Teams That Probably Should Have Rivalries But Don't

[hisgirlfriday]

Though i imagine Chicago fans aren't too fond of the Jets at this point, as the Jets seem to rob the Hawks of wins every time they play now.

As a Hawks fan, I am probably less annoyed by a loss to the Jets than any other team because of sentimentality toward Buff, Ladd and Frolik. I hope those guys make the playoffs. So nope... not a rivalry.

 

[boredmale]

I would say Boston - Rangers. Both are original 6 teams and it seems like Boston/NY have rivalries in other leagues(well mainly Red Sox/Yankees)

 

[hisgirlfriday]

Outside of the 1950's decade there never was one. I wasn't around for then but that is the only time period both teams did well enough for it to happen. It is normally (in other sports mainly) a geographic rivalry due to proximity. But both teams sucked for 30+ years. Det rose up first out of the cellar from the Norris Division days. But when Chi started to get good again Det was declining out of contender status.

Both teams were good enough in the 50's to actually meet consistently in the playoffs. Era didn't hurt either given 6 teams and all.

But look even at when the Hawks rose up contender status in the past 15 years both teams have only meet each other twice in the playoffs in that time period. The reason that a "rivalry" has been construed between the teams is that in almost all other sports there are rivalries between various teams between both cities. Rivalries are built upon playoff series + hate + discontent + geographic proximity. Only having 1 of the 4 doesn't mean there is a rivalry.

Maybe the rivalry was overblown from your perspective as a Wings fan, and that's valid because I'd imagine from the Wings standpoint they had bigger fish to fry than the Hawks most years, but the hate/discontent was real from the Hawks side and to some extent still is although I think the "Detroit sucks" chants sound pretty forced and silly now after what has happened in the last 5 years and not even being in the same division any more.

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

For the Bruins, it's the Senators. They've played in the same division since 1993, Boston has signed or traded for a lot of Ottawa players since they got Chiarelli from the Senators, and you'd think that something would have erupted between a player like Chris Neil and some of the tougher Bruins over the years, but nothing really has. The only key ingredient they're missing is a playoff series, which, although important, isn't a necessity for a rivalry.

Even on these boards, there doesn't seem to be a lot of ill will between the two fanbases. The biggest thing I've seen is Bruins fans not being happy about Karlsson winning the Norris.

Chara and Neil are friends. They have had a few scraps but they respect eachother. Lots of the old Ottawa's players really liked Chara for his work ethic. There was a few sens fans including myself who didnt think karl should have won the norris

 

[Vesa Awesaka]

I think its pretty easy to see theres a rivalry between the sens and hab players. The media doesnt even play to it. When Subban is dropping the gloves with a some 6-7 defensemen for ottawa in the preseason doesnt that strike you that somethings up? When Chris Neil talks smack about the Habs to the media doesnt that strike you as something is up? I mean arent we only two years removed from the habs players getting embarrassed in the playoffs? There hasnt been much roster turnover at all since then.


I actually enjoy watching hab-sens games more then any other games. We regularly have Hab fans come to the sens board to talk smack and same with sens fans going to the habs board.
Lots of hab fans are pretty dismissive of the senators but its clear to me that theres something going on when the teams play.

The only thing i can say that maybe refutes this is that montreal always plays like that away from the sens but the sens change when they play the habs and definitely dont like the habs players.

 

[Claimed Off Waivers]

Habs fans and Leafs fans are rivals, but the rivalry between the actual teams is dormant.

Habs-Sabres. Buffalo's history of having good French Canadians players has pretty much made them unhateable in Montreal.

 

[SnapVirus]

Habs - Leafs.

For the Leafs, Habs are their biggest rivals.
For the Habs, Leafs are a bottom team that gives us no emotions.

 

[eyetest is useless]

LA and Anaheim. 30 miles away from each other and the players are BFFs.

For Lightning, it's probably the Panthers. Both in the same state, but neither have been good at the same time and they've never met in the playoffs.

Calgary and Edmonton.

There is no rivalry at all. The Oilers look so apathetic when they play the Flames.

There hasn't been a real rivalry for a long time but the media still thinks there should be one.

Toronto and Montreal. Toronto media believes theres a rivalry but theres not

there's a difference between a rivalry and a derby though. CGY-EDM and TOR-MTL will always be relevant because the fans hate each other. I'm not sure how things are between lightning and panthers or LA and anaheim fans.

 

[flyershockey]

Rangers/Flyers is mostly media driven because of the past. It hasn't really been a rivalry since the 90's. That was pretty much the last time both teams were good at the same time.