Jackson's Five: Ranking Flyers' rivalries

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Being at Madison Square Garden over the weekend and taking in the excitement surrounding the buildup to the Bridgestone Winter Classic and the matchup with the Rangers reminded me of how much I appreciate the rivalry that exists between the two clubs.

There is just something special in the air when the Broad Street Bullies meet the Broadway Blueshirts. This is precisely why the league chose these two clubs for this seasons Jan. 2 outdoor showdown.

It got me to thinking about which teams currently rate as top rivals to the Flyers. Any list of a teams most intense opponents is bound to be quite fluid. Playoff meetings tend to be the surest way to create a rival. Thus, if a certain club appears on the postseason schedule frequently, a rivalry is bound to be enhanced.

But other factors are involved, too. As we currently sit, here are the teams I consider the top five rivals of the Flyers, in reverse order.

5. New Jersey Devils
As recently as three or four seasons ago, the Devils would have been much higher on the list. From 1995-2007, either the Flyers or the Devils wound up at the top of the Atlantic Division. They were constantly battling for divisional superiority.

And for quite a while, the Devils seemed to keep getting in the way of the Flyers' Stanley Cup dreams, twice beating the Flyers on the way to their own Cups and taking three during one nine-year stretch. That certainly was a bitter pill to swallow for Flyer fans, intensifying the rivalry.

However, the Flyers conquered those demons to some degree with playoff series victories over New Jersey in 2004 and 2010. And with the Devils now having run into some serious postseason issues of their own (no playoff series wins in four seasons), the edge to this rivalry has softened some.

Still, the Devils are just an hour-and-a-half up the New Jersey Turnpike. Proximity also plays a part. They are still in the same division. And three banners hang from the rafters in their new home, the Prudential Center, as a cruel reminder to Philadelphia fans of what the Devils accomplished, sometimes at the Flyers expense.

4. Tampa Bay Lightning
The animosity between the Flyers and Lightning is beginning to perk up again. These two clubs have a little history to build upon. They experienced two ferociously competitive playoff series, with each team claiming victory once. They even, once upon a time, came close to blows in the parking lot, gang style, outside of the St. Pete Times Forum.

But it is much more the present that leads me to put the Bolts on this list. The gamesmanship that took place in Tampa in mid-November serves to set the stage for more of the same in future meetings. Guy Boucher sometimes orders his club to sit back and the Flyers are bound and determined to wait them out.

The Flyers seemed to get most of the media and public support for trying to expose Bouchers strategy. However, the Lightning eventually took home an overtime victory. Well call it a draw and await the next meeting next week. Either way, such intrigue creates a rivalry.

3) Boston Bruins
Back in the 70s, this was one of the NHLs top rivalries. The Broad Street Bullies vs. the Big Bad Bruins. They were frequent playoff opponents and, of course, met in the 1974 Final as the Flyers upset the Bs to take their first Cup.

After a couple of decades in hibernation (pardon the pun), this rivalry is back. All it took was a couple of playoff meetings. The Flyers' epic comeback from down 0-3 in 2010 will live on for ages. But, Boston fans may choose to point out the Bruins' sweep the following year that not only helped push them to a Stanley Cup, but also led to a personnel shakeup in Philly.

When the Flyers opened this season by spoiling the Bruins banner raising party at TD Garden, one more log was thrown onto the fire of this once again red hot rivalry.

2. New York Rangers
The only thing missing from this rivalry in recent years has been postseason confrontations. These teams havent met in the playoffs since 1997. In most cases, the buzz between two teams would fade with so much time between a series against one another. Not so in this instance.

Perhaps its simply the New York-Philadelphia thing. Or maybe it's agitators such as Sean Avery and Scott Hartnell stirring the pot. But, somehow, there is always extra excitement in the air when the Flyers and Rangers meet. The NHL clearly understood that in scheduling these two clubs for the Winter Classic.

Call it a smoldering rivalry right now. By the time the "247" documentary is done building things up and the outdoor game takes place on Jan. 2, Rangers-Flyers will find an even higher level in intensity and animosity. It will most likely do more than any playoff series would in fanning those smoldering flames of a rivalry.

1) Pittsburgh Penguins
Whats been missing from the Flyers season thus far? A meeting with the Penguins, thats what.

Hard to believe that nearly one-third of the season will have passed before hockeys Battle of Pennsylvania is on display. But soon enough (Dec. 8), the Wells Fargo Center will be humming with electricity as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the Pens come to town.

This rivalry has it all. The cities are relatively close so the respective fan bases get many opportunities to interact. The clubs have met twice in the postseason in recent years. And, there are central figures for villains, starting with Sid the Kid (can we still call him that?) who has become one of the more reviled opposing sports figures in our town.

Its no wonder fans from both cities and members of the respective organizations were less than pleased with an NHL realignment proposal that would put the two teams in different divisions, seeing each other only twice all season. The Battle of Pennsylvania needs more exposure than that.

As mentioned earlier, this list is current. I wouldnt be shocked if in about seven weeks I was asked to construct such a list and the Rangers were No. 1. The buildup to the Winter Classic could have that kind of impact. We shall see.

In the meantime, 21 of the Flyers' final 59 games are against teams from the list above. That makes for some great matchups and rivalry renewals. Should be a lot of fun.

E-mail Jim Jackson at jjackson@comcastsportsnet.com.

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