ROCKET SPORTS MEDIA – True fans do not take off-seasons, they rep their favourite team year round and this means their rivalries also take no days off. We are socialized into cheering for and rooting against certain teams. This socialization begins at a very young age.

One of my boyfriend’s best friends recently had a baby. When we were discussing what to get them for a baby gift, our first thought was some sort of cute Ottawa Senators apparel because the father is a huge fan of the team. So in this instance, the socialization process started as soon as the child was born.

This is not a rare occurrence. I spoke to numerous sports fans in preparation for this article and it seems that more often than not, when asked why people cheer for a specific team, they follow in their family’s footsteps.

This however of course is not always the case. In fact, I myself like the Montreal Canadiens because my entire family cheers for the Toronto Maple Leafs and from a young age, I enjoyed the bickering and sense of competition that cheering for a team they hated was able to spark.  In this article, I am going to look at the Montreal Canadiens’ top 5 rivalries  past and present.

Toronto Maple Leafs

I am a die-hard Canadiens fan proudly repping my Habs tattoo and apparel in the heart of Leafs Land, so the Habs – Leafs rivalry is one I am all too familiar with.  

My family, my friends, complete strangers – heck people who do not even like hockey – have to stop me and give me a hard time about what team I cheer for. I love the rivalry when Montreal is winning and hate it when they are losing. Regardless of who is doing better though, anyone who cheers for either team will tell you that the rivalry is one of the best parts about being a fan.

Some say the rivalry began as a representation of French-speaking vs. English-speaking  Canada. Others trace it back to when the Toronto Arenas defeated Montreal in the 1917-1918 season and moved on to win the Stanley Cup. Regardless where you believe it began, both Toronto and Montreal are Original Six teams, and have been playing against each other for more than a hundred years. These two have gone head-to-head countless times and the familiarity with one another has caused their rivalry to grow.

These are two of the most historic sports teams in history. They have two of the biggest fan bases in the NHL and the two most Stanley Cups in the league.

The Toronto – Montreal rivalry was not as strong as it used to be for a stretch because the Leafs were not as competitive for a while. On top of this, neither team has won a Stanley Cup in a long time – the Leafs however, a much longer time.

A new generation of this rivalry however has been cultivated over the past few years. Tie Domi is a great example of this. Someone who bled blue and white for much of his career – quite literally, being the enforcer for the Leafs that he was, is now a Montreal Canadiens fan. This breaks Leafs’ fans hearts a little to see Tie Domi wearing a Montreal Canadiens’ jersey. It also seems to give his son, Max Domi, extra drive to prove that Montreal is where he belongs.

When these two teams go head-to-head, it is sure to be a great game. Players and fans express bitterness and hatred for the rival team which only raises the stakes. There is nothing quite like gathering around the T.V. to watch Hockey Night in Canada on a Saturday night as the Habs and Leafs battle. Perhaps, in the near future, we will be fortunate enough to witness a Habs – Leafs playoff series and witness this rivalry go to a-whole-other level once again.

Boston Bruins

The next of the Canadiens’ rivalries I am going to discuss as many of you probably guessed is the Boston Bruins. This is one of the most historic rivalries in all of sport.

Like the Maple Leafs and Canadiens, the Bruins are members of the Original Six and having been facing each other for many, many decades. They are also in the Atlantic division, making these opponents devilishly familiar with one another.  In fact, these two teams have faced each other more times than any other opponents in the history of the NHL. They have also faced each other in the most game seven match-ups of any opponents in NHL history with nine meetings.

Match-ups between Montreal and Boston are always intense. There are passionate displays of emotion and an abundance of physicality. Sometimes, the physicality is taken to extremes.

March 8th, 2011 was a prime example. Bruins’ defenseman, Zdeno Chara, laid a hit on Canadiens’ forward, Max Pacioretty. The location and force of the hit caused Pacioretty to collide with the stanchion at the end of the bench. Following this hit, the entire hockey world held their breath as Pacioretty laid on the ice for several minutes largely motionless.

It was announced the following day that he had a severe concussion and a fractured fourth cervical vertebra. Chara received a five-minute major and a game misconduct, but the NHL awarded no suspension. It however did not stop here.

There was a public outcry after the league had decided against any further discipline against Chara. So much in fact, that the Montreal Police Service completed a criminal investigation against the defenseman. No charges were laid and Pacioretty returned to play the following season – even expressing forgiveness to Chara. As much as the two of them wanted to put what had happened behind them, it added even more fuel to the fierce fiery hatred that burns between the two teams.

I think it is important to mention that rivalry can be taken to disgusting extremes. In the 2014 playoffs, Montreal and Boston faced each other in the second round. The opening game ended in dramatic fashion as P.K. Subban scored the double overtime winner for Montreal.

The rivalry assured that there would be resentment toward Subban from Bruins fans for having scored the goal that lost the Bruins the game. This however was not what took place following the game. What took place was disgusting. People took to Twitter not to comment on Subban’s game, but instead on the colour of his skin. A racist slur was even trending in the city of Boston. This was not a show of rivalry, but instead one of racism.

Two teams that are known enemies came together following this. Bruins players all expressed that they felt the comments were, classless, racist and ignorant and in no way represented their views or the views of their organization. Subban also defended the Bruins organization, including the players and fans, echoing the fact that those views did not reflect in any way on that organization. The Bruins and Canadiens are bitter hockey rivals, but this was not a hockey issue.

Ottawa Senators

The next rivalry I am going to discuss has only heated up over the past six or seven years. Montreal and Ottawa are a short two hour drive apart. Again, they too are in the same division, setting the stage for a rivalry.

The rivalry was sparked when the two teams went head-to-head in the first round of the 2013 playoffs. This was the first time the two had met in the post-season since the Montreal Maroons and the original Ottawa Senators met in 1928.

The 2013 playoffs are what sparked the rivalry between Ottawa and Montreal. There were a number of reasons for this. In game one, Eric Gryba of the Senators, laid a questionable hit on Montreal’s Lars Eller. Eller was knocked unconscious and had to be removed from the ice on a stretcher. He suffered a concussion and multiple facial and dental fractures. Gryba on the other hand received a five-minute major, a game misconduct, and a two-game suspension.

The drama surrounding the hit did not stop there. In the post-game press conference, Senators’ coach, Paul MacLean, placed the blame for what had happened onto Raphael Diaz saying he had given Eller a suicide pass. The Canadiens however did not seem to like that comment, as Brandon Prust’s reaction to MacLean’s comment was that he did not care, what that “bug-eyed, fat walrus has to say.” It was safe to say that tempers were flaring in both locker rooms.

In game three, they could no longer be contained. There was a full line brawl between Montreal and Ottawa. It did not successfully help players to get their hatred out, and instead just added more fuel to the fire. With 17 seconds left in the game, Ottawa called a timeout with a 6-1 lead. Canadiens’ coach, Michel Therrien, called out MacLean for being classless.

 The dust still had not had a chance to settle, when the two met again in the post-season two years later. In the first game, there was once again a questionable play that lead to injury. This time however the tables were turned. Montreal’s P.K. Subban slashed Ottawa’s Mark Stone across the wrist. Subban was kicked out of the game but received no suspension for breaking Stone’s wrist.

The rivalry has slightly flamed out over the past few seasons, as they have been much less competitive, taking away the edge.

Quebec Nordiques

Moving forward with this list of rivals, I think it is important to take a look back. Even though the Nordiques left Quebec in 1995 and rebranded as the Colorado Avalanche, it would be impossible to look at the Canadiens’ rivals and not discuss this provincial rivalry.

The Montreal Canadiens had been the sole NHL team in the province of Quebec for decades. That was until, 1979 when the Quebec Nordiques entered the NHL and the Battle of Quebec was declared.

The first time the Nordiques played in the Montreal Forum against Montreal, they all expected to be met with an abundance of boos, but instead received a standing ovation. When the Nordiques however knocked the favoured Canadiens out of the 1982 playoffs, the applause certainly stopped and the Battle of Quebec was in full swing.

The two met again in the second round of the 1984 playoffs. In game six, the Battle of Quebec reached its boiling point. All hell broke loose in the Good Friday Massacre.

The entire game was a brawl between the two teams, resulting in 11 ejections and 252 penalty minutes. This game sums up this provincial rivalry. Perhaps, if Quebec gets another hockey team again in the future, this rivalry will be re-ignited.

Carolina Hurricanes

After looking back at a rivalry from the past, it is also important to look at new rivalries that may be emerging.

This past off-season, Canadiens’ General Manager, Marc Bergevin surprised the hockey world by offer-sheeting one of the best players on the Carolina Hurricanes – Sebastian Aho. It is not common in the hockey world for teams to offer sheet other team’s RFAs.

Canes fans had mixed reactions to this move. On the one hand, they were mad that Bergevin would try and steal their star player, but on the other hand, it was a fairly low offer sheet, so the Canes were able to match it. For this reason, Canes fans were thankful because it spedup the negotiation process for them.

Regardless, the offer sheet sparked fan discussion on both sides and caused Habs and Canes fans to butt heads. Perhaps as the Hurricanes become a stronger, more passionate organization, this may be the start of a new and lasting rivalry. Or, perhaps as quickly as this rivalry started, it will fizzle out, but the offer was placed.

By Caitlyn Golem, Staff Writer.
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