Red Wings-Avalanche Brawls: 13th Anniversary, Forever in Our Minds

Wednesday, Bloody Wednesday.

March 26, 1997 is a day that will forever live in Hockeytown lore.

Red Wing and Avalanche fans certainly remember the melee that ensued in the Joe (Joe Louis Arena) that spring evening just 13 years ago. "Fight Night" at the fabled rink wasn't a game; it was a battle that has been seared into the memories of those who watched it.

It's hard to believe that it has been nearly a decade-and-a-half since Claude Lemieux, a notoriously "pesky" player, checked Kris Draper from behind and into the boards in Game Six of the 1996 Western Conference Finals. It was a nasty hit that fueled a rivalry.

"Drapes" suffered a broken jaw and underwent reconstructive facial surgery—Lemieux likely didn't foresee the repercussions that were to come his way, or did he?

Just a year later, the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings physically rekindled one of the ugliest, hatred-filled strives in all of sports. The bad blood lasted for nearly five years, but it's not forgotten.

Fans had Igor Larionov vs. Peter Forsberg.

The Vladinator vs. Adam Foote.

We're just getting started here.

Patrick Roy vs. Mike Vernon.

April 1, 1998 saw Roy square off with another Wing net minder; that time he would drop his blocker and catcher to trade blows with Chris Osgood.

And then there was Detroit's tough guy: Darren McCarty.

McCarty challenged anyone that would agree to dance. He pulled sweaters over heads and engaged in good "Ole Tyme" fisticuffs. 

Of course, there was his famed soiree with Lemiuex, the catalyst.

McCarty made Lemieux look like a cowardly lion the way he forced him to the ice in a "turtle" position, pounding away to defend his teammates' and club's honor.

Have the song Chariots of Fire in your head and envision the fists a-flyin'—it's a beautiful sight.

"Ugly" doesn't describe the epic squabbles between the two franchises, but it does paint a picture of the outcome.

There were game misconducts and suspensions—penalty minutes piled up at a whirlwind pace, which ended up being equivalent to hours in the sin bin.

Avalanche head coach Marc Crawford was fined $10,000 for his role in the event. Crawford had a few choice words for then-Red Wing head honcho Scotty Bowman and chose to fire his daggers of vulgarity at the legendary bench master.

Hockey fans loved it—in fact, they ate it up by the spoonful. 

Now, in 2010, the rivalry has all but died. Wing-vets like Draper, Osgood, and Kirk Maltby have the scuffle ingrained in their minds.

And so do hockey fans—it was perhaps the greatest grudge the sport ever laid eyes on.

The rivalry will never die; Av and Wing supporters won't let that happen. Here's to them, the participants, on the 13th anniversary of the glove-dropping, face-pounding action that started it all.