Biggest Nhl Rivalry!

[Pierre the Great]

Yeah I heard stories about Habs-Diques. A lot of tensions I heard. Kids getting beat up for wearing a diques jersey in a 'habs' school. Reminded me of like the Ranger-Celtic football rivalry.

[KoZed]

I miss the Nordiques. That rivalry made the Battle of Alberta, or the Battle of Ontario, or the Battle of New York, or any other game for that matter seem like an exhibition game with backup players.

All the other battles have some modicum of respect.

Habs - Diques was all about hatred.

Yup... best rivalry ever in the NHL, or even in North-America. The best example I can find is Rangers-Celtics in Scotland. Habs vs Nords divided families, made business rivals split along the Molson vs Labatt feud, ended political careers. You were either Blue or Red.

Nothing was hotter than the Habs-Nords back-to-back Holiday games between Christmas and New Years Eve. It was like having two Superbowls.

[jetsniper]

I miss the Nordiques. That rivalry made the Battle of Alberta, or the Battle of Ontario, or the Battle of New York, or any other game for that matter seem like an exhibition game with backup players.

All the other battles have some modicum of respect.

Habs - Diques was all about hatred.

You really underestimate the Battle of Alberta then.

[Colin]

You really underestimate the Battle of Alberta then.

Ah Jets. You must be young.

[jetsniper]

No. You just haven't seen the Battle of Alberta very much, it's obvious.

Maybe between the teams but you honestly think theres any sort of respect between the two cities?

[Colin]

I've seen bucketloads of Edmo-Cagliari games. Very intense rivalry. Pussycats compared to Quebec-Montreal.

[jetsniper]

I'm talking about more then the games though (I said this last post too), you guys went into the fans intensity for the Nords/Habs rivalry so I did as well.

And if you think Quebec/Montreal is leagues ahead of Calgary/Edmonton, you're dead wrong. Very few cities in the world hate each other as much as Calgary and Edmonton.

[Pierre the Great]

Yup... best rivalry ever in the NHL, or even in North-America. The best example I can find is Rangers-Celtics in Scotland. Habs vs Nords divided families, made business rivals split along the Molson vs Labatt feud, ended political careers. You were either Blue or Red.

Nothing was hotter than the Habs-Nords back-to-back Holiday games between Christmas and New Years Eve. It was like having two Superbowls.

Exactly KoZed. Edmonton v. Calgary games try but it comes nowhere near Nords v. Habs. That was a political rivalry pure and simple. It split families. It was very much like Rangers-Celtics. I don't know the history of the rivalary but I've heard legend stories. One more reason to bring a team back to Quebec.

And if you think Quebec/Montreal is leagues ahead of Calgary/Edmonton, you're dead wrong. Very few cities in the world hate each other as much as Calgary and Edmonton.

Very few provinces and states have politics based on a hockey team. Calgary/Edmonton didn't have the political card. Hence it was the North American version of Rangers - Celtics.

[jetsniper]

I give up.

I guess people won't understand it until they actually live in the two cities. Maybe BRob or kerp can help me out here.

[sbhatt]

I give Calgary vs. Edmonton a slight edge over Montreal vs. Toronto, just because of the provincial supremacy angle.

[option+]

I give up.

I guess people won't understand it until they actually live in the two cities. Maybe BRob or kerp can help me out here.

I'm not denying that Flames-Oilers is an awesome rivalry, but it doesn't touch Habs-Nordiques, which, though short, is the most intense rivalry in the history of North American pro sports. Here is why:

There is the same civic rivalry as Edmonton and Calgary. I'm not downplaying the Edmonton-Calgary hatred - I was born and raised in Yellowknife and therefore quite aware about how deeply those two cities hate each other - but you have the same thing in Quebec. Montreal and Quebec City do not get along, and have not since the 1600s.

But there are two HUGE reasons that Habs-Nords beats the Battle of Alberta:

1) During the 1980s, an extremely tumultuous time in Quebec history, the two teams came to represent different political visions of Quebec. I don't want to get into this, but somewhere along the way the Nordiques came to be associated with nationalism/separatism, while the Habs were pgeon-holed as the team of federalism and of the anglos. Obviously it's more complex than that, but that's more or less the key dynamic.

2) Molson owned the Canadiens and O'Keefe owned the Nordiques, and there was a bitter economic battle between the two breweries that mirrored the rivalry on the ice, especially with regards to Canadian TV rights.

Calgary-Edmonton can't even hope to touch those two things.

This may be an opportune time to float this out there...

I know about the Habs-Nords rivalry because I'm writing my PhD about it. No, seriously. If anybody knows of any books, articles and anything else relating to the rivalry, PLEASE contact me. Anecdontes too. Anecdotes are good. Send me a message through this board if you have anything to contribute.

Thanks.

[Pierre the Great]

Exactly option+ on the political views associated with the teams.

I'm an outsider but lol just look at the nords jersey:

Even if the Nordiques orginal intent was to have a jersey that wasn't political, I could have been percieved as political with Quebec National symbols on it and colours of the flag of Quebec.

Then look at local provincial politics. If I remember correctly the PQ had its convention in Quebec City and not Montreal. just an outsiders view, I also heard there's not very many english speakers in Quebec City.

[jetsniper]

Well I'm not saying it's better or worse, people are just dismissing the hatred of the Calgary/Edmonton rivalry. Different reasons for fueling the rivalry but I'd be willing to bet my life Calgary and Edmonton hate each other just as much as Montreal/Quebec City.

[Pierre the Great]

Well I'm not saying it's better or worse, people are just dismissing the hatred of the Calgary/Edmonton rivalry. Different reasons for fueling the rivalry but I'd be willing to bet my life Calgary and Edmonton hate each other just as much as Montreal/Quebec City.

Really? I dunno about that. But okay whatever.

[jetsniper]

Fine Mr.Know-It-All, lets hear you're argument on this one.

[Pierre the Great]

lol. who said I was a know it all, do you know where I can get all the knowledge of the universe? I'd love to know.

See a couple posts up for my answer.

[option+]

Well I'm not saying it's better or worse, people are just dismissing the hatred of the Calgary/Edmonton rivalry. Different reasons for fueling the rivalry but I'd be willing to bet my life Calgary and Edmonton hate each other just as much as Montreal/Quebec City.

I'm not dismissing the Battle of Alberta at all, nor underestimating the mutual emnity between those two cities. For what it's worth, I think Flames-Oilers is the best rivalry in hockey today, by a long shot.

But Habs-Nords went way beyond people from two cities mutually detesting each other. Which is why it gets my vote.

[jetsniper]

lol. who said I was a know it all, do you know where I can get all the knowledge of the universe? I'd love to know.

See a couple posts up for my answer.

You sure as hell act like it sometimes.

I'm not dismissing the Battle of Alberta at all, nor underestimating the mutual emnity between those two cities. For what it's worth, I think Flames-Oilers is the best rivalry in hockey today, by a long shot.

But Habs-Nords went way beyond people from two cities mutually detesting each other. Which is why it gets my vote.

No no, I know you're not. I'm just saying to other people who are pretending to understand the Calgary/Edmonton rivalry and just passing it off when they really have no idea at all.

19 years in Calgary, I've seen it firsthand so it's best not to argue. Like I said, I'm not saying it's better or worse, it just seems to be getting underestimated. I'm not even talking about hockey anymore. The Stamps/Esks battles are even more vicious then Flames/Oilers. Hell, even the 'Necks love to take it to Edmonton (who's name escapes me at the moment). And the Hitmen/Ice always loved to beat the pulp out of each other for the 3 seasons we both sucked.

[Pierre the Great]

but jets the edm/cgy rivalry doesn't have politics involved. The Quebec-Montreal rivalry had politics in it.

[MAK]

but jets the edm/cgy rivalry doesn't have politics involved. The Quebec-Montreal rivalry had politics in it.

It also had religion

good friday brawl in 1984

[KoZed]

I'm not denying that Flames-Oilers is an awesome rivalry, but it doesn't touch Habs-Nordiques, which, though short, is the most intense rivalry in the history of North American pro sports. Here is why:

There is the same civic rivalry as Edmonton and Calgary. I'm not downplaying the Edmonton-Calgary hatred - I was born and raised in Yellowknife and therefore quite aware about how deeply those two cities hate each other - but you have the same thing in Quebec. Montreal and Quebec City do not get along, and have not since the 1600s.

But there are two HUGE reasons that Habs-Nords beats the Battle of Alberta:

1) During the 1980s, an extremely tumultuous time in Quebec history, the two teams came to represent different political visions of Quebec. I don't want to get into this, but somewhere along the way the Nordiques came to be associated with nationalism/separatism, while the Habs were pgeon-holed as the team of federalism and of the anglos. Obviously it's more complex than that, but that's more or less the key dynamic.

2) Molson owned the Canadiens and O'Keefe owned the Nordiques, and there was a bitter economic battle between the two breweries that mirrored the rivalry on the ice, especially with regards to Canadian TV rights.

Calgary-Edmonton can't even hope to touch those two things.

This may be an opportune time to float this out there...

I know about the Habs-Nords rivalry because I'm writing my PhD about it. No, seriously. If anybody knows of any books, articles and anything else relating to the rivalry, PLEASE contact me. Anecdontes too. Anecdotes are good. Send me a message through this board if you have anything to contribute.

Thanks.

Exactly. And it wasn't just between Montreal and Quebec City, it was the entire province that was divided.

You can also add a generation angle to it. Habs were the old guard, Nords were the younger generations. One of the best way for kids to stand up to their Habs-fan dad was to start cheering for the Nords, that's how it broke up families. Telling your dad you were a Nords fan was almost worst than telling him your were gay. All I have from that is far far away childhood memories of gossip, but it stuck.

Then you had the economic battle between Molson and O'Keefe for market shares and territorial supremacy. That battle was was fought all the way down to the little shit-hole convenient store in Gaspe or Amos.

Every preseason game was as intense as a SCF 7th game. You could't lose, period. The rivalry actually started before the Nords were even in the NHL, because Montreal tried to block them from getting in the NHL. Finally, because lot of places in the provinces started to boycott Molson in favor of O'Keefe, Montreal had to cave in.

TV rights were a war as well. Nords had to buy american games rights and resell them to cable TV in Montreal to have O'Keefe as a sponsor on some provincial games because Molson blocked them there too.

The Nords jersey was also a cheap shot to French players on the Habs. All in a sudden, guys like Lafleur, Larouche, Lambert and Co. were treated as Anglos. Lafleur basically grew up in Quebec City, was a star there in juniors and all in a sudden he was a hated enemy. That created deep bad-blood right from the start.

Then you also had the newspapers. Le Soleil in Quebec City and La Presse in Montreal. Medias threw loads of fuel on that fire. Player's wives were spit on in the opposing city. You've also got the famous Bravo incident in Montreal. Back then in the Forum fans could walk behind benches. Dino Bravo, passing behind the Nords bench, intentionnaly bumped his shoulder into Michel Bergeron. They had to renovate the Forum after that.

At height of that rivalry in the 80's I was still a kid, but I remember fights at school often happened because of teams alligeances. If we'd play dodgeballs, teams would often be divided between Habs and Nords fans... and there was no mercy. If you could throw the ball in a Nords fan's face hard enough to make him bleed or cry, you were a hero!

[Killer Carlson]

the biggest rivalry in hockey for me would be the sens and leafs for fan hatred alone. i wish they hadnt changed the format of schedule now- for instance the leafs never played detroit last year- surely the orignal 6 should paly each other at least once a season? as far as soccer rivalries go id have to say its celtic and rangers followed closely by Man Utd and Liverpuke. We hate each other. EAven to the point of abusing each other over disasters that have happened- which is sick

99 liverpool fans got crushed at hillsborugh (a football ground) and utd fans call them 'hillsborough scum'

Nearly the whole Man Utd team died in a plane crash in 1958 in Munich and liverpuke fans call us 'munich scum'.

To be honest i dont lower myself to that level as it is sickening. :puke:

[MAK]

At height of that rivalry in the 80's I was still a kid, but I remember fights at school often happened because of teams alligeances. If we'd play dodgeballs, teams would often be divided between Habs and Nords fans... and there was no mercy. If you could throw the ball in a Nords fan's face hard enough to make him bleed or cry, you were a hero!

It's not much of a rivalry but many people who hated montreal rooted for the ruins.

on my dad's side, only me and my grandma(who died on june 9th 1993) were hard core habs fans.

so when ever montreal scored I would cheer and my grandma would back me up by telling my uncles and granfather to basicly shut up.

IF a bruins would score, she'd whisper in my ear that that guy was a trou d'cul ( A hole).

[Killer Carlson]

It's not much of a rivalry but many people who hated montreal rooted for the ruins.

on my dad's side, only me and my grandma(who died on june 9th 1993) were hard core habs fans.

so when ever montreal scored I would cheer and my grandma would back me up by telling my uncles and granfather to basicly shut up.

IF a bruins would score, she'd whisper in my ear that that guy was a trou d'cul ( A hole).

your grandma sounds cool.

[MAK]

your grandma sounds cool.

she was cool but I dont remember that much about her. every time I drive by her former home, iI try to pass by her old house for memory sake. good times