The answer is no. No, the Avalanche and the Wild
should not be considered NHL rivals at this point. Avs fans shouldn’t hate the
Wild any more than they hate any other NHL team that isn’t the Red Wings. Why?
Because at this point, there is no recent history or events that can classify
these divisional opponents as rivals. Lets take a closer look:
What brought on the absolute hatred Avs fans felt
toward the Wild in recent years? Matt Cooke, and the 2014 playoffs. We all know
about the Matt Cooke knee on knee hit on Tyson Barrie. The blatant attempt to
injure, the slap on the wrist suspension, and the turning point of losing the
D-man that definitely led to the series loss. Avs fans had every right to hate
that team. To hate that logo. And to hate the fans, who were quite smug about
the whole affair if you can remember.
But so much has changed since 2014 with both
franchises. Matt Cooke, the antagonist of this whole mess, is gone. The Wild
have had almost no success since that series in the playoffs and regular
season. Only 5 players from the 2014 playoff series even play for the Avs
anymore. Most of that team isn’t even in the NHL anymore. The Avs have been
terrible since then, up until the early stages of this season, making any games
against the Wild completely uneventful or intense. There have been no signs of
bad blood between these teams really, save for the occasional Cody McLeod
fight.
So what reason do Avs fans have to hate the Wild? Yes,
they’ve been the better team since 2014, but should we hate them because they
got a better coach and made the playoffs a few times? Should we hate them
because they took advantage of an AVs collapse a few seasons ago and Parise
scored a hat trick in an all too familiar comeback?
A lot of questions being asked here, all which should
be answered by a simple no. So what should we feel toward the Minnesota Wild?
As Avs fans, we should feel like we want to win the game. That’s it. Games
against the Wild should feel like a game against the Blue Jackets, or a game
against the Flames. A hockey game with no underlying storyline other than
wanting the 2 points.
So if you find yourself still hating the Wild after
all these years, no, you’re not being called stupid here, or unnecessary. We’re
just saying that maybe it’s time to let go. The Avs are on the upswing, and the
Wild still owe Parise and Suter over $7.5M against the cap for another 7 years.
The Wild have no tangible results or brags for their 16 years of existence in
this league. The Wild say they play in the “State of Hockey”, but in their
case, the state of hockey they’re in is what the experts like to call “inconsistent
and boring”. The fans are….well….unfortunate.
So don’t hate the Wild. They aren’t rivals. They have
become just another team. And even thought that 2014 playoff loss was disappointing,
it seems like the Avs will have enough playoff success in the near future to
remedy those emotions, and they’ll be looking at the Minnesota Wild in the rear
view mirror.
