Ranking the NHL's Best Rivalries in the 2016-17 Season

Every NHL team's fanbase has an opponent they love to hate, and many of the best rivalries go back decades. If one or both teams are in a down period and unproductive, the rivalry goes dormant and waits for another uprising.

The best rivalries—like the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals—involve strong teams that are in the window of opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. In cases like the Capitals and Penguins, it helps that two generational talents represent each side and the intensity can be palpable between the two men and the respective organizations.

The ultimate rivalry is forged by playing several playoff series in a short span—say five or six years. Here are the top rivalries in the NHL for 2016-17.

8. Edmonton Oilers vs. Calgary Flames

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The Edmonton Oilers came into the NHL as part of the WHA expansion draft in 1979, and the Calgary Flames arrived from Georgia one year later. In 10 seasons beginning in 1980, Edmonton would play in six finals, while winning five Stanley Cups and Calgary would play in two, winning one.

Since 1990, both teams have had varying degrees of success and failure, both teams going to the Stanley Cup Final—Calgary in 2004, Edmonton in 2006—while also having long periods of losing. In fact, Edmonton hasn't made the playoffs since 2006, suffering through one of the longest periods of futility in the game's history.

Although the 1980s rivalry between these two teams was legendary—it might have given fans the most exciting hockey in history—it is impossible to have a good rivalry with one team or both undergoing a rebuild or suffering massive losses.

That looks to be changing, as the Oilers have cashed some of the high draft picks in for solid defenders and the Flames have used a recent run of inspired draft picks to restock the cupboard with skilled men. The early indications from this season have both clubs much improved and opening night saw a return to 1980s style hockey—giving fans a chance to relive a brilliant era. If the Oilers and Flames turn the corner, and meet in the playoffs, expect the fires of one of the NHL's great rivalries to burn bright again.

7. Detroit Red Wings vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

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The Detroit Red Wings and Toronto Maple Leafs have been trying to beat each other for most of a century, and the rivalry has included some of the all-time classics in the game's history. The rivalry has several very famous moments, including Gordie Howe's devastating injury during the 1950 playoffs and the ensuing bad blood that came out of the incident.

In the years before the 1967 expansion, the Maple Leafs were very strong but the Red Wings of the 1950s—one of the most dominant teams in history—had faded and the team at that time as an also-ran. That lack of a competitive team from 1970 through 1983 left the Red Wings a shell of its former self, while Toronto was having a mixture of good and bad seasons.

The two cities are not far away from each other and with the Red Wings' move to the Eastern Conference and the Atlantic Division in 2013-14, things will likely heat up. The fact Mike Babcock is now coaching Toronto and the Maple Leafs appear poised to emerge as a strong contender may mean the quality of play increases markedly. Original Six rivalries fuel NHL success, so a new chapter in this ancient fight should be very popular with fans across the NHL.

6. Montreal Canadiens vs. Boston Bruins

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The rivalry between the Boston Bruins and Montreal Canadiens is one of the greatest in all of sports, and the bad blood between the two teams and fanbases can mean an outbreak even in a soft season for these clubs.

In 2011, the two teams met in a quarterfinal series—the 33rd between the two teams in NHL playoff action—and Boston prevailed in seven games. The winning goal in Game 7 of that series came in overtime, incredible considering the Bruins went on to win the Stanley Cup.

In 2014, Montreal defeated Boston in the second round in seven games. The Bruins outshot the Canadiens 234-196, but Carey Price had a .936 save percentage and made the difference over the long series. Montreal would push the New York Rangers to six games in the Semifinal but could not make it all the way to the Final.

This season should favor Montreal, but the Bruins have improved and are likely to be a playoff team, too. If Carey Price can get this team into the playoffs, you have to like the Canadiens chances to go deep in the postseason—and the odds of these two teams playing again are better than they were a year ago.

5. New York Islanders vs. New York Rangers

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The Battle of New York entered the hockey vocabulary in 1975, when the upstart New York Islanders—still a building expansion team—shocked the New York Rangers and hockey establishment in a preliminary three-game series. The Islanders' winger J.P. Parise scored the deciding game of that series, sending the young club on a run that would see them make it to the semifinals that spring.

A big part of the rivalry is fan-based, with chants of "1940!" and "Potvin sucks" passing into icon status and echoing in the rafters of Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum. During the late 1970s and through the 1980s, one or both teams had strong rosters, and the intensity of the rivalry burned hot.

When the Rangers won the Stanley Cup in 1994, the team went through the Islanders, Washington Capitals and New Jersey Devils on the way to meeting and beating the Vancouver Canucks in the Final.

Although the two teams have not met in the playoffs in many years, they play each other so often—and the fan reaction to the rivalry is so strong—it remains an epic matchup even in the regular season. The two teams are strong and could go deep in the playoffs, setting up the possibility of a New York battle and an instant classic.

4. Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers entered the NHL in 1967 as part of the first major expansion. In the first 15 years of existence, the Flyers were the dominant team, and the franchise has been competitive almost every season. The Penguins were slow to improve, but Mario Lemieux's arrival—and later Jaromir Jagr—gave Pittsburgh its own golden era. Philadelphia acquired Eric Lindros during this time, and the club had an outstanding run during his healthy seasons.

Since the turn of the century, the teams have faced each other several times in the playoffs: 2000, 2008 and 2009, with the Penguins winning the last two series. In 2012, the two teams met in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal, with the Flyers surprising Pittsburgh in six games. Three playoff series—2008, 2009 and 2012—took place in a five-year period and intensified the rivalry.

The Penguins are the reigning champions, but Philadelphia is patiently building the right way. Added to the bad blood that has taken place—these two fanbases hate each other, and things often get nasty on social media—a strong Flyers team could ignite this rivalry in a big way.

3. San Jose Sharks vs. Los Angeles Kings

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The Los Angles Kings are the oldest NHL team in California, having outlasted expansion sister Oakland Seals who arrived at the same time—during the 1967 expansion draft. The San Jose Sharks arrived in 1991, and the Anaheim Ducks came along in 1993, with the Kings representing the dominant franchise with an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 1993.

Beginning in 1993, the Kings and the expansion teams were hit-and-miss, but by 2000 things started to get interesting on all three fronts. In this century, the Kings and Ducks have won the Stanley Cup, but San Jose is still pushing for the honor.

In 2014, the Kings were on the way to a championship and encountered San Jose in the first round. It was a very difficult series for both teams, with Los Angeles eventually winning in seven hard-fought games. The Kings would take care of the Anaheim Ducks in another seven-game series on the way to the 2014 Stanley Cup.

In 2016, San Jose turned the tables on the Kings, quickly dispatching Los Angeles in five games on the way to the Stanley Cup Final.

This season looks like an adjustment year, with San Jose trying to squeeze out one more deep playoff run from a veteran group, while Los Angeles has depth issues up front that could impact the ability to make the postseason. California hockey is morphing into a new era, and it is not yet clear if there will be a dominant team through the end of this decade. The Kings-Sharks rivalry will make things interesting if the two teams meet in the playoffs.

2. Chicago Blackhawks vs. St. Louis Blues

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The St. Louis Blues and Chicago Blackhawks have had an intense rivalry dating back to the beginning of the Blues franchise. When the club entered the league in 1967-68, the Blues quickly gained a reputation for being rugged and willing to fight at a moment's notice. Many of the early legends of the St. Louis team were names like Barclay Plager, Bob Gassoff and J. Bob Kelly—and the Blackhawks deployed a matching list of tough guys and enforcers.

Since 1990, the two teams have been more likely to fight on the ice and on the scoreboard, with top-end skill carrying the day. Chicago has most often been the victor, with the 2014 Western Conference first round being a recent example.

In 2016, St. Louis caught the Blackhawks flat and won the first-round series between the two teams. Game 7 featured Brian Elliott of the Blues' strong goaltending and Troy Brouwer's third-period goal to send St. Louis through to the next round.

This season should be interesting because Chicago has aggressively addressed defensive weaknesses, while the Blues returned much of last season's roster. The two teams play in the NHL's toughest division, and there is no guarantee both teams will make the postseason, but odds are we will see them meet at some point in the playoffs next spring.

1. Pittsburgh Penguins vs. Washington Capitals

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The Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals have been strong teams over the last decade, coinciding with the drafting and emergence of impact stars Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin.

Although both teams have had great regular-season success, only the Penguins have won the Stanley Cup—twice—during the past 10 seasons. The two teams have met in the playoffs previously, with the most famous series being the 2009 Eastern Conference Semifinal. In Game 7, Crosby outperformed Ovechkin, and Pittsburgh won the series.

The two clubs got together again in 2016, with the Capitals losing in six games. It was an interesting series in that Pittsburgh used three offensive lines to exhaust Washington's top players and expose a lack of depth. The two teams appear to be evenly matched, but the deeper team rode Phil Kessel and Carl Hagelin, while Crosby battled the top opposition.

This season should offer another interesting chapter in the rivalry, as Washington has more depth this year and some emerging impact talent. Pittsburgh has been very successful in finding value contracts who can play useful and specific roles, and the Phil Kessel trade gave them an additional arsenal other teams have a difficult time overcoming.

This is the best rivalry in the NHL today and a very entertaining matchup.