Upon completing a weekend series against each other, I can definitively report that the rivalry held between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators has now seeped down to their AHL affiliates.
Naturally, this series had the typical conclusion of any Toronto-Ottawa matchup. Toronto came out on top, obviously, thus restoring balance to The Force.
Honestly, it was refreshing. With roster turnover serving as such a constant occurrence, developing rivalries at the AHL level is understandably difficult. How can two teams truly become rivals if their lineups drastically change on a year-to-year basis?
Well, despite the injection of new faces into this Toronto Marlies lineup, one thing is for certain: they HATE the Belleville Senators, and the Belleville Senators hate them right back.
And nothing is better than hatred-fueled hockey.