In thinking about what makes a rivalry really take off, all the things previously mentioned have their place, but nothing stokes the fires so much as the stakes. What is the magnitude of the games? While a pair like Michigan- MSU no doubt have a good thing going, too often the familiar statement "You can throw out the records when these two meet!" is used with many of these rivals and it all rings a little too hollow for my taste. That statement is used because one team or the other, or both, has a terrible record. How hot does the fire really burn when you're taking down the 9th place team in the CCHA? (Or any conference for that matter.) Something more has to be at stake and the proverbial "throwing out of records" should seldom be forcibly entered into a "great" rivalry.
In light of this, I propose an alternate solution: Why not a threesome?
In other words, the almighty triumvirate rivalry of Wisconsin, Minnesota and North Dakota. As they say north of the border, it's a real menage-a-threeway of hockey magnificence that never fails to get the juices flowing. (And often, a reasonable amount of blood.) It's been pointed out that multiple rivals water down the the quality, (here adding water necessitated Dane County Sheriffs on the ice...) but why is that? It's because in such instances we're talking about one team that is perrenially good, that several other not-so-good teams want to make their bones by beating. Not the case with these three.
Consider that in the last 40 NCAA tournaments these 3 teams have combined for 25 appearances in the final, and 16 Championships. (Btw-Wisconsin is 6-2 in the final, the other two are better at losing it. Just sayin'...) Taken as a whole, the stakes are invariably high when these teams meet. How many times have any one of these come in to face the other with a #1 ranking? (I actually don't know, but it's a big number. A large number. A very healthy number, I'm sure.) Top fives facing off? (again, quite substantially large quantity. Much more than say, Michigan and Denver's combined titles before the invention of acrylic paint in 1964.)
Then there is the parity. But it is parity at an extremely high level. UND has 7 titles to UW's 6 and UM's 5. The Gophers have a winning record all time against both UW and UND. UW has one more title then UM and a winning record all time against UND. All of it is commonly disputed, but you get the idea. In tallying up the years of hatred over a dozen or more games a year, it is difficult for me to imagine anything else coming close. If someone invented a 3 ended sheet of ice with three way hockey rules (similar to that 3 level chess deal on Star Trek Mr. Spock was always going on about) Wisconsin vs. Minnesota vs. North Dakota would be the greatest Hockey game ever played.
