Detroit, Michigan
Chicago, Illinois
The defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings held off a pesky Anaheim squad in game 7 of their Western Conference Semi-final series Thursday night in Detroit, needing a goal by Dan Cleary with 3 minutes left to eliminate the Ducks with a 4-3 win. In doing so, the Wings advance to the Western Conference Finals, where they will face a familiar foe: the Chicago Blackhawks, who beat the Vancouver Canucks in the second round to advance to their first Western Conference Final since 1995, when they were defeated by the Red Wings in 5 games.
Detroit and Chicago are separated by about 280 miles. The two cities have teams in the same respective divisions in all four major sports, and the sports fans in the midwestern towns share a mutual hatred for each other’s teams. This incredible dislike is fostered by playing one another multiple times each season. Yet, the playoff history between the two cities is surprisingly sparse.
The Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears battle twice a year in the NFC North, or NFC “Norris” as Chris Berman calls it, referring to the old division the Wings and Hawks played in together. Despite 75 years together in the NFL, the Lions, owners of 4 NFL championships, and the Bears, winners of 6 NFL championships and Super Bowl XX, have incredibly NEVER met in the NFL playoffs. Even more amazing is that the Detroit Tigers and Chicago White Sox have played in the American League together for 108 seasons, with the Tigers winning 4 World Series and the Sox 3, yet also have NEVER ran into each other in post-season play.
The Detroit Pistons and Chicago Bulls of the NBA have met 5 times in the playoffs, with the Pistons holding a 3-2 series advantage. The Pistons, holders of 3 NBA titles, and the Bulls, who won the title 6 times in the 1990’s, met 4 consecutive years between 1988-1991, with the winner of the series going on to claim the NBA title in the last 3 meetings.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Red Wings and the Chicago Blackhawks of the NHL have a more extensive playoff history. They are both Original Six charter members of the NHL along with the New York Rangers, the Boston Bruins, the Toronto Maple Leafs, and the Montreal Canadiens. They have battled since the Detroit Falcons became the Detroit Red Wings in 1932 after James D. Norris bought the team, adopted the Winged Wheel logo and changed the team name. And while the Red Wings have had much more post-season success, holding a decided advantage in Stanley Cups with 11 against Chicago’s 3, the Blackhawks play their best when facing the Wings, and actually have an 8-6 edge head-to-head in playoff series all-time.
So this series should be special. Both squads have a lot of young talent and experienced goaltenders with playoff success under their belts. And the two cities have been waiting to meet up with each other since the last playoff battle in 1995. As Steve Mazzagatti would say, “Let’s get it on!”
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