19 replies to this topic

[Nev]

Avs coach Bob Hartley and TV man John Kelly went to a Detroit athletic club one time to play racquetball. The owner found out who they were and denied them admission. That's how serious the rivalry was

And they all hated each other. The cities hated each other and the media hated each other. Boy, do I miss it.

http://www.versus.co...s-a-blood-feud/

[soultrain]

The bitterness fades slightly when you have won the war.

I still hate the av's...haven't got over that yet.

[Travis]

I hate Marc Crawford and various members of those teams - Lemieux, Foote, Ozolinsh, Deadmearsh, etc; but definitely don't have a hatred for the Av's as a team anymore.

[Peadydog]

"Of course, most of the fights came on the ice. Roy-Vernon, round 1. Roy-Osgood round 2. Roy-Hasek round 3 almost happened in 2002, but Hasek tripped over a stick on his way down the ice and stumbled around before things were broken up."

Of course, we all know the stick that Hasek tripped over belonged to Brett Hull. It was his attemp to save Hasek's life!

[wings1110]

these days all of the players involved in any of the brawls would be suspended, its a damn shame

[Crymson]

The bitterness fades slightly when you have won the war.

I still hate the av's...haven't got over that yet.

Aside from when I attend a game in Denver whenever the Wings are in town, I couldn't really care less about the Avs. I cheered when they scored that OT goal against Chicago last week.

[Echolalia]

The feistiness that Howard has already shown in his limited time with the Wings (and in the AHL), I suspect he'll have a fight or two before too long.

[Barrie]

The bitterness fades slightly when you have won the war.

Agreed. The only player I still hate is Lemieux, always will. I'll never get over things he said about Draper in the 1996-97 season.

I'm ok now with Roy, Forsberg, Deadmarsh, and Foote, but Lemieux will be nothing more than scum for the rest of his life.

[selkie]

It really was the perfect blend of highest skill and utter hatred and you just don't see many rivalries where both of those categories manage to be turned up to 11 like that.

[titanium2]

Agreed. The only player I still hate is Lemieux, always will. I'll never get over things he said about Draper in the 1996-97 season.

I'm ok now with Roy, Forsberg, Deadmarsh, and Foote, but Lemieux will be nothing more than scum for the rest of his life.

You're ok with Roy? I'm not. Guy's a moron and he always will be.

[Barrie]

You're ok with Roy? I'm not. Guy's a moron and he always will be.

We beat him 7-0 and embarrassed him, it's all good!

[Howard He Do It?!]

The Wings are creating new memories with the Avs by blowing leads and constantly losing to them in the SO.

Edited by Howard He Do It?!, 12 October 2010 - 10:07 PM.

[Nev]

Agreed. The only player I still hate is Lemieux, always will. I'll never get over things he said about Draper in the 1996-97 season.

That's right, Draper deserved it because he was "yapping"

[Crymson]

You're ok with Roy? I'm not. Guy's a moron and he always will be.

He'll always be a vicious danger to doors everywhere. He must be stopped!

Edited by Crymson, 13 October 2010 - 03:09 AM.

[Bring Back The Bruise Bros]

Sucks to see the last parts of that rivalry retiring. Aaron Ward, Kirk Maltby..There's only a few guys remaining from the rivalry (Which, in my mind, started in 1996 and ended in 2002, but that's just me). Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Draper, Osgood, and Datsyuk (entered at the tail end of the rivalry) for Detroit, and Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk for Colorado. The big pieces to the rivalry (Yzerman, Forsberg, Shanahan, McCarty, Lemieux, Deadmarsh, Sakic, Lacroix, Vernon, Roy, Yelle, De Vries, Ward, etc.) Are gone. The only guys I really still hate are Lemieux, Roy, and Forsberg.

[Travis]

Sucks to see the last parts of that rivalry retiring. Aaron Ward, Kirk Maltby..There's only a few guys remaining from the rivalry (Which, in my mind, started in 1996 and ended in 2002, but that's just me). Lidstrom, Holmstrom, Draper, Osgood, and Datsyuk (entered at the tail end of the rivalry) for Detroit, and Adam Foote and Milan Hejduk for Colorado. The big pieces to the rivalry (Yzerman, Forsberg, Shanahan, McCarty, Lemieux, Deadmarsh, Sakic, Lacroix, Vernon, Roy, Yelle, De Vries, Ward, etc.) Are gone. The only guys I really still hate are Lemieux, Roy, and Forsberg.

Ugh, Greg De Vries was such a ******, too.

[PROBIE4PREZ]

The Wings are creating new memories with the Avs by blowing leads and constantly losing to them in the SO.

Exactly ... +1 Schrute buck

Edited by PROBIE4PREZ, 13 October 2010 - 03:54 PM.

[Travis]

Exactly ... +1 Schrute buck

[deetroit dario]

true story...
back in those days ('98-'01) i worked at the mobil station in milford, across from the shell station. guy pulls into the lot with colorado plates. we get to chatting, he tells me he's just moved here. i ask if he'll be switching sides and rooting wings now. he says he'll stick with his avs. my exact words were "then you can get your ass and your things and get the f*** out...you go to shell for gas and coffee now."

he comes in the next day to complain to my boss (who is a die hard wings fan), who says to him (exact words once again) "so why are you here? he did tell you to get the f*** out and don't come back, didn't he? god, avs fans are sof****** dumb!!!"

miss those days. and kathy, you were the bestest boss ever!!

[Datsyerberger]

I loved the old rivalry. Loved the action and still love seeing the clips and memoirs.

That said, I don't miss it at all. In large part, this is because how short-lived and hot-burning that particular fire was is part of what made it so great. In my opinion, if it carried on to a new generation of players who weren't involved first hand in the animosity or tried to live through an incarnation of the rules that didn't support it, it would dilute the legacy and make the whole thing less interesting. The Wings-Av rivalry was and will remain legendary because of how it started, how passionate it was and, yes, because it ended. It's a period that's clearly definable and you can see the tingle of it in every bit of action from the period.

I'm hoping that the Nucks-Hawks rivalry is likewise on the same track. It sprung up in the middle of nowhere, between unlikely teams (two teams that are largely composed of skill), and is very 'pure' in the animosity between fans and players. This is opposed to the largely media created and fueled rivalry of the Caps/Pens.

These rivalries are also different than longstanding regional rivalries such as Wings/Hawks, Pens/Pitt, etc. They're unpredictable and unforgiving, and that's why they're so lovable.

Alas, I don't see the Avs as a rival anymore. If anything, as a team stocking young talent while we often seek veterans, I see them as a potential ally. Certainly, they're competing with one of our biggest 'threats' right now in Vancouver, and when they're not playing the Wings, I wish them the best of luck. Nowadays, I direct my animosity towards the Ducks... and there's clearly something existing between the players of both teams towards eachother.