Which rivalry is your favorite of the original sixers? Obviously there has been many. I will list some of the more well known ones. You can also add anyone that I had forgot about. Just because I am a confessed Wings and Habs fan doesn't mean I'm looking for someone to pick them.
CANADIENS and BRUINS (met up the most times in playoffs)
MAPLE LEAFS and RED WINGS (met up the most times in Cup final)
CANADIENS and MAPLE LEAFS (they just hate each other with a passion)
RED WINGS and BLACKHAWKS (they hate each other, many playoff battles and a few Cup finals)
CANADIENS and RED WINGS (met each other 3 consectutive years 1954, 1955, 1956, and a few other years in the Cup final)
Update:Expat Mike - Yea, I had a hard time trying to think of the Rangers biggest original six rival. Hopefully a hardcore Rangers fan could fill me in. Their biggest rivals do seem to come from the 1967-1974 expansion era's.
Answers & Comments
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Blackhawks Verse the Red Wings. For 30 years I have been cursing out Red Wing Players from the 300 level (when I can go to the games). Nothing like a Blackhawks Red Wings game in Chicago, the best sporting event I have ever been to (In the Old Stadium and in the UC too). Pure utter hatred personified.
Seriously I have been to White Sox Verse Cubs games (Craziness), Bears Packers games, even a Cards Cubs game of two (I am a White Sox fan primarily), but hearing 20,000+ chanting "Detroit Sucks" or creative names for Detroit players like, well I can't mention them here, oh you can just feel the hatred.
Heaven to me is a Hawks verse Red Wings game in Chicago Stadium.
The Leafs/Habs rivalry is eternal. Any time the talent levels are close, the rivalry gets heated, even when we're just both bad. We could be battling to stay out of last place and it would be one of the nastiest feuds in all of sports. What other two teams can say that?
Otherwise, the Habs and Bruins have been the only interesting O6 rivalry in the past few years, and the Wings and Hawks are looking to be the most interesting in the next couple years, so either one of those would be my second place.
Also, since you brought it up, I have to say it's kinda weird how all of the Rangers biggest rivals seem to be 1967-1974 Expansion Era teams... they've really distanced themselves from the rest of the Original Six.
While there are many great rivalries among the original six, I have to vote for Bruins - Canadiens. That rivalry seems to be pure hatred personified, both within the organizations themselves and their fans.
I can even remember seeing a Bruins fan and a Habs fan get into a huge fight just because they were both wearing their jerseys, and this was in down town Toronto during the off season.
Canadiens and Bruins. Real rivalries are in the playoffs and Leafs hm... well, they don't make playoffs.
I would say I hate (in a rivalty sense (?)) more the Bruins because they actually have something to brag about (decent players, playoffs participation). Leafs don't, no matter how hard they try. If they say the habs suck they insult themselves because 1.they didn't win the cup since 1967 and 2. didn't make the playoffs since the lock-out.
There's not doubt in my mind that the Bruins are our REAL rivals.
Don't get me wrong, Leafs are still great rivals and I really hate them too. But there's no way I'll be mad if their fans insult the habs. I just have to look at their team.
I like the Habs Bruins or Hawks Red Wings. You can always see the rivalry going on in all their games, no matter how important it is.
The original hockey rivalry is the best Habs and Leafs.
Rangers got lost for 40 years. The other 5 teams hardly knew they were in the league.
Boston - Montreal. You can smell the hatred rolling off fans upwind when these two teams take the ice. It's magic.
Rangers/Boston is solid, but for a Boston/NYC rivalry it's almost quaint compared to the Sox/Yankees or Pats/Jets.
Leafs and Canadiens seems boring now..I have to say Leafs and Detroit since u rarely see it today
jeez.... everybody just hates the red wings. lol. i think that the most exciting is the blackhawks/red wings because they hate each other with a passion. they meet each other multiple times a year and every time they meet, the place goes nuts. it will be awesome when they meet next season because hossa and kopecky are now blackhawks.
Leaf's vs habs constant fighting and violence and also always a great game, if ur teams winning