For a franchise that's turning 100 and has seen plenty of great draft classes and players, it's pretty common knowledge to know that the Chicago Blackhawks have had some bad blood with a lot of teams. But if I could only pick three of them, who would they be and why?
I'll let you in on a little spoiler: Only one of them is in the Original Six. I'm looking way past historical markers here, using events from both older and modern times to concoct this short list. So, which teams made the cut, and who ranks No. 1 on the scale?
3 - Nashville Predators
Surprised? But, it's true. One of the newer franchises in the league probably has some bad blood with the Hawks, and vice versa. Go back to 2017, when the Preds upended the Hawks four games to nothing, which came two seasons after the Hawks took out the Preds in six contests.
The Hawks also got the best of the Preds in 2010, also in six games. But going into the 2020s, this rivalry probably isn't leaving anytime soon. Both the Hawks and Preds rank near the bottom of the league, even if they seem like they're going in separate directions.
While the Hawks are stuck in a perpetual rebuild, the Preds recent disappointing season has them mired in unexpected mediocrity. Overall, both teams could find themselves climbing back up the NHL ladder on similar rungs until they're relevant again.
2 - Detroit Red Wings
While the Red Wings may not be in the same conference as the Hawks these days, it doesn't take away from the intensity every time these two teams meet. Like the Hawks, the Wings are still rebuilding, so there's a good chance they could end up on opposite ends of the playoffs in time, and who knows what that'll lead to?
Further, this rivalry is also 100 years old, and since the Hawks played the Wings frequently until the latter's move to the Eastern Conference, they've seen each other more often, especially well into the 21st century, than the other Original Six franchises.
Both teams have seen some of the best in league history line up against one another, like Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe, just to name a couple of them. And how many fights and brawls have we seen break out between these teams? If you answered "countless," you might be on to something.
Add to the fact they're among the more successful franchises in league history, Original Six Era and in modern times, and nothing will stop this heated rivalry.
1 - St. Louis Blues
Oh yes, it's only natural to put the Blues here, since Chicago and St. Louis are historically rival cities in the sports world. You got the Cubs and Cardinals, and, once upon a time, the Bears and Football Cardinals (later the Rams).
While the Blues and Hawks only have been facing off since 1967, they've had plenty of moments, winning a combined four Stanley Cups in the 2010s. But that's just the tip of a larger iceberg.
As with the Preds and Wings, we've seen plenty of heated playoff matchups, and we saw a slew of them in the 1980s and into the early 1990s, many of which the Blackhawks won. Overall, it's been one of those situations in which two teams didn't like one another from the very moment the puck dropped in Game 1 nearly 60 seasons ago.
