

Introduction

Ask any hockey fan what the biggest rivalry in the NHL is and you’ll get a few answers, depending on where and when they grew up. Most hockey fans would say the rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens is the biggest rivalry in the NHL, and after that many would suggest the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Canadiens. Both of those are excellent suggestions, and are well worthy of the title “Greatest NHL Rivalry”. However, there is one intense rivalry that many fans outside of the Midwest don’t seem to think about, a battle of the two Original 6 Midwest teams: Detroit vs. Chicago.

Detroit vs. Chicago is always a classic rivalry, and not just in hockey. In almost every sport the two cities contest a similar heated rivalry given their geographical location and historical status as rivals both economic and socially. People from Detroit and Chicago don’t tend to get along, and haven’t for some time. The animosity between Detroit and Chicago seemingly stems from a battle for the attention of the nation during the early 1900s, when Detroit became the focus of the Midwest economically thanks to the automotive industry, whose influence allowed Detroit to overtake Chicago’s economy for a short time.

Chicago casts a big shadow and many considered it the capital of the Midwest, and Detroiters took exception to that fact. Detroit, after all, was supposed to be the Paris of the west with its grand boulevards and city layout that mimicked the French capital. Chicago, meanwhile, was an ever upward expanding city. A major financial center and shipping hub thanks to its location that allows easy access from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, it quickly evolved to become the 2nd largest city in the nation by the early 1900s.

We all know Detroit has suffered a massive economic downturn since its peak in the 1950’s, thanks in large part to the decline of the domestic automotive industry. This downturn has only increased the rivalry between the cities culturally, with many Detroiters resenting the snide remarks and derogatory statements about the decline of Detroit that those from Chicago lob at their city and many Chicagoans taking exception to the idea that they no longer represent the real Midwest; that they’ve become as pretentious and arrogant as New Yorkers can be.

On the ice, however, the fares of the two cities teams have never really resembled that of their host cities for too long. Both teams suffered peaks and valleys in their performance, with the Red Wings suffering down periods following the end of the Gordie Howe era that saw them not so fondly referred to as the “Dead Wings” and the Blackhawks failing to make the playoffs consistently from 1998 all the way until the 2008 season, with ESPN labeling the ‘Hawks as the “Worst Franchise In Professional Sports”. Many potential fans in Chicago were frustrated with then owner Bill Wirtz who raised prices and refused to allow games to be televised in the Chicago area, claiming it was unfair to season ticket holders.

For the Red Wings, the purchase by current owner Mike Ilitch in 1982 saw the team’s status change. Drafting Steve Yzerman changed the fate of the franchise, much like the Blackhawks drafting Jonathan Toews changed their future some 2 decades later.

The two teams have storied histories, being members of the NHL’s Original Six. Beyond that connection, the teams have a shared history of success and decline, and tend to mimic each other and their cities far more than their supporters would care to admit, which of course contributes to the emotion of the rivalry.

Let’s take a look at the history of these two storied franchises and at the rivalry that has come out of their relatively close proximity and long history with each other.

Stay tuned for more updates as I continue my research into the early years of the Detroit-Chicago rivalry!