Rivalry, by definition, entails fierce competition for the same goal or supremacy in the same domain. Do we witness this with Winnipeg, Dallas, or Colorado? Not really.
To be honest, I rarely even think about those teams. Sometimes, I have to remind myself that they belong to the same division as the Blackhawks.
Detroit now faces two Florida teams, three Canadian teams, the Bruins, and the Sabres. There isn’t much history there, although there is a bit.
Only four of the Red Wings’ 11 Stanley Cups came after the 1967 expansion, meaning some of these teams didn’t exist to witness Detroit’s great teams of the past.
From my childhood, it was always the intense showdowns within a 300-mile drive on I-94, the red-versus-red battles.
It was the shocking trade of our beloved Chris Chelios to our hated neighbors. It was Brent Seabrook’s overtime winner a decade ago (a season before realignment, which made it feel like the rivalry still thrived).
It was the anticipation of Datsyuk, Zetterberg, Hasek, Yzerman, Federov, and Lidstrom arriving in town, knowing they would face loud boos and “Detroit Sucks” chants all night.
Nowadays, the young fans entering the United Center only hear “stories” about how it used to be. Yes, we still have the Blues as division rivals in the stadium, but it was always the Red Wings that ignited our passion when they faced off in a night game.
If you examine the realignment, you can see the divisions (later named A-D) were organized based on travel. Division “D” made the most sense, with Carolina, Columbus, New Jersey, NYI/NYR, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Washington all grouped closely geographically.
The lines blur when it comes to “B” and “C,” making it hard to understand why Chicago and Detroit were placed so close together only to be separated later.
The current timelines of these teams also align, in my opinion. The Red Wings have accumulated top-tier talent by drafting numerous first-rounders in recent years.
Whether it’s forwards, defensemen, or goalies, Detroit seems poised to field one of the league’s best rosters in the coming years.
Chicago, too, just drafted Connor Bedard as the #1 overall pick and will see their highly drafted players mature and enter the league soon. It couldn’t be better timing to have these two teams in the same division.
While I don’t foresee realignment happening in the near future, if and when that day does come, let’s reignite the “Detroit Sucks” rivalry more regularly in the NHL.
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