Does Anyone Here Miss The Adams Division ?

[Gjman2019]

With Montreal Boston tomorrow night i keep thinking about the mid to late 80's early 90's when i was a little kid and how heated that rivalry was.........They have met in the playoffs a few times since the realignment but it's obviously not the same as it was.......The second best rivalry in those years in my opinion was the Battle Of Alberta with the Flames and Oilers and they haven't met in the playoffs since 1991..........

Playoffs are still good but without those heated rivalries year after year i don't think it's as good as it was......I miss those heated battles every spring......I know some people disagree and say it got old seeing the same teams year after year in the playoffs.......There's always gonna be different opinions and that's fine.......

I guess if there was one downside to the Adams division back then it was when Quebec was rebuilding and they were really bad, and the other 4 teams in the division were pretty much guaranteed a playoff spot before the season began.....It did make the regular season a little boring.......

Anyway i just wanted to see what you guys think......

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[BLNY]

I don't so much miss being in that division (because Montreal spent time in the Norris too) as I do the names in general and divisional playoff rounds.

 

[Gjman2019]

I don't so much miss being in that division (because Montreal spent time in the Norris too) as I do the names in general and divisional playoff rounds.

Do you miss the playoff rivalries the Habs had with the B's and even Quebec in those days ?

Just read this on the Historical Website On The Canadiens....Found it quite interesting and it really shows how heated the rivalries were in those days......I'll put it in quotation marks.......


""""""""""""""""""- The relationship between the Habs and Nordiques degenerated completely on April 20, 1984. In Game 6 of the division finals, with Montreal leading the series 3-2, a disgraceful display tarnishes the series. At the end of the second period, after hostilities boiled over, Dale Hunter and Guy Carbonneau went at it as both benches emptied, resulting in a full-out, on-ice brawl. Almost 200 penalty minutes were dolled out and 12 players were ejected from the game. The Canadiens had the last laugh, though, winning the game 5-3 to close out the series."""""""""""""""""""

 

[BLNY]

Do you miss the playoff rivalries the Habs had with the B's and even Quebec in those days ?

Just read this on the Historical Website On The Canadiens....Found it quite interesting and it really shows how heated the rivalries were in those days......I'll put it in quotation marks.......


""""""""""""""""""- The relationship between the Habs and Nordiques degenerated completely on April 20, 1984. In Game 6 of the division finals, with Montreal leading the series 3-2, a disgraceful display tarnishes the series. At the end of the second period, after hostilities boiled over, Dale Hunter and Guy Carbonneau went at it as both benches emptied, resulting in a full-out, on-ice brawl. Almost 200 penalty minutes were dolled out and 12 players were ejected from the game. The Canadiens had the last laugh, though, winning the game 5-3 to close out the series."""""""""""""""""""

Sure. I've always contended that no rivalry was more vicious than the 80s Battle of Quebec. It transcended the sport. Politics, city vs city, and the whole separatist movement became part of it all.

My point was that I wasn't tied to the division name as much as the format.

 

[Gjman2019]

Sure. I've always contended that no rivalry was more vicious than the 80s Battle of Quebec. It transcended the sport. Politics, city vs city, and the whole separatist movement became part of it all.

My point was that I wasn't tied to the division name as much as the format.

Yeah that's amazing stuff for sure......

For me the rivalry with the B's was really intense when i was small.......Lots of Bruin fans where i live so it was really a big deal at the time.....It just killed me when the B's took over the rivalry from 88-94.....Habs did get them 1989 though.....

 

[BLNY]

Yeah that's amazing stuff for sure......

For me the rivalry with the B's was really intense when i was small.......Lots of Bruin fans where i live so it was really a big deal at the time.....It just killed me when the B's took over the rivalry from 88-94.....Habs did get them 1989 though.....

It was certainly between the B's and Habs who would likely come out of the division from 1988 to the first lockout. Nilan and Kordic vs Miller. Neely and Bourque were clutch against Montreal. But the brawls between the Habs and Nords, "Good Friday Massacre", there was just a level of hate that went above and beyond the traditional rivalry between Montreal and Boston.

 

[Gjman2019]

It was certainly between the B's and Habs who would likely come out of the division from 1988 to the first lockout. Nilan and Kordic vs Miller. Neely and Bourque were clutch against Montreal. But the brawls between the Habs and Nords, "Good Friday Massacre", there was just a level of hate that went above and beyond the traditional rivalry between Montreal and Boston.

Habs Nords was a bit before my time but i have watched lots of highlights and read up on it.....Very very cool stuff......

Did you go to any of those games in those years ?

One last question , what was the mood like among the media and fanbase when Hunter scored in OT to beat the Habs in 1982 ? ...Was it that much worse than other losses ?

 

[BLNY]

Habs Nords was a bit before my time but i have watched lots of highlights and read up on it.....Very very cool stuff......

Did you go to any of those games in those years ?

One last question , what was the mood like among the media and fanbase when Hunter scored in OT to beat the Habs in 1982 ? ...Was it that much worse than other losses ?

I was 13 in 1989 and living in Nova Scotia. Unfortunately never got to attend a game before the move to the Molson/Bell Centre. I just remember watching on tv and the reactions from CBC commentators. The Good Friday game was just nuts. Different time though, for sure.

I still remember the pre playoff game brawl between Montreal and Philadelphia in 1987. Montreal always finished warm-up by drifting a puck down the ice into the opposing empty net. One of the Flyers players stayed out to try and stop it. Most of the players for both teams were back in the locker rooms. They came back out in various states of undress and the good ole donnybrook ensued.

 

[benthepr0p]

I miss having smaller divisions. The current setup is trying to create rivalries with the playoffs but the truth is that they would be better off with smaller divisions.

It should be something similar to the NFL's format. Four four team divisions per conference. Each division winner qualifies for the playoffs with 4 wildcard qualifiers. Battling 3 other teams to win the division each year will create more heated rivalries than the current arrangement.

If the Nordiques ever return they should make do this. As much as I love hating the Bruins a division of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec City would be bloodbath.

 

[Rapala]

I totally miss the old structure 1v8 2v7 3v6 and 4v5. The regular season has become watered down since the change. Teams dog it all the time now because there is no real advantage in killing yourself to face a low seed.

 

[OldCraig71]

I loved the Adams division mostly because of our rivalry with the Nordiques. I wish that some of our younger fans could have been alive for that, it was intense.

 

[JianYang]

I miss it, but it's a brand of hockey that will never come back, even if you bring the division back.

Lots of hatred with Boston and quebec. Buffalo was also underrated rival in the early 90s.

Hartford was also like a stain that would never quite go away.

Going to the garden, the AUD, Le colisee all had their own unique identities too. Buffalo and Boston played in grungy sandboxes with unique home ice advantages and wilder crowds, but all road games feel cookie cutter now.

The game is different now, but hockey back then used to bring a wider range of emotions.

 

[Frankenheimer]

Of course I miss it. You just to avoid being the worst team in the division to make the playoffs.

 

[yianik]

Sure. I've always contended that no rivalry was more vicious than the 80s Battle of Quebec. It transcended the sport. Politics, city vs city, and the whole separatist movement became part of it all.

My point was that I wasn't tied to the division name as much as the format.

I second all of this. The rivalry of rivalries.

 

[JianYang]

I miss having smaller divisions. The current setup is trying to create rivalries with the playoffs but the truth is that they would be better off with smaller divisions.

It should be something similar to the NFL's format. Four four team divisions per conference. Each division winner qualifies for the playoffs with 4 wildcard qualifiers. Battling 3 other teams to win the division each year will create more heated rivalries than the current arrangement.

If the Nordiques ever return they should make do this. As much as I love hating the Bruins a division of Montreal, Toronto, Ottawa and Quebec City would be bloodbath.

Friedman confirmed a couple years ago that the nhl has explored the 4 team format, so it's a possibility down the road.

Thing is, you can't please everyone with the structure. Say a 4 team division with Toronto, Boston, and Ottawa.

Boston would hate the frequent cross border travel. Buffalo would lose alot of rivals they built up from the Adams division.

 

[Habs]

yup, and hate the new playoff format as well.

 

[NORiculous]

The only thing that was in the same league as the Habs vs. Nords rivalry was the Canada vs USSR.

So much emotion and passion went into, not only the games, but everything around it too. Have never seen anything like it since.

 

[themilosh]

I miss hearing the brass bonanza, even though it meant a Habs loss..