Let's Go Blues

This was brought up in the Scoreboard Watching thread so I thought it deserved it's own discussion.

For some of us the Redwings are our biggest rivals but some feel the Blackhawks are now our biggest rivals. For me it's Detroit but since they moved to the East I feel they are fading away. Twice a year won't be enough to fuel my hate for them. If we lose to the Hawks again in the Playoffs They will move up on my list.

Back in the late 70's and the 80's I hated the Hawks. After all the Black N' Blue series I just hated them. Those brawls were epic in those days. Then the Hawks went into consolidation mode and that rivalry just faded away over the years when the Hawks were so bad. Toronto were one of our bigger rivals back then. They moved to the east and that rivalry faded too. Minnesota North Stars were a decent rivalry until they moved to Dallas and that rivalry also faded. Then came Detroit.

Detroit used to be our biggest rival because they beat us on any given night in the 90's-00's. Although we considered them our biggest rival we were never there's. Colorado were Detroit's and since the NHL restructuring our rivals have moved east and that rivalry will also fade. It seems every time we get a good rivalry that team moves to the east or to a different division. NHL conspiracy?

Vancouver get's an honorable mention do to the Bertuzzi days. How many players did that guy hurt and still remained in the NHL? I never understood how he was aloud to continue play. Still think he's a pink panty wearing douche-bag. Then he played for Detroit. Just another reason to hate Detroit.

The funny thing is until the last year the Hawks were not considered one of my top rivals. They were probably at the bottom of my top 5.

Notice being in a different division doesn't mean they can't be a rival. A different Conference

My NHL Rivals:
Detoilet Flying Tires (but will fade with time)
LA Queens (mostly because of Quick shutting us down in the play-offs)
San Jose Minnows (kinda fade over the last few years)
Anaheim Rubber Ducks (they just seem to have our number when we play them)
Shitcago Black Holes (hey we need somebody to hate in our division)


So who is your biggest rival? and why?

#1- Blackhawks. No doubt. The Wings ran off to the East. We don't see them any more. We won't play them in the playoffs. Yeah, the scars are there, but Detroit fans don't care about us. They never did. The Hawks were at least in the same boat as us for awhile (45+ years with no Cup). In this area, there's a good mixture of fans. Their fans invade our barn. So they're definitely #1.

#2- Kings. Until we can get past them, at least. They're our new playoff tormentors and they play a similar style as we do, just better. They've got a great goalie. They have a muppet as a coach.

#3- Avs. This is one that's bubbling to the surface. A Western Conf opponent for years now in our division. Roy is douche personified. I think things are starting to heat up going back to last year when Roy got mad at Backes for pushing around Mackinnon, or whoever it was.

#4- Preds. I'd say this is more a friendly, tough rivalry. But to me, as a fan, they've always played us tough and I would loathe the fact if they got a Cup before us. Please don't let that happen.

#5- I'll leave this open. I think there's a chance a good rivalry with the Jets/Wild could develop if we ever met up with them in the playoffs.

For me, since this is all subjective:

5) San Jose--Plenty of playoff encounters. They ended the president's trophy season, but vengeance was ours the next. Owen Nolan....Mike Ricci.....Bryan Marchment shudders

4) Minnesota/Dallas--As a kid, these are the first heated encounters I remember. Played them a few years in a row in the playoffs, and they knocked off a good Blues team in 91 in route to the Finals. Even when they moved, we still saw them in playoffs; had a couple good series in the late 90s-2000s. This one certainly has faded over time.

3) LA--Our 1967 brethren. We'll never forget Courtnall running their goalie or those ten miserable playoff games in '12 and '13. Many hope they miss the playoffs, but I'd love to see them again.

2) Detroit--Some outstanding Blues squads were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those Red Wings teams were so good, so maddening to play against. These encounters are burned into my brain. Kirk Maltby....what a douche.

1) Chicago--Because screw em. Hope to see you turds again this postseason, along with the most phony fanbase in sports. Your national anthem presentation is badass, though. I'll give you that.

EDIT: While this is a more personal, historical list, I agree with dmiles' 2015 list 100%. Right this second, your list is the top 5.

This isn't all-time or anything...this is how I feel right now.
An all-time list might include Philly, the North Stars, Toronto, etc.

My personal list...

1) Hawks
I've always hated them...back in the 80's & 90's was a great rivalry. St. Patrick's Day Massacre...that was brutal...and awesome. Twist vs. Probert. Manson vs. Stevens. The sweep of the Hawks in '93. The edge of your seat with nightly dramatics playoff series last year. Battling for the division title the past few years...they have had the playoff success we want. I could go on and on.

2) Kings
Back to back years losing to a team in the playoffs will build hatred against any team. The Kings play a bruising style...so do the Blues (sort of). Instant rivalry. And any team with Dustin Brown is easy to hate.

3) Predators
I think the Predators probably consider us their biggest rival? I'm not sure. Maybe Chicago is theirs? Either way, we've had some great games vs. them...and with them being good this year, I think this is what takes the rivalry with them to the next level. But it really needs to take a playoff meeting or two for it to be a heated rivalry.

4) Wings
When the Wings were in our division, I hated them as much as anyone could hate a hockey team. I'll always hate them for what happened in the late 90's and early 00's. They may have very well stood in the way of a cup for us. But with them being in the other conference now, it's not the same...other teams replace them as #1. Beating them now just gives us two points, we aren't catching them or putting distance between us in the standings anymore. They are still a bitter rival to me...probably always will be.

5) Avalanche
I just don't like 'em. Erik Johnson and Patrick Roy are two big reasons why. And we snagged Stastny from them, so I'm sure they don't like us too much either. The games vs. them this year have been intense. This one is on the rise.

1. Hawks, for sure. Obvious reasons.
2. Predators, for divisional reasons.
3. Kings, because they've won 2 of the last 3 and have to be considered a threat. If the players don't consider the defending champs to be a rival, they don't deserve to wear the note. This slot rotates depending on who the current champs are.
4. Colorado for reasons cited by Curt.
5. Canucks because they're the Canucks and that team for one reason or another has always rubbed me the wrong way.

I hate the Wings as much as everyone here but I don't consider an Eastern conference team to be a rival. If this was a couple seasons ago, then they're #1 on the list. If we meet them in the finals, they're #1 on the list. If this is regular season, they don't make it.

I've never had a top 5 list for just the Blues, but for all of my teams, I've always put kU, blackhawks and red wings in their own class.

For hockey, I guess it would be:

1. blackhawks. They have been 1A and red wings 1B. Now that red wings are in the east, blackhawks are definitely number 1. I was a kid for the Probert/Twist stuff and the St. Patty's Day Massacre and stuff like that. They've always been a hair ahead of the wings because of that.
2. red wings. It's dying out quicker than I would like, but nobody has really risen enough to topple them yet.
3. Predators. Geography + division rival puts them up there. I don't particularly hate them, but I don't like them either.
4. Kings. This is solely because of recent playoff stuff. They've beaten us twice in the past few years, so they make the list.
5. Avalanche. This could have gone a few different ways, but I still remember the fiasco with Turek. I don't like Roy. And them being in division gives them the nudge over a couple other close ones.

This thread is called rivals so I should mention I saw a show on NHL rivalries about 15 years ago and they said the Hawks/North Stars rivalry in the 80s is one of the most bitter in NHL history! Kerfuffle must know about it.

Also the Blues and Leafs had a very intense rivalry in the 80s too along with the Hawks. In the 90s it was all Blues and Wangs and of course Blues and Hawks.

The first game I ever saw on TV, the game that made me a Blues fan, was Blues/North Stars. I never felt any ill-will towards the North Stars, I felt very bad for Minnesota when they up and moved the team to Dallas and I was happy for Minnesota when they got the Wild. That's one hockey crazy state and to lose their team in such inglorious fashion through no fault of their own, I just couldn't hate them. To make matters worse, the loss of the North Stars to Dallas led directly to the birth of the Sharks and I don't think any California city deserves a hockey team. Minnesota got hosed and getting the Wild franchise was just correcting a horrible wrongdoing.

Here's my personal rival list, which isn't very scientific. It's just teams I don't like:

1. Chicago
2. LA
3. Colorado
4. Nashville (they're moving up)
5. Minnesota/Detroit/San Jose/Vancouver/Anaheim (I expect Minnesota will take the reins here before long)

I honestly miss the Red Wings rivalry, but it isn't what it used to be anymore for obvious reasons. I'd still say there's a little something there though, that's why they are still on the list.

Teams that utterly annoy me:

1. Chicago/Detroit. Get off our damn lawn!
2. San Jose, in a year where a team of Owen Nolan's would have won the Cup. Worst year of my life on this end. The ONLY time the bandwagon Sharks fan got far out on
my end of the Bay.
3. Pittsburg. Yeah, I'm probably going to go to hell for talking trash about Mario and Co., but in the 90's, I absolutely could not stand them one bit. Everyone who was never
a fan was suddenly a fan of them and only knew the SAME THREE PLAYERS on the team (Let you guess which ones those are.)
4. Boston. Most Baww-stone fans I've met are certified dicks. I don't get it, I don't understand it, it just colours how I perceive the team. The whole Bobby Orr thing doesn't help with it either, though I like Orr.
5. Columbus. Absolutely can't stand them, can't stand them when we play them, can't stand the players or anything. Something about playing them makes my skin crawl.

Teams I tend to pull for when we get eliminated:

1. Phoenix/Arizona. I want to see "The Last True Jet" Doan win a Cup.
2. Philly. Any team that Goons their way to the Cup, I'm a fan of. Plus Giroux is a beast.
3. Nashville. When I saw in the pre-season how this team was being put together, I had a feeling they'd make a mark. Something about the Preds and their lockerroom
makes you want to root for them, but at the same time keep a distance with them, at least to me.
4. Toronto. Mats Sundin and Felix "The Cat" made me a fan. Plus I can sympathise with them not winning the Cup in as long as us, as well. Don't like how their media has
the team under a microscope, but I guess that's the price of living in the 'New York of Canada'.
5. Florida. The Beezer and Tallon's efforts on his 'Blueprint' made me a fan.

Chicago and Detroit are the only teams that get me worked up at all. Chicago feels more like a rival whereas Detroit has seemed like a team destined always to beat the Blues when it counts. Then they leave the conference right when this core comes of age. Figures-Detroit has caught every damn possible piece of luck for 25 straight years, the Konstantinov thing aside. LA? Maybe in a decade or so. Don't feel like there's much history there. And the Predators? Pfffft. Afterthought for me.

35 Quebec
34 Oakland/California
33 Atlanta
32 Hartford
31 Kansas City
30 Toronto
29 Florida
28 Carolina
27 New Jersey
26 New York Islanders
25 New York Rangers
24 Pittsburgh
23 Ottawa
22 Buffalo
21 Tampa
20 Montreal
19 Washington
18 Philadelphia
17 Edmonton
16 Boston
15 Arizona
14 Anaheim
13 Columbus
12 Winnipeg
11 Minnesota
10 Calgary
9 Detroit
8 Dallas
7 Colorado
6 San Jose
5 Los Angeles
4 Vancouver
3 Nashville
2 Chicago
1 St. Louis

sseagle wrote:35 Quebec
34 Oakland/California
33 Atlanta
32 Hartford
31 Kansas City
30 Toronto
29 Florida
28 Carolina
27 New Jersey
26 New York Islanders
25 New York Rangers
24 Pittsburgh
23 Ottawa
22 Buffalo
21 Tampa
20 Montreal
19 Washington
18 Philadelphia
17 Edmonton
16 Boston
15 Arizona
14 Anaheim
13 Columbus
12 Winnipeg
11 Minnesota
10 Calgary
9 Detroit
8 Dallas
7 Colorado
6 San Jose
5 Los Angeles
4 Vancouver
3 Nashville
2 Chicago
1 St. Louis

So you had no problem with the Cleveland Barons? When you say Colorado, you mean the Avalanche but you were cool with the Rockies? Or you consider them equal rivals? Your response is very vague, brotha.

glen a richter wrote:

sseagle wrote:35 Quebec
34 Oakland/California
33 Atlanta
32 Hartford
31 Kansas City
30 Toronto
29 Florida
28 Carolina
27 New Jersey
26 New York Islanders
25 New York Rangers
24 Pittsburgh
23 Ottawa
22 Buffalo
21 Tampa
20 Montreal
19 Washington
18 Philadelphia
17 Edmonton
16 Boston
15 Arizona
14 Anaheim
13 Columbus
12 Winnipeg
11 Minnesota
10 Calgary
9 Detroit
8 Dallas
7 Colorado
6 San Jose
5 Los Angeles
4 Vancouver
3 Nashville
2 Chicago
1 St. Louis

So you had no problem with the Cleveland Barons? When you say Colorado, you mean the Avalanche but you were cool with the Rockies? Or you consider them equal rivals? Your response is very vague, brotha.

Cleveland sucks, no threat there.

Yeah, the Dives.

This is biggest enemies, in reverse order

sseagle wrote:1 St. Louis

sseagle wrote:

But, but, we're only the blackhawks 4th biggest rival. How are we the most hated in Illinois?

WTF?? The Kings are the most hated team in L.A.??

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:WTF?? The Kings are the most hated team in L.A.??

That's for California, not just LA. It might be a case of SJ + ANA fans "teaming up" against LA.

cardsfan04 wrote:

JesusNEVERexisted wrote:WTF?? The Kings are the most hated team in L.A.??

That's for California, not just LA. It might be a case of SJ + ANA fans "teaming up" against LA.

Well if you look around Pittsburgh... you see that it isn't always entire states.

But LA is what 70% transplants? I'd bring my hockey team with me..