Greatest Ice Hockey Rivalries Of All-Time

When it comes to long-running hockey rivalries, familiarity must breed contempt.

How else to the explain that the fiercest skate-and-stick hate-fests take place between teams situated in close proximity to one another? Keep that in mind when hitting up William Hill to bet on ice hockey in a game featuring two rivals.

The action will be heated, fans will be fierce and outcomes will be unpredictable.

In a league where short fuses and fisticuffs on ice reign as part of the appeal, here is a look at teams that literally take off the gloves off when tempers flare up.

Toronto Maple Leafs vs Montreal Canadiens

Though both teams are rooted in the Great North, don’t expect them to offer brotherly support to one another. In fact, it is quite the opposite.

These two oldest teams in the National Hockey League first squared off in 1917, but the rivalry was a slow burn. It ignited during the late 1930s.

That was when the Maple Leafs and the Canadiens blossomed into two of the league’s best franchises. It’s reflected in the fact that between 1944 and 1967, the Canadian outfits competed in 11 post-season series.

This rivalry – which seems to be rooted in linguistic and cultural differences – can manifest itself in highly physical, penalty loaded games. In 1939, things get truly out of control, resulting in a riot at the Montreal Forum. While brawling fans are unlikely these days, things on the ice remain feverish.

During the third period of a brutal matchup on November 22, 2025, the Maple Leafs defensiveman Dakota Mermis exchanged blows with Canadiens forward Florian Xhekaj. They traded punches for some 20 seconds, fans went wild, the benches cheered on the violence and Xhekaj seemed to have gotten the better of it. He celebrated by skating a victory lap as he flashed a cheese-eating grin and the rivalry roared on.

New York Rangers vs New York Islanders

New Yorkers love good rivalries. So, it makes sense that there would be no love lost between the Rangers (based in Manhattan’s Madison Square Garden) and the Islanders (playing out of the UBS Arena on, appropriately enough, nearby Long Island).

Things initially got hot during the 1974-’75 schedule.

That was when the Islanders first found success in the post-season, and it happened to be against the Rangers.

The Islanders took the series, and it was game on.

This rivalry was further stoked by the standard NY vs LI dustups and fans from both sides sharing a penchant for chants during games. The Islanders’ supporters bellow “Rangers suck!” (four rhythmic handclaps follow before the insult gets repeated). That invariably leads Rangers fans to respond with Big Apple accented, “Potvin Sucks!” The latter references Islander Denis Potvin’s ankle-breaking hit delivered to the Rangers’ Ulf Nilsson.

The busted bone snapped in 1979, but, in hockey and in life, New Yorkers love to hold grudges.

Pittsburgh Penguins vs Philadelphia Flyers

Known as the “Battle of Pennsylvania,” the rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, both operating out of different cities in the same state, is built on a foundation of differences that can be traced back to October 19, 1967.

That was the first time the two teams played against one another and the Flyers bested their in-state rival 1-0.

That shutout was a harbinger of things to come. From February 1974 until February 1979, the Flyers went 39-0-3 on their home-ice against the Penguins. No wonder bad blood simmers between these teams.

The Flyers added insult to injury during the 1999-2000 season when battling in the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Though the Penguins snagged the first two matches, the Flyers went on to win the series, thanks in part, to taking down a game that is memorable for its five overtimes and intense competition.

The teams recently engaged in a memorable hockey fight in October 2025 – multiple players were going at it and eight of them received game misconducts – but the ultimate  imbroglio took place in 2012, with everyone on the ice exchanging punches, coaches screaming at one another and the whole thing looking more like a night of WWE than a hockey game.

Will there be more brawls between these two teams? Bet on it!