Battle of Quebec (Montreal Canadiens vs. Quebec Nordiques) or Colorado Avalanche vs Detroit Red Wings
Better Rivalry: MTL/QUE or DET/COL?
- Thread starter TheRarestDangles
- Start date
Mtl vs Que was the MOST VICIOUS hockey I have ever seen in the NHL.....NOTHING compares.
hmmmm super close to call for me. didnt grow up watching the battle of quebec so im a little biased. good thread though op--love your stuff
Luigi Lemieux
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- Sep 26, 2003
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Higher stakes games in Colorado vs Detroit. They were trading off cups and the games were vicious.
Fire Sweeney
Registered User
Nordiques were a lousy team their whole existence except for their last season. Detroit-Colorado was high-quality hockey mixed with the much needed violence.
LightningStorm
Lightning/Mets/Vikings
This. While the Battle of Quebec was relevant to that province, the Avs/Wings rivalry was relevant to the whole NHL. Funny how the Nords/Avs franchise swapped out the Habs for Wings as their vicious O6 rival when moving from QC to Denver.
notDatsyuk
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Everyone knew about the Battle of Quebec, but I don't recall ever hearing about a Det/Col rivalry before this thread. When was it?
Canadiens Ghost
Mr. Objectivity
Montréal/Québec was a far more visceral rivalry which even caused infighting amongst many families.
Not surprising it isn't heavily winning this poll though because it was far more localized and happened over 30 years ago when many posters here weren't even born yet.
Not surprising it isn't heavily winning this poll though because it was far more localized and happened over 30 years ago when many posters here weren't even born yet.
dukeofjive
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Mtl/Que is a rivalry built on geography whereas Det/Col is a rivalry built on hatred/competition. Nothing was as intense as Det/Col. Too bad it was short-lived.
notDatsyuk
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Had to look up the Det/Col. A few brawls over three seasons. Between regular season and playoffs, a total of 24 games.
Montreal and Quebec played each other 144 times in 16 seasons and 9 playoffs, and most of them were war.
Montreal and Quebec played each other 144 times in 16 seasons and 9 playoffs, and most of them were war.
YouTube the battle at the Joe. I forget sometimes how young some posters are on here because at first I thought you had to be living under a rock to not know this rivalry
notDatsyuk
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I looked up the Det/Col rivalry, and having read and watched, yes, I recall it.
There was some nastiness in those couple of series, but not like the Habs/Nords, which was even longer ago, and I still remember them.
I remember the Leafs/Habs rivalry in the 60s, the 'Broad Street Bullies' in the 70s, and a lot of others, but I'd forgotten about Det/Col.
MadLuke
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84 to 86 when Goulet-Stastny were fully firing they were quite good.
- 1982 Division Semifinals: Nordiques, 3–2
- 1984 Division Finals: Canadiens, 4–2
- 1985 Division Finals: Nordiques, 4–3
- 1987 Division Finals: Canadiens, 4–3
- 1993 Division Semifinals: Canadiens, 4–2
Montreal-Nordique was probably even more intense, Good Friday Massacre, it was a battle of rivals media network, rival beer company, rival cities it was deep.
Not sure that make it better than the Avs/Wings too, which got quite intense on is own and was quite high octane legends/talent going around, you need to have fully lived them to judge and I was too young for the good years of the Nordiques, just fully aware of the 92-93 matchup, but intensity was not was it was by then at all. When they faced each other inthe playoff 4 times in 6 year,s, that what you need for the intense oilers/flame type of rivalty, years after years of playoff hatring a 92-93 one off would not fully do it.
The Red Line
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This has to be a joke, right?
Inexact. Stasny era with Hunter, Goulet etc.. the Nords were a good team and the games were played at a very high level, on the ice, and off the ice.
Det-Av's was dirty and high skilled rivalry. But on a short time. The Nords and Habs was forever......and it was on and off the ice. I don't remember anything comparable in hockey.
notDatsyuk
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Correct. I suspect that most people who pick the Det/Col option are either Detroit or Colorado fans, or are too young to really remember Mtl/Que.
Ofc something from Québec on this forum isnt winning when it should.
16 years of hatred. Families devasted by this. Playoff war. But yep 3 or 4 years of avs wing is winning the poll. Says it all about HF . Lmao.
16 years of hatred. Families devasted by this. Playoff war. But yep 3 or 4 years of avs wing is winning the poll. Says it all about HF . Lmao.
McVespa99
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BruinsFan37
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That's the crux of it.
You think of Detroit vs. Colorado today and it's just another game. All of the players from that rivalry (and it WAS one of most intense rivalries in NHL history) have long been retired, and with them in different conferences there isn't much opportunity to revive it. It's completely faded from the consciousness
On the other hand If the Nordiques came back it might take a game or two, but it'd be right back to where it was quickly.
Det-Col was by far the more intense of the two but there is little to no chance of revival, Habs-Nords would have durability (if it still existed).
I'll go Habs-Nords.
Not being able to watch Habs and nordiques as it was happening my bias is towards Detroit and Colorado. I don’t think that’s necessarily the wrong answer and like others above said it very well could be based on the hockey being so good and star stricken while being so so intense.
Man, Mickey Redmond sure is a lucky one to have been able to see both of these rivalries live in person. Dream job he has.
