[1][2][3][4] The epicenter of the rivalry was during a March 26, 1997 game at Joe Louis Arena that featured 18 fighting majors, and 148 penalty minutes.

In the first period of game three, Avalanche defenseman Adam Foote moved in on Red Wings winger Vyacheslav Kozlov from behind to close down a play in the corner.

Kozlov then hit and slammed Foote's face into the glass, opening a huge gash on his forehead.

Lemieux, who was once ranked by TSN as the second most-hated player in the NHL (behind Sean Avery), was fined $1,000 and was suspended for game four of the Western Conference finals.

Draper's face was driven directly into the dasher on top of the boards with no time or space to react.

The Avalanche won each of the first three games heading into the final matchup of the regular season between the two teams on March 26, 1997, at Joe Louis Arena.

With the crowd on their feet and the referees tied up elsewhere, McCarthy continued to beat up Lemieux, who was already bleeding badly.

While the fight between Roy and Vernon winded down, McCarty dragged Lemieux's body to where Draper was standing on the Red Wings bench.

While the Avalanche got a four-minute power play, McCarty was allowed to return to the game, along with Roy and Vernon.

Larionov drove the puck through the net to set up for McCarty's game-winning goal to give the Red Wings a 6–5 win over the Avalanche.

[5] The Red Wings and the Avalanche met again in the 1997 Western Conference finals where Crawford screamed at Bowman across the glass separating the two benches in game four at Joe Louis Arena on May 22.

[5] In a November 11, 1997 match between the two teams, McCarty and Lemieux began to throw punches seconds after the opening faceoff, much to the delight of the Joe Louis Arena crowd.

On April Fools' Day in 1998, Roy fought Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood at center ice.

The two teams would only meet in the playoffs one more time, which came in the 2008 Western Conference semifinals where the Red Wings swept the Avalanche en route to winning the Stanley Cup.

Detroit has since moved to the Eastern conference in the 2013–14 season, making the only way the two teams can meet in the playoffs is if both reach the Stanley Cup Finals.

[5] Sakic won his third Stanley Cup with the Avalanche as vice president and general manager at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season.