If you’re a diehard football fan, there’s arguably no better time of year than the final weeks of December.
With 40 NCAA Bowl games on tap (including the three playoff games), and the final weeks of the NFL regular season determining playoff seeds and wild card battles, fans of the gridiron game can sit back and enjoy it throughout the holiday season.
We at BarDown have decided to bring “Bowl SZN” to the NHL by incorporating some of the current and potential upcoming NHL rivalries. With an emphasis on geographical proximity and playoff battles from over the years, we’ve come up with nine bowl games that we’d think would be a fun, one-game showdown for bragging rights in these specified areas.
The 400 Series Bowl – Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Ottawa Senators
In the hockey world, it’s simply known as the Battle of Ontario, but we’re going to change things up and go with the theme of transportation that connects the capitals of Ontario and Canada in the form of Highway 401 and Highway 416. The rivalry might not be as tense as it was during those early 2000s post-season tilts, but the rebuilding Senators have some quality up-and-comers that can push the pace with their high-octane provincial foes to the east.
The Heritage Bowl – Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins
Any diehard hockey fan can tell you that the friction between the Habs and Bruins is unequivocally one of the best feuds we’ve ever seen in all of sports. Spanning over almost ten generations, the rivalry took off in the 50s when Habs fans rioted in the streets of Montreal that stemmed back to Maurice “The Rocket” Richard being suspended by the NHL for striking a ref in a game against the Bruins. A total of 34 playoff series including seven Stanley Cup Finals boiled the blood of many Hall of Famers, fans, executives, coaches and media members over the years. Hatred, elation, apprehension is just some of the emotions experienced in this never-ending feud. A paragraph trying to summarize this one simply doesn’t do justice.
The Allegheny Bowl – Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins
The arrival of Eric Lindros in Philadelphia got the puck rolling and countered the cross-state encounter after Mario Lemieux and company got the better of the Flyers from the mid-’80s to mid-’90s. More recently, the 2012 playoff series between the two Pennsylvania clubs had it all – bitterness, goals, poor goaltending and two captains battling it out. To this day, both teams can score at will, and if you like high-event hockey, this one is for you. Like the Allegheny mountains, the rivalry stretches through the state and was revisited in last year’s post-season where the Penguins exacted revenge over the Flyers.
The ‘Berta Bowl – Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames
It might not have the longevity of the Habs and Bruins, but the Battle of Alberta is one of hockey’s greatest matchups and appears to be back at the forefront again. Like the battles from the past, there’s big hits, fights and antagonists like Matthew Tkachuk stirring the pot in the present. Both teams have supremely talented players, too, forcing the old school and modern day hockey fan to tune in whenever these two teams go at it. Both teams are currently in the playoff picture, and one post-season series could really reignite the rivalry that was at its peak during the mid-80s to early 90s.
The Boroughs Bowl – New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers
In baseball, it’s known as the Subway Series, but for hockey, we’re going to salute the five boroughs of New York City. In the early days, Hall of Fame goaltender Billy Smith earned the “battling” nickname when he fought Rangers all-time points leader Rod Gilbert. They faced off eight times in the post-season from 1975-1994; the Islanders got the best of the Rangers during their dynasty era, but nonetheless, it created a bitter battle for years to come. The current rivalry might be more prevalent between the fan bases than the players, but that doesn’t mean sparks can’t fly whenever the teams face off. In 2014, a real-life Boroughs Bowl was played at Yankee Stadium apart of the NHL’s Stadium Series.
The Tundra Bowl – Minnesota Wild vs. Winnipeg Jets
Bring a warm winter jacket for this one. Both cities have seen their teams relocated and then brought back into the league. The hockey-crazed markets clashed during last year’s post-season during frigid wintery conditions -- there were scraps and a suspension, as the Jets downed the Wild in five games for the club’s first playoff series victory in the history of the Jets/Thrashers franchise. Blake Wheeler and Dustin Byfuglien hail from the State of Hockey, and with the two cities approximately seven hours away from each other by vehicle, the Jets and Wild rivalry could take off if future playoff encounters are down the road.
The Sunbelt Bowl – Tampa Bay Lightning vs. Florida Panthers
The two Florida clubs don’t have the long-tenured bouts of some of the other teams on this list, but one playoff series down the line could potentially change that. The Lightning are one of the NHL’s juggernauts, while the Panthers are ripe with offensive talent in the current and the come up. The two teams trade goals at will equating for an exciting style of hockey, but lacks in hostility. During the 2013-14 season, the Lightning took home the Governor’s Cup by winning the season series in hopes of injecting the competitive juices. The state of Florida had five football teams participating in bowl games, so why not have the two hockey teams square off in a similar fashion.
The Badlands Bowl – Arizona Coyotes vs. Vegas Golden Knights
The two desert dwellers don’t have an established rivalry given the Golden Knights have only been around for two seasons, but their proximity of roughly 300 miles makes could make them prime candidates down the line. When Marc-Andre Fleury was acquired by the Golden Knights in the expansion draft, Coyotes head coach Rick Tocchet, who coached Fleury in Pittsburgh, texted the ‘tendy saying “let’s start a rivalry.” The Coyotes will be moving to the Central Division when the Seattle franchise enters the league come the 2021-22 campaign, giving at least two more seasons for the bad blood to brew in the badlands. https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nhl/coyotes/2017/10/09/could-arizona-coyotes-vegas-golden-knights-nhls-newest-rivalry/748557001/
The Evergreen Bowl – Vancouver Canucks vs. New Seattle Franchise
The Canucks have had some great battles over the years with the Minnesota Wild, Chicago Blackhawks and Calgary Flames, but once the NHL’s 32nd franchise enters the picture, they will finally have a true rivalry that could truly establish the sport in the Pacific Northwest. The rivalry between each team’s soccer clubs have been around since the ’70s and has blossomed into the MLS’ Cascadia Cup along with Portland. It’ll be interesting to see how Seattle hockey team chooses their colour scheme, and if they elect to go with the green and blue, that’ll only add to the battle between the 49th parallels. If British Columbians flocking down to Seattle to catch Mariners or Seahawks game is any indication of things to come, expect this rivalry to take off and become a permanent fixture, especially if the teams can simultaneously deliver in the win columns early on.
