There’s been something noticeable missing from the Blackhawks schedule this season, with a pandemic-induced alignment leaving the team in a Central Division that does not include the St. Louis Blues.
The rivalry between Chicago and St. Louis is a lengthy one, with the hostility between the two fan bases also bleeding outside of hockey’s bubble and into the baseball world each summer. More modern versions of this Blackhawks/Blues feud reached their zenith in the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when Brent Seabrook leveled St. Louis captain David Backes behind the net:
A 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs series matchup between the two teams did not feature similar moments of hostility, though, despite that series coming down to a one-goal margin in Game 7.
Back in the 1980s and 90s, however, the violence between the two sides was an ever-present threat, boiling over with the infamous St. Patrick’s Day Massacre that was featured in this SCH flashback to the Dave Manson’s time in the organization.
But the beef between those two teams was building years before that, as detailed in the latest chapter of SB Nation’s Beef History series: