March 27, 2006
Rivalries Rekindled As Playoffs Near
Emotions continue to explode between the Habs/Leafs and Flames/Oilers.
By Wendel Clark

On Saturday, the gloves dropped in a heated battle between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs, as 118 penalty minutes were called and over half a dozen fights and scrums broke out. 

The Montreal/Toronto rivalry has been around forever, and every time two teams who are close together in the standings meet, you just know it is going to build into an intense match-up. 

The league is trying to stabilize a love-hate relationship amongst a variety of its teams, and that creates a great atmosphere in the building. The more times its written or talked about, the more fuel is added to the fire. 

The excitement of playing in a city like Toronto or Detroit is always huge. The enthusiasm and raw emotion that the fans bring to the building creates a special buzz that translates on the ice. 

While playing for the Maple Leafs, I knew exactly when Montreal was coming to town on a Saturday night without even having to look at the schedule. Hype began to build in the morning skate and it is exciting when everyone is talking about it. This type of atmosphere is always fun to play in and it's great for the game.

Rivalries are alive and well in just about every hockey market and while we always hype every Leafs/Habs contest, let us not forget about the battle of Alberta between the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers, or the Islanders and Rangers' rivalry in New York.

With the playoffs around the corner, and teams jockeying for position, every game counts. For whatever the reason, two points with 10 games left, rather than 10 games, into the season, mean more. 

As the Flames try to hold on to first place in the Northwest Division, the Oilers are hot on their trail. There's only a dozen games left, rather than 60, and every game is played with added emotion.

For all the teams fighting tooth and nail for a playoff spot, new rivalries are born and abandoned ones are brought back to life. The closer together the teams are, and the more they play against each other, the more excitement is built up.

The Rangers' battle with the Philadelphia Flyers for first in the Atlantic and third in the Eastern Conference could continue in post-season play. When you play against a team in the playoffs, it makes the rivalry stronger. 

The Leafs and Ottawa Senators clashed in four playoff series in the past five NHL seasons, and you can bet neither side if very fond of the other. Over the years, the fans got to know the players better and they either loved them or hated them even more. If that happens year after year, it creates a hate for the city down the road, which builds into a significant rivalry.

For the new kids on the block, like the Nashville Predators and even the Carolina Hurricanes, their fun has just started. As they continue their dominance, the opposition's fans will do everything in their power to get in the way. It is not the teams that make the rivalry; it's the fans in the building that create the anticipation and excitement.

Even the battle between opposing players gets tossed around the arena. For Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin, it has been going on all season.

Two of the hottest prospects to enter the game, Crosby and Ovechkin were bound to go head-to-head in the rookie scoring race, and that has transformed into an interesting on-ice competition and should last their entire careers.

Any time the fans are alive and excited, it is talked about more on the radio and in the paper. That is what makes the game a lot more exhilarating. 

Sometimes you can credit the play of the players, but it's the excitement the fans that bring to the arena that truly creates a long-lasting rivalry.
 

Wendel Clark, drafted first-overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 1985 NHL Entry Draft, played in 793 career NHL games with six different organizations. Over his career, the former Leafs captain accumulated 330 goals, 234 assists and 1,690 penalty minutes. Now, as a columnist for TheFourthPeriod.com, he offers his "17-cents" on the NHL throughout the entire season. Check out Wendel Clark's column every Monday, exclusively on TheFourthPeriod.com.