Current rivals in the NHL

[David Bruce Banner]

As a Canucks fan...

Oilers
Leafs



Flames
Habs
Bruins
Senators
Winnipeg

Almost everyone else

Sabres

 

[Laus723]

Sam Bennett vs Toronto and Boston fanbases.

 

[Coffey]

As a Canucks fan...

Oilers
Leafs



Flames
Habs
Bruins
Senators
Winnipeg

Almost everyone else

Sabres

Wow you guys have Toronto up that high too eh? lmao

 

[Coffees]

Wow you guys have Toronto up that high too eh? lmao

You guys as well? lol

 

[Coffey]

You guys as well? lol

I blame HF and an influx of Ontarians to the west

 

[MK9]

Meh. The league seems to have done everything it can to neuter what gets rivalries going. I don't see any true rivalries anymore really.

 

[westc2]

I think the Blues biggest team/player rival right now is probably Colorado. For fans of course it's always been the Blackhawks though.

 

[Enga Olly]

 

[TheMoreYouKnow]

Rivalries will never get back to what they were when hockey violence was a thing and teams had strong local blue collar fanbases. Soccer on ice watched by IT bros and wine moms just doesn't really lend itself to the passion that signifies true rivalry.

 

[eXile3]

There’s little animosity left. Players switch teams more often now. Everyone has the same agents and trains with each other during the offseason. It sucks.

I was watching the Unrivaled documentary about the Wings and Avs in the mid/late 90s. There was legitimate hate between those teams.

 

[Coffees]

View attachment 904824

Who?

 

[David Bruce Banner]

Wow you guys have Toronto up that high too eh? lmao

Well, it was a personal list, not necessarily speaking for the rest of the fan base.
And it goes back to 1967 and the story that Leafs owner blocked Vancouver getting an expansion franchise, because he didn't want to share CBC revenue.
Since then, there's usually so many Leafs fans at Canucks home games, it's almost like a Leafs home game. I just love to see that crowd go home sour.

 

[KeithIsActuallyBad]

View attachment 904824

It's not a rivalry if one side wins all the time.

 

[Enga Olly]

It's not a rivalry if one side wins all the time.

You're right in saying it's not really a rivalry - but more akin to a stalker not really being in a relationship with the object of their obsession.

I never think about your team.

 

[Ladyfan]

Habs : None

I expect Boston rivalry to be revived if we ever get good

You will. Kudos to all of you who still support the team.

For me (I am 71) there is still no hate greater than a Bs vs Habs game. There is just that little extra nastiness.

Actually, I hate whichever team my Bruins are playing at that moment.

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

You're right in saying it's not really a rivalry - but more akin to a stalker not really being in a relationship with the object of their obsession.

I never think about your team.

More akin to comedians and tv shows like the Simpsons , Family guy , South Park, Dave Chappel , George Carlin and many more , or even a good funny movie series , do you not enjoy comedy?

 

[AnInjuredJasonZucker]

Maybe I should become a Canucks fan...

Every Canucks fan says the same thing every few years, so you're already well on your way!

 

[Tie Domi Esquire]

Can't think of a rivalry in today's game. There's no emotion in the NHL anymore. Maybe the owners vs. the players, but the players don't care about that one either.

 

[voyageur]

Can't think of a rivalry in today's game. There's no emotion in the NHL anymore. Maybe the owners vs. the players, but the players don't care about that one either.

The current division format doesn't make for real rivalries. When there were 30 teams, 3 divisions, you played 8 times against your own division. I think that inevitably led to bad blood. Even among locations that weren't necessarily geographic rivals, like Colorado/Vancouver. Last season Montreal played Toronto the exact same amount of games as they did Carolina or Columbus. So I guess somebody up there in the hierarchy of the NHL thinks that's what fans want. The season really seems to be a grind where everyone passes through, and you pick up as many points as you can, try to tie as many games as possible in regulation for points. The divisions still don't have a natural geographic rivalry because they are so expansive. Minus the Metropolitan division, which kept its 6 teams from the Patrick.

A decent rivalry in recent years is Minnesota/Winnipeg. There is some bad blood going back to Buff running roughshod. Kunin elbowing LIttle in the head. Stanley injuring Kaprizov. Some cheap shots from both sides. Two teams that probably don't like each other.

 

[Sexy Necksy Garland]

The current division format doesn't make for real rivalries. When there were 30 teams, 3 divisions, you played 8 times against your own division. I think that inevitably led to bad blood. Even among locations that weren't necessarily geographic rivals, like Colorado/Vancouver. Last season Montreal played Toronto the exact same amount of games as they did Carolina or Columbus. So I guess somebody up there in the hierarchy of the NHL thinks that's what fans want. The season really seems to be a grind where everyone passes through, and you pick up as many points as you can, try to tie as many games as possible in regulation for points. The divisions still don't have a natural geographic rivalry because they are so expansive. Minus the Metropolitan division, which kept its 6 teams from the Patrick.

A decent rivalry in recent years is Minnesota/Winnipeg. There is some bad blood going back to Buff running roughshod. Kunin elbowing LIttle in the head. Stanley injuring Kaprizov. Some cheap shots from both sides. Two teams that probably don't like each other.

i remember a few times hearing someone talking about this. i wanna say jeff marek is a fan of these teams playing one another

 

[Stive Morgan]

I'm probably in the minority of Habs fans here, but I legitimately hate the Ottawa Senators more than I do the Leafs and Bruins combined.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

One rivalry that is brewing is Detroit and Ottawa. Both teams are hungry for the next step and it gets heated when they meet. There has been some bad blood spilled between them. It'll be interesting to see how things play out this season.

 

[BoardsofCanada]

I'm probably in the minority of Habs fans here, but I legitimately hate the Ottawa Senators more than I do the Leafs and Bruins combined.

The feeling is mutual.

 

[Anaheim4ever]

Last few years its been Anaheim vs San Jose in chasing that #1 overall draft pick but I wouldn't say they hate each other though.

 

[Stive Morgan]

The feeling is mutual.

I really hope we get another playoff series soon