A new two-hour documentary covering the heated Red Wings-Avalanche rivalry of the late 90s and early 2000s will debut on Sunday.
One of the most intense rivalries in sports history will be relived in Unrivaled, a two-hour ESPN E60 program debuting Sunday, June 26, at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN. The program is hosted by Jeremy Schaap.
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“Great rivalries elevate sports,” said Andy Tennant, E60 executive producer. “They enhance the appreciation of the games we love. They bring out the best in the rivals themselves. Or do they? Is it sometimes more complicated than that? In addition to all the great things about rivalries, they can also go too far. Competition bleeds into something uglier.”
In Unrivaled, viewers will hear from many who were involved with the two teams at the time including Lemieux, who was at the center of the start of the rivalry that exploded on March 26, 1997, in a massive brawl in Detroit’s Joe Louis Arena. The Red Wings’ Kris Draper, who had been seriously injured when he was checked from behind by Lemieux in a playoff game the year before, and Darren McCarty, who sought revenge on Lemieux in the big brawl, also speak about the rivalry in the program.
Read more about what to expect from ESPN here.
The TV version will re-air in prime time on Monday, June 27, at 8 p.m. on ESPN2 and at 9 p.m. on Thursday, June 30 on ESPN, and re-air on Sunday, June 26, at 4 p.m. on ESPN2.
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