybe we will start another epic rivalry, but right now, it doesn't look like we have the players to make it happen.

[uk_redwing 495]

You need fights to have a rivalry. Anahiem is the only team than can get Detroit to fight.

Colorado havnt really had a fight against Detroit in years...unless you count a turtle as a fight.

[DMAC 25 18]

You need fights to have a rivalry. Anahiem is the only team than can get Detroit to fight.

Colorado havnt really had a fight against Detroit in years...unless you count a turtle as a fight.

no i'm not saying colorado is a rivalry because its not anymore i'm just kind of comparing the two but someone already said it would be tough to match the wings avs rivalry but it could happen i think but not for a few years

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

IT COULD BE A RIVALRY..

But it's not.. star players make rivalries IMO.. When guys like Dats/Zette up there play so much, where they control games.. when games get heated.. where this whole skate away to the bench and take glove punches to the head mess takes a back seat.. thats a rivalry..

Michigan / Ohio State

Flyers / Penguins

Yankees / Red Sox

those are rivalries. s*** goes down, players elevate there play.. no-one has really elevated there play for this series.

[betterREDthandead 58]

This isn't even remotely close to being in the same galaxy as Wings-Avs.

[NeverForgetMac25 483]

This isn't even remotely close to being in the same galaxy as Wings-Avs.

QFT.

I can't stand the Ducks, but the feelings I had toward the Avalanche from '95-'02 will probably never be matched by any team ever again. Homer glasses off, that was the best rivarly in all of sports. Fans of other teams (and other sports for that matter) will even attest to this.

[OsGOD 3]

Colorado back in the day.... but yeah now its the ducks that is the closest we have till a rivalry...cause well nobody is playing on the avs that was remotely involved in the Wings-Avs rivalry.

Now just wait and see how it goes if there is a Wings-Hawks conference final.... *crosses fingers*

Edited May 8, 2009 by OsGOD

[puckloo39 5,686]

Are you all trying to tell me that Kopecky's brawl last night in Anaheim isn't enough to start an all-out war, never mind a little ol' rivalry?????

j/k

I think a rivalry is appropriate when you have another worthy team in the mix. Colorado had the skilled players and hated players (rightfully so) who could also give the Wings a run for their money in a game, most of the time. In some cases, their players even earned my respect.

Anaheim is a bunch of thugs who win by cheating and gooning it up. Refs on the take, giant goalies or goalies with giant equipment -- say what you will about Wahhh... he was arrogant but he had the goods on the ice to back it up, so, OK. Make a list of what you don't like about hockey, and it's very likely exemplified by Anaheim.

There is no rivalry where I am concerned with the Almighty *ucks. Just hatred for the organization and many of the players. Avs are a shadow of what they were, and that's too bad. Nothing like a legitimate battle between two worthy teams.

[Chunkylover 26]

Bitter defeats breed rivalries. If Detroit beats Anaheim in '07 no rivalry is born, the '03 loss is buried. But the Ducks won and earned our hatred. As far as the Ducks and their fans are concerned there is no reason not to hate the Wings. The Wings are everyone's rivals because they win more than they lose against the rest of the league, but only those teams which knock the Wings out of the playoffs earn the privilege of being Detroit's rivals.

The Avs weren't our rivals because of the hit (though it's occurrence in the playoffs is important) or the regular season fights, but because any given year, one of them was going to knock the other off in the playoffs. Until last season the Penguins had no specific reason to hate the Wings. Then Detroit beat them and a rivalry was born.

The playoffs make rivalries.

[FLWINGSFAN4013 5]

colorado back in the 95-2002 still greater than the ducks......even the goalies fought

i think something can become something between our team and theirs

[NomadFromKazoo 42]

You have to be kidding. The Ducks to the level of the Avs? It has so far to go to reach that level it's not even worth discussing at this point.

[xBrave_Heartx 0]

Colorado back in the day.... but yeah now its the ducks that is the closest we have till a rivalry...cause well nobody is playing on the avs that was remotely involved in the Wings-Avs rivalry.

Now just wait and see how it goes if there is a Wings-Hawks conference final.... *crosses fingers*

Ahmen.

[dat's sick 1,002]

Obviously the rivalry with the Avs was on a whole other level. But I actually hate the Ducks more than I ever hated the Avs.

I always had some respect for Colorado, Lemiux being the exception. They felt like a true, worthy adversary to the Wings. And they had Forsberg.

[betterREDthandead 58]

Obviously the rivalry with the Avs was on a whole other level. But I actually hate the Ducks more than I ever hated the Avs.

I always had some respect for Colorado, Lemiux being the exception. They felt like a true, worthy adversary to the Wings. And they had Forsberg.

True.....whenever the Avs beat us you always felt like it was because they had the better team that time around. Losing to the Ducks always feels like a game we should never lose.

[C-TownWing 0]

Now just wait and see how it goes if there is a Wings-Hawks conference final.... *crosses fingers*

Yeah, I'm going to vote for option C here. Chicago has geography, divisional alignment and history. It's been dead for a while, but definitely coming back in a hurry. The WC was a nice spark, and a WCF showdown would obviously fan the flames in a big way.

The Wings-Avs games were killer. It's possible that the NHL has never seen a higher level of hockey. But rivalries last more than 7 years.

As for the Ducks...given the way they play, I find it hard to believe that they don't have this kind of relationship with 28 other teams as well. As current players/coaches move on, whatever it is will eventually die off too.

[55fan 5,133]

At least we know our goalie can fight.

[miller76 463]

As a Wings fan now a days, it seems as if whoever their playing at the moment is all of the sudden the rival team.

I think the rivalry between Colorado and Detroit was the biggest true rivalry I have seen. I bet if you took a poll in the fan forums these days of Anaheim, San Jose, Chicago, Columbus, and Nashville, they may say, "yeah detroit is our rival"!

[gowingsgo 3]

There is nothing in hockey that currently rivals the diveavalanche Red Wing rivalry of the 90s. Nothing close

[Hossa7.4 0]

True.....whenever the Avs beat us you always felt like it was because they had the better team that time around. Losing to the Ducks always feels like a game we should never lose.

this/

I don't have alot of annimosity towards Col. now, and although I haven't paid attention recently, I will say they drafted fairly well back then.

Dalllas had the least amount of home grown players on their team of the 3 Western Conf. winning teams over the last 15 or so years.

Back in 07 when we lost to the ducks I feel the refs let alot of the clutch and grab go. I don't feel they were the better team at all. In fact, the DRW organisation told Ottawa that our series was called loosly and that they should be prepared for that.

there's no way I feel the ducks are a better team, I do think at least some of it depends on how the refs call the game. If they enforce clutch and grab, obstruction, not letting guys slash and crosscheck away in front of the net advantage Detroit.

not saying line changes and heart do not matter but the style of the play allowed matters, more like the "new" socalled obstruction free NHL will benefit Detroit.

[donfishmaster 62]

At least we know our goalie can fight.

When Osgood has to jump over the Lidstrom/Niedermeyer scrum to drop the gloves and fight an on-rushing Hiller in a 15 minute Battle Royale while Ericcson is pounding PrickPronger's head against the glass and Babcock has that stinking bastard Carlyle by the collar and is heaving him down onto the ice, THEN I will call this a rivalry worthy of the Detroit/Avacramps rivalry!

[DMAC 25 18]

When Osgood has to jump over the Lidstrom/Niedermeyer scrum to drop the gloves and fight an on-rushing Hiller in a 15 minute Battle Royale while Ericcson is pounding PrickPronger's head against the glass and Babcock has that stinking bastard Carlyle by the collar and is heaving him down onto the ice, THEN I will call this a rivalry worthy of the Detroit/Avacramps rivalry!

that would be awsome seeing babcock fight haha he could do some damage i'm sure

[Bender 0]

I was just discussing this topic the other day, and it occurred to me that while the Wings have a legitimate rivalry with both teams, the difference to me is that I at least had respect for the Avalanche. The Ducks, on the other hand, are basically a bunch of goons who get by on sheer tenacity. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when the Wings lose to them, it always seems to me like it's more of matter of Detroit simply not working hard enough.

There were times that no matter how much the Wings wanted it, Colorado was just plain better during some games. Likewise, sometimes Detroit was better. That's what made it exciting to watch - you never knew how it would end up.

Edited May 8, 2009 by Bender

[kidish 0]

The Detroit-Colorado rivalry has no peer in recent years. I doubt I would say it was the best rivalry in all of hockey's long history, but goddamn was it a doozy. I don't think Detroit-Anaheim has that level yet. It has the makings of it, sure--even the controversy that tends to really amp up these things. But maybe it takes a couple more years, another big playoff meet up, before either camp can really claim it is "the" current rivalry in the NHL.

But I will say this for the plucky Anaheim team of apparently "talentless goons and thugs": they make Detroit work much harder than almost any team in the NHL. This matchup is simply fun to watch as a hockey fan, even though most of us hate both of these teams! It is too bad Ovechkin and Crosby met up in this round, because the storylines in this series right here are better: the two last Cup winning teams facing off. It isn't about individuals here, but two teams battling.

Perhaps if these two meet again, the rivalry can intensify. Still...it would take quite a bit to put them up in the Detroit-Colorado sphere.

[VM1138 1,921]

In short, the Colorado-Detroit rivalry was one of the best in sports history.

The Anaheim-Detroit rivalry is great, but nowhere near that. It's simply a great sports rivalry.

EDIT: Someone else mentioned as an aside a possible Detroit-Chicago conference final. THAT, in my mind, would start a really great rivalry. There's already a little bit of "chippyness" to the games between Chicago and Detroit, they have the history, and the storyline is there. It might take years to develop but I think this year (if the Wings can beat the Ducks and Chicago can beat Vancouver) could be the origins of something great.

Oh, and yeah, Anaheim games are always must-see for me. They're the biggest rivalry the Wings have right now.

Edited May 8, 2009 by VM1138