It’s been way to long. Halfway through the season, and just now, we are getting to the Wings. There was a time when you couldn’t walk down the streets in Denver wearing a Wings jersey. The rivalry, which used to be spelled with a capital R, has cooled off considerably. It’s hard to take it seriously any more. After all, what is Draper’s face compared to Moore’s neck? Does that sound cold? No more cold than turning right around and hiring Brad May. How would Wings fans have felt if they had hired Adam Deadmarsh for the 1996-97 season? (Don’t you Wings fans tell me it would never happen. You don’t run the joint)
But in the end, it’s pretty hard to get the bile up for some of the teams in the Northwest division. The Oilers are just so cute, and the Wild, I mean, come on, what’s there to be mad at. They have the neatest little jerseys. The Canucks? If the Avs can’t be bothered to care, why should the rest of us? As for the Flames, nothing doing. There just isn’t enough anger in this division for the Avs. It almost makes you jealous of the Battle of Alberta. The Pacific division has some serious proximity, with L.A., Anaheim, and San Jose. They can make up for the rest. The Wings and Predators have more of a rivalry these days.
Last year, around this time, I was in Norfolk, VA with a show. One night I went into a grocery store after a stick and puck season at the rink. I was wearing a Ducks jersey (the old one) that day. The guy who was working the check out kind of laughed at my jersey. We chatted hockey for a moment, until he told me he was a Wings fan. “Too bad,” I said. “I’m an Avs fan.” That ended our conversation. I didn’t want to talk to him, I didn’t want to hand him my money, and I suspect the feeling was mutual. We were done. He didn’t tell me my total, I just swiped my card and left.
That’s how a rivalry should feel.
For the next day or so, I’m staying away from the more angry of Wings blogs. I’m thinking about going to the game, but I may have to go to the Czech hockey bar instead, just to be around the fans there. I can imagine how much they must loathe the Wings. I sure miss that. Tomorrow is going to be good for my hockey life.