We put the question out to the Montreal Canadiens faithful: Who is the biggest rival of the Habs currently?
Through the first half-century of Montreal Canadiens hockey, it was very clear who the Habs biggest rival was: the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The animosity between the Anglo and Francophone crowds and teams was known league wide and created several historic matchups. It didn’t hurt that between 1917 and 1967, the two teams faced each other 13 times in the playoffs, with six of those occasions being for the Stanley Cup.
But as many Habs fans know and love to bring up, the Leafs have been mired in an unwanted slump ever since that year.
The two teams have met twice since 67, with both matchups coming in the late 70’s. Because of that, the rivalry has become a bit lukewarm. That is not to say that there isn’t still heat between the fan bases.
Over the last few decades, other in-division rivals have become more and more competitive, which makes for more intense games with the Canadiens.
We were interested to see who Habs fans though the teams biggest rival, and thus, our Twitter poll for the week was born.
Poll for this week's Twitter Poll Thursday. Which team is the #Habs biggest rival right now? #gohabsgo
— A Winning Habit (@FSAWinningHabit) August 8, 2017
Toronto Maple Leafs
With 36 percent of the votes, Canadiens fans still believe that this rivalry is well and alive. It’s bound to get more competitve, especially after the Leafs made the playoffs last season for the first time since 2013.
Auston Matthews, William Nylander and Mitch Marner will create new challenges for Shea Weber, Carey Price and co. going forward, so it should be fun to see how this next season goes.
If the Leafs and Canadiens do meet up in the playoffs soon, the rivalry will gain a new fire, which I’m sure will be welcomed by both sides.
Boston Bruins
The running theme of this poll is the original six teams that the Habs have built rivalries with over the last century. Along with the Leafs, the Bruins have a storied history.
The two teams didn’t meet in the playoffs until 1929, but since then, they have faced off 33 more times in the postseason, with seven of those meeting being in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Since the turn of the century, the Habs and Bruins have played six playoff series against each other.
The most recent meeting came in 2014, where the Canadiens took the series in seven games.
Boston still possesses a strong team, with the likes of Patrice Bergeron, David Krejci and Tuukka Rask playing prominent roles as usual. Add to that the always pesky Brad Marchand — who is coming off two straight seasons with over 35 goals — and you’ve got a formidable opponent who has been a thorn in the Canadiens sides for years.
Just because this is not considered the biggest rivalry to some, it is still feisty nonetheless.
Ottawa Senators
This rivalry is purely based on geography. Ottawa is littered with Canadiens fans, and the trip from nearby Gatineau to the Canadian Tire Centre and vice versa is short.
The modern iteration of the Senators has only faced the Canadiens twice in their history. The Habs took the latest series played between the two teams during the 2015 playoffs in six games.
It looks like the two teams will be jockeying for a top three spot in the Atlantic Division for years to come. This rivalry is only going to get more intense.
New York Rangers
Another original six squad, another budding rivalry. The Rangers received the lowest vote total in our poll, receiving only 14 percent of the vote. But, that doesn’t mean that the rivalry is any less serious than the rest.
These two teams have even more angst for each other after their gruelling six game series to start off the 2017 NHL Playoffs.
Add to that the fact that the Rangers knocked out the Atlantic Division winners, and the situation gets a little more interesting.
With another slate of games with these two teams going head-to-head, it’s only going to get nastier from here on.
Next: Montreal Canadiens: Addressing the Max Pacioretty Rumours