Pittsburgh against Philadelphia

The Pittsburgh Penguins triumphed over the Philadelphia Flyers on Jan. 21. It was the first win for the Penguins in eight games against the Flyers. The two Pennsylvania teams have been named rivals for years. Penguins fans chant “Go Home Flyers” while Flyers fans intimidate Sidney Crosby while he is on the ice. Therefore, with playoffs right around the corner, it is no surprise that tensions are even higher.

Flyers fan, David Spencer looks at it from a statistical point of view. “Overall the Flyers have a better record when competing head-tohead, and as most people know a rivalry is based on bragging rights, and being able to say that your team is better.”

According to ESPN.com the Flyers have two Stanley Cup wins, but haven’t brought home the Cup in over 40 years. “Some people may use the Stanley Cup trophies as a comparison where the Penguins have three and the Flyers have two but the rivalry is based on much more than that.”

Penguins fan Courtney Krupa, looks at the rivalry from a different perspective. “The Flyers are dirty players and they look at their ‘hard hits’ as them being a tougher team against the Penguins.” So far in the 2015- 2016 season alone, the Flyers as a whole has ranked over 630 penalties in minutes, while the Penguins have roughly 360 according to NHL.com.

“I also think the rivalry is more between the fans than the players. The fans take it to the next level,” Krupa said.

Whether it’s the Flyers or the Penguins, both teams are putting in hard work and sweat into achieving one goal: The Stanley Cup Championship. Fans will watch anxiously as the season unfolds, and the rivalry will never be settled.