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Todd Cordell

My favorite rivalry right now is divisional. It’s not about teams but rather players: Matthew Tkachuk and Drew Doughty. For the better part of two years they’ve been at each other’s throats each and every game. They’ve landed a bunch of hits (Tkachuk especially), mixed it up in scrums, chirped endlessly, and also backed it up with on-ice performance. For example, Tkachuk contributed to all three goals – and scored the game-tying marker in the dying seconds – last time out while Drew Doughty also picked up three points, blasted home the winner in overtime, and gave the fans a little extra afterword. There seems to be a genuine hatred between the two, and you see it every time they talk about one another in interviews (there are no shortage of shots being taken).

I get excited whenever Calgary and Los Angeles play. Luckily, the next meeting is only a week away.

Sean Maloughney

There are a number of big rivalries I can think of in the NHL. Right now the Tkachuk and Doughty rivalry might be the biggest skill based rivalry but in my opinion there is another rivalry that surpasses even that.

Kris Russell is a third pairing defender for the Edmonton Oilers who has had a controversial history in Edmonton. The analytics guys dislike his style of play while the old school guys liken him to a "warrior or cowboy". You might believe the rivalry I am thinking of is analytics vs the "by eye crowd" but I am actually discussing something much deeper than that.

The rivalry between Kris Russell and standing on his own two feet has to be the biggest rivalry in the NHL. Every game Kris Russell plays he tries to stay on his own two feet and many times he wins that battle.

However there are a number of times when he loses that battle and falls to the ground, starfishing on the ice.

It's a rivalry that will continue for the rest of this season and years to come and is certainly something that keeps fans in the seats at Rogers Place to witness this clash of titans.

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