It’s been over two years - since October, 2019, that the Blues have visited the Detroit Red Wings. The two were locked in a division rivalry for decades that was only eclipsed by the Blues’ rivalry with the Blackhawks, and while there was an element of little brother/big brother to each of them, those two rivalries formed the core of divisional excitement.
And then the Atlanta Thrashers had to go and muck everything up.
Their relocation to Winnipeg forced a divisional re-alignment, so the Red Wings were headed east. They, along with the Columbus Blue Jackets, were both in the Eastern Time Zone, so it fit, but the Central Division as fans knew it was no more.