10 Best Rivalries in Detroit Sports History
By Zac Snyder
Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs
As two of the Original Six, the Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs saw a lot of each other in the early days of the National Hockey League.
The two haven’t met in the playoffs since the Maple Leafs took game seven from the Red Wings in 1993 but only the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens have played each other in more playoff series. The Wings and Leafs have been paired in 34 playoff series, including seven times in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Unfortunately for the Red Wings, the Maple Leafs were victorious in six of those seven Finals series. In the 1950s, the Red Wings ended the Maple Leafs’ season five times in seven years, including three straight from 1954-56. Those are the kinds of things rivalries are made of.
With the Red Wings’ move back to the Eastern Conference, the rivalry with the Toronto Maple Leafs has the potential to be rekindled. That’s especially true after Mike Babcock left Detroit as a rare coaching free agent to take the Maple Leafs job.
It hasn’t come to fruition yet as the Maple Leafs have been down in recent years, but the fight for playoff position in the Atlantic Division and hopefully some playoff series aren’t far off in the future.
Next: Number 6