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Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

St. Clown

St. Clown

Ideas Posted are Likely Not My Own
So many times you hear that a fan of one team says that his/her school's rivalry with whatever school is the best going. What criteria do you set for that? Is it how tight the games always are? Is it penalty count? The types of penalties? Is it in the fanbases and their treatment of one another?

I ask because I just read someone claiming theirs is the best around and my first reaction was to laugh at it. Clearly that person has never seen a Whioux/Gopher game (thinking about the handshake fights, or guys flying over the boards to take out whoever in years past), a DU/CC game, or a Whioux/BADger game. All are former WCHA bouts, as that's where most of my experience in watching games lies. The highlights of those games have been intense and you can sometimes see the spit fly from the players' mouths as they're yelling at each other. I'd consider them all for the top contenders for best rivalry around.
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

I hear you, everyone thinks that their own rivalry is the best. I guess in an attempt to answer your question it might be that one side (michigan state) only plays well when they are playing the other (Michigan). The best chants are reserved for this game too. The absolute hatred of the other side, the hits are harder, players skate faster, you hear more expletives fly, the simple fact that the rivalry transcends all sports/activities. Of course most people consider the Michigan-ohio state rivalry the best but that is because of the immense popularity of football. However, if you talk to a Michigan Hockey fan it is sparty that we hate the most. The Michigan-michigan state hockey rivalry trumps all (but it just isn't as well known especially with sparty sucking big blue balls now)...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udTsbf4e9d0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fI-sYE1DsMs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZOABV6S-M0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKri58R745c

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan–Michigan_State_ice_hockey_rivalry

http://www.msuspartans.com/allaccess/?media=356272

http://www.michigandaily.com/sports/rivalry-center-hockeys-focus-weekend

But like I said, every team thinks that their rivalry is the biggest. BC/BU, Minny/NoDak, etc. They're all big...
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

What makes it "the best around"? It must include Minnesota and North Dakota. That's all.;)
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

Not being a huge fan of either school, BC/BU games are fun. The interplay between the fans is HILARIOUS.
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

To quote the late Quintus Arrius:
Your eyes are full of hate, forty-one. That's good. Hate keeps a man alive. It gives him strength.
Click to expand...

Clarkson - St. Lawrence
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

If I were creating a matrix, I would include:

Passion
History
Stakes
Drama
Proximity
Arenas
Intensity of rivalries is other sports...
Parity

I don't think the following matter (as much)

Size of following
National media coverage
Cheerleaders

Rivalries I've witnessed in person:

BU - BC
ME - UNH
Yale - Quinnipiac (newest)
Colby - Bowdoin
Harvard - Cornell

Bucket List:

Colorado - DU
Michigan - Michigan State
NoDak - Minn
Harvard - Cornell (at Cornell)

What am I missing?
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

In Alaska the shared global geographic isolation as well as the dramatically different communities of the two schools contributes mightily to UAA/UA_ being a very intense rivalry. History is a big part of it as well, but the fact that people who live in Fairbanks don't like Anchorage and vice-versa is really what drives it.
 
Oldguy said:
If I were creating a matrix, I would include:

Passion
History
Stakes
Drama
Proximity
Arenas
Intensity of rivalries is other sports...
Parity

I don't think the following matter (as much)

Size of following
National media coverage
Cheerleaders

Rivalries I've witnessed in person:

BU - BC
ME - UNH
Yale - Quinnipiac (newest)
Colby - Bowdoin
Harvard - Cornell

Bucket List:

Colorado - DU
Michigan - Michigan State
NoDak - Minn
Harvard - Cornell (at Cornell)

What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Harvard-Cornell is VERY one-sided. It was manufactured by Cornell fans in an attempt to replace BU as their primary rival after BU joined HE. Any Harvard fan, I would bet, would tell you the biggest rivalry is with Yale, even though there isn't much history between the two in hockey. That's one that transcends all sports.

With that said, I'd love to go see a Harvard-Cornell game at Lynah. The contempt Big Red fans have for Harvard is wildly entertaining.
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

I say no school is worthy of rival status unless your fans have thrown their dead mascot on the ice. Often.

And if most of the male fans in attendance get a woody seeing that happen, you have yourself a jimdandy rivalry.
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

Oldguy said:
If I were creating a matrix, I would include:

Passion
History
Stakes
Drama
Proximity
Arenas
Intensity of rivalries is other sports...
Parity

I don't think the following matter (as much)

Size of following
National media coverage
Cheerleaders

Rivalries I've witnessed in person:

BU - BC
ME - UNH
Yale - Quinnipiac (newest)
Colby - Bowdoin
Harvard - Cornell

Bucket List:

Colorado - DU
Michigan - Michigan State
NoDak - Minn
Harvard - Cornell (at Cornell)

What am I missing?
Click to expand...

Since you're throwing D-III in the mix, Oswego-Plattsburgh
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

One guide might be to look at rivalries from other sports to see what they have in common:

In pro football, I'd be partial to Bears - Packers as "the" rivalry.

In pro baseball, "Yankees - Red Sox"

In college football, for many years it was "Harvard - Yale" which might now be "Alabama - Auburn," [EDIT: or Ohio State Michigan, how could i overlook that the first time??] I don't really follow the sport that much.


From what I've heard, either North Dakota - Minnesota or Wisconsin - Minnesota sound like the top college hockey rivalries. This has the makings of a good poll...
 
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Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

The only problem with this being a poll is that it will quickly degenerate into the entire population of Minnesota trying to decided if they dislike UND or Wisconsin more.

Come to think of it, let's have a poll!
 
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Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

Michigan vs state. Period.

Reaches the summit every late January/early February at Joe Louis Arena. Arena split down the middle, always sold out and always a good game.

sparty's recent nosedive to hell has given Michigan more breathing room in the series record. But regardless of how bad they've been, they always give Michigan a game. That goes for all sports. Michigan is the one team that they always give their best shot.

This rivalry is nasty in hockey. Whether it was the bench-clearing brawl at Joe Louis Arena or state's Tropp and Conboy attacking Steve Kampfer while he was down on the ice resulting in the entire Yost Ice Arena belting out a **** YOU STATE chant.

It annoys the hell out of me that the BTN and the media automatically assume Michigan-ohio is the a huge hockey rivalry due to the football rivalry. Realistically, the buckeyes are only Michigan's top rival in Football and Track.
 
Re: Rivalries - what make's it "the best around"?

MGoBlueHockey said:
Michigan vs state. Period.

Reaches the summit every late January/early February at Joe Louis Arena. Arena split down the middle, always sold out and always a good game.

sparty's recent nosedive to hell has given Michigan more breathing room in the series record. But regardless of how bad they've been, they always give Michigan a game. That goes for all sports. Michigan is the one team that they always give their best shot.

This rivalry is nasty in hockey. Whether it was the bench-clearing brawl at Joe Louis Arena or state's Tropp and Conboy attacking Steve Kampfer while he was down on the ice resulting in the entire Yost Ice Arena belting out a **** YOU STATE chant.

It annoys the hell out of me that the BTN and the media automatically assume Michigan-ohio is the a huge hockey rivalry due to the football rivalry. Realistically, the buckeyes are only Michigan's top rival in Football and Track.
Click to expand...

Must have been quite the rivalry during the Eisenhower years.
 
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