Chicago Blackhawks Top Rivals?

[sportprof101]

Hope everyone is having a good Saturday! My name is Zach and I’m a student at NKU and I wanted to learn more about everyone’s feelings on our rivals and why we feel this way towards them. With the help of message board members beginning in 2014, we—the students and professors of the Know Rivalry Project—began answering this question and others related to rivalry in the NHL. No one knows the rivalries of the Blackhawks better than this message board community. Please help us update and expand our results to ensure that the Chicago Blackhawks are included by taking 9 minutes to complete our newest survey:

https://umassamherst.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3FdJ8eN2EgFCfCB?grpID=1379&mbsrc=mb

Our previous results have been featured in numerous sports media outlets, as well as the Wall Street Journal and New York Times. You can view those results, links to media coverage, and learn more about us at our KnowRivalry.com website BUT we’d prefer you didn’t until you completed the survey via the link above… we don’t want to influence your opinions provided in the survey.

We use the Qualtrics online survey software for data collection. This academic research has been approved by two US universities’ Institutional Review Boards (IRB) and it poses no risks to respondents. You’ll find more information on the disclosure agreement that is required to start the survey. There are plenty of other teams you can look into as well on the site if you had other favorite teams. Survey aside I would like to know your personal feelings about your rivals. Thank you for helping us to include the Blackhawks by participating and please share this with any other fans that may also help.

Zachary Beal, Northern Kentucky University
Dr. Joe Cobbs, Northern Kentucky University
Dr. David Tyler, University of Massachusetts—Amherst

 

[Granada]

Rivalries are funny in that they're ever-changing, at least in my view. In every sport, you have somewhat "forced" rivalries like Packers/Bears -- simply because both fanbases hate each other and there's a long history of playing one another. Kinda hard to call that an actual rivalry in the present-day though because it's so ridiculously one-sided and players on both teams probably couldn't care less, in all honesty. They just say they do in front of a camera because they know that's what fans want to hear and because they're prompted by the media. Blackhawks/Red Wings has become the same type of animal, at least currently.

Anyways, my point is, there are many variables and it depends on how you define "rivalry." To me, a rivalry only exists when both fanbases and teams (most importantly) hate each other -- if you only have fanbases that hate each other, that isn't a bonafide rivalry. I'd also say that there needs to be a recent (I stress, recent) history of playoff matchups between both clubs. In other words, both teams need to be good, for a sustained period of time, at the same time -- with a majority of each team's main roster (or core) in tact during that same sustained period of time. No one truly cares about two cellar dwellers who hate each other; or a historical rivalry where one team has sucked for the past decade and the other one is a powerhouse who simply rolls over the former every regular season (see Blackhawks/Red Wings until 2009, when the Hawks became relevant again, formed a legitimate core that could actually challenge Detroit's core, and the rivalry became an actual rivalry again).

I remember when everyone thought Vancouver would always be a Blackhawks rival. They were our biggest rival in the Cup era, but now, they're nowhere close to a rival. You could say the same about the North Stars, Red Wings, Blues, Preds at different times. I'd throw the Kings in there as well. But right now, I really wouldn't consider any of these teams current "rivals." The Blues were the last true rival. If I had to absolutely pick one current rival, I'd guess I'd say Nashville -- but it has yet to truly matriculate into a real rivalry, at least by my standards.

 

[SkyKing]

Well put, Granada. You bring up some good points. I agree about the fan base, the TV cameras and that rivalries today are short lived. Another thing that has diminished the rivalry thing is free agency, even amongst traditional rivals. Two that come to mind between the Hawks and Detroit would include Hossa and Chelios, but I don't recall the details in their situations at the time so maybe those aren't the best examples.

The players, perhaps their agents, really don't care where they play or where they get their paychecks from. When Kane's contract is up I'm sure he'd go where the money is and although a contender would be a strong choice but one thing that might contribute to keeping a player where he's at might be due to personal family decisions. Maybe the wife wouldn't want to move the house or take the kids from neighborhoods or schools so a less lucrative contract might be agreed upon.

 

[Diehardfan]

Rivalries are funny in that they're ever-changing, at least in my view. In every sport, you have somewhat "forced" rivalries like Packers/Bears -- simply because both fanbases hate each other and there's a long history of playing one another. Kinda hard to call that an actual rivalry in the present-day though because it's so ridiculously one-sided and players on both teams probably couldn't care less, in all honesty. They just say they do in front of a camera because they know that's what fans want to hear and because they're prompted by the media. Blackhawks/Red Wings has become the same type of animal, at least currently.

Anyways, my point is, there are many variables and it depends on how you define "rivalry." To me, a rivalry only exists when both fanbases and teams (most importantly) hate each other -- if you only have fanbases that hate each other, that isn't a bonafide rivalry. I'd also say that there needs to be a recent (I stress, recent) history of playoff matchups between both clubs. In other words, both teams need to be good, for a sustained period of time, at the same time -- with a majority of each team's main roster (or core) in tact during that same sustained period of time. No one truly cares about two cellar dwellers who hate each other; or a historical rivalry where one team has sucked for the past decade and the other one is a powerhouse who simply rolls over the former every regular season (see Blackhawks/Red Wings until 2009, when the Hawks became relevant again, formed a legitimate core that could actually challenge Detroit's core, and the rivalry became an actual rivalry again).

I remember when everyone thought Vancouver would always be a Blackhawks rival. They were our biggest rival in the Cup era, but now, they're nowhere close to a rival. You could say the same about the North Stars, Red Wings, Blues, Preds at different times. I'd throw the Kings in there as well. But right now, I really wouldn't consider any of these teams current "rivals." The Blues were the last true rival. If I had to absolutely pick one current rival, I'd guess I'd say Nashville -- but it has yet to truly matriculate into a real rivalry, at least by my standards.

.
As you said, there is usually something at stake....like the playoffs. It always pops up after multiple years of facing the same team. Most fans only know the stars but after playing the same team, they pick up on other guys to hate as well. The King's and Canucks are perfect examples.....never much going on until the Hawks started playing them on a regular basis in the playoffs. Other teams like the North Stars (Minn) , the Blues and the Redwings are products of location. My favorite part is the hate for certain players like Dino Cicarelli and Alex Burrows or Doughty or Probert....always brought out the best in teams. The craziest thing to me wasn't even about the players..... the fans in Vancouver somehow got wind of the brow beating Barry Rozner of the Herald was laying on their beloved with every playoff column. I actually emailed him to see if he was aware of it....he told me the paper was being overrun with hate mail for him. To me, the old North Star rivalry and the Vancouver ones were the best.