Let’s make this clear: sometimes, the Wednesday Night Rivalry games are clunkers between two teams that may’ve disliked each other 45 years ago for fifteen minutes. Sometimes, however, they’re between two teams with a deep seeded contempt for each other that always translates into exciting, chippy hockey.
The Blues and Blackhawks are those kinds of rivals. While both teams have had pretty consistent regular season success despite whatever the world throws at them, the Blackhawks - by virtue of three Cups in recent history (2010, 2013, 2015) are seen as the premiere franchise.
Needless to say, this chafes the Blues, who bring a higher level of play to nearly every matchup between the two.