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20 years later: Red Wings vs. Avalanche fight night is still the best

Videolicious

It has been called “Bloody Wednesday,” “The Brawl at Hockeytown” and “Fight Night at the Joe.”

And if one were to borrow a movie title to describe what happened on the banks of the Detroit River that spring evening, “There Will Be Blood” would be apropos.

Sunday will mark the 20th anniversary of the game played on March 26, 1997, between the defending Stanley Cup champion Colorado Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings -- a game fittingly played at a hockey arena named after a boxing champion.

Clever titles aside, the night also became one of the most thrilling and significant games in Detroit hockey history, as it propelled the Wings toward their first Stanley Cup championship in 42 years and fueled one of sports’ greatest and fiercest rivalries.