5 best and bloodiest rivalries in the history of the NHL

1. Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins

Of course, there was no other choice for the NHL’s best rivalry of all time than an Original Six matchup. The Canadiens and Bruins are two of the NHL’s original teams that kicked off the league as we know it in 1942, but the pair had their first meeting way back in 1924 when the league was in its infancy.

The teams have a long history of play, combining for 927 total meetings — including 177 in the playoffs with nine game sevens between them. Not only is it one of the NHL’s most long-standing rivalries, it’s also the best overall. The Canadiens are the NHL’s most successful franchise by far, with 24 Stanley Cups to their name. The Bruins rank fourth on the list with six, as the pair have been competitive throughout much of their history.

That success has translated into a direct rivalry with one another, and even transcended the league itself in terms of the Rocket Richard Riot in 1955.

In recent years, the rivalry remains strong, even adding a new wrinkle in 2017 when the Bruins fired head coach Claude Julien midseason, and he was then named head coach of the Canadiens a week later.

And of course, it’s hard to forget the 2011 brawl between All-Star netminders Carey Price and Tim Thomas in a game that had 187 penalty minutes issued.

Given the longevity of the rivalry between these two opponents and just how nasty its been over the course of hockey history, it’s no surprise that the Bruins and Canadiens are the NHL’s best rivalry of all time.

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