Sports rivalries are fun. They're a big part of the game, especially in cities like Chicago. With two baseball teams, a rivalry is bound to develop, and it is all in good fun. I am a life-long White Sox fan, and my best friend is a life-long Cubs fan, and we've been giving each other beef for it since we met freshman year of high school.
When it comes to hockey rivalries, it seems to be a little more intense. The rivalries (St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, Nashville Predators, and Detroit Red Wings being perfect examples) are still all in good fun, but with Chicago being one of the top teams in the league continuously the past few years, new rivalries (such as the LA Kings and Anaheim Ducks) have developed. In each and every one of these rivalries, there is some feeling of hostility. Personalities clash on the ice (such as Blues captain David Backes vs. Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews), weird policies are issued to limit the amount of Blackhawks fans allowed in the arena (*cough* Nashville), and some rivalries stem back to the beginning of the NHL with fellow Original Six team, the Detroit Red Wings. When it comes to Chicago's newest division rival, the Dallas Stars, the budding rivalry seems to have relatively little hostility. The origins of the rivalry are simple; both Chicago and Dallas are some of the best teams in the NHL and have several similarities, including Dallas acquiring former Blackhawks Patrick Sharp and Johnny Oduya in a trade last year, and a roster full of undeniably likable players.
Despite rumors of an extramarital affair with a teammate's wife that allegedly caused drama in the locker room late in his final season in Chicago, it is no secret that Patrick Sharp is still well-liked and missed in Chicago.
The number of Sharp jerseys I have seen since the trade is identical to the numbers of when he played here. When Sharp returned to Chicago on February 11 for his first regular season away game against the Blackhawks, a tribute video was played during a commercial break where Sharp, and thousands of fans in the United Center, had an incredibly emotional responses. Although Dallas finished first in the Western Conference and Central Division in the regular season, it is tough to dislike a team with someone who was responsible for so much success in the past ten years.Similar to the Blackhawks, the Stars have a roster of young, skilled, talented, and undeniably likeable players. Take 24-year-old center Tyler Seguin. Highly skilled and successful athletes often seem to fall into two camps: ones who are incredibly successful yet thoroughly hated by fans of rival teams (LeBron James, Tom Brady) and ones who are incredibly successful and impossible to hate (Steph Curry, Rob Gronkowski, Chicago Blackhawks' very own Jonathan Toews
); Seguin falls in the latter category.Similar to Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots; Seguin has gained mass popularity (and heartthrob status) with his talent, sense of humor (seen in his interview and photo shoot
for the ESPN Body Issue last summer), good looks, and carefree yet serious attitude. He is basically seen as a big goofball when it comes to partying, like Gronkowski and even Patrick Kane (minus the scandals).Seguin's sense of humor has become popular online, especially one seen in a prank with fellow Dallas Stars teammate and captain Jamie Benn on TSN's "Cabbie Presents":
How can you not love this kid?
The only solid argument against Dallas is that they have a talented team and have the tendency to win, a similar argument used against Chicago often. All in all, this budding rivalry has little to no substance, which should make it interesting. As much as I want to dislike the Stars for being top in the Western Conference and Central Division, I honestly can't bring myself to do it; because I see way too many similarities.
