For a period during the late 1990s and early 2000s, there was no more fierce a rivalry in the NHL than the one between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche. The bad blood between the two sides only exists in old video clips anymore, but fans of both teams can never forget the violent feud.
Now fans will have a chance to relive some of those blood-boiling memories, albeit in a much more subdued environment.
Selected to host one of two Stadium Series games during the 2015-16 season, the Avs will be welcoming their old rivals to Coors Field, home of the Colorado Rockies. Though the modern-day players won’t have much kindling to reignite the days of old, the Avalanche found a better way to bring back the rivalry. They're getting the band back together.
The team announced Monday that as part of the Stadium Series festivities in Denver, there will be an alumni game featuring players from the so-called “rivalry era” from 1996-2002.
Already confirmed for the game are Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy, Peter Forsberg and Rob Blake for the Avalanche. Red Wings participants are expected to include Chris Chelios, Brendan Shanahan and Nicklas Lidstrom.
That list only featured current or soon-to-be Hockey Hall of Famers. But one can only hope additions to that list will include the likes of Claude Lemieux, and Detroit's Grind Line of Kris Draper, Darren McCarty and Kirk Maltby. After all, they were among the central figures in this entire feud.
The spark that ignited the powder keg came during the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs and it was Lemieux holding the match. In game 3 of the Western Conference Final, the Avs agitator sucker-punched Slava Kozlov in the mouth. Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman was so upset that he confronted Lemieux in the parking lot after the game. He also demanded the league review the play, which it did. Lemieux got a one-game ban.
That got things started, but the real explosion came in Game 6. Lemieux hit Draper from behind into the boards near the Red Wings’ bench. It was a terribly dirty play and Draper was severely injured after going face-first into the half-wall. Lemieux was suspended two games for the incident, but a few weeks later, the Avalanche were hoisting the Stanley Cup.
In 1997, the Red Wings wanted revenge and wanted it bad. More directly, McCarty really wanted a piece of Lemieux. So while there was a scrum on the ice during a game in March, McCarty went after the Avalanche forward, knocked him to the ice and tried to goad Lemieux into a fight. Lemieux did not oblige, tucking his head under his arms (or as hockey lingo calls it: turtled) while McCarty wailed away. Soon, everyone on the ice was fighting, including goalies Roy and Mike Vernon. There were 18 fighting majors total in the game.
Here’s how the most famous fight of the rivalry unfolded (at 3:40 of the video):
Now, we’ll be nearly 20 full years removed from the birth of this rivarly, the likes of which have rarely been seen since. Most of these guys are in the 40s and 50s now, but what happens if somebody looks at somebody else the wrong way? Will this be the first alumni game to be suspended due to everyone getting thrown out?
It’ll be fun to find out.
The Avalanche-Red Wings Alumni Game is scheduled for Feb. 26 at 5 p.m.
