What Is New England’s Best Pro Sports Rivalry?

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Saturday, March 30, 2013

Scott Cordischi, GoLocalWorcester Sports Editor

New England sports fans have been spoiled for more than a decade now. With all four of our major pro sports franchises winning championships, these have been the best of times.

In addition to winning multiple championships, great rivalries have been either rekindled or, in some cases, born as a result of the success of the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots and Red Sox.

In case you’re wondering, the definition of rivalry is: competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field.

With that, we take a look at New England’s greatest professional sports rivalries and let you be the judge as to which one is the best.

 

Red Sox – Yankees:

For many people born and raised in New England, it truly begins and ends with this rivalry. These two teams have competed for more than a century in MLB’s American League and there is certainly no love lost between the organizations, the players and fans of both clubs.

Despite that fierce hatred on both sides, many would agree that the rivalry was a bit one-sided for almost 100 years. Through the year 2000, the Yankees had won 26 World Series titles to just 5 for Boston. To make matters worse, every time these two teams met in a critical game or series, things seemed to go the way of the Yankees all of the time. It gave rise to the theory of the “Curse of the Bambino” which stated that Boston was a cursed franchise ever since they sent Babe Ruth to the Yankees in December of 1919.

That all changed in 2004 when the Red Sox became the first (and only) team in MLB history to rally from a 3-0 series deficit to beat the Yankees in the American League Championship Series. Boston went on to win the World Series that year ending an 86-year drought. The Sox would win another one in 2007 essentially ridding itself of that so-called curse.

To their credit, the Yankees have since added another title to their trophy case as well giving them a league-best 27.

The problem with this rivalry today is that Boston has dropped down dramatically in the standings finishing last in the AL East in 2012. Add to that a new Yankee Stadium which features many empty seats and much of the sizzle is gone from this rivalry.

Red Sox-Yankees will always be a great rivalry. But is it the best New England has to offer today?

Bruins-Canadiens:

Much like the Red Sox-Yankees rivalry, many would say that Montreal has been the hammer and Boston the nail for much of this rivalry.

Montreal has won 24 Stanley Cups to Boston’s 6. However, the Bruins last raised the Cup only two years ago while the Canadiens have had a 20-year championship drought.

What’s great about this rivalry is the genuine dislike the players on each side have for one another which manifests itself on the ice with extremely physical play which often times leads to fisticuffs.

These two franchises have played each other more times in the regular season and playoffs combined than any two franchises in the league.

In the postseason, Boston has won the most recent match-ups in both 2009 and 2011. The 2011 victory over Montreal in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals came in the 7th and deciding game.

In the eyes of Bruins fans, one of the big villains for Montreal is the instigating flopper himself – PK Subban. In a twist of irony last year, Boston drafted his brother Malcolm in the first round of the NHL draft.

The B’s and Habs continue to battle it out atop the NHL’s Northeast division and no one would be surprised if they meet again at some point in the postseason.

Celtics-Lakers:

In all due respect to LeBron James and the Miami Heat, the greatest rivalry the NBA has ever seen is Celtics-Lakers. These two franchises have met a whopping 12 times in the NBA Finals. But, unlike the Red Sox and Bruins, the Celtics are the hammer in this rivalry with the Lakers playing the role of the nail. 9 of the 12 championship match-ups have gone Boston’s way including their latest showdown in 2010.

These great team battles have also featured some stellar individual match-ups like Russell and Chamberlin, Bird and Magic and Pierce and Kobe Bryant.

While age appears to be catching up to both teams, it’s still a treat when they square off. And, let’s face it, the NBA Playoffs are a lot better when these two franchises are involved.

The only drawback to this great rivalry is the lack of regular season meetings. Still, it has always been and always will be a special one.

Patriots-Pick Your NFL Team:

Five years ago, this would have been a no-brainer. Patriots-Colts was the premier rivalry in the National Football League. But Peyton Manning had neck issues and the Colts started to decline as a franchise so it petered out.

A few years ago, Pats-Jets was where it was at. The bold and brash Rex Ryan came to New York talking a mean game and, for a while, his teams backed up that bravado. But now Ryan’s Jets are a joke so this rivalry has lost much of its sizzle.

Today, New England’s biggest gridiron rival may be the Super Bowl champion Baltimore Ravens.

These two teams have met in the postseason 3 out of the last 4 years with the last two meetings coming in the AFC Championship game following the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

Two years ago, New England escaped with a 23-20 win over Baltimore when Billy Cundiff missed a chip shot field goal which would have sent the game to overtime. This past season, the Ravens thumped the Pats 28-13 in Foxboro on their way to winning the Super Bowl.

As long as Tom Brady and Bill Belichick are around, the Patriots will always play in big games. The question is, can Baltimore sustain success after all of the losses they sustained this offseason?

There’s also the fact that the NFL is the undisputed king of the four major professional sports leagues as it dwarfs the others in terms of popularity. Does this push any Pats rivalry to the top of the list?

 

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