Who is Washington's Biggest Rival?

[Privet]

Honestly I would say with the downfall of PIT, they are no longer our arch nemesis. I would argue NYR are the rivals as they seem to have our number in the playoffs.

 

[hb12xchamps]

Pittsburgh will always be the #1 rival as long as Crybaby is there. Ovechkin vs. Crosby gets more than just Caps and Pens fans to tune in and it's so easy for players from both teams to get going. The rivalry starts with our prospects learning to hate the baby Pens when Hershey plays Wilkesbarre and it continues to the NHL.

On another note, I hate how we only play the teams in our division 4 times. Establishing a "rivalry" is hard when you only play a team a hand full of times during the regular season.

 

[rkhum]

That's a good point about the Philly invasions. It's hard to explain how much it sucked watching the Caps lose to the Flyers at home when the crowd was almost 50/50, and the Flyers fans were louder. Those are the memories hatred is made of.

That hasn't happened since the Caps started winning in the Ovie era, so it's hard to get as worked up about the Rangers. As suck as it is losing to them, at least they don't steal our home team advantage.

If we are talking about crowds, the Rangers bring more now and in the past, and PIT brings the most.
Surprised to see Philly invasions are mentioned but not Rangers and Pens who bring more.

 

[Mickstix]

It changes over time.. I remember when the Flyers were the hands down "bad guys".. Then the Pens, and now trending toward the Rags.. I still picked the Pens cause I can't stand Cindy and Co.. We continue to stub our toe on the Rags and that may change though.

 

[Gumbo]

I think it is the Penguins. With the Pens there is a combination of history, playoff meetings, and the individual rivalry of Ovechkin and Crosby. One factor that hurts this rivalry is that the Pens-Flyers rivalry is probably bigger for Pittsburgh fans.

You could say that Rangers are the current hottest rivalry b/c of all the playoff matchups, but IMO it would take a long time to displace the Pens. Like the Pens, the Rangers have an existing rival which to them is more important (Islanders).

 

[sycamore]

It changes over time.. I remember when the Flyers were the hands down "bad guys".. Then the Pens, and now trending toward the Rags.. I still picked the Pens cause I can't stand Cindy and Co.. We continue to stub our toe on the Rags and that may change though.

I does and it doesn't. A lot of it is based on location. You think with the rise of the Panthers there is ever going to be heated rivalry between Florida and Washington? I doubt it. The Flyers and Pens, however, are our next door neighbors. Even when they are floundering as they are now, the games with those two teams are still pretty intense.

 

[Mickstix]

I does and it doesn't. A lot of it is based on location. You think with the rise of the Panthers there is ever going to be heated rivalry between Florida and Washington? I doubt it. The Flyers and Pens, however, are our next door neighbors. Even when they are floundering as they are now, the games with those two teams are still pretty intense.

Yep, location location location. Especially when the opposition puts their own fans butts in seats.. The Panthers will never be popular enough, imo, to have any kind of presence in Verizon, so a real rivalry will probably never materialize.. There's just something about a group of fans from the opposing team chirping your own players, in their own house, that kicks a rivalry into high gear!

 

[RandyHolt]

G) Our playoff demons

And that G normally stands for hot goalie.

 

[BobRouse]

Over the last 30 years pretty much every team in the "Patrick division" has been our "top" rival at one time or another outside of NJ.

Body of work would go to the Penguins handily for me.

 

[Maruk moustache]

Over the last 30 years pretty much every team in the "Patrick division" has been our "top" rival at one time or another outside of NJ.

Body of work would go to the Penguins handily for me.

But Verbeek slicing Langway's leg that one year in the playoffs with his skate?

Winning Cups with our Scott Stevens? That guy was supposed to be ours for life, dammit.

Besides all that, NJ was the other expansion team we entered the league with. There is always going to be a sibling rivalry in my mind. Every time NJ wins another Cup, I feel extra bad. I can't help comparing their progress to ours.

 

[BobRouse]

But Verbeek slicing Langway's leg that one year in the playoffs with his skate?

Winning Cups with our Scott Stevens? That guy was supposed to be ours for life, dammit.

Besides all that, NJ was the other expansion team we entered the league with. There is always going to be a sibling rivalry in my mind. Every time NJ wins another Cup, I feel extra bad. I can't help comparing their progress to ours.

I feel you. But compared to the other teams in the division during that time it wasn't the same with NJ.

There was a 3 year window where we played 2 nasty playoff series vs NJ. Before, in between and after that there was literally zero animosity compared to the other teams.

They and their fans really never hated the Caps and they were at the bottom of the rivalry food chain when it came to the Caps.

In the 80s it was the Islanders and Flyers as 1 and 2. Rangers were close behind and the Penguins were on the verge of their run as top rival. Vs all those teams there would be thousands of opposing fans in the Cap Center. Not with NJ.

 

[Maruk moustache]

I feel you. But compared to the other teams in the division during that time it wasn't the same with NJ.

There was a 3 year window where we played 2 nasty playoff series vs NJ. Before, in between and after that there was literally zero animosity compared to the other teams.

They and their fans really never hated the Caps and they were at the bottom of the rivalry food chain when it came to the Caps.

In the 80s it was the Islanders and Flyers as 1 and 2. Rangers were close behind and the Penguins were on the verge of their run as top rival. Vs all those teams there would be thousands of opposing fans in the Cap Center. Not with NJ.

I guess, when I really think about it, the biggest rivalry in fact is probably just whatever most fans think it is, really. Although it helps if both teams' fans agree on what their main rivalry is, like the Cowboys and Redskins. So, probably the stuff about how the fans feel, on both sides, is really the best way to answer the question.

I am sure the Rangers fans hate the Islanders more than Washington, and vice versa. I wonder if the Penguins fans hate the Flyers more.

 

[fashi13]

I was thinking more short term and not long term, you could make an argument for Philly long term but short term Philly has been so awful that we don't bother with their ****

I would probably put Penguins Rangers and Philly in that order simply based by the raucous nature of the crowd whenever any of the three come to town.

Their is plenty of history with the flyers that they are 1or 1a. For the young, just remember the first run under Boudreau and how painful that game 7 OT loss was.

 

[Ajax1995]

I guess, when I really think about it, the biggest rivalry in fact is probably just whatever most fans think it is, really. Although it helps if both teams' fans agree on what their main rivalry is, like the Cowboys and Redskins. So, probably the stuff about how the fans feel, on both sides, is really the best way to answer the question.

I am sure the Rangers fans hate the Islanders more than Washington, and vice versa. I wonder if the Penguins fans hate the Flyers more.

That's the thing, I don't think there are any sets of fans of other teams who feel the Caps are their biggest rival. Which sadly says a decent amount about the history of the Caps IMO...

 

[Ajax1995]

Winning Cups with our Scott Stevens? That guy was supposed to be ours for life, dammit.

Well it isn't like they offer-sheeted him and took him from the Caps. Or even offer-sheeted him and took him from the Blues. How he ended up in NJ is kind of hilarious IMO...

 

[BobRouse]

That's the thing, I don't think there are any sets of fans of other teams who feel the Caps are their biggest rival. Which sadly says a decent amount about the history of the Caps IMO...

There is a good reason for that. The Caps got skrewed by going to the South East as opposed to staying in the "Patrick" where they had established all those rivalries in division.

The other teams continued to fuel their flames of hatred while we got tossed to Siberia trying to establish rivalries with Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Carolina etc

 

[895]

Can we add snowstorms as an option?

 

[IafrateOvie34]

Well it isn't like they offer-sheeted him and took him from the Caps. Or even offer-sheeted him and took him from the Blues. How he ended up in NJ is kind of hilarious IMO...

 

[Maruk moustache]

There is a good reason for that. The Caps got skrewed by going to the South East as opposed to staying in the "Patrick" where they had established all those rivalries in division.

The other teams continued to fuel their flames of hatred while we got tossed to Siberia trying to establish rivalries with Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Carolina etc

I guess Rangers have the Islanders, so even though I personally hate the Rangers the most, probably enough Penguins fans hate the Capitals enough and vice versa that that's got to be our biggest rival, objectively speaking. Maybe "hate" is the wrong word to use for their end--maybe I should have said "enjoy having beaten the Capitals in all those series."

 

[Ajax1995]

There is a good reason for that. The Caps got skrewed by going to the South East as opposed to staying in the "Patrick" where they had established all those rivalries in division.

The other teams continued to fuel their flames of hatred while we got tossed to Siberia trying to establish rivalries with Florida, Tampa Bay, Atlanta, Carolina etc

Agreed to a point but even before the end of the Patrick Division days how many fans of those teams would have said the Caps were their teams' biggest rival? I would say none.

 

[Caps Circle]

That's the thing, I don't think there are any sets of fans of other teams who feel the Caps are their biggest rival. Which sadly says a decent amount about the history of the Caps IMO...

There is a decent chance that the Lightning and Hurricanes see us as their biggest rival.

 

[Hivemind]

There is a decent chance that the Lightning and Hurricanes see us as their biggest rival.

Tampa hates Boston and Philly more

 

[Maruk moustache]

There is a decent chance that the Lightning and Hurricanes see us as their biggest rival.

Yup I was about to say this.

Canes got the geographical proximity thing too.

Now all we need is to start hating the Canes a lot and we'll have something. It's been hard to hate them lately. They're not good enough for that.

 

[LegendaryNumber5]

My wife has only been watching hockey for 5 years, since we started dating, and the endless stream of obscenities towards the Rangers makes me proud. Pens closely follow, but mostly because she (without any nudging from me) thinks Crosby is a "Little *****"

 

[RandyHolt]

She's a keeper!