Rivals!

keepitreal · Post by **keepitreal** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:06 am

Growing up, the traditional northern boys hockey rivalries were (and still are) the greatest thing about Minnesota hockey. On the girls hockey side, who are the emerging rivals across the state (north, south and metro)?

If we get a good list, we can do a poll to see which is the greatest girls hockey rivalry so far in this young sport

hockeyrube7 · Post by **hockeyrube7** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:16 am

Here's a few that I think have to be:
Simley/Sibley
Duluth/Cloquet
Hibbing/GR
Blaine/CR
Anoka/Andover
CDH/HM
Blake/Breck
Edina/EP
Minnetonka/Hopkins
Roseville/SW
Bloomington Kennedy/Bloomington Jefferson

These have got to be some of the tops as of right now.

xk1 · Post by **xk1** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:24 am

Benilde - Holy Angels
Burnsville - Eagan
Edina - Wayzata

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:41 am

Some would argue that SSP/Simley is a rivalry, but has been very one-sided in certain sports for many years.

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 11:48 am

Robbinsdale Armstrong and Robbinsdale Cooper have been big rivals for many years, but just recently Cooper left the Classic Lake Conference and also at the youth (Bantam and some girls) level they've combined to form a single team, so I suppose now it's less of a rivalry than it used to be.

Also going back many years South St. Paul and Henry Sibley (West St. Paul/Mendota Heights) have traditionally been big rivals.

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:05 pm

MNHockeyFan wrote:Also going back many years South St. Paul and Henry Sibley (West St. Paul/Mendota Heights) have traditionally been big rivals.

Sounds like a three school deal with SSP/Sibley/Simley over the years - but I'm guessing more SSP/SiBley as they've been around longer??? Simley opened in 1960-1 I believe? I assume SSp has been around forever, and not sure about WSP/SiBley...

MNHockeyFan · Post by **MNHockeyFan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 12:26 pm

ghshockeyfan wrote:
MNHockeyFan wrote:Also going back many years South St. Paul and Henry Sibley (West St. Paul/Mendota Heights) have traditionally been big rivals.
Sounds like a three school deal with SSP/Sibley/Simley over the years - but I'm guessing more SSP/SiBley as they've been around longer??? Simley opened in 1960-1 I believe? I assume SSp has been around forever, and not sure about WSP/SiBley...

A little off topic, but my brother and I played hockey at Sibley "a long time ago" back when Sibley and South St. Paul were bitter rivals. South St. Paul had a tremendous tradition with many state tourney appearances, and during my senior year we managed to beat them three times, including once in the playoffs. This was huge because until that year a Sibley win was a rare event. Seven years later my brother's team beat SSP in a section final to advance to state, and interest was so high that they had to move the game from Wakota Arena to the old St. Paul Civic Center, and they drew 13,000 fans for that game! Excluding the state tournament itself, I don't recall any other Minnesota high school hockey game being that well attended.

P.S. I don't know when Sibley first opened, but I'm guessing maybe way back around WWII, as the building where Sibley used to be located in was quite old when I went there the 60's.

shescores · Post by **shescores** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 1:26 pm

Irondale and Moundsview
Irondale and Totino Grace

Bensonmum · Post by **Bensonmum** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 2:38 pm

Not to get sentimental, but I don't think there's ever been a rival in my lifetime like Harding and Johnson. Their games in the 60's (I hear) and 70's (I saw) were huge events. Everybody knew everybody on the East Side, they played all sports both together and against each other their entire lives. The games would get rowdy too

twowayplay · Post by **twowayplay** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:03 pm

White Bear Lake vs Hill Murray

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:11 pm

Bensonmum wrote:Not to get sentimental, but I don't think there's ever been a rival in my lifetime like Harding and Johnson. Their games in the 60's (I hear) and 70's (I saw) were huge events. Everybody knew everybody on the East Side, they played all sports both together and against each other their entire lives. The games would get rowdy too

So I hear having a father that is a Johnson alum and cousins that played much later at Harding. Sounds like those were some great games.

ghshockeyfan · Post by **ghshockeyfan** » Fri Dec 22, 2006 3:12 pm

MNHockeyFan wrote:
ghshockeyfan wrote:
MNHockeyFan wrote:Also going back many years South St. Paul and Henry Sibley (West St. Paul/Mendota Heights) have traditionally been big rivals.
Sounds like a three school deal with SSP/Sibley/Simley over the years - but I'm guessing more SSP/SiBley as they've been around longer??? Simley opened in 1960-1 I believe? I assume SSp has been around forever, and not sure about WSP/SiBley...
A little off topic, but my brother and I played hockey at Sibley "a long time ago" back when Sibley and South St. Paul were bitter rivals. South St. Paul had a tremendous tradition with many state tourney appearances, and during my senior year we managed to beat them three times, including once in the playoffs. This was huge because until that year a Sibley win was a rare event. Seven years later my brother's team beat SSP in a section final to advance to state, and interest was so high that they had to move the game from Wakota Arena to the old St. Paul Civic Center, and they drew 13,000 fans for that game! Excluding the state tournament itself, I don't recall any other Minnesota high school hockey game being that well attended.

P.S. I don't know when Sibley first opened, but I'm guessing maybe way back around WWII, as the building where Sibley used to be located in was quite old when I went there the 60's.

This is the sort of thing that makes sports so great I think.