One of the hottest and oldest rivalries in professional sports will be telecast on Sunday as NBC will bring the Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues matchup to the country with a starting time of 12:30 p.m. ET.
Since 1970, the Blues and Blackhawks have been in the same division. Much like the Chicago Cubs vs. St. Louis Cardinals in baseball, the Blues and Blackhawks have great fan support and their matchups always feature plenty of visiting fans making the trip to support their teams. You will see the passion of both fan bases and plenty of red and blue in the stands for Sunday’s matchup which adds to the excitement and raw emotion of a truly organic rivalry.
Seeds of the Seventies
When the Blues and Blackhawks were placed in the old West Division in 1970 the rivalry took off immediately. The Blues had made the Stanley Cup Final in the previous three seasons, while the Blackhawks would make the Final in 1971 and 1973. St. Louis was led by heart and soul defensemen Barclay and Bob Plager, which began a connection of brother combinations for this rivalry. Brothers Bobby and Dennis Hull were star forwards for the Hawks at this time. Chicago also boasted star goaltender Tony Esposito and Hall of Famer Stan Mikita.
Match Lit in 1980’s
In the 1980s it was not uncommon for the Blues and Blackhawks to brawl on the ice with their fans often going at it in the stands. The cities of Chicago and St. Louis are long and bitter rivals when it comes to sports and this hockey rivalry best illustrates that passion. The lid came off this rivalry in that same decade as the Blackhawks and Blues often battled for the top spot in the old Norris Division. The teams would meet for eight games each season and played in two of the loudest buildings in the game in Chicago Stadium and the St. Louis Arena.
In the late ’80s and early ’90s, the Blackhawks boasted stars Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and Ed Belfour while the Blues countered with Brett Hull, Adam Oates and Curtis Joseph. That point in time remains the golden age of this era as both teams were Stanley Cup contenders with personality.
St. Patrick’s Day Massacre
No game better illustrates the hate between these rivals than the March 17, 1991 St. Patrick’s Day Massacre. The two teams brawled with a total of 12 players, six on each team, being ejected. There was a lot of outcry on the outside from sports fans who lack understanding or appreciation of hockey.
But for fans of the game, even those who do not necessarily like fighting, the brawl merely represented a heated sports rivalry that had become one of the best in all of professional sports. That brawl has been among the building blocks that make a Blues vs. Blackhawks matchup appointment television.
The Rivalry of Brotherly Love
All six of the Sutter brothers would play for either the Blues and or Blackhawks during their famed careers. Brian Sutter was once head coach of both the Blues and Blackhawks. Rich Sutter played for both teams. The Sutter brother connection reached its peak in 1992 in the playoffs when twins Ron and Rich played for their brother Brian on the Blues. Brent, meanwhile, played for the Hawks while Darryl was a Chicago assistant coach and Duane was a scout. Chicago would go on to win the series and end up in the 1992 Stanley Cup Final.
Wakey Wakey
The Blues seemed to have the Blackhawks on the ropes last year in the playoffs by taking a 2-0 series lead only to blow four straight games to end up eliminated. Ironically enough the series turned in a Blackhawk loss when Chicago’s Brent Seabrook was called for a five minute major penalty, game misconduct, and three game suspension for charging Blues captain David Backes. The Blackhawks taunted Backes, who was concussed, by saying “wakey, wakey” as the laughed at him, which of course became a rallying cry for the team and fans the rest of the series.
From the outside, this rivalry would seem to represent all that many fans hate about hockey. But, for hockey fans, this rivalry represents the passion of the game that no other pro sport can hope to surpass.
