Railway Rivalry

[leandrofg 1,180]

Rivalries.

 

Every sport has them, and every fan feels them to the bone. Some things are hard to explain, to reason, and sometimes inconceivable. We're at a point where Artificial Intelligence is about to take over some tasks... with some saying it could ultimately replace humans in many sectors of the economy.

 

But then there's something as simple as sports rivalries that show us why it may not be so.

 

When asked about sports rivalries, one AI model could only tell us that they are "intense competitions between two teams or athletes that have a history of animosity or a strong sense of competition. These rivalries can be based on geography, past results, or even personal relationships between the teams or athletes."

 

In reality, there's much more to a rivalry than this. A rivalry it's not only fueled by enmity or competition. There's a personal and emotional level to the madness, not only for the teams. People get involved, cities intertwined, whole countries even, but most importantly... cultures.

 

One of these rivalries is brewing in the VHLE. The league is still new, in its 7th season of existence, but storylines are being written already. Geneva's starting to get a reputation for not being very competitive since the Swiss side has failed to make the playoffs every season. Although they seem poised to do so this season.

 

That was Oslo's story, too, until S85, when they made the playoffs for the first time and won the Renaissance Cup. The Norwegian side seemed to like the feeling and kept that run going, repeating the feat in S86. These two teams joined the league one season after creation, but their fates have been quite different.

 

On the other hand, another team filled with history to the brim, the Cologne Express. They met the Storm in the Finals in S85 and the Semi-Finals in S86. Oslo was the better team, although the Express never turned its back on the fight.

 

Let's dive into these encounters. In the past two seasons (S85 and S86), the Express and Storm met 21 times in the regular season, with the Express winning 12 of those games.

The postseason, though, paints a different story. In 12 encounters, the Storm won 8 of those. And that's been the primary factor for the Storm's greatness, postseason efficiency. In summary, 33 games between these two teams, with the Oslo Storm taking the majority of wins, with a +1 differential. The fundamental difference is the two Renaissance Cups.

 

Let's go back to the Express. A former VHL team... revived as one of the founders of the VHLE. During its time in the VHL, the Express managed to be in the playoffs in 15 of 27 seasons, a brilliant 55% playoff appearance percentage. They reached the Conference Finals in 9 of those 15 times and the Finals in 4, winning the Continental in S42.

 

The Express in the VHLE has managed to keep this level of consistency, clinching the playoffs in 6 of the 7 seasons and reaching the Finals in 2 of those times. During this time, they've destroyed the regular season points record and managed to bring a great deal of notoriety to the team. 

 

But there's one thing missing.

 

Could that be the real rivalry that the Express has on its hands? Is it not the battles fought against the Storm? Could the rivalry be larger than that of one with an opposing team?

 

There's only one rivalry in mind for the Express, the Renaissance Cup.

Edited February 14, 2023 by leandrofg
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[JardyB10 4,868]

#FuckOslo