If you ask ESPN, they'd probably tell you that the greatest hockey rivalry ever was the Red Wings vs. Avalanche in the late 90's and early 00's.  It seemed like the teams played each other every week from 1997 through 2002.  ESPN's hype of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry is inescapable now, but the network really cut it's teeth on this type of thing with Detroit/Colorado.

It was the rivalry that kept on giving, especially if what you liked were cheap shots and whining, which both teams were adept at.  The whole thing was touched off by a viscious 6 games series between the two teams in the 1996 Western Conference Finals.  The series culminated with noted bastard Claude Lemiuex checking noted panty-waste Kris Draper face first into the boards, breaking Draper's face and so horrifying Dino Ciccarelli that he forgot to drink the blood of an infant that evening.

Anyway, as the Avalanche went on to win the Cup and the Red Wings prepared for the following year, ESPN prepared too.  Hyping the Detroit/Colorado games like nothing in hockey had been hyped before.  Everyone knew payback would come at some point, but nobody was sure when.  And then, finally, thirteen years ago today, it came:



Nothing defines the Red Wings/Avalanche rivalry like a guy being sucker-punched and kneed in the head while turtling, or Patrick Roy acting like a jackass or the officials losing control of everything.  But hey, when the Red Wings and Avalanche beat on each other, the rest of win.  I think my favorite part of the whole thing is when the Red Wings announcer seriously says:

"[T]he best time to seek if you will, revenge, to seek redemption, is maybe when your opponent least expects it"

Seriously, the guy basically just suggested that the best thing to do is punch somebody who isn't paying attention.

Eventually, the rivalry died out as the principals left their teams by trade, retirement or just washing out.  Darren McCarty followed a long line of Red Wings enforcers into rehab.  Claude Lemiuex had plastic surgery to remove the yellow stripe from his back.  Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby were married in quiet ceremony before friends and family.  Patrick Roy went on to raise a son who is as classy as he was.  Brendan Shanahan became the first person to voluntarily return to the state of New Jersey.

And somewhere (probably prison) Dino Ciccarelli still can't believe he shook that frickin' guy's hand.