Of course, the eventual Western Conference champ will have to face off against the Eastern 's Buffalo Sabres or Toronto Maple Leafs for the last National Hockey League championship of the 1900s. But the healthy state of the sport in Dallas and Denver is a revealing glimpse of hockey in the 21st century. At a time when the NHL is staking its future on expansion into nontraditional markets, the Stars and Avalanche are proof that hockey can thrive in the arid Southwest and the Rocky Mountains. In sports-crazy areas with abundant recreational and entertainment alternatives. And to make the situation even better, a growing rivalry is brewing between the Avalanche and the Stars.
Bad blood stimulates fan interest.
But the key is that they're both winners. The Avalanche delivered a Stanley Cup championship their first season and a division title every year. The last two seasons, the Stars have captured the President's Trophy for winning the most regular-season games. Denver got an NHL franchise in 1976, but by 1982 the struggling Colorado Rockies had moved on to become the New Jersey Devils. At a recent playoff game, she hoisted a homemade Stanley Cup crafted from a wastebasket, popcorn bowl and two pieces of Tupperware wrapped with aluminum foil.