subsequent decline of the Canucks in the 2010s following their appearance in the 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, as well as a lack of playoff matches between the two teams. Colorado Avalanche vs. Detroit Red Wings (1995–2003) The groundwork for the Avalanche–Red Wings rivalry was laid well before Denver even had an NHL franchise, during games between Detroit and Quebec City. Once the Nordiques moved to Denver, the small rivalry still existed. In a regular season game between Detroit and Montreal, the Wings scored on Patrick Roy nine times, leading to Roy demanding a trade. Roy was eventually traded to Colorado and became a huge factor in the rivalry. During the 1996 Stanley Cup Playoffs, Red Wings player Kris Draper was checked into the boards and severely injured by Avalanche player Claude Lemieux. Draper went to the hospital with a concussion and multiple broken bones in his face as a result, and he required surgery and stitches; he did not return to play until much later in the following season. This incident led to a series of on-ice confrontations during an Avalanche-Red Wings game on March 26, 1997, including a massive brawl near the end of the first period which featured Red Wings enforcer Darren McCarty (another member of the "Grind Line" and Draper's best friend) brutally beating up Lemieux as revenge for the incident with Draper, as well as a vicious goaltender fight between Patrick Roy and Mike Vernon. Both of these events were major reasons for the extremely sudden intensification of the Detroit-Colorado rivalry, which is regarded by many as one of the greatest and bloodiest rivalries in NHL history, and even all of sports. The rivalry was largely predicated on the competitiveness of both teams in the late 1990s and early 2000s. From –, the teams met in five playoff series, three times in the Western Conference Finals. Out of those seven seasons, the teams combined to win five Stanley Cups and four Presidents' Trophies. From –, both teams, along with the New Jersey Devils, reigned exclusively as Stanley Cup champions, except in , which was won by the Dallas Stars (the Devils beat the Red Wings in 1995, while the Avalanche beat the Devils in ). The rivalry started to cool down after the 2002–03 season, with both teams falling in round one and Roy announcing his retirement shortly afterwards. The last playoff meeting between the two