"Super Saturday" Is This Weekend: Did The NHL Miss Key Rivalries?

Written By: Mark "The Hard Hitter" Ritter

This Saturday, the NHL will continue the tradition of “Super Saturday," when all 30 NHL teams will be in action.

It’s one thing to have all 30 teams in play, it’s quite another to have the “right” match-ups. This Saturday the NHL will roll out the following match-ups:

*Chicago vs. Florida                   Vancouver vs. Colorado
*Detroit vs. St. Louis                  Philadelphia vs. New Jersey
Pittsburgh vs. NY Islanders       Montreal vs. Buffalo
Ottawa vs. NY Rangers              Toronto vs. Washington
Carolina vs. Boston                    Tampa Bay vs. Atlanta
Minnesota vs. Columbus            Nashville vs. Dallas
San Jose vs. Anaheim                Calgary vs. Edmonton
Phoenix vs. Los Angeles

Clearly, outside of a few solid rivalries, the NHL has missed the boat on this Saturday’s match-ups. The Chicago/St. Louis match-up and the Detroit/St. Louis match-up must be excused. Both teams are overseas, so there is not much flexibility there. That said, how excited are Minnesota fans about Columbus coming to town? And what about Nashville vs. Dallas, is there no better match-up for these clubs?

With the 2008-09 NHL playoffs still on the mind of many NHL fans, the NHL should have put a premium on historic and playoff rivalries. This would drive more fans to flock to their TV sets. Essentially, it is my belief that premium match-ups would optimize the amount of viewers.

With that in mind, here is how my "Super Saturday" lineup would look.

Toronto vs. Montreal:

Historically, one of the greatest match-ups in NHL history. Both Toronto and Montreal fans have an unparalleled love of the game. It doesn’t matter how well or how poorly either team is playing, as witnessed by Thursday nights game, when these two teams get together, “it’s on."

Calgary vs. Edmonton:

Simply put, these cities hate each other, which makes for great TV ratings and great hockey. The NHL got this one right. Canadians will tune in to watch this game en mass.

Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh:

Once again, historically these two cities and their fans hate each other. This would be one nasty game, filled with great scoring, a few fights and some big hits to boot! Combine that with the fact that these two clubs are on most people’s short lists to win the Stanley Cup and you have a match up that would capture not only Flyer and Penguin fans, but NHL fans from coast to coast.

Ottawa vs. Buffalo:

When Ottawa and Buffalo get together the blood flies! For whatever reason, the Sabres fans seemingly hate any team that plays in Canada, outside of the Maple Leafs, the Senators have become public enemy number one in Buffalo.

New York Rangers vs. New York Islanders:

Besides the obvious fact that these two teams reside in the State of New York, there is a definite line in the sand for NHL fans: you are either with the Rangers or you are with the Islanders, there is no in-between. The Islanders could use any tool to capture their once large fan base, a match against the Rangers is sure to bring them back. The TV ratings in the New York area would be huge and with rookie John Tavares in the fold, there would be interest in this match-up from coast to coast.

Chicago vs. Boston:

A classic Original Six match-up for two teams that have had a resurgence in recent years. These cities and their fans are always at war, whether it be on the Diamond, Gridiron and likewise, on the Ice. Plus, with so many young stars on each team, this match-up would get terrific ratings from coast-to-coast.

Anaheim vs. San Jose:

The battle of California has the potential to be a beauty. Both of these teams have a legitimate shot at hoisting the Stanley Cup this season and, after last year's playoff series, the San Jose Sharks will take any opportunity to knock off the Ducks. Not to be underestimated, California has one of the largest TV audiences on the planet and, given the Star power these teams have on their respective rosters, there would be plenty of interest in this game from coast to coast.

Tampa Bay vs. Florida:

An all-Florida battle may not get much attention across the continent, but it certainly would get the juices flowing in Florida. Both of these teams have the potential to be on the way up in the standings; this match-up would have the fans talking and that’s all you can ask in the Southern United States.

Minnesota vs. Dallas:

When the Minnesota North Stars were relocated to Dallas some fans stayed with the team and supported them as if they were still in Minnesota. Then, along came the Minnesota Wild and many fans leaped at the chance to support their home team once again. To be fair, on the ice the rivalry hasn’t been all it has been talked up to be, but you just know there are underlying hurt feelings for North Stars fans, which is something the NHL can capitalize on.

Washington vs. Los Angeles:

Ok, admittedly there is not much of a rivalry between Washington and Los Angeles, but Kings’ fans need a big star on the ice to get their attention, and there is nobody bigger than Alex Ovechkin. Plus, having Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin playing in separate time-slots ensures NHL fans will stayed glued to their TV’s well into the midnight hour. Further, with all the improvements the Kings have made over the past two to three years, they deserve a premium match-up; Ovechkin ensures a full building.

Vancouver vs. St. Louis:

Ok, so last year's playoff series was nowhere near a classic but, in this case, the NHL could look at having these two teams square off as an investment. Hopefully this rivalry develops, after-all, the NHL could use more rivalries, familiarity will help facilitate that.

Carolina vs. New Jersey:

Capitalizing on last year's playoff match-up which saw the underrated Hurricanes defeat the once mighty Devils, the NHL would be smart to have these two teams battle it out. And besides, with Martin Brodeur in net for New Jersey and Cam Ward between the pipes for Carolina, you’ve got the makings for one heck of a goaltenders battle, which, in some NHL fans minds, is the best part of the game.

Detroit vs. Colorado:

Admittedly, there is not much left of this one-time ugly rivalry. But, complicated by the numbers game, you just cannot make every match-up perfect on this day. Colorado fans still hate the Red Wings and, while I am pretty sure this game would be one-sided with the Red Wings pounding the rebuilding Avalanche, I am sure it would be an entertaining game, especially if you’re a wings fan. Besides, given the Avalanches’ recent struggles their fans need a reason to tune in. Detroit’s star power and the Av’s fans hatred for them, would bring Av fans out en mass.

Columbus vs. Nashville:

Two teams that are constantly battling for the eighth playoff spot in the Western Conference. Again, while there is not a ton of rivalry between these two teams and, while the match-up is not all that sexy, there is potential for sparks to fly and perhaps that leads in to a more formidable rivalry between the two teams. A good, if not unspectacular match-up.

Phoenix vs. Atlanta:

The king of the losers! Well, common sense would dictate that you not put two struggling teams on the same bill. That said, why invest valuable money and marketing into two teams that may or may not be playing in those markets in the next one to five years? Besides, at least this way each team has a fighting chance to win...

Sorry Phoenix, Sorry Atlanta. Until you earn a better match-up, you are stuck with each other. From my perch anyway, given how poorly these franchises have been managed, and the questionable support they receive, is well deserved.

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Unfortunately you cannot have the ‘perfect’ Super Saturday, the shear numbers just won’t allow it. I am the first to admit that my list is not perfect. But, as you can see from my list, there are plenty of great games that could be played.

So, with a little more research and with a penchant for premium match-ups, I think the NHL could improve on their attempt at Super Saturday. As it sits now, I think, for the most part anyways, the NHL missed the boat on Saturday's match-ups.

What say you? What would your 15 match-ups look like? Remember, for every match-up you make, it comes at the sacrifice of another. It’s easy to say Detroit vs. Pittsburgh would be a great match-up, but then you lose out on Philly vs. Pitt.

There is likely to be a lot of support for a Washington vs. Pittsburgh/ Ovechkin vs. Crosby match-up. In my mind, this may very well be the NHL’s most exciting match-up.
That said, having the NHL’s two biggest stars on the same docket is, in this case anyways, spreading the interest too thin.

Crosby and Ovechkin will bring huge audiences with them, no matter which teams they play. Having them both together would be awesome, but, in the end, it would be overkill. Remember, the NHL wants to keep the audience engaged throughout the entire day, not just for one game.

With that in mind, what is your favorite NHL rivalry at this time? What is the NHL’s ultimate rivalry?

Thanks in advance for your comments!

Until next time,

Peace!