Blood Feud: Detroit Red Wings v. Colorado Avalanche: The Inside Story of Pro Sports' Nastiest and Best Rivalry of Its Era

I was suprised by how unbiased this book was. Seeing that it was written by an Avs beat writer I assumed it would be one sided painting the Red Wings as the "Evil Empire" or what have you. That was not the Case. Not only did it cover the major games and playoff series of the rivalry it also gave short Bios of the key people involved ie Bowman, MacCarty, Draper, Roy, and of course Lemeiux.

I just finished the book and WOW...loved it. I was in college during the great rivalry and ate up every second of the Avs-Wings games. Being a die hard Avalanche fan (and written by Denver writer) I was thinking it would be the same old stuff. Wrong I was, It showed the Detroit perspective and gave good incite of behind the doors actions/conversations. If you an Avs or Wings fan...buy this book!

As a 27 year Detroit native living the last 13 years in Denver, I was in the emotional vortex of this great rivalry. This book was a great read and brought back all the polar feelings from these incredible games and bloody fights. Mr. Dater retells this story in a bioptic fashion, delving into the important characters and the stories behind the story. He points out the strange ironic twists that festered into this Hockey hatred. His fact finding was thorough and impressive on both teams. His writing style is casual, easy to read and similar to Jon Krakauer's "Into thin Air." Anyone who suggests Avalanche bias is way off base. This Denver newspaper writer is arguably tougher on the Av's than the Wings with most negative ink heaped on Lemieux and Crawford and some not too flattering episodes by Patrick Roy. Luckily this was an easy read because I had a hard time putting it down after page 1. Sent a copy to my brother in Detroit and he was late to work the morning he cracked it open. He showed the book to his boss and his tardiness was quickly forgotten and his book quickly borrowed.

Adrian Dater has written an unbiased, insightful book about one of hockey's hardest fought rivalries. In this very readable account, Dater gives hockey fans a behind-the-scenes look at the people and events that made up this rivalry. Even though I followed this rivarlry on television and in the newsprint, I was unaware of the actual conversations and actions of the players and coaches on and off the ice. Mr. Dater also provides biographical accounts of some of the major participants, like Claude Lemieux and Darren McCarty. These accounts add insight into the rivalry. I would highly recommend this book to all hockey fans, young and old, especially to fans of The Detroit Red Wings and Colorado Avalanche.

I just finished reading this one and it is Great! Adrian Dater obviously was diligent in his efforts to not come off like a media "Homer", and in that he succeeded. He also succeeded in writing a comprehensive chronology of THE rivalry between the Red Wings and the Avs. This rivalry went beyond the ice, inducing fans of both teams and even the media of both towns to in-your-face heated altercations. Even though I lived through every moment of this rivalry from beginning to end, there was much I'd forgotten and much I was unaware of. The funniest part of the book is a verbatim account of Marc Crawford's 1997 Game 4 Western Conference Finals meltdown. Apparently there was a camera nearby that captured exactly what was said. Dater presents (with a warning about the language) the exhange to put the record straight on what has often been misrepresented. Hockey fans (regardless of your loyalties) will LOVE this book for its detail and history. I am a lifelong Red Wings fan and even though the "rivalry" is pretty much a thing of the past, I still never miss a game between these two teams. This book reminded me why.