Arguably, no Denver sports rivalry before or after carried so much animosity as the Avs-Red Wings rivalry of the late-90s and early-2000s. Even for all the bitterness that exists between the Broncos and the Raiders, things have never reached a fever pitch with those teams in the way they did with the Avs and Wings. The rivalry prompted a book titled “Blood Feud,” for crying out loud.
Central figures on both sides of the rivalry have moved on, notably here in Colorado where former-centerman Joe Sakic is now the executive vice president and general manager of the Avs, joined by former-goaltender Patrick Roy, who mans the bench as the team’s head coach and vice president of hockey operations. Both are members of the Hockey Hall of Fame; Sakic was inducted in 2012, Roy in 2006.
Now, they’ll be joined by two of the central figures from Red Wings’ side of the rivalry, Nicklas Lidstrom and Sergei Fedorov, whom the hall announced will be inducted in November.
Lidstrom played for Detroit from 1991 until his retirement in 2012. He captained the team in his final six years with the club. Over his 20 NHL seasons, Lidstrom won four Stanley Cups, seven James Norris Memorial Trophies (awarded to the NHL’s top defenceman), one Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff MVP and was voted into 12 NHL All-Star Games. He is second only to Gordie Howe in games played for Detroit, with 1,564 and leads the team in plus/minus at 450, an astounding 174 goals ahead of second-place Fedorov.
Fedorov, who played in Detroit from 1990 to 2003 before moving on to other NHL clubs, has his own hold on impressive stats within the Red Wings organization. He ranks fourth and sixth in goals and assists, respectively, and ranks second in both short-handed goals and game-winning goals for Detroit. Fedorov won three Stanley Cups with Detroit and a Hart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the league’s most valuable player) in 1994. He holds the record for most NHL goals by a Russian-born player with 483.
Together, they combined for 18 NHL All-Star appearances.
Despite their storied careers, the Avs often got the best of Lidstrom and Fedorov throughout many of their playoff matchups. Colorado knocked Detroit of out the playoffs in 1995-96 (Conference Finals), 1998-99 (Conference Semifinals) and 1999-2000 (Conference Semifinals), claiming Stanley Cup titles in 1995-96 and 2000-01.
Detroit eliminated Colorado twice between 1995 and 2004, both in the Conference Finals, first in 1996-97 and then 2001-02. The Red Wings won three Cups, 1996-97, 97-98 and 2001-02, during that span.
The two sides squared off in dozens of games throughout the rivalry, but none were more exciting than those playoff series, where both Fedorov and Lidstrom shined.
Fedorov scored what was ultimately the game-winning goal that eliminated the Avs in 1997, ending their bid for back-to-back Stanley Cups. Fedorov and Lidstrom combined for 39 points in the Stanley Cup playoffs the following year, en route to their own back-to-back titles. The Red Wings dispatched of the Avs in 2002 with a 7-0 game seven at Joe Louis Arena; Lidstrom had two assists and Fedorov had a goal in the massacre. Lidstrom won the Conn Smythe that year.
The Avs did get one last laugh against their longtime foe Lidstrom, however. In March 2014, the Avs scored a 3-2 victory in Detroit on the night they retired Lidstrom’s jersey.
The two Red Wings will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame November 9 in Toronto along with Chris Pronger, Phil Housley, Angela Ruggiero, Peter Karmanos Jr. and Bill Hay.