NHL Rivalry Series: Tampa and Florida

[LastWordArmy]

Even as hockey leagues all over the world take a hiatus, the Last Word on Hockey team is still devoted to publishing quality content in the absence of live sports. Such begins a new series: the NHL Rivalry Breakdown.

Each article will take a look at two longtime rivals and break down how the rivalry came to be, how the teams stack up against each other currently, and how the matchup may look down the road. This edition of the NHL Rivalry series looks at the battle of Florida between the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

NHL Rivalry Breakdown: The Tampa Bay Lightning and Florida Panthers

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[Major4Boarding]

What friggin' rivalry

Without both teams being competitive at the same time, there hasn’t been a reason for hatred to build between them. With the current division playoff structure, that might end sooner rather than later.

Thank you for proving my point

 

[Hoek]

Apparently we still haven't caught them in the all time series despite spanking them for quite a while now.

 

[Major4Boarding]

Apparently we still haven't caught them in the all time series despite spanking them for quite a while now.

IIRC - During the "Dark Ages", we won maybe 6 games out of 30. I do remember (more like still haunted) the last year that we had season tix in Sec. 309 (98-99) we didn't even win a game against the Turds all season.

Hell, I don't even think we won any games the next season either.

 

[DistantThunderRep]

This is so far from a rivalry that we could count it as Social Distancing.

 

[Outl4w]

I think we don't like each other but I would not call them a rival. I say our biggest rivals are Boston, Flyers ( hate them), Le Habs, Caps, Penguins, and recently we have had some blood baths with the wings after realignment.

 

[LightningStrikes]

Boston’s been at the top of the East alongside us for a couple years now and play in the same division, so they’re probably the closest thing to a rival to us.

Washington, Toronto and Montréal games have a special vibe too but they’re not really what I’d consider rivals.

Florida though? Nah. When they were good we sucked and since then they’re either at the bottom or on the outside looking in while we set records.

 

[JoVel]

I think we don't like each other but I would not call them a rival. I say our biggest rivals are Boston, Flyers ( hate them), Le Habs, Caps, Penguins, and recently we have had some blood baths with the wings after realignment.

There was some bad blood with the Wings for a few years but it's dead now. Caps, Pens, Flyers... they're not rivals of us at all. Habs too. Bruins are the only one who could be considered some kind of a rivalry but even that is a reach.

 

[Outl4w]

There was some bad blood with the Wings for a few years but it's dead now. Caps, Pens, Flyers... they're not rivals of us at all. Habs too. Bruins are the only one who could be considered some kind of a rivalry but even that is a reach.

Really? You do realize we had some of the bloodiest matches versus the Flyers and the Caps in the playoffs?

 

[JoVel]

Really? You do realize we had some of the bloodiest matches versus the Flyers and the Caps in the playoffs?

We haven't faced the Flyers in the playoffs in over 15 years, those series have very little to do with the teams of today. The Capitals series from two years ago was pretty meh from a rivalry standpoint, and we have a whopping two players left from the team we had when we previously faced them.

 

[bov]

This hasn't even slightly resembled a rivalry in a very long time, and even in the Paul Laus/Peter Worrell days (I was a young hockey fan then so maybe I don't fully remember), I don't know if there was that much heat between the two teams. I think it'll take at least one playoff series to turn this into something real.