Best AHL Rivalries
- Thread starter Liam Whitton
- Start date
210
Registered User
Hershey/Wilkes-Barre has got to be near the top...
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
JMCx4
Censorship is the Sincerest Form of Flattery
Crunchrulz
Registered User
Prior to the current "neater and sweeter" attitude of the game, Syracuse/Rochester was just flat out UGLY. The fans in the stands used to match the players on the ice fight for fight with amusing regularity. More than once in the early 2000s, I remember the start of play being delayed in Syracuse as everyone on the ice was watching the show in the stands.
In today's day and age, I look SOCAL for the closest thing to that intensity when Ontario and San Diego play.
In today's day and age, I look SOCAL for the closest thing to that intensity when Ontario and San Diego play.
I'd always thought Milwaukee/ Chicago was worse than Milwaukee/ Rockford, maybe just because it's been going on longer. Either way, the fans in Milwaukee do not like the visiting FIB's, that's for sure.
No they sure don't and what upsets them even more is if we didn't go to wisconsin and spend money,their entire economy would collapse.
GarbageGoal
Courage
It's not like it used to be, and playing a team 18 times doesn't help. Teams become so use to one another, there's nothing to get riled up about. Springfield got chippy with the Bruins a few times last year and that was the closest thing to the old rivalry we had with them.
Back in the day, Providence/Hartford was huge. I hated the f***ing Wolf*Pack. Now it's meh. Although we don't play them as much as we once did.
Back in the 2000's Philly versus anyone in the Mid Atlantic was huge.
Back in the day, Providence/Hartford was huge. I hated the f***ing Wolf*Pack. Now it's meh. Although we don't play them as much as we once did.
Back in the 2000's Philly versus anyone in the Mid Atlantic was huge.
Crunch vs Senators back in the Cooper era. Even had a goalie fight and yes, the man himself Borocop was involved too lol.
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Tommy Hawk
Registered User
- May 27, 2006
- 4,224
- 110
Absolutely...fights in warm ups were not uncommon between them back then. I think it finally ended that time in winnipeg when Dan Plante finally had enough of the crap and beat the absolute shit out of Jimmy Roy. From that point on mtb really didn't do much...kinda curbed any of that liquid courage they had of writing checks with their mouths that their ass's couldn't cash.
Syracuse Rochester used to be soooooo good.
Syracuse Binghamton good as well.
Syracuse Utica now - but even that has died off a little.
Syracuse Binghamton good as well.
Syracuse Utica now - but even that has died off a little.
Binghamton-Syracuse used to be a lottttt of fun during the late-2000’s/early 2010’s. Tons of fights every game. Plenty of line brawls, goalie fights, you name it.
Jeremy Yablonski was on a podcast recently and they asked him about the best rivalries of his career and his answer was Senators/Crunch. Said the teams honestly hated each other (aside from himself and Mirasty of course, who are actually cousins despite fighting the most during that rivalry).
Jeremy Yablonski was on a podcast recently and they asked him about the best rivalries of his career and his answer was Senators/Crunch. Said the teams honestly hated each other (aside from himself and Mirasty of course, who are actually cousins despite fighting the most during that rivalry).
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Centrum Hockey
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- Aug 2, 2018
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- 730
There was quite a bit of animosity between Worcester and Providence back when they where both in the AHL.
GarbageGoal
Courage
As did Portland, as did Manchester. Getting a lot of fans of the local NHL parent club in the building will do that.
Lowell and Manchester had a good rivalry due to proximity.
DocPG
Registered User
Not sure about today, but the one that sticks out to me the most is the morphing of the Cornwall / Hershey rivalry to the Hershey / Philadelphia Phantoms rivalry between 1994 and 1999 (especially its peak years once the Flyers started the Phantoms and ended their agreement with Hershey -- and Cornwall folded, and the Avs aligned with Hershey). That rivalry had just about everything.
What they don't like is people from Chicago who come up here, shove people in the concourse, throw bottles onto the ice or start a brawl outside the arena after a game.
I personally witnessed all of those incidents during the Bradley Center days, which were 1988 to 2016. The Wolves started playing in the IHL in 1994. It took about 3 seasons to become a rivalry. Before that, it was a very one sided series with the Admirals winning a lot of the games. Starting in 1997, Chicago was a much better and much less penalized team.
I have seen none of those incidents repeated at the UWM Panther Area in the last 4 seasons. We also get a lot fewer Chicago Wolves fans versus 10 or 15 years ago.
The Rockford fans were initially supportive because of the UHL days. Some of their players were called up to the Admirals. I don't recall any issues with their fans.
We did have the April Fools Day Brawl that was triggered by Rob Flick attacking Milwaukee goalie Jeremy Smith in his net during a TV time out. The problem was Rockford's Head Coach Ted Dent, who was a cement head. He almost re-ignited the brawl by standing on top of the boards and screaming at several Admirals who skated past as they returned to their bench. The fight started in period 2, so Smith was at the south end of the BC, away from his team's bench.
BTW: People from Milwaukee don't refer to people from Rockford as "hillbillies". It is a minority of Wolves fans that do so.
I think that there is more of a rivalry between Rockford and Chicago than between Rockford and Milwaukee. Part of that has to do with the Blackhawks versus Wolves.
I've witnessed Milwaukee fans do the very same things at Allstate so...The reason it is a minority of Wolves fans that refer to Rockford as hillbillies is because it's a minority of Wolves fans that have been around for a long time and seen the crap from Rockford fans...Tell me what you would call this...man brings his kids to a game...reaches into a bag and pulls out a Country Crock Butter Tub...grabs spoons and hands them to his kids...opens the tub up and they proceed to eat mashed potatoes out of the tub. Dude that's a frickin hillbilly I'm sorry. Also didn't help Rockford's cause that in 2008 after they won game 5 of the series against the Wolves here in Chicago that their fans that were there went through the building telling Wolves fans they sucked...their team sucked...and that they were done and couldn't beat Rockford and that they(Rockford) was going to win the cup and shove it in the Wolves asses and in the fans asses...you get the point. See when i go to an opposing teams arena do I cheer for the Wolves....yes...but I'm not obnoxious about it(unless some idiot runs their mouth and acts like an ass) nor do I give people crap when they come here and cheer for their team( unless they become obnoxious and an ass about it). I was given that by a Detroit Vipers fan back in 1998 when the Wolves won their 1st Turner Cup...he came up to me after the game and said congratulations...enjoy this because its hard to do and keep. I did that in 2019 to a Charlotte fan after the finals. Anyway back to Rockford and 2008...Yeah...we ALL know how that turned out...beat them 4-3 in rockford in game 6 and 4-1 in game 7. Funny story about game 6...one of the guys that played for rockford years later said that during warmups the Wolves were out to the ice after them...when they came out..every man had shaved his playoff beard into a mustache...the guy from rockford said all his teammates and him looked over at the wolves and kept looking..he said there was a whisper amongst the rockford players and that as soon as the Wolves came out onto the ice he knew and some of his teammates also knew they were done. Reason? the Wolves by doing that showed a complete buy in and team unity etc.
Centrum Hockey
Registered User
- Aug 2, 2018
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Most of the New England teams had great rivalry's. For awhile New England and Upstate NY was basically its own circuit and They rarely played Hershey or WBS.
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hb13xchamps
Registered User
Hershey/LV is slightly less of a rival but it has gotten closer to the old Hershey/Philly Phantoms days. When they moved to Adirondack it wasn’t much of a rivalry but now it’s getting there since they play each other 12 times a year again
vandymeer13
Registered User
I miss hockey having any rivalries. Wish some billionaire would start a new old school league. Vince Mchmahon xhl
Miss the days of going to Lowell Lock Monsters and Manchester Monarchs games. The whole New England division of Worcester, Lowell,Portland,Hartford,Manchester,and Springfield was the glory days of AHL hockey
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