Ranking the top 5 greatest NHL rivalries of all-time
The NHL has been the home to some of the most intense sports rivalries of all-time. Let’s take a look at the five best rivalries to ever hit the ice.
Hockey is a sport known for its intensity. So it shouldn’t be surprising that some of the most intense rivalries of all-time have come from the NHL. Even to this day, there are teams that just flat out hate each other and aren’t ashamed to admit it.
Though there have been countless rivalries in the NHL, let’s take a look at the five best. There are several factors that we’ll consider, including how hot tensions got between the teams, the history of the rivalry, and how intense (and long) its peak was. Also, I tried not to include any team more than once, though one team is on the list twice.
First, let’s get started with some honorable mentions.
The Best Of The Rest
Montreal Canadiens Vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
This is one of the most storied rivalries in hockey. As recently as the late 1970s, the two teams faced each other in the postseason on a fairly regular basis, as they have squared off 13 times. However, 1979 was the last time they faced each other in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
While this rivalry is still relevant to this day, the Canadiens have a much greater rival that we’ll get to later on.
Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
I really wanted to include this rivalry on the list. However, much like the Maple Leafs, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a much greater rival who they’ve had many great battles against, both in the regular season and postseason.
New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders
What impresses me the most about this rivalry is it doesn’t matter how bad (or good) either team is. A game between the Rangers and Islanders will always be an outstanding spectacle. Whenever they play, you can expect the unexpected. The Rangers hate the Islanders so much, they chant “Potvin Sucks” even when they aren’t playing the Islanders.
5. Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames
Edmonton and Calgary are natural rivals in just about everything because of their close proximity to each other. They compete in just about everything and hockey is no different. The Oilers only had to wait one year to find their rivals, as the Flames moved from Atlanta to Calgary in 1980.
Since then, the two sides have hated each other’s guts and have provided some incredible moments. Their first meeting in the Stanley Cup Playoffs came in 1983, with the Oilers beating the Flames in five games. In 1984, the two sides had an all-time classic series, with the Oilers besting the Flames in seven games. 1985 saw yet another postseason meeting, but this time, the Flames came out ahead in seven games.
They didn’t face again until 1988, when the Oilers swept the Flames. 1991 saw yet another classic series, with Edmonton coming out ahead in seven games. They haven’t faced each other in the postseason since then, but they might get the chance to do so in 2020.
What stands out to me about this rivalry is how intense it is. Let’s face it, the Oilers and Flames haven’t been great in recent years. But it doesn’t matter when these two teams play. There’s a playoff atmosphere in every Battle of Alberta. It’s something that every hockey fan should experience at least once.
4. Chicago Blackhawks vs. Detroit Red Wings
Much like Calgary and Edmonton, Chicago and Detroit are natural rivals. The Pistons annoyed the living heck out of the Bulls early in Michael Jordan’s career and the Bears and Lions have never liked each other. But the greatest rivalry between these two cities was the one between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.
As two of the oldest teams in the league, the Blackhawks and Red Wings have faced each other a ton of times. 820 times, if you want to be precise. In 739 regular season games, the Red Wings have the advantage with a 369-271-84-15 record. However, the Blackhawks have the advantage in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with a 43-36-0-2 record.
The rivalry was at its best in the 1960s, when the two teams faced each other in the postseason five times from 1961 to 1966. One of those times (1961) was in the Stanley Cup Final, which was won by the Blackhawks in six games. However, the 1980s and 1990s saw a bit of a resurgence.
The Blackhawks remained the Red Wings greatest rival until 1996. We’ll get to that later. But the rivalry died out when the Red Wings moved to the Eastern Conference in 2013. Still, hats off to one heck of a rivalry that lasted for nearly 90 years.
3. Washington Capitals vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
You might as well call a playoff series between the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins “the Stanley Cup Final” because recently, the winners of the series between the two teams has gone on to lift the Stanley Cup that season. This happened in 2009, 2016, and 2017 with the Penguins and in 2018 with the Capitals.
The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups. During each of those championship runs, the Pens beat the Caps in a postseason series. Their first meeting came in 1991, which the Penguins won. They met again in 1992, again with the Pens coming out on top. It wasn’t until 1994 that the Capitals finally got the best of their rivals, besting them in six games.
This rivalry is undeniably a bit one-sided, as the Penguins have beaten the Capitals in nine of their 11 postseason meetings and they hold the regular season advantage as well. But despite the one-sidedness, this is a matchup that consistently delivers excellence.
It has become especially intense since 2005, when both Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin emerged on the scene. They’re two of the greatest players of all-time and they often bring out the best in each other. Though Crosby’s come out on top more often, that just made Ovechkin’s triumph in 2018 that much sweeter for him.
This rivalry admittedly hasn’t lasted as long as others on this list. But very few rivalries, regardless of sport, have ever maintained such a high level of intensity of over a decade.
2. Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
The oldest rivalry in the NHL exists between the Montreal Canadiens and Boston Bruins. They’ve faced each other 927 times, enough for 11 full 82-game seasons and some change. The two teams have combined to win 29 Stanley Cups, which is over 25% of all the Stanley Cups awarded. Most of those, though, have come from the Canadiens, who have won 23 Stanley Cups in the NHL (24 if you include the 1915-16 season, which wasn’t in the NHL).
They first faced each other way back in 1924. Since then, the two sides, much like Batman and Joker, have been destined to do battle with each other until the end of time. The Canadiens have come out on top more often than not, but the Bruins have always been a very worthy adversary of the NHL’s most successful franchise. The rivalry saw its height back in 1955 thanks to the Richard Riot.
In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, the two teams can’t seem to avoid each other, as they’ve faced each other 34 times. They’ve almost always been in the same division and both teams are usually in the playoffs, so this shouldn’t be too surprising to fans of either team.
Even though the Canadiens hold the advantage, it hasn’t always been one-sided. The Bruins had an advantage in the late 1960s and early 1970s thanks to the efforts of defenseman Bobby Orr and scoring forward Phil Esposito. Again, the Habs have had the undeniably advantage in this rivalry, but even after nearly 100 years, it’s still alive.
1. Detroit Red Wings vs. Colorado Avalanche
Picking between the Habs versus Bruins and Detroit Red Wings versus Colorado Avalanche was a very tough decision. I can see the argument for both sides, but I lean towards the latter. The former have been rivals for nearly 100 years, so I can see why people think they have the best rivalry in NHL history.
However, no rivalry has had as much tension for as long as the Red Wings and Avalanche. Their rivalry started when the Quebec Nordiques moved to Colorado and became the Avalanche in 1995. The previous year, the Red Wings lost to the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup Final and then-Devils forward Claude Lemieux did what he did best – he made everybody on the opposing team pissed off.
Lemieux got traded to the Avalanche following that season and if he wasn’t public enemy number one in Detroit already, he became it in 1996 when he injured Red Wings defenseman Kris Draper with a late hit to the boards that caused numerous facial injuries to Draper.
The Red Wings had to wait nearly a full year to get revenge in March of 1997. This led to one of the most violent games in hockey history. It featured nine fights, which is more fights than you’ll see on most boxing, wrestling, or MMA cards.
From 1996 to 2003, the Avalanche and Red Wings were common postseason opponents, as they faced each other five times in eight seasons. They were two of the best teams in the NHL. Moreover, the constant drama and hatred between the two teams was something the WWE could only dream of scripting.
Next. Every Team's Greatest Player Of All-Time. dark
The retirement of Avalanche goaltender Patrick Roy quieted the flames of this rivalry quite a bit. But they remained intense rivals until the Red Wings moved to the Eastern Conference in 2013. This rivalry was a short one, but no rivalry delivered so many intense, violent, and unforgettable moments in such a short period of time.