Carolina Hurricanes: An Intense Rivalry Brewing with the Capitals

Another storyline from the playoffs is Warren Foegele’s hit on T.J. Oshie in game four. Breaking his collarbone on the play, it is clear that both Oshie and the rest of the Capitals players are not over what transpired between the two. There are rumors currently circulating that Oshie is looking to possibly retaliate against the hit as soon as the two team’s first regular season meeting.

Everyone’s favorite Tom Wilson, also wanted a piece of Foegele, earning himself a roughing penalty late in Sunday’s preseason match. This rough stuff is present in almost every rivalry in NHL since emotions are running high. It is safe to say that it is almost a guarantee that this will continue every time these two division foes meet for the foreseeable future.

If these two storylines weren’t exciting enough, the preseason continued to give us a taste of what’s to come. Looking to make an impression on the coaching staff, Roland McKeown found himself involved in an altercation with Caps forward Garnet Hathaway. Standing up for teammate Brian Gibbons, McKeown earned some respect within the locker room.

Wilson was also in midseason form. At one point involved in a shouting match with the whole Hurricanes’ bench, Wilson earned himself a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct in addition to a ten minute misconduct penalty.

Post game, he claimed that head coach Rod Brind’amour was the reason he lost his cool stating in an interview, ““I was pretty calm until some words came from their bench and it wasn’t the players so we’ll leave it at that. He’s clearly an emotional guy but I don’t think, you ask anyone around the league, coaches chirping players is appropriate.”

Only the players on the bench truly know what actually transpired, but either way you can tell these two teams have a strong detest towards one another. Shortly after Wilson’s penalties, the second period would conclude. Here players and coach normally just uneventfully depart to their respected locker rooms, but here the coaching staffs had other plans.

Taking shots at one another, the two coaching staffs exchanged words before finally departing to the locker rooms.

All things considered, it appears as if the Hurricanes and Capitals have developed a massive rivalry in a short period of time. Yes it has always been there between the two division foes, but now that these two teams are considered by many experts to be battling for the Metropolitan division title this season, it’s stronger than ever.

These types of games always seem to have playoff like atmospheres no matter where they are in the standings. This rivalry should give fans something to  be excited about each time these two team’s face off.

Question for CC Readers: Who do you think is the Carolina Hurricanes’ biggest rival?