Alright my fellow WZ posters. This series took a downturn after the original lack of success in my football and baseball threads. "Bitches be hatin'" For a while I had thought of bringing it back, but being too lazy to do any research. Then Blue Cardinal 87 saw it and posted. I also asked my bud NSL if I should start again. He said go for it. So I am reviving this bitch. Let us get to our fun NHL rivalry. I so wanted to cop out and say Original Six, like all six teams, but I can't do that. I can't even be biased with Detroit vs. Chicago. I would feel dirty. The question is, Toronto vs. Montreal, or Boston vs. Montreal? Well, I guess we shall find out. Drum roll? Nah fuck it.
vs.
Fuckin' all Canadian rivalry. Well it is their sport so I see no problem with it. Let's get some background out of the way. It is a tale of Canada's two largest cities, in two different areas. We have the more English based Canadians in Toronto, which is now the largest city in Canada, and the French-Canadians in Montreal, the second largest. Some growth of each city.
Now that city background crap is out of the way, the Maple Leafs were not originally the Maple Leafs. In 1917 when they were brought over to the NHL from the NHA, they were just the Torontos, then the Toronto Arenas for a year, the Toronto St. Patricks for eight years, and then in 1927 became the Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1909 in the NHA to the present, the Canadiens have been, well the Canadiens. The two teams were part of the Original Six, which also featured Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and New York. It was not uncommon for each to play each other multiple times not only in the playoffs, but also in the Stanley Cup Finals.
There have been 37 Stanley Cup titles between the two, with the Canadiens winning 24 in their 100 year history, and the Leafs winning 13. Also, 28 Division titles, Montreal with 22 and Toronto with six, as well as eight conference championships for Montreal and zero for Toronto. The Maple Leafs have 55 players and builders (coach, management, owner) inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the Canadiens have 44 players and builders enshrined.
They first met in 1917, I don't know the date. Sometime early in the season probably. I don't have the stats people!!!!! I'm not Canadian either, so it isn't in my bible or school textbooks.
What I do know, is that in the playoffs that year, the great inaugural season, they met with Toronto coming out victorious, also claiming the Stanley Cup that year. For the next 22 years they would not meet in the playoffs. Crazy right?
They would meet in the latter part of the '40s three times, with Toronto being victorious all three times. Two in the Stanley Cup finals, and once in the semi-finals. Then came the 50’s, and Montreal would win five straight Cups to end the decade, a record for consecutive Cup wins, also reclaiming their spot at the top of the Cup wins mountain. In the 60’s, the Leafs would win another three straight Stanley Cups, with 1967 being their last appearance in the Finals. From the mid-50’s to through the 60’s, the Canadiens and Leafs combined to win 12 of the 13 Stanley Cups, not claiming the Cup in 1961, as the Blackhawks won it. The Canadiens would win another six in the 70’s, and one in the 80’s and 90’s respectively. The ’93 Cup was their last grasp at greatness.
As of the 08-09 season, the two teams have met in the regular season 696 times, with the Canadiens winning 328 of the games, the Leafs winning 275 of them, and 88 ties. On home ice, the Canadiens have proved very dominant at home, going 206-96-43. The Maple Leafs are no slouches at home either, having a record of 179-122-45 when at home in this series. In the playoffs, the Canadiens again have the upper hand, going 42-29 against Toronto. Again, holding home ice, going 25-11, compared to the Leafs going 18-17.
I would say this playoff game would be a good personification of the series as a whole.
[YOUTUBE]ZTJw2lYgXOA[/YOUTUBE]
Who doesn't like a good fight in April?
[YOUTUBE]Y7Zkwn_EBlY[/YOUTUBE]
There is bad blood in Canada between the English speaking Canadians, and the French-Canadians. Think of it like a better Gail Kim vs. Maryse rivalry. Actually that works though, Maryse got the upper hand like the Canadiens.
I realize this isn't my best work, but it is kind of difficult because I can't find all sorts of good in game stats and what not from the 50's and 60's. However, this is still a great rivalry in the East between the two largest cities in Canada. Hopefully the rivalry can be rekindled and the NHL can promote it even more.
Don't like Montreal vs. Toronto? Make your case for what you think is the Greatest Rivalry in the NHL.
Montreal vs. Toronto
Fuckin' all Canadian rivalry. Well it is their sport so I see no problem with it. Let's get some background out of the way. It is a tale of Canada's two largest cities, in two different areas. We have the more English based Canadians in Toronto, which is now the largest city in Canada, and the French-Canadians in Montreal, the second largest. Some growth of each city.
Between the end of World War II and 1971, both Montreal and Toronto grew enormously in size. Between 1941 and 1951, Montreal's population grew by 20% and Toronto's by 25%.[1] Over the next decade, it was 35% for Montreal and 45% for Toronto.[2] From 1961 to 1971, it was a little below 20% for Montreal and 30% for Toronto.[3] By 1976, Toronto, the metropolis of Ontario, had surpassed Montreal in population size. This was over 30 years after Toronto had begun challenging Montreal as the economic capital of Canada. Indeed, the volume of stocks traded at the Toronto Stock Exchange surpassed that traded at the Montreal Stock Exchange in the 1940s.[4] Finally in the 1970s, Toronto supplanted Montreal as Canada's business and economic centre. The loss of many headquarters and the departure of a large anglophone business community is generally believed to have lessened Montreal's economic importance.
Now that city background crap is out of the way, the Maple Leafs were not originally the Maple Leafs. In 1917 when they were brought over to the NHL from the NHA, they were just the Torontos, then the Toronto Arenas for a year, the Toronto St. Patricks for eight years, and then in 1927 became the Toronto Maple Leafs. From 1909 in the NHA to the present, the Canadiens have been, well the Canadiens. The two teams were part of the Original Six, which also featured Boston, Detroit, Chicago, and New York. It was not uncommon for each to play each other multiple times not only in the playoffs, but also in the Stanley Cup Finals.
There have been 37 Stanley Cup titles between the two, with the Canadiens winning 24 in their 100 year history, and the Leafs winning 13. Also, 28 Division titles, Montreal with 22 and Toronto with six, as well as eight conference championships for Montreal and zero for Toronto. The Maple Leafs have 55 players and builders (coach, management, owner) inducted into the Hall of Fame, and the Canadiens have 44 players and builders enshrined.
They first met in 1917, I don't know the date. Sometime early in the season probably. I don't have the stats people!!!!! I'm not Canadian either, so it isn't in my bible or school textbooks.
What I do know, is that in the playoffs that year, the great inaugural season, they met with Toronto coming out victorious, also claiming the Stanley Cup that year. For the next 22 years they would not meet in the playoffs. Crazy right?They would meet in the latter part of the '40s three times, with Toronto being victorious all three times. Two in the Stanley Cup finals, and once in the semi-finals. Then came the 50’s, and Montreal would win five straight Cups to end the decade, a record for consecutive Cup wins, also reclaiming their spot at the top of the Cup wins mountain. In the 60’s, the Leafs would win another three straight Stanley Cups, with 1967 being their last appearance in the Finals. From the mid-50’s to through the 60’s, the Canadiens and Leafs combined to win 12 of the 13 Stanley Cups, not claiming the Cup in 1961, as the Blackhawks won it. The Canadiens would win another six in the 70’s, and one in the 80’s and 90’s respectively. The ’93 Cup was their last grasp at greatness.
As of the 08-09 season, the two teams have met in the regular season 696 times, with the Canadiens winning 328 of the games, the Leafs winning 275 of them, and 88 ties. On home ice, the Canadiens have proved very dominant at home, going 206-96-43. The Maple Leafs are no slouches at home either, having a record of 179-122-45 when at home in this series. In the playoffs, the Canadiens again have the upper hand, going 42-29 against Toronto. Again, holding home ice, going 25-11, compared to the Leafs going 18-17.
I would say this playoff game would be a good personification of the series as a whole.
[YOUTUBE]ZTJw2lYgXOA[/YOUTUBE]
Who doesn't like a good fight in April?
[YOUTUBE]Y7Zkwn_EBlY[/YOUTUBE]
There is bad blood in Canada between the English speaking Canadians, and the French-Canadians. Think of it like a better Gail Kim vs. Maryse rivalry. Actually that works though, Maryse got the upper hand like the Canadiens.
I realize this isn't my best work, but it is kind of difficult because I can't find all sorts of good in game stats and what not from the 50's and 60's. However, this is still a great rivalry in the East between the two largest cities in Canada. Hopefully the rivalry can be rekindled and the NHL can promote it even more.
Don't like Montreal vs. Toronto? Make your case for what you think is the Greatest Rivalry in the NHL.