The Athletic asked its beat writers to name each and every NHL team’s biggest “on-ice villain,” and Max Bultman went with a fairly obvious pick for the Red Wings’ biggest nemesis of the modern era:
Detroit Red Wings
Patrick Roy
You can argue the Red Wings were as much a villain for Roy as vice versa, helping to chase him out of Montreal and right into the era-defining rivalry between Detroit and the Avalanche. Roy became one of the central figures of that rivalry, though, partaking in two high-profile goalie fights — first with Mike Vernon, then Chris Osgood — and, of course, leading Colorado to the Stanley Cup in 1996 after knocking out the Red Wings, and again in 2001 (though the Avalanche didn’t face Detroit in the postseason). His swagger and Hall of Fame pedigree are a bonus to make him an iconic on-ice enemy. — Max Bultman
Things apparently hit both ways:
Colorado Avalanche
Darren McCarty
There were several different directions to possibly go with this choice. Todd Bertuzzi was in serious consideration for the incident that ended Steve Moore’s career in 2004, but I opted to go with McCarty because the rivalry with the Red Wings in the 1990s and 2000s was one of the best in the sport’s history, and McCarty is probably the best villain of that Red Wings squad. Sure, Steve Yzerman and Sergei Fedorov were villains for playing major roles in many Avs defeats, but there’s also a level of respect there because they were such incredible players. — Jesse Granger
