The Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings have been one of the NHL’s hallmark rivalries as a pair of Original Six franchises that first met on Nov. 24, 1926: a 1-0 win for the then-named Detroit Cougars over the Chicago Black Hawks.
Although the nearly 100-year existence of this rivalry contains a slew of postseason meetings and intense regular-season games, the last three decades or so have seen this rivalry largely exist as a waypoint for organizations that were trending in opposite directions.
Start with the 1992 Stanley Cup Playoffs and a four-game sweep of the division-winning Red Wings by the Blackhawks in the Norris Division finals, capped by this Brent Sutter goal:
Chicago made the Stanley Cup Final that season — losing to the Pittsburgh Penguins — while reaching the high-point of the franchise’s fortunes for about the next two decades.