The Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings once shared one of the most intense rivalries in North American sports history, particularly from 1996-2002, when they combined for five Stanley Cup championships. However, in 2025, that once-fiery rivalry has faded.
With Detroit now in the Eastern Conference, the two teams only meet twice a season and no longer face off in the playoffs. The last time they clashed in the postseason was the 2008 Western Conference Semifinals, where the Red Wings swept the Avalanche.
Ahead of Tuesday’s matchup, Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar acknowledged the rivalry’s decline.
“It’s just such a different schedule now,” Bednar said. “We only see them twice, and it’s few and far between … I think a rivalry is built on facing each other in the playoffs over and over and over.”
Since the NHL realigned its conferences and divisions in 2013-14, the teams have rarely been competitive at the same time, with neither advancing to the second round in the same postseason. When asked if the Avalanche still feel the same rivalry-fueled emotions toward Detroit, Bednar was blunt:
“Not really.”
By Bednar’s definition, Colorado’s biggest modern rival is shaping up to be the Dallas Stars. The Stars eliminated the Avalanche in both 2020 and 2024 and could meet them again in the first round of this year’s playoffs.
The Avalanche will host the Red Wings on Tuesday night at Ball Arena, where they have dominated Detroit in recent years. Since the 2017-18 season, Colorado has gone 12-1 against the Red Wings, with Detroit’s only win coming in overtime last season.
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