Drew Sharp: Red Wings, Sharks too similar to be next great rivalry

The search continues for that next big Red Wings rival.

The word itself is misleading. It suggests a measure of equality. Two teams not only sharing the same competitive goals, but also generally having the same level of success over an extended period. But when you have advanced to 20 consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs -- and nobody else is remotely close to that degree of consistency -- it's impossible finding a suitable partner within those parameters.

"It's probably now more about the team people might like the least," Wings forward Kris Draper said.

Chicago? Long range, definitely, should the Blackhawks contend for another Stanley Cup in the next couple of years.

But right now the Wings' biggest rival is San Jose.

"This is what happens when you play a team a lot in consecutive years," captain Nicklas Lidstrom said. "There's a familiarity that lends itself to becoming a rivalry."

This is their third playoff meeting since 2007, the fifth overall. The 20-year-old Sharks have played the Wings in the postseason more than any other franchise. But there's really nothing to despise about this team. There's no animosity, no moment that stands out through recent history to raise the hackles of Wings players and fans.

It's certainly not like Colorado back in the day or even Anaheim in those initial post-lockout years, when the Ducks eliminated the Wings in the Western Conference finals on the way to their first Stanley Cup. Cheap-shot artist Chris Pronger was always a convenient villain.

The Sharks ran the Wings out of the playoffs last year in five games, but the officiating was more the enemy than Joe Thornton or Joe Pavelski.

Can you honestly have a likable rival?

"There probably isn't the bad feelings that there might have been with other teams," forward Johan Franzen said. "We have a lot of respect for them. We know that they're a great team; and to be successful against them, you have to outwork them. You have to be disciplined."

Isn't that the same strategy for beating the Wings?

"We're two teams that are pretty much alike," he said.

The Wings were probably more of a rival to the Sharks than the other way around, because San Jose patterned itself after the Wings -- relying on skilled puck possession and offensive depth. The longer you're chasing the puck, the quicker an opponent wears down defensively. But the Sharks' inability to get past the Wings despite regularly ranking among the regular-season point leaders created a stigma.

They couldn't concentrate on winning that first Stanley Cup until they found a way to clear that Detroit obstacle. The Sharks hired Todd McLellan, Mike Babcock's top assistant during the Wings' 2008 Stanley Cup title run, to help unlock the door.

"It's not about Mike and Todd," McLellan told San Jose reporters Wednesday. "Mike and Todd are going to stand there and change lines. The players are going to go out and play, and at the end of the day we know one of the teams is going to move on."

A little more hostility would nicely add to what already should be a dramatic series, but there simply isn't much to dislike about the Sharks. Loathing them would be like loathing the Wings. Now should they bounce the Wings from the playoffs for the second straight year, then you might have something worth shouting about.