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Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry gets new ESPN documentary

The rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche produced many unforgettable moments, including this legendary fight between Mike Vernon and Patrick Roy. (Reuters)
The rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche produced many unforgettable moments, including this legendary fight between Mike Vernon and Patrick Roy. (Reuters)

One of hockey’s greatest ever rivalries is getting the silver screen treatment.

On Friday, ESPN released a trailer for their upcoming E60 documentary that is set to release in June and it is all about the bloody history between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche in the 1990’s and early 2000's.

With a star-studded cast of former players that include some legendary Hall-of-Famers like Brendan Shanahan, Peter Forsberg, Patrick Roy, Steve Yzerman, and Joe Sakic; as well as the known brutalizers involved in some of the more crimson-soaked moments between the two clubs, like Darren McCarty and Claude Lemieux; this feature is going to be a must-watch for any hockey fan.

The trailer itself already features plenty of talking points. When Kris Draper suffered a gruesome injury, McCarty’s retaliation against Lemieux, and so on. But the highlight, beyond the dramatic scenes of players throwing themselves at each other on the ice, is current Toronto Maple Leafs president and alternate governor Brendan Shanahan, clearly still feeling his blood boil at the thought of facing Colorado, and explaining how he knew that he had to “f–king grab somebody.”

No matter what fan base they belong to, hockey enthusiasts went into hysteria over the teaser.

Some fans seemed to draw attention to the ending, when Red Wings legend Vladimir Konstantinov stated that his favourite part of the rivalry is when they “beat them.” Konstantinov famously was involved a career-ending and life-altering limousine accident in 1997, causing him to spend several weeks in a coma and paralyzing him. His condition has improved considerably since the accident, though he still has trouble speaking and walking.

Outside of clean broadcasts and getting shiny new score bugs, ESPN’s introduction back into the NHL now involves getting a top-tier production team making dramatic and compelling documentaries about some of the sport's historic storylines.

The documentary is scheduled to air during the Stanley Cup final, slated to begin in mid-June.

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