Anyone But Detroit - A Colorado Avalanche Blog

Anyone But Detroit Has Moved to Bloguin!

2009-11-10T21:49:00.002-07:00

It’s with a sense of pride that I’m announcing that this blog is now representing the Colorado Avalanche on the Bloguin network. Take notice that new URL for this blog the is the simplified anyonebutdetroit.com - please update bookmarks, links, etc.

Outside of the slicker graphics and URL and improved blog “add-ons” (video, polls, etc,) - rest assured, you can expect the same content that you’ve been used to. In other words, there is no filter between what I write and what gets posted. This is just a nicer wrapper and hopefully some more traffic.

So, go check out my first post under the Pengu.. er, Bloguin...

(oh, c'mon, just do it -- you get to see yours truly in a homemade 'Anyone But Detroit' t-shirt.)

www.anyonebutdetroit.com

Avs Beat Themselves Against Oil, 5-3

2009-11-08T21:47:00.000-07:00

So, how does this Avs team lose games to below average hockey teams? Answer: By beating themselves. On a night where they couldn't kill an Edmonton penalty to save their life, the Avs took 7 penalties, including 3 in the 3rd and two "too many men" penalties. Pile on top of that some puck luck for Edmonton and good goaltending and you lose by 2.

I actually think this is a good sign. Obviously, you don't want to make this many mistakes, but good in the sense that this team was able to stay in the game even with the avalanche (pun intended) of mistakes.
I couldn't believe how hard this team continued to skate after the 5th Edmonton goal. Much credit to Sacco - this team works hard.
However, one thing Sacco has to figure out is how to get this team to show up for the first 10 minutes.
This was the 2nd game where PK cost us - the other one being at Minnesota. In both games, the Avs were clearly the better team 5 on 5, but the PK was bad enough that we only ended up with 1 point total in the two games.
We missed Hejduk tonight.
1:49 ice time for Koci tonight -- I just don't understand why he dresses. Other guys (Stewart, McLeod) can answer the bell, if needed.
Hensick actually wasn't horrible tonight. (Don't worry - he still doesn't have a future on this team).
Instead, Dupris was. Sorry, Philppe, you're a little out of place in the NHL .
Great to hear the Galiardi is skating. He is the difference between having 3 effective lines or having 4 effective lines.
The nickname for Khabibulin in the Payton houshold is "Robert". This is because the first time my wife heard an announcer say Khabibulin, she heard "Bobby Bulin".

Avs Frustrate Blackhawks, 4-3

2009-11-07T09:09:00.000-07:00

The Avs found yet another way to win a hockey game against a good team.

What can you say about Ryan O’Reilly? During the game, I was taunting my wife (who is a Wild fan) for not drafting him with the 16th pick. Minnesota needs all the help they can get right now.
The Avs need to stop spotting teams 2 goal leads. Not showing up for the first 10 minutes can’t continue to work. (can’t it?)
Colorado was the better team in the 3rd (well, until the last 2 minutes) - a shame they couldn’t get that 4th goal to win outright - but at least they didn’t give up a heartbreaking goal.
Whether or not you get games like this to OT - where you guarantee yourself a point and give yourself a chance for two - that’s probably the biggest difference between whether or not “bubble” teams will ultimately go to the playoffs.
Why even dress Koci if he plays only 2:28?
Anyone else read Footer’s lips mouth “fucking pussy” near the end of regulation - most likely talking about Kopecky to teammates?
Byfuglien was simply awful on Jones' goal. Yes, he's a forward, but he is a former defenseman - I would expect more from him if I was a Hawks fan.

Avs Back on Track Against Yotes, 4-1

2009-11-05T06:29:00.000-07:00

Great to see the boys bounce back with a really good effort (even though no one was there, apparently!)

Thank goodness Quincey came back after that Doan hit. I agree with McNab and Haynes - the NHL should protect these players if for no other reason than economics. The NFL has figured this out, and (over) protects its QBs. Just like no one wants to see Patrick Ramsey take on Jim Sorgi, no one wants to see the Blackhawks (sans Toews) play the Caps, without Ovie.
Budaj kicked 3 or 4 rebounds right back out front - he was very lucky one of those didn’t find there way to the back of the net.
Avs have to find a way to be better on the PP. It was disappointing to see a few PPs where we struggled to even get into the zone, even after we scored on our first chance.
McLeod’s return seemed to be a big lift. He was a big part of the most effective line for the Avs all night.
What’s great about Joe Sacco is all you have to do is look at the ice time if you want to know who played well and who didn’t. Hensick? 3:43.
With 3 assists in last night‘s game, Stastny now leads the team with 16 points.

Avs Shutout by Raycroft - 3-0

2009-11-02T06:41:00.001-07:00

This game was incredibly frustrating to watch.
What happened to the hard working team we saw in the first 13 games?
I don’t want to hear about posts we hit or long road trips or lucky bounces or injuries - the bottom line is that we were shutout by Andrew Raycroft. And that’s simply unacceptable.
One goal in two games - that's also unacceptable.
No shots on goal during a 5-3. So is that.

Hopefully, this kind of a game is what this young group needs to refocus.

PS - Just an absolutely awful shift by the 4th line (Koci, Willsie and Dupris) on the 2nd goal. Worst shift of the season.

San Jose Out-Everythings Colorado, 3-1

2009-10-31T10:07:00.001-06:00

This was the first time all season I felt the Avs were noticeably outworked for the entire game. Game 1 - the Avs made San Jose look old and slow - this game, the Avs were slow ones to the puck.

The brightest spot of the night was Duchene’s goal. It takes some real talent beat two defensemen and goaltender all by yourself - especially when you have no other teammates with you in the zone.
The only way the Avs will have a collapse to the degree that puts them out of the playoffs is if Anderson is hurt to the point that he is out for months. The Avs were badly outshot (25 - 46) and outskated by one of the NHL’s best teams and still had a chance to steal points with 10min left in the 3rd.
Sacco, can we sit Clark for Wilson, please?
Hensick has no future with this team. Hopefully, Sherman will trade him soon.
With all of the injuries, anyone else surprised that we haven’t seen Haydar or Stoa called up yet?
Budaj vs Raycroft on Sunday night? Wow - I really thought at least one of them would be out of the NHL at the end of last season...

Avs Out Hustle Oil - 3-0

2009-10-28T06:24:00.000-06:00

Nice, solid win for the Avs. They played like they were the better team and they knew it. This is a very confident group right now.

Its amazing how effective Wolski and Stewart can be when they are working hard. Kudos to Sacco for keeping these two accountable to get the right results.
Would have loved to see the Avs get another goal when they were given a 4-3. McNab correctly pointed out that the Avs weren’t “desperate” enough.
Durno had a strong game - “poor man’s Cody McLeod” comes to mind.
Does Weiman start in Calgary tonight?
Andy seems to be rolling around on the ice multiple times, every single game now. If there is one guy we REALLY can’t afford to lose, it’s him.
I’m sure Edmonton would have moved Dustin Penner ages ago if he didn’t have such an awful contract.
Duchene had a great chance in the 1st where we was able to walk in and take a clear shot - Khabibulin was able to make a relivity easy save. I know Khabibulin is a very good goaltender, but I expect Duchene to score in that situation.

Andy Flirting with Greatness

2009-10-25T09:51:00.004-06:00

Stopping 48 of 49 shots, Craig Anderson was clearly the difference last night’s game against the lowly, 23rd place Detroit Red Wings. What was so impressive about this performance is that it shows Andy has something that nearly every truly great goalie has - something that it is especially key in the playoffs. Something that Patrick Roy absolutely had.

The ability to immediately re-focus after a bad performance and play at an extremely high and confident level.

Andy had easily his worst game against Carolina on Friday night. This may have been a little understandable, he wasn’t supposed to play - Budaj was, but Budaj had the flu and Andy had to go. The Avs didn’t play great defense in front of Andy and it was just one of those games where the puck just seemed to be finding the back of the net, but Andy essentially said after the game that his team bailed him out and that there were at least two goals that he wanted back.

There are many reasons that Andy could have played an average game against Detroit. He was tired, playing in the 2nd straight night of a back to back, playing in his 11th straight start. Or maybe he lost some confidence in that Carolina game - we’ve certainly seen Budaj and Theo ebb and flow between greatness and horribleness for weeks at a time.

But he didn’t. (Suck it, Detroit.)

Just to clarify, I'm not saying Andy is an elite goaltender (yet) -- no one is elite until they prove greatness in the NHL Playoffs, but its ok to get a little excited, Avs fans.

Other Notes:

Paul Stastny’s empty net goal was the first empty net goal for the Avs in more than a year. (March 8, 2008 vs. Dallas.)
Ryan O'Reilly is now tied with Hejduk and Stastny for the team lead in points (10). The last team that had a chance to draft O'Reilly before the Avs? That would be Detroit.
The Avs go right back on the road for 4 games against Edmonton, Calgary, San Jose and Vancouver.

3rd Jersey News:

According to Icethetics.info - the Avs will debut their new 3rd jersey in “mid November”. The site points to Sat Nov 14th against Vancouver as a possible debut game.

Avs PK Fails, Lose to Wild in Shootout, 3-2

2009-10-21T21:45:00.000-06:00

This one was particularly disappointing for me because I’ve watched the 6 of the 7 previous Wild games (as my wife is a big Wild fan), and outside of a great 10 mins against Anaheim in game 2, they have looked horrible. Granted, all of the horrible hockey has been a lengthy road trip that sort of snowballed on Minnesota - but right or wrong, I expected the Avs to get up on this team early and shut down the Wild - kinda like the game in Toronto.

All that being said, Colorado got a point out of a road game that could have gone either way - remember: every point is big.
I’m convinced that Andy is now our only penalty killer. Otherwise, we had 4 pylons out there all night long.
It’d be one thing to take some penalties and put a good PP on the ice because the Wild were pressuring us, but too many mental errors -- 2 too many men penalties and then the one that really killed us - the Wolski delay of game.
If you were watching the Altitude broadcast, you saw something extremely rate in the 3rd period when McNab made critical (but justified) comments about a specific Avs player (Wolski) as it happened.
I was really hoping Wolski could make up that penalty a little bit by scoring in the shootout.
2nd Period wasn’t quite as good as McNab and Haynes were saying - the Wild (Havlet (x2), Zanon and Shultz) had a bunch of golden chances and just missed the net.
When Liles comes back, Clark better sit.
I hope I’m wrong, but prepare for McLeod to be out for a long time. Eye injuries are nasty - at this point, I just hope its not career threatening.

A Quick Comparison...

2009-10-19T19:06:00.002-06:00

2008 - 09: 15 games played, 12 points
2009 - 10: 8 games played, 13 points

Suck it Detroit - Avs Win 4-3 in Shootout

2009-10-18T10:26:00.000-06:00

Wow - where to start?

This one was so sweet for so many reasons:

Duchene scores his first in Detroit. (Man, I love this kid.) With the 'first goal thing' out of the way, look for Duchene to relax a little bit.
Duchene - "The most important thing was we won that game. It wouldn't have felt nearly as good if we lost."
Stole two points. Every point is huge - as good as we've started, Calgary is only 2 points behind us for the lead in the Northwest.
Stole a point away from Detroit.
Gave Osgood a loss. Osgood sucks.
This just in: Todd Bertuzzi and Brad May suck.
How many of you thought the game was over when Svatos took that double minor? (I did.)
How many of you thought the game was over when Flippula scored? (I did.)
There is now less chance of O'Reilly going back to juniors than Duchene. (and I don't believe either will happen.)
Wolski sat again in the third period -- didn't even get his guaranteed first shooter in the shootout spot. You'd better work, Wolly.
Cumiskey is playing the way he needs to, in order to stay in the NHL. Get used to seeing him get knocked down in his own end, Avs fans. It comes with the territory.
What they are saying in Detroit: This is classic...

Avs Survive Montreal's Home Opener, 3-2

2009-10-16T06:32:00.001-06:00

The Avs didn’t have their A game, but they got some puck luck and they found a way to win in Montreal’s home opener.

Great to see Ryan O’Reilly get that first one - and for it be such a big one in such a great hockey city.
I hope Duchene doesn’t let his buddy’s first goal get to him even more. Duchene is starting look too frustrated at times. He needs to relax and play his game -- he’s first will come.
I’d love to see Duchene’s first in Detroit.
Come to think of it - I’d love to see Duchene’s first hat trick in Detroit.
The officiating was simply awful. So bad that it probably evened itself out in the end. Simply not good enough when both teams have pretty legitimate arguments on why their opponent’s 3rd period goals shouldn’t have counted.
We started to see some of that old Darcy Tucker we know and despised. He was not on the score sheet and took two horrible, unnecessary, selfish penalties in the 3rd period, both when the Avs were clinging to a 1 goal lead - one of them while the Avs were on the PP. He could have easily cost his team 1 or even 2 points.
What a game for Cumiskey. The Montreal media name named his first start of the game.
Foote is a much better partner for Cumiskey than Clark is. He has way more confidence to jump into the play with Footer back there - that takes Cumiskey from being a bit of liability to a dangerous weapon.
Anderson continues to be rock solid. Way to go, Florida… First you let Luongo go for Bertuzzi, now you let Anderson walk. The Panthers make the worst personnel decisions in the NHL.
What a start for David Jones who has 5 points in 3 games.

Avs Take Care of Business in Toronto, 4-1

2009-10-14T06:20:00.002-06:00

Not a lot to cover here - the Avs went in to Toronto and beat a bad Leafs team. The Leafs, nor their fans ever got into the game.

The only way to watch the game in Colorado was to watch was watching the Toronto feed of the game.
Avs special teams continue to be special.
Anderson continues to be special.
Liles hurt his shoulder, pushed into the boards in the corner - expect to see Ryan Wilson suit up in Montreal.
Leafs crew called Galiardi - Ga-LARD-Iie. Missing a syllable, guys.
Duchene can't buy a goal now, but thats ok. We're winning without his goals - we'll need him to get hot when the rest of the team cools down.

Avs Special Teams Best Boston, 4-3

2009-10-12T21:17:00.001-06:00

Sorry for no update after the Chicago game - my wife and I moved into my first home this weekend.

WTF, Boston?! Who plays an afternoon game on Columbus day? What's next, a 10AM start on Veteran's Day?
Horrible first 10 mins of the 2nd period by Colorado, but give them credit, they turned it around in the next 10 mins.
Man, Galiardi and Jones looked absouletly fanastic today.
Really liked the O'Reilly, Jones, McLeod line - especially early.
It's all about special teams for the Avs right now. 5 on 5, the Avs were outscored 3-1 today.
Not surprised at all that Stewart was scratched to make room for Jones. Sacco has made it clear - If you don't work hard, you don't play.
I think I might go into a comma if / when Anderson lets in a bad goal.
Damn, Scott "Zero Goals" Hannan ruined my nickname 5 games in.
Rusk should have had the primary assist on that goal - BTW.
Anyone else notice that Duchene gets thrown out of a bunch of faceoffs?
Speaking of The Boy Wonder, is the pressure getting to him a little bit? He hasn't seemed like the same player since Don Cherry predicted he would win the Calder "guaranteed."
It would be great Matt would get his first goal in Canada, either in Toronto or Montreal.
Come to think of it, it would also be great if he got it in 3 games - that would be in Detroit.
In case you missed it - Salei is on IR, Ryan Wilson was recalled. I think I'd like to see Wilson play in place of Clark - let's see what he has.
Watch out Avs fans - Budaj's probably in net tomorrow against the Leafs...

Nashville Hands Avs First Loss, 3-2

2009-10-09T19:45:00.001-06:00

My thoughts on last night.

- I’m disappointed we didn’t get at least a point in this one. We wasted a really good effort by Anderson – mostly because we couldn’t get any offense going 5 on 5.

־ By sitting Wolski in the 3rd, Sacco was trying to make a statement not only to Wolski, but also to the rest of the team. That statement is “you must continue to work or you won’t play.” Its a move that I hope pays off as we move through the rest of this trip.

־ The Avs were the better team in the 2nd, but ended up tied 1-1. Svatos couldn’t bury a couple of golden chances, Tucker couldn’t score from between the circles and Duchene failed to score on a breakaway.

־ Speaking of that Duchene breakaway, I couldn’t help thinking how much he looked like Marian Gaborik on that play.

־ We’re gonna have to keep Ryan O’Reilly up – he is the only guy that can win a faceoff for us.

־ I’m not a fan of Patric Hornvqist.

־ Cumiskey had his best game of the season. He seems to be learning how really use his speed. If he could figure how / when to jump to the play offensively, he could become a really dangerous weapon.

־ The next time the Avs are struggling offensively, I’d like to see Duchene, Stastny and Hejduk on a line together.

־ We need more out of Chris Stewart.

־ TJ Hensick doesn’t fit into Sacco’s plan and I don’t think he will finish the season in Colorado. I hope the Avs are able to get something for him vs. losing him on waivers.

־ When Budaj plays, the Avs poor defensive is going to be exposed. Way too many shots on goal in each of the 3 games.

- My favorite phrase of the game: “Darcy Tucker did a good job not retaliating in that situation.”

Flyers Fans Already Love Lappy

2009-10-06T06:59:00.000-06:00

If you had "2 regular season games" in your "How long will it take Flyers fans to develop a collective man crush on Lappy, congratulations, you win!

(At this point) Its difficult to criticize Greg Sherman for any offseason decisions, but I still don't know how Lappy doesn't make any hockey team a better hockey team.

Sakic Retirement Patch

2009-10-04T08:54:00.000-06:00

Courtesy of the wonderful NHL Patches - here is a good look at the Sakic Retirement Patch the Avs wore on Oct 1st.

PS - Congrats to Lappy on his first goal with Philly...

Anderson, Duchene Shut Down Canucks, 3-0

2009-10-03T20:31:00.000-06:00

Anderson was very good today. Isn't amazing what good goaltending does for a team?
There was a noticeable drop in energy level from Sakic night to today's game, however, the team played a sounder, smarter game.
Sorry Brampton Battalion fans, there is absolutely NO WAY that Duchene is being sent back to the OHL this season.
Duchene was the best skater on the ice by a clear margin. He was named 3rd star of the game without scoring a point. And he's a forward.
Someone should tell Vancouver that they don't get extra points for pretty goals.
These players are playing great hockey: Anderson, Stastny, Wolski, Quincey, Duchene.
Cumiskey looked much more conformable today, but I'm still worried he's going to get exposed on the road trip.
O'Reilly looked out of place today. Erie - he'll be back soon.
Could have Tucker actually turned his game around? Two goals in two games. Still taking too many penalties.
Want more good news? Detroit has gone 0-2-0 in Sweden against St. Louis - blowing 2 goal leads in both games.

Inspired Avs Make San Jose Look Old, 5-2

2009-10-02T07:03:00.002-06:00

Some thoughts after last night's game:

For once, the Avs were the fast, young team. Overall team speed is very improved.
The Avs played hard and simple game. Dmen just sent pucks to the net, resulting in two deflection goals.
Darcy Tucker scored our season's first goal. We're cursed!
Unimpressed by Cumiskey - he looked out of place a horrible giveaway in the first that ended up in the back of net.
Anderson looked good in the 3rd, especially. Sitting on a 3 goal lead, the Avs were outshot 19 -1. He kept the game from getting too exciting in the 3rd and really stood out on the 5 on 3 kill.
What a pass by Stastny on Wolski's second goal. We missed him so much last year.
Ryan O'Reilly didn't look out of place to me tonight. He still has 8 games to mess it up, but don't be surprised if he's not sent by to juniors.
Someone must have convinced Joe Thornton this was a playoff game because he was invisible.
Would have been wonderful to see Duchene score on one of those breakways. There is no way he is going back to juniors.
Nabokov gave up 5 goals on 20 shots. Only one of those was a bad goal, though - McLeod's goal - Nabby gave up a bad rebound on Stewart's low, hard shot from the boards.
Versus (and Devils) play by play man Doc Emery knows nothing about the Avs. Mistaking Hannan for Foote, Stewart for Hejduk and saying that the Avs have 7 retired numbers, and #26 was pulled down for Stastny.
Great, inspired effort by the Avs. Let's see how much of a drop off there is Saturday afternoon against Vancouver.

Hockey Night in Blogdom - 30 Teams in 30 Minutes

2009-09-29T06:45:00.001-06:00

Yours truly will be featured this season speaking for the Avs bloggers / fans on "Hockey Night in Blogdom" - a feature on Slap Shot - a hockey blog on the New York Times website.
The first installment of Hockey Night in Blogdom is a season preview of sorts featuring short answers about upcoming season from bloggers throughout the Western Conference. The same five questions were asked to everyone - some of them pretty entertaining. My personal favorite: "What player would you most like to see checked right through the Zamboni doors?".
Check it out!

Duchene, O’Reilly Make the Opening Night Roster

2009-09-27T18:33:00.001-06:00

The final cuts are in and both of the Avs top 2 draft picks of 2009 have both made the team - at least for opening night. Weiman, Durno and Peltier were sent down to Lake Erie today, bringing the roster down to 24. (Tom Preissing is on IR, which means the Avs can carry an extra player.)

First - congrats to both Duchene and O’Reilly. I’ll be really surprised if Duchene plays in the OHL again - even though he didn’t exactly light it up in the preseason, he’s sound defensively and he’s mature enough to handle the ups and downs. Plus, he’s one of the few marketable things about this team right now - its good for business to keep him up.

I thought O’Reilly had a really good chance to make the team after the team didn’t cut him last Saturday. Unlike Duchene, I don’t think O’Reilly will stay with the club after his 9 games. I’ll be curious to see how much he’s supposed lack of speed is a factor and how visible he is over this 9 game set.

Congrats also to Matt Hendricks, who literally fought his way onto this team, starting with the Burgundy / White game all the way through Frozen Fury XII. The 28 year old made up his mind that he was going to do anything to play in the NHL this preseason - mission accomplished.

I was a little surprised that Kyle Cumiskey beat out Peltier for the 7th defenseman spot. Nothing I saw or read about Cumiskey this training camp / preseason led me to believe he deserved the spot, but to be fair 1) Kyle is coming off a pretty serious shoulder injury and 2) I didn’t see or read much about Peltier playing well either. The big question here is Kyle going to play or ride the bench as a 7th defenseman? And if he plays, which veteran dman is going to sit?

Next game counts folks… Go Avs!

Colorado Avalanche Blogger Roundtable Day 5

2009-09-25T07:37:00.006-06:00

It’s the halfway point, day 5 of the 3rd Annual Colorado Avalanche Blogger Roundtable! Don’t forget to check out today’s other question, “What is one 2009 offseason executive decision you thought was genius and one executive decision that you thought was horrible” hosted by Brian Thompson at the Colorado Avalanche Examiner.

Today’s question is:

“Is there a core set of players on the team RIGHT NOW that, if they hit their realistic potentials, could lead this team to a legitimate cup run?”

Sean - Anyone But Detroit

We’re getting there but we’re not there yet. Assuming that Matt “The Boy Wonder” Duchene counts as “on the team RIGHT NOW”, I still see two major holes.

First in goal – Anderson is certainly an upgrade, but we don’t even know if he is a legitimate starter in the league, let alone if he can play at a “legitimate Cup run” level. In my book, that means he can stand on his head for a period or two in a road playoff game where the Avs are getting outshot 35 – 10 and give his team a chance to steal the game.

The second hole is a lack of true superstars – we need at least one more true impact player, preferably on defense. I’m talking a player that is clearly among the top players in the NHL in 3 or 4 years. My hope is that Shattenkirk can fit this bill when his starts his pro career next season, but it’s probably more than likely that we draft this player at the top of the first round the 2010 Entry Draft.

Magnum - Disgruntled Avalanche Blogger

Certainly. The Avalanche do have a great group of young players, but that's not to say everything is perfect, though. The depth at winger is quite shallow, as is the depth at goaltending. Maybe we could see a guy like Stoa become a career first liner, or Cann emerge as a starting goalie, but I don't think anyone is holding their breath.

I think the "core" is pretty close to set. You've got three good young centers (Stastny, Duchene, O'Reilly), and several defensemen who could potentially fill top 4 roles (Shattenkirk, Cohen, Gaunce, Elliot, Holos).

Shane - Avs Talk

Not in my mind. There are a lot of players I'm really excited for but I don't see the Avalanche having the necessary pieces to take a run at a playoff spot, let alone the Cup. Of course, when you look at any of the Cinderella stories that won Cups, nobody predicted they would have a snowball's chance in Phoenix. And that's what makes for a Cinderella run!

Would I like to see it? Hell yes. Do I believe they can do it? No. Unless our new GM Greg Sherman turns out to be an absolute genius. But what are the odds of that?

Brian - Colorado Avalanche Examiner

Three players will be key to a Cup run in the near future. Paul Stastny, Chris Stewart, and Matt Duchene are the painfully young nucleus of what could be a Stanley Cup caliber offensive unit.

David - Mile High Hockey

I think the Avalanche have a good bunch of young players, but not quite a potential Cup squad. Realistically, the Avalanche need either a couple more lottery picks or some fortuitous development bumps from a few prospects before we can start thinking about a future with Lord Stanley.

Jay - Avs Hockey Podcast

I look up and down this roster and wonder, if the timing was right in everyone's career, if a cup run would ever be in order. The combination of Hejduk and Foote well into the later part of their careers, question marks with Liles, Wolski, David Jones, Stewart, and Cody McLeod, and the excitement of the eventual future stars of Stastny, Duchene, and Shattenkirk just don't add up to going deep into the playoffs right now (especially with Shattenkirk still at BU.) And a HUGE hole (pun intended I guess), that young goaltender coming up through the system to lead this team to the promise land. I just don't see it happening for a while. Buckle up Avs fans.

Breeze-By Retires

2009-09-24T19:33:00.011-06:00

Unable to find work, former Avs plyon, uh, I mean defenseman, Patrice Brisebois retired from the NHL today.

Brisebois is planning to... not making this up... drive in the ultra popular NASCAR Canadian Series.

(Really, Canada, NASCAR?, Really?) The good news, hockey fans, is if you've got some extra cash lying around,

Brisebois said he’s seeking sponsors to his NASCAR team.

In case you forgot, Brisebois sucked in Colorado.

The Brisebois moment that most sticks out in my head is his horrific giveaway to Dustin Penner in OT of Game 3 of the 2006 Western Conference Semifinals.

I believe the collective thought process of Avs fans was something like "What that hell was that, Patrice? Just throw it up the boards! (Your favorite expletive)!!!"

Footage below. (Beware, it hurts!)

PS - that's one awful giveaway by Tangs on a 3 on 2 at the blueline on goal two.

In actual Avalanche news, a non-sucky Avs player, Milan Hejduk signed a 1 year contract extension through next year. If you're a glass-half full kind of person, maybe this means Hejdie is really encouraged by what he's seeing out of the team this preseason...

This Just In: Tyler Arnason Sucks

2009-09-21T17:49:00.003-06:00

Don't get used to seeing Tyler in a Rangers uniform this season.

Tyler "the man, the legend" Arnason was waived by the New York Rangers on Saturday. If, sorry, when he clears waivers, he will play for the Rangers AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack. The good news for Tyler is that it looks like his #39 is still available. Its mid Sept and Rangers fans are already talking about what an awful signing this was for NYR.

(Hat tip to DDC at MMH!)

In actual Avalanche news, Ryan Stoa was been assigned to Lake Erie and Ryan O'Reilly is now under contract. I don't see any reason why the Avs would do this now if they didn't plan on Ryan playing in (at least) the first 9 games. Way to go Ryan, you've obviously impressed the right people.

Colorado Avalanche Blogger Roundtable Underway!

2009-09-21T07:17:00.002-06:00

The annual Colorado Avalanche Blogger Roundtable is underway and I'm very proud and pleased that Anyone But Detroit is included in this year's week long festivities. Day 1 is hosted by Mile High Hockey. Check it out!

Ryan O’Reilly to be on Opening Night Roster?

2009-09-19T14:50:00.001-06:00

After the latest round of cuts, it’s starting to look like a real possibility. With the most recent round of cuts, the Avs are only six cuts a way from getting to the required 23. With 10 defensemen and 3 goalies still left on the roster, expect only 2 more forwards to be cut. O’Reilly looks to be in a 3 man race with Durno and Hendricks to play against San Jose on Joe Sakic night on October 1st.

Most of us expected Duchene to, at a minimum, get the junior 9 game “tryout” with the Avs, but it would be a big surprise if O’Reilly gets the same chance. In order for junior player to stay up with the big club at the start of the year, that player needs to be under contract with the team. Duchene is, but I don’t believe that O’Reilly has signed a deal yet. (Angélique - keep me honest.)

Anyway you slice at, great to see O'Reilly playing so well. Just another reason to be excited about the future, Avs fans.

Pic of Footer with the "C"

2009-09-17T06:51:00.003-06:00

From last night's Burgundy and White game. I thought it would be really weird to see someone other than Sakic with the "C", and sure enough, its weird.

Full photo gallery of the game on avalanche.nhl.com.

Duchene Shines in his First Scrimmage

2009-09-14T19:13:00.001-06:00

So, I wasn’t at camp today, but this was fun read on avalanche.nhl.com.

The Boy Wonder, centering Hejduk and Jones with 2 goals and a shootout goal. He also added a nice defensive back check to break up a 2 on 1. (How many times do you think Taveras will do that this season? Yeah, I’m going with zero as well.)

Looks like a good day for the 2009 Draft Class in general, with Barrie and Elliot also scoring goals.

My Thoughts on Day 1 of Training Camp

2009-09-13T18:07:00.006-06:00

I got there at 9. There were two groups - Team Grey on the Avs rink and Team Black on the Arapahoe rink. I watched Team Black warm up and drills. Then made my way over to the Avs rink for the main event, the scrimmage. They played two 30 mins periods (running time, no clock stoppages). Team Black won 2-1. The third group (which included Duchene, Wolski, Hedjuk, Quincey and Jones) started to warm up half way through the 2nd period of the scrimmage. After the scrimmage, I watched the third group until about 12:30.

A good run down of the scrimmage here.

What impressed me:

Galiardi / Svatos / Tucker line: This was the scrimmage’s best line, particularly in the first 30 minutes. Each had a point on Team Grey’s only goal with Galiardi putting in the net. Maybe Tucker can turn it around this season? (Ok, probably not.)

Justin Mercier - Two goals for Team Black. Can’t complain about that.

Billy Sauer - Shutout Team Grey in the 2nd period of the scrimmage including a great glove save on Yip after a horrible giveaway by Macias.

What didn’t impress me:

Kyle Cumiskey - When he wasn’t fighting the puck, he was getting run over. Maybe he should switch back to #48.

Not enough shots on net - Final score was 2-1 Black. Collectively, for both teams, just not nearly enough pucks going to the net. That can’t continue if this team wants to have any hope of being competitive this season.

Unfortunately, that’s it for me as far as training camp goes - no Burgundy and White game either. (Stupid work!)

Denied!

2009-09-12T15:54:00.002-06:00

I tried to get tickets to the opener / Sakic retirement game this morning and came away empty handed. Certainly disappointing, I’ve been to each of the past 3 home openers - it was becoming a tradition. I wasn’t willing to get one of the 14 games packs because no Wild games were included (my wife is a hard core Wild fan, originally from MN) and I passed on a presale email because they didn’t have tickets in the area I usually sit. (that would be the cheapest seats in the house - upper deck behind the goal - actually really like sitting there.) As a consolation prize, I’ll be at Game 2 against Vancouver.

The Avs have abandoned TicketMaster for Ticket Horse. I’m all for alternatives to TicketMaster, but Ticket Horse’s website sucks. You have to select the quantity of tickets, then the seat location. If you do this select seat location first, then change the number of tickets, the site changes the default seat location back to “Best Available“. What the hell? Why in the world do these two parameters have to be on separate pages?

In better news, I got road tickets to the Avs Dec 21st game in Minnesota, and also a Wild / Oilers game on Dec 23rd. That reminds me, last year in Minnesota, I saw the Wild and Oilers play and I sat next to these two older women. The game eventually went to a shootout and the women got up and headed for the exits during the break between the end of OT and the start of the shootout. They said they didn’t like the shootout. I guess that’s the kind of dedication it takes to be considered the 4th best fans in the NHL.

Anyway, I’ll be at training camp tomorrow, bright and early, wearing my “Payton #81” unipron jersey. Come say hi.

What a Way to Start September

2009-09-01T20:09:00.001-06:00

Really, Avs Calendar? Tyler Arnason? Really? Awesome.

Chris Stewart to wear #25

2009-08-27T18:21:00.004-06:00

As seen here. Thanks to Avs21Fan on Mile High Hockey for the heads up!

Avs Number Changes - with pictures!

2009-08-21T20:48:00.023-06:00

The Avs announced a whole slew of number changes today. I'll just let the pictures talk for themselves:

Rumored Avs 3rd Jersey Now Confirmed by Icethetics

2009-08-19T17:56:00.004-06:00

If you need any more proof that this will be (roughly) be the Avs new 3rd jersey, Icethetics - who was originally very skeptical about the leak, is now saying that new information now has him "99% convinced" that this mock-up is "actually rather accurate".

This isn't really news; Dater has all but confirmed this will be the jersey, but what is news is this: "I won't go into detail, but let's just say, more or less (emphasis on more), this is what the Avalanche will wearing."

In other words, this isn't exactly what the jersey will look like. Hopefully his hint means this mockup is a little busier than the jersey will actually be. But its clear we're just talking minor details at this point.

Wings Get Desperate, Sign Bertuzzi

2009-08-18T21:00:00.006-06:00

Y'know how some things just perfectly compliment each other? Peanut butter and jelly. Bert and Ernie. WalMart and McDonalds. Arnason and sucking.

Well, what's a better match made in heaven than Todd Bertuzzi and the Detroit Red Wings. Its official. Todd will be taking bad penalties next season for an increasingly desperate Red Wings team scrambling to fill holes left by Hossa, Hudler, Kopensky and Samluelsson. Guess they couldn't get enough of the 5 goals he scored in 24 games (16 of which were playoff games) for them last go around.

The word "douchebag" gets thrown around a lot nowadays. In Todd's own words, "it is what it is."

Many congratulations on a wonderful acquisition Mr. Holland.

New Avs 3rd Jersey to be Blue?

2009-08-15T08:54:00.004-06:00

The below from the Chris Creamer's Sports Logos Community earlier this week. I wish could call bullshit, but Neon Matrix and CC97 (the later who is the Chris Creamer) are well connected and have been consistently proven right in the past.

-------------------------

Avalancho:

Hey guys, any word on the Avalanche's third jerseys???

I didn't really liked their last effort (cheap Rangers' knock-off), hopefully they'll try harder this time around...

Maybe something with a mountain motif (yes, I miss that!) or using the Big Foot logo on the front...

... but definitely NO BLACK JERSEYS.

CC97:

I've seen them -- they're horrid.

Avalancho:

This disappoints me greatly. Hey all, remember when the Avalanche were perennial contenders and looked fantastic on the ice? Well, so much for all of that.

CC97:

It's only my opinion of course, but I'd certainly never buy one.

Avalancho:

can you give us any descriptions??

CC97:

Light blue with burgundy shoulders, NY Rangers script on front

Oh, and I'm supposed to credit neon for the scoop

Neon Matrix:

I made my 'illustration' directly from not only what I saw, but from the picture I have. I will not post it because I have some limits I will not cross, hence doing it up in Photoshop!!

So get all your crying out of the way now before you see the product in person.

--------------------

"Avalanche" on the back of the collar? Really?

Here's hoping that they look better in person / with numbers on them. We shall see.

Penguins hire Granato; Duchene Talks Canadian Jrs.

2009-08-05T20:04:00.003-06:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Tony Granato as an assistant coach. In an Anyone But Detroit exclusive interview, Tony stated "Well, I'm going to try my hardest not to lead the Penguins to a franchise worst record next season."

On TSN, Matt Duchene is featured in video story about top picks in this year's draft who were cut from Canada's World Jr team last December. If you'd rather read, you can go here.

"It was heartbreaking. I thought I had a great shot going in," said Duchene. "I kind of expected it a little bit, because I just didn't have a great camp and didn't play even close to what I think I was capable of. That hurt the most."

C'mon September...

Uniform Nerds Unite!

2009-07-19T13:50:00.003-06:00

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been a uniform design nerd. Growing up, despite my obvious lack of artistic talent, I used to make these Broncos game recaps, where I would draw Broncos logo and their week’s opponent’s logos. Then I would cut out photos from the game recap in the paper and paste the photos onto my recap sheet.

In high school, I started to compile an NFL uniform history using Paint Shop Pro shareware. I created my own uniform template and researched as much as I could. I pulled out old football cards, recorded NFL’s greatest moments on ESPN and bought a book of Topps NFL cards from the 60’s to the 80’s.

Then I got on the internet and quickly found out that I wasn’t alone. And that there were people that we as crazy as I was for this stuff (if not more) and much more artistically talented.

Anyway, here are my favorite hockey related uniform sites:

Avalanche specific sites

Eddie's Jersey Room

Awesome photos of game worn / used Colorado Avalanche jerseys throughout the years.

Avalanche Database

Just a ton of Avs information here. Two of my favorites pages relegated to uniform nerdiness are:

Hockey specific sites

Icethetics

NHL uniform design news. This will be the site to watch for credible information on any leeks about all upcoming new 3rd jerseys for 2009-10, including the rumored Avs 3rd. Current hot topics include a Panthers logo tweak and Free Agent number changes.

NHL Uniforms

Quite simply, a truly amazing comprehensive history of all NHL uniforms.

Avs page:

PuckDrawn

Primarily, a blog of extremely well done and professional looking hockey concepts, going beyond the usual, “here’s my concept for my favorite team”. Cool stuff like what would the Thrashers or Hurricanes look like if they were around in the 80s? (Too bad the Avs weren’t included in this series.)

NHL Patches

As you can imagine, a history of all patches worn on NHL jerseys.

Avs page

Third String Goalie

A blog by Spyboy1, who has gigantic collection of hockey jerseys. Features a new jersey just about every day. So far there have been a couple of Avs jerseys featured.

General sites (that feature hockey)

http://sportslogos.net/

http://boards.sportslogos.net/

http://www.uniwatchblog.com/

Something About this Picture isn't Quite Right...

2009-07-14T07:01:00.003-06:00

WTF?! Can someone get a picture of Kyle in an Avs jersey please?! Hell, can some intern at least photoshop an Avs jersey on this guy!? Unacceptable!

An Offbeat Sakic Tribute

2009-07-07T21:24:00.009-06:00

There are many wonderful tributes and stories to read about Joe Sakic.

So I’m gonna do something a little different.

Did you know?

Sakic was drafted 10 picks after Chris “Superstar Journeyman” Joseph.

Sakic played for one franchise. Joseph played for 7. Joseph scored 39 goals in 14 seasons. Sakic had more goals than 39.

Sakic wore two numbers in his NHL career. He wore #88 in his rookie season.

Sakic had a mullet early on.

(Please send me better photos if you have them! I know they exist!)

Sakic got black eyes occasionally.

Sakic fought twice.

Watch Sakic fight Doug Gilmore. (and listen to Haynes strain his vocal chords)

According to hockeyfights.com, Joe had one other fight in Feb 1990 against Toronto’s Gary Leeman. No video that I'm aware of exists on the interwebs.

Like I said before, its going to be really, really weird to see another Avs player wearing the C next season. Looking forward to #19 being raised at Pepsi Center early next season. My money is on the first home game against Vancouver.

I guess 20 years wasn’t long enough. We will miss you, Joe.

Catching Up (aka "Why the Ryan Smyth Trade isn't the End of the World")

2009-07-05T14:35:00.011-06:00

Sorry its been a while. Just got back, I’d been on vacation in Vancouver since Friday. (more on that, later)

Anyway, let’s catch up on the major news:

Signing of Craig Anderson

He was the best option UFA available for Colorado. He played well in Florida while Vokoun was out and deserves a chance to start in the NHL. In the end, he may only end up being a two year stop gap, but we should have a much better chance of getting NHL quality goaltending in goal every night next season.

Ryan Smyth trade

Avs fans seem to be pretty down on this deal. Most of the analysis is something like “Great. Two guys I’ve never heard of and a 5th round pick for our best player last season?! *sarcastic clapping* Nice work Sherman! Hell of a deal! *sarcastic clapping*"

The general hockey population opinions however, are a little more varied.

Some don’t like it:

Hockey Blog in Canada

Smyth has a big price tag, but the Kings have a ton of cap space, and gave up almost nothing with the emergence of their young blueliners. I'm still shaking my head over this trade. Colorado trades their leading scorer for a decent young defenceman, a pylon, and a garbage draft pick. They couldn't pry a third-rounder out of Lombardi? Why did they make this trade?

Others think the Kings gave up too much.

Spector’s Hockey

Smyth is a heart-and-soul player and a terrific leader but he'll be turning 34 in February and his best seasons are behind him, and the Kings gave up too much to land him by including Quincey in the deal. The Kings were in the market for a veteran star forward but after missing out in bidding for top UFA forwards Smyth appears to be "Plan B".

Sherman did far better on this deal than most Avs bloggers are giving him credit for. He moved the 2nd largest contract on the team, belonging to a declining 33 year old, at a time when NHL owners and GMs are terrified to take on these deals. (Which is why he had to take on Tom Preissing’s toxic contract.) And he pried away a cheap emerging young defenseman in Quincey doing it.

Folks, the Avs are going young, are gathering young talent and are going to see who emerges from the pack. Ryan Smyth isn’t part of this plan. Yes, Ryan Smyth would help this team be a little more respectable next season, but he has already proven he can't singlehandedly win games for the Avs. And long term, his contract would only be a burden while his skill would continue to diminish. It’s also a good move for Ryan (who had a NTC and OKed the deal). Ryan will help get the Kings to seriously compete for a playoff spot next season.

The real success of this deal is all about Kyle Quincey. One of those famous “puck moving defensemen” we always hear about, this 23 year old, playing in his first full NHL season, really came on for the Kings last year. He especially shined on the PP, where he scored 27 of his 34 points. Wow, a defenseman who can actually play the point effectively on the PP -- its been a while Avs fans. (In comparison, Liles scored 21 of his 39 points on the PP last year, his 5th in the NHL.)

Injuries could be a bit of a concern, his season ended early due to back surgery. He is expected to be ready to go come training camp. Let's hope he can stay healthy and this deal doesn’t end up being eerily similar to the Tanguay / Leopold trade.

As for Preissing, I’m not expecting much. According to Kings Head Coach Terry Murray, his “compete level” was lacking too often. Ouch.

This trade has also led to a lot of speculation that more Avs defensemen will get moved. I’m not so sure. I think that Sherman would love to move Clark’s, Salei’s, Hannan’s or even Preissing’s deals, but I don’t think any NHL GMs will take them on, at least not until mid season and more likely the 2010 trade deadline. Assuming I’m correct, Preissing will battle Clark / Salei and hopefully some younger talent like Peltier / Cumiskey / Wilson for playing time.

PS - Good luck to Lappy in Philly and Tyler Arnason in Hartford.

2009 Draft Recap - with pictures!

2009-06-27T12:33:00.013-06:00

Matt Duchene - 1st round, 3rd overall

Position: Center

From: Ontario, Canada

Wears: #9

Playing with: Brampton Battalion (OHL) if he doesn't make the team.

Hockey's Future Talent Analysis:

A complete player, along the lines of a Steve Yzerman. Duchene has impressive speed and checking ability, and this year he showed that he has outstanding hands and can come through the clutch. Duchene has solid, but not outstanding, size at 5'11, but it's his ability to play positionally sound hockey complemented by excellent speed that makes him an all-around threat on the ice.

My take: Me likely.

Ryan O'Reily - 2nd round, 33rd overall

Position: Center

From: Ontario, Canada

Wears: #9

Playing with: Erie Otters (OHL)

Hockey's Future Talent Analysis:

O'Reilly is a thinking-man's player who has excellent anticipation and knowledge of the game, which enables him to be in the right place at the right time. O'Reilly's proven to be an excellent penalty killer and excels at the defensive aspects of the game. He's an excellent playmaker who has also shown an increasing aptitude for putting the puck in the net.

Criticisms of O'Reilly are a lack of scoring touch and perimeter play at times.

My take: I really like this pick. He is smart on and off the ice - Bassin Award Winner for Dedication, Scholastic Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year and Most Sportsmanlike Player. He is good at both ends of the ice. And he is a leader. He captained both the Otters and Team Canada at the U18s.

Stefan Elliott - 2nd round, 49th overall

Position: Defense

From BC, Canada

Wears: #6

Playing with: Saskatoon Blades (WHL)

Hockey's Future Talent Analysis:

Elliott is an offensively gifted defenseman who has begun to flourish in a role that includes play on all special teams with the Blades. He is evolving into a leadership role as well, under the tutelage of head coach Lorne Molleken. A very good passer of the puck, Elliott creates scoring chances with his good vision and anticipation. He is mobile enough to force opponents wide as they approach the attacking zone. He should be able to increase his strength heading into next season, which will enable him to more effectively handle opposing forwards in front of the net.

Future: Another season or two in the WHL will enable Elliott to further build confidence and strength. A potential top-four NHL defenseman, look for Elliott to develop a Brian Rafalski-like skill set.

My take: Elliott, along with Ryan Wilson is what we got for Jordan Leopold, dumping him to Calgary at the trade deadline (who just moved him to Florida today... well, sort of - he is a UFA and can go anywhere on July 1) during a dead season. Hopefully at least one of them pans out.

Tyson Barrie - 3rd round, 64th overall

Position: Defense

From: BC, Canada

Wears: #4

Playing with: Canada Juniors -- Kelowna Rockets (WHL)

Hockey's Future Talent Analysis:

An offensive-minded defenseman, Barrie has turned an average second half of the season into a productive playoff performance. A confident puck carrier, he has been a mainstay on the power play ion both his 16- and 17-year-old seasons. He has had the tremendous good fortune to have been paired with Luke Schenn (TOR) and then Tyler Myers (BUF) in Kelowna during the past two seasons, a fact he has acknowledged when queried about his ability to commit to attacking zone play. Barrie does not possess an overpowering shot, but it is consistently accurate and he has the knack of sifting the puck through traffic. He does not necessarily have to get bigger, but he will have to be stronger to excel in professional hockey. While he reminds WHL onlookers of a right-handed shooting Kris Russell (CBJ), Barrie has yet to make a major impact on the international junior stage.

Barrie will unquestionably become a leader in Kelowna, a great opportunity to further establish his skills. Likely a third or fourth round selection at the NHL Entry Draft, Barrie will need some time to challenge for a top four position on an NHL team.

My take: Looks like Tyson has to prove he can do it on his own. Next year, both in the WHL and at the World Juniors are going to be big for him.

Kieran Millan, 5th round, 124th overall

Position: Goalie

From: Edmonton, Canada

Wears: #31

Playing with: Boston University (NCAA)

Notes: Millan backstopped the Terriers to one of their most successful seasons in the program’s history that included a national championship. The Hockey East and National Rookie of the Year posted a 29-2-3 record that included three shutouts in 35 appearances. Millan led the nation with a .897 winning percentage and ranked fifth in goals against average (1.94).

Millan is a good puck-handling goaltender that possesses very quick reflexes and economizes his movements quite well. This season, he also proved to be able to step up his game at crucial times as well. Millan is remarkably calm under pressure and is willing to aggressively challenge shooters. Though he has made strides in the crucial area of rebound control, Millan will need to continue improving that part of his game if he is to be successful at the next level.

Boston University associate head coach David Quinn on Millan: “Kieran is a kid that is very mentally strong. He’s fundamentally sound and really gives the team a calming effect with his style of play and with just how calm he is. Kieran is very coachable and likeable. I don’t think I’ve ever been around a goalie that his teammates like more than him. He stepped in and obviously did a great job too. Kieran was a major reason why we had the success that we had this year.”

My take: Wow, another BU connection... Goalies take a while and usually come out of nowhere. Maybe its Kieran, maybe its someone else...

Brandon Maxwell, 6th round, 154th overall

Position: Goalie

From: Florida, USA

Wears: #29

Playing with: Kitchener Rangers (OHL)

Notes:

Ranked as the 8th North American goalie by Central Scouting. He's a long-shot to be drafted.

My take: Goalies take a while and usually come out of nowhere. Maybe its Brandon, maybe its someone else...

Gus Young - 7th Round, 148th overall

Position: Defense

From: Mass, USA

Wears: ??

Playing with: Yale (NCAA)

My take: yeah, I got nothing...

Matt “Avs Fanboy” Duchene

2009-06-27T00:03:00.006-06:00

I'm sure you've already seen this pic but its even cooler now...

From NHL.com

For Duchene, who grew up idolizing Colorado stars Patrick Roy and Joe Sakic, slipping on an Avalanche jersey was a dream come true.

“This is just unbelievable -- I keep looking down at this (Avalanche) logo and saying to myself, 'What the heck is this, this is some kind of dream,' " Duchene told NHL.com. "I don't even know what to think yet."

One thing is certain -- it's probably a good thing Duchene opted to play forward instead of following in the footsteps of Roy, one of his childhood heroes.

"When I was younger, I was a Patrick Royfanatic and I was almost a goalie because of how much I liked him," Duchene said. "I got road hockey pads every Christmas and I always said, 'I'll be Patrick Roy', when we played at school. Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg were also my idols and were guys I admired so much growing up. Getting a chance to play with Sakic or even just meet him is going to be an unbelievable experience."

Just some quick random thoughts:

Really, really excited to see this kid at Prospects camp in early July.
Looks like Matt could be headed back to juniors next season, but we’ll see. I know there are some financial concerns, but if he really looks like he can play (and thats a big IF), how do you keep your brightest marketing asset in the OHL?
On paper, bringing Duchene (C) on seems to make Wolski (C) expendable, and there is lots of chatter involving him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him go for the right deal, but its not a lock that he is gone. If Wolski can step it up and show he is an NHL top 6 center next year, maybe the Avs can ease Duchene on the wing. Avs did this with Chris Drury, that worked out pretty well...
Way to get the number one pick wrong (he had posted that "sources were telling him the Isles were going to select Duchene") and then take down your post, Dater. Guess that Lecavalier trade is going to somehow happen tomorrow, huh?

1990 All Over Again!

2009-06-20T13:07:00.010-06:00

A few quotes that stood out to me from the June 4th presser to introduce Greg Sherman and Joe Sacco:

Greg Sherman:

"No shortcuts"

"We feel very confident in our young players"

Joe Sacco:

"Lay that foundation for our success and watch this team grow into a contender, again"

In other words, its going to take some time, be patient folks. (Sorry, Adrian)* Avs aren't going trade for Vincent Lecavalier. The Avs aren't going to be in the Marian Hossa / Jay Jay Bouwmeester / Marian Gabroik / Dany Heatly / The Sedin Twins sweepstakes on July 1st.

*And while I'm at it, hell no, I wouldn't pay to read your blog / how nice of you to say that only our moms read these blogs)

Sounds like Lacroix & Co has come to the conclusion that the Avs are the early 90's Nordiques all over again. We're going to build through the draft. We're going to stockpile and develop young talent.

Let's review how the franchise went from worst in the NHL to Stanley Cup Champs starting in the late 80s to 1995-96:

1987: Joe Sakic selected 15th overall.
1988: Valeri Kamensky selected 129th overall
1989: Mats Sundin selected 1st overall; Adam Foote selected 22nd overall.
1990: Owen Nolan selected 1st overall; Andrei Kovalenko selected 148th overall.
1991: Eric Lindros selected 1st overall.
1992: Eric Lindros traded to Philadelphia for many people, but most notably Peter Forsberg, Mike Ricci and 2nd 1st round picks.
1993: Jocelyn Thibault selected 10th overall; Adam Deadmarsh selected 14th overall.
1994: Pierre Lacroix named GM of the Nordiques.
1994: Mats Sundin traded to Toronto for Wendel Clark.
1995: Wendel Clark traded to New York Islanders for Claude Lemieux.
1995: Owen Nolan traded to San Jose for Sandis Ozolinsh.
1995: Jocelyn Thibault and Andrei Kovalenko traded to Montreal for Patrick Roy.

Notice that the team dealt some very, very good players to address needs. Was Sundin for Lemieux equal value? Probably not. And neither was Nolan for Ozo, but Lemieux and Ozo filled key needs very well - Sundin and Nolan could have never filled those roles.

The good news is that with more teams and greater parity in the NHL, rebuilding can happen much more quickly. (See Pittsburgh, Washington, Chicago) But it requires elite talent. The 2009 NHL Entry Draft is on Friday and the Avs can't afford to miss.

Two more things:

Cody Mac: Very pleased to see Cody McLeod (our 3rd leading goal scorer in 2008-09) was signed to a 3 yr deal averaging a very reasonable $1.1M / season against the cap.

Buyout Watch: The Avs have until June 30 if they wish to buyout Tucker and / or Clark.

Two Words: Hell Yes!

2009-06-13T10:05:00.006-06:00

Honestly, I’m surprised. Pleasantly surprised. I had pretty much prepared myself for Detroit winning the Cup after they beat Anaheim in the Semis. The hockey analyst in me said the other three teams left, Pittsburgh, Carolina or Chicago couldn't beat Detroit in a 7 game series.

I was wrong about Pittsburgh. After tough bounces in Game 1 and tough calls / lackluster goaltending in Game 2, the Pens won 4 of 5 games to win the series. After being blown out in Game 5, Pittsburgh found a way to pick itself up and win Game 6 to force Game 7 in Detroit. And they won. Even without Crosby half of the game. They lifted the Cup in Joe Lewis Arena in front of stunned, spoiled Wings fans. Thank god!

Oh, this just in, an Anyone But Detroit exclusive: Marian Hossa is set to sign a 1 year $100K deal with Pittsburgh next year. Hossa was quoted as saying, “If there is one thing I’ve learned this playoffs, its if you can’t beat them, join them.”

Some links for Free Detroit Press:

Red Wings fans disappointed (Photo Gallery)

Bye Stanley, hello heartache

"He looked at his friends and said, "I guess we're not going to a parade, huh?"

Marian Hossa laments being Cup runner-up again

"Marian Hossa said none of the Penguins he shook hands with Friday night said anything to him. They hardly needed to."

Talbot's heroics make defeat even more bitter for Wings

"The final score of the final game of the final series of this season was Maxime Talbot 2, Red Wings 1. If you’re a Wings fan, this will add insult to insult: Talbot said afterward there are players in the American Hockey League who have better skills than he does. And he insisted he wasn’t being humble or joking."

Sakic is Probably Done and its OK

2009-06-07T19:56:00.004-06:00

From Spector’s Hockey:

During the second intermission "Satellite Hotstove" segment on Hockey Night in Canada panelists Pierre LeBrun, Scott Morrison and Al Strachan discused the following: Joe Sakic could be close to making a decision about his future and there's no certainty he'll return to the Avalanche for another season...

Spector also think that Joe is done: “Sakic's been waylaid the past two season with back problems so it's doubtful he'll return for another season.”

I agree. At the start of last offseason, I expected Sakic to return. At the start of this offseason, I never felt like Sakic would return. Really, what incentive does Super Joe have? He’s a lock for the Hall of Fame, two Cups, a Conn Smythe, a Hart, Olympic Gold, etc. Oh, and plus he’s got those 8 OT winners. What else is there for him to accomplish?

And maybe more importantly, he keeps getting hurt.

The only half plausible reason to keep playing is so that he can play for Team Canada in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics. But Sakic’s skills have diminished. I’m not even certain that he’d even accept an offer to play for Team Canada given that long list of Canadian star centers in the prime of their careers.

I also think its the right thing for the team. Over the last couple of seasons, we already gotten used to the Avs, “post Sakic“. No one plans for the bottom to fall out like it did, but with the pink slip bonanza that took place last week, there is no question that this team is in full rebuilding mode. Future 3rd pick (i.e. Duchene / Tavares / Hedman) along with Stastny, Wolski, Stewart, Jones, Galiardi, Shattenkirk - this is the group that needs to come together, take center stage and find its way. Find its own identity, build its own excitement, figure out how to win.

Sure, Sakic’s leadership would only help this group. But his $6M/year salary won’t help bring in a UFA goalie. And his ailing back won’t allow him to stay on the ice very long. Footer, Smyth, Hejduk and (hopefully) Lappy can provide veteran guidance to the young core.

Super Joe, its been a fantastic run. It is going to be really weird seeing another Avs player wear the C. See you at the number retirement ceremony, buddy.

"GS" is the new "FG"

2009-06-03T19:33:00.008-06:00

So, ever hear of Greg Sherman? Yeah, me either. And, sans big Glass fans, apparently no one else has.

Ok - so what do we know about ol' Greg? Well, so far, I just know what was in the mini bio section of the press release.

“In his previous role, Sherman worked on contract negotiations, arbitration cases, salary cap management and matters concerning personnel at all levels of the organization.”

So, he helped negotiate on those horrendous Tucker and Clark deals? Fantastic.

“Born in Scranton, Pa., Sherman was raised in Denver and has spent most of his life in Colorado.”

Is there any place in North America where hockey culture in more engrained in the city than Scranton, PA and Denver, CO? I think not! (Well, at least he's not from Detroit.)

Well, at least Pierre Lacroix is admitting the truth. “Surrounded by a strong hockey staff and under my supervision, he will have all the necessary support to lead the Avalanche in this new direction,” added Lacroix.

Maybe "GS" is really the new "PL". Good luck Greg (& Pierre)!

Stanley Cup Finals Test

2009-05-31T21:02:00.003-06:00

Don't worry, its multiple choice.

1. What's grosser?

A - The dead octopuses

B - Sidney Crosby's "beard"

2. What would be the best part of a Detroit loss in the Finals?

A - Hossa losing to his former team

B - Getting on the Red Wings fans for blowing a 2-0 lead

3. What is more annoying about the NBC broadcast?

A - The Chris Osgood love fest

B - The Darren Helm love fest

4. What's more frustrating?

A - Crosby's inability to bury chances

B - Malkin's ability to hit the posts

5. What's more disappointing?

A - The refs failing to call Hossa for hooking and / or slashing on Filppula's goal

B - The refs failing to call Zetterberg for covering his hand on the puck in the crease in both games 1 and 2

Answer key - 1. A, 2. B, 3. A, 4. B, 5. B

Kronwall Finally Called Out for Dirty Hits (sort of)

2009-05-24T13:08:00.007-06:00

Ok - I've watched and read too many people say Niklas Kronwall's hit on Havlet was ok. I can't take it anymore! It was not a good, clean hit.

Kronwall did two things wrong:

1. It was interference. Havlet never touched the puck. Yes, its a tough one, Kronwall is trying to time his hit to coincide with when Havlet is going to gain possession of the puck. When Havlet struggles to reel the puck in, its too late to for Kronwall to stop.

Kronwall himself said it was interference:
"From my perspective, the way I think things happened, the puck went off the wall, he went to pick it up. I stepped in and he never saw me coming. He never touched the puck, but the puck was right there."

2. Kronwall left his feet. Just watch the video. How this is somehow up for debate is beyond me. As Jibbles points out on his fantastic "Its cool to hate" post - "The guy hasn't laid a legal big hit his entire career. How he is able to continuously leave his feet for every check and never get called for it is a mystery. The guy is the dirtiest hitter outside of Dion Phaneuf, yet is treated like he's a good bigtime hitter." (PS - This was posted prior to Game 7 of the Ducks series.)

Mike Babcock:
"I thought it was a great hockey hit, so far from being gutless it's not even funny. He did it right. He didn't leave his feet. The puck was right in between the guy's feet. I mean, no way." Uh, I mean, yes way. Just watch the video, Mike. He left his feet!

More from Babcock:
"I mean, I went over it a hundred times before I came in here. I wanted to see, did he leave his feet. Kroner, what he does, usually he's got so much pop in him, he explodes through the guy; at the end of the check when he's done, he's off the ice. That wasn't the case here at all in the situation."

So what Mike is saying is that Kronwall's hits are legal because he jumps up into the guy as he makes the hit. Mike, that doesn't make it better. I would say that's even worse.

Colin Campbell:
"(Kronwall's) got the rep for it. I know as players, we want to see head shots taken away from the game. We've talked about it. It needs to be addressed. I have no problem if he comes in and uses his shoulder and hits; there's nothing wrong with that. But he didn't do that. He came into a guy that did not have the puck, was exposed, jumped, forearms, exploded through his head. That isn't part of the game. Nobody wants that to be part of the game. And he keeps doing it. Somehow, some way, it's got to stop."

Well, then you'd better have your refs start calling penalties each time Kroner is does it.
These are the 5 top Kronwall hits from last year's playoffs. Guess what he does every single time?

Avs Coaching Job Roy's if He Wants It

2009-05-18T20:05:00.008-06:00

As reported earlier today by Adrian Dater. Roy has since half assed denied it (“no formal offer” is technically different than “no offer”).

It makes sense to me why Avs management would want to bring in St. Patrick. Actually, “Perfect Sense” as Roger Waters wrote “Expressed in dollars and cents, pounds, shillings and pence.”

Roy will put butts in the seats at the Pepsi Center. Not a lot for the casual Avs fan (you know, the guy who only starts paying attention a week after the Broncos season ends) to get behind right now. Its only going to get worse when Sakic retires this summer. The biggest new piece most likely to come in this off-season will be the 3rd overall pick. The team can sell Duchene / Tavares / Hedman all they want (and they should) but casual fans aren’t going to care about him until he produces on the ice and the team starts winning.

So how do you get causal fans to care? Bring in a name they know. I think “Roy” qualifies.

It’s not like they haven’t done this before. Remember trade deadline ‘08? When aging stars Forsberg and Foote were both acquired. Not only did it get the Avs in the playoffs, it got people around Denver to pay attention. It got my office to start asking me about the Avs.

So, do I have a big problem this? No. Luckily, Roy has proven he at least deserves consideration. He won a Memorial Cup in 2006 with the Quebec Remparts, the CHL junior team he co-owns, GM’s and coaches. But do I think Roy would be seriously looked at if he didn’t win Stanley Cups with the Avs. No.

Winning in the NHL comes down to talent and hard work. Talent is the GM’s responsibly - hard work is the coach’s job. I’m not trying to marginalize NHL coaches - getting an NHL team to work harder than another NHL team is much easier said than done. But messages go stale and usually pretty quickly - this is why coaching turnover in the NHL goes on at a near constant rate. Heck - three of four teams in the Conference Finals right now made head coaching changes DURING this regular season.

So, go ahead and hire Roy, Pierre, I mean, Future Puppet GM. Hopefully Partick will say yes and it will get some excitement back in Denver. Hey, if we're lucky maybe he'll even try to fight Mike Babcock some crazy night in February.

Just make sure to fire him when its time.

Anaheim Stars Pound Detroit Stars

2009-05-13T06:54:00.003-06:00

How beautiful was this? Getzlaf goes after Hossa, Perry beats down Rafaelski and Scott "Grey Beard" Niedermeyer pounds Pavel Datsyuk.

This does raise a couple of questions. Was this pre meditated by Anaheim? How much did Scott Walker's non suspension in the Boston / Carolina series green light this?

Go Ducks!

Liles at the World Championships

2009-05-10T12:17:00.003-06:00

So, as you my or may not have heard, Avs heartthrob John Michael Liles played for Team USA at the 2009 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland. It’s surprising how little attention this tournament gets, and I’m not talking about ESPN, I’m talking about in just general hockey circles. I guess its just tough to keep up with it while the first round of the NHL playoffs and its eight series are going on. Anyway…

Who won?
Gold medal game between Canada and Russia is on Sunday.

So how did Team USA do?
They finished 4th, not bad. The lost in the bronze medal game to Sweden 4-2.

April 25 Latvia W, 4-2
April 27 Austria W, 6-1
April 29 Sweden L, 5-6 OT
May 1 France (qualification) W, 6-2
May 2 Russia (qualification) L, 1-4
May 4 Switzerland (qualification) L, 3-4 OT
May 6-7 Finland (Quarterfinals) W, 3-2
May 8 Russia (Semifinals) L, 2-3
May 10 Sweden (Bronze Medal) L, 2-4

Ok, so how was Liles?
Let me preface this analysis with that I watched a grand total of zero minutes of this tournament, but the numbers say he was pretty good. He played in all 9 games, and averaged a point a game. He finished with 1 PPG and 8 assists. He was a plus 3, only Jason Blake was better (+5). He wore number 15. He was not voted by coaches has one of Team USA’s three best players.

Quack Attack

2009-05-06T21:42:00.007-06:00

I'll admit it. The Red Wings got jobbed last night. And it was beautiful.

I know it seems unrelated and it’s a little self promoting (ok, guilty) but this is my band Gritch covering Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin”. I promise that there is a hockey reference in here (besides the North Stars t-shirt).

2009 Playoffs: Checking in on the Former Avs - Part 2

2009-05-03T17:59:00.005-06:00

First, I apologize for the delay in getting this up. Last week was a crazy week, my band Gritch released a new EP (now available on iTunes!) and played a EP release show. Anyway, onward!

Washington Capitals -- G Jose Theodore #60
(Won 4-3 vs NYR)
Jose entered the playoffs as the starting goalie for Washington. It took him only one game to prove he wasn’t up to the task. It could be argued Theo was the lone reason that Washington found itself down 0-1 after one game, giving up 4 goals on 21 shots. Luckily for Washington, they found a young AHL goalie, Simeon Varlamov, who has played well for Washington and they were able to overcome the Rangers, despite losing game 1 at home. Theo is signed through next season. Buyout?

New Jersey Devils -- F Brian Rolston #12
(Lost 3-4 vs. CAR)
Brian Rolston played in all 7 games for New Jersey, but was only able to rack up one goal and one assist. That has to be disappointing for the Devils, where he is making a ridiculous $5M a year and is signed through 2011-12! Ouch.

New York Rangers -- F Chris Drury #23
(Lost 3-4 vs. WAS)
Chris Drury was probably even more disappointing than Rolston. He has a bit of an excuse, he was banged up with a hand and / or wrist injury, which kept him out of game 1 and parts of other games. Still, the numbers don’t lie - one goal, zero assists and a minus 5.
Chris is signed through 2011-12 and is making around $7M / year.

New York Rangers -- D Derek Morris #53
(Lost 3-4 vs. WAS)
Morris was traded from Phoenix at the deadline. He wasn’t horrible, but wasn‘t great either. He played in all 7 games and had two assists and was a minus 2.
Derek will be a UFA next season and will likely be with another team.

San Jose Sharks -- F Claude Lemieux #32
(Lost 2-4 vs. ANA)
Claude was the feel good story that didn’t end well. Claude only saw action in Game 2 of the series and had 5 minutes of ice time. It will be interesting to see if Claude continues his NHL comeback. If he does, I don’t think it will be in San Jose.

San Jose Sharks -- D Rob Blake #4
(Lost 2-4 vs. ANA)
Rob was one of the few bright spots for the Sharks in the series, along with Dan Boyle. (Can you imagine how this series would have gone if San Jose didn’t sign these two!) The two Dmen tied for second on the team with 4 points in the series - (Joe Thornton had 5). Blake had 1 goal and 3 assists. Rob was a minus 5.
Rob is a UFA next season. I think San Jose will re-sign him.

Calgary Flames -- D Jordan Leopold #40
(Lost 2-4 vs. CHI)
The lone member of the 08-09 Avalanche who had a chance at the Cup, Jordan played in all 6 games and logged over 20 minutes in each game. However, Jordan only had one assist in the series. He was a plus 2.
Leo is a UFA next season. He does seem to be a good fit in Calgary, it wouldn’t surprise me stays there.

Anaheim Ducks -- F Brad Larsen #29
(Won 4-2 vs. SJ)
Brad is on IR. He will be a UFA next season.

Anaheim Ducks -- F George Parros #16
(Won 4-2 vs. SJ)
Ducks enforcer Parros played in all 6 games for Anaheim. 7 PIM and was had a even plus / minus.
Parros is signed through 2011-12. (Wow. I guess they take that enforcer thing very seriously in Anaheim.)

Anaheim Ducks -- F Teemu Selanne #8
(Won 4-2 vs. SJ)
Add Teemu to the list of former Avs disappointments. Teemu played in all 6 games and had one goal and one assist and was a minus 1.
Selanne is signed through next season. However, its hard to imagine a scenario where he doesn’t finish his career as a Duck.

PS - Todd Marchant, you made my night! Go Ducks!

Former Av of the Night - Brian Rolston (Almost)

2009-04-29T06:53:00.002-06:00

Brian Rolston scored his first goal in the series in Game 7. Gionta threw a pass off the boards and Brian timed it perfectly and one timed the puck. An absolute rocket passed Cam Ward on the power play. It appeared to be a huge goal, and game winning goal, giving the Devils a 3-2 lead. A lead they held with under two minutes left in the 3rd period. Then, the wheels came off. Not only did they give up the tying goal to Jussi Jokinen., they gave up the game and series to Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes 28 seconds after Jokinen’s goal. Watching it live was bizarre. What a way to lose a series, at home, with Brodeur in net. Wow.

Former Av of the Night - Teemu Selanne

2009-04-28T06:53:00.000-06:00

Going into Game 6, Teemu Selanne had been a disappointment for the Ducks. He had zero goals and one assist. He picked a great time to finally get on the board. Teemu scored the game winning / series clinching Power Play goal in the 2nd period. It gave the Ducks a 2-1 lead and Anaheim went on to win 4-1. Anaheim will play Detroit in round two. Make me (and Long Pointies) proud, Ducks!

2009 Playoffs: Checking in on the Former Avs - Part 1

2009-04-26T20:58:00.008-06:00

Checking on on the Former Avs in the 2009 NHL playoffs. Here is my analysis on the players in the series that have already finished.

Boston Bruins -- F Stephane Yelle #18
(Won 4-0 vs MON)
The Bruins / Habs series was the one series I didn’t watch a single game of but the numbers say Yelle knows his role and was effective. Yelle played in all 4 games of the Bruins sweep against Montreal. Finished with 1 assist, 2 penalty minutes and had a plus / minus of -1. I still can’t believe this guy was one of the last UFA’s to sign last season. Yelle is scheduled to be a UFA this summer, but wouldn’t be surprised if Boston re-signs him.

Montreal Canadiens -- F Alex Tanguay #13
(Lost 0-4 vs BOS)
Tangs played in the series first two games, and missed the last two with an injury - a pinched nerve in his neck. Finished with 1 assist, 2 penalty minutes and had a plus / minus of +2. If you're Montreal, that's not great production from your highest paid forward. Alex is scheduled to be a UFA this summer and will most likely be with another team in 09-10.

Montreal Canadiens -- D Patrice Brisebois #71
(Lost 0-4 vs BOS)
Patrice played in Game 1 and was a healthy scratch for the rest of the series. Finished with a plus minus of -1. Brisebois is scheduled to be a UFA this summer. It is likely the 38 year old could have trouble finding a job this off-season.

Vancouver Canucks -- D Ossi Vaananen #5
(Won 4-0 vs STL)
Ossi is Vancouver’s 7th Dman and played in Game 4 when the injury prone Sami Salo went down. He did his job and ate up 8 minutes and change and finished the game as a plus 1. Ossi will likely sit again as Salo is expected to be back for Game 1 of the second round. Ossi is also scheduled to be a UFA this offseason.

St. Louis Blues -- F Dan Hinote #13
(Lost 0-4 vs VAN)
Dan played in 3 games against Vancouver. He was a healthy scratch Game 3. Finished with 0 points, 4 penalty minutes and was a minus 1. Hinote is scheduled to be a UFA this offseason.

St. Lous Blues -- F Paul Kariya #9
(Lost 0-4 vs VAN)
Paul did not play in the series. He had been out since November with a hip injury. Similar to Sakic, he was skating with the team but just could not quite get healthy enough to play.
Paul is signed with the Blues through next season.

Columbus Blue Jackets -- F Chris Gratton #77
(Lost 0-4 vs DET)
Chris started the sesaon in Tampa Bay. He was placed on waivers by the Bolts (along with former Av Radim Vrbata) in December and sent to Tampa’s AHL affiliate, Norfolk. The Jackets picked up Gratton when Tampa tried to recall him in February. Gratton played in only six regular season games for Columbus - zero goals and 2 assists. He was scratched in all 4 games against Detroit.
Hard to believe this guy was the 3rd overall pick in 1993. Chris is scheduled to be a UFA this offseason.

Long Pointies!

2009-04-24T06:54:00.002-06:00

Game 4 of the Sharks and Ducks series saw the return of a Payton household favorite - “Long Pointies.” I’ll explain: During Anaheim’s 2007 Stanley Cup Run, my wife and I started to notice an Ducks fan who always seemed to get on TV when the Ducks scored in Anaheim. It was the middle-aged guy, with a backwards cap and a Ducks jersey, who must sit in the lower bowl in a corner, right next to cameramen. When the Ducks scored, he’d look right at the camera and do this ridiculous, alternating finger pointing routine. (or maybe its supposed to be guns, I’m not entirely sure) We nicknamed him “Long Pointies” after a Demetri Martin joke about carrots and oranges (that I don’t have enough time to explain).

We looked for him during 2007-08 Ducks games. He still seemed to get on with regularity and sometime we’d see 1 or 2 fans joining in on pointing craze. Pretty sure he made one or two Altitude broadcasts. But about halfway through the season, the cameras stopped showing ol’ Long Pointies. It seemed TV finally figured out that it wasn’t exactly spontaneous.

We missed the guy around here. We tried You Tube and Google searches, trying to find clips, pics, or at least a message board thread. No luck… But then, last night -- he returned!!! And we’ve got the picture to prove it. We missed you pal. Here’s to you Long Pointies!

Former Av of the Night - Chris Drury

2009-04-23T06:51:00.004-06:00

Chris (“playoff clutch“) Drury scored (yet another) game winner in the playoffs, helping the Rangers beat Washington 2-1 on Wednesday night. The Rangers now have a commanding 3-1 series lead. Sure, it wasn’t an OT winner and Washington goalie Simeon Varlamov horribly flubbed the puck, but the Rangers captain was in the right place at the right time and buried his chance. Former Avs disappointment, I mean defenseman Derek Morris assisted on the goal. Theo watched from the bench. Drury was also picked to be the game’s 3rd star. Highlights.

Former Av of the Night - Rob Blake

2009-04-22T06:42:00.003-06:00

In what was considered a must win game for San Jose by most, Rob Blake stepped up huge for the Sharks in a 4-3 win in Anaheim on Tuesday night. Blake scored the game’s opening goal and had the primary assist on Marleau’s game winner. He also led the Sharks in ice time (24:02) and shots on goal (5). The former Av was picked to be 3rd star of the game. Highlights.

Sorry, Roman

2009-04-20T20:50:00.013-06:00

So, on my Custom Jerseys post, I promised a picture of an Avs jersey from NHL.com's shop.
Here you go. From the lobby of the Pepsi Center at Game 41...

The screened on numbers are really bad, but the lettering is even worse. Compare it with a Game Worn Jersey (aka - the real thing).

My Icejerseys.com ordered custom jersey (Payton #81) isn't perfect. No nameplate (which irked me a little bit because the site specifically says they will use a nameplate if the team does) - and the Avs clearly do. (I believe this is in part that I ordered a Small jersey, so it had to be scaled down to fit.)

But very happy that the number font is actually correct. Very often, Avs numbers will be sort of squished (like on my "authentic" 3rd jersey - ordered on NHL.com pre lockout). Even the Altitude Authentics store can't get them right.

And if you didn't already know, it’s been widely reported that the Avs will sport a 3rd jersey next year. Will we see a (slightly modified) version of the previous third? Or something new? I'd love to see a Nordiques throwback.

PS - If you're a jersey nerd like me, do yourself a favor and check out:

http://www.eddiesjerseyroom.com/avalanchejerseyroom/

Adding "Chris Osgood" to the List

2009-04-18T22:40:00.004-06:00

I’m officially adding “Chris Osgood” to the list of reasons why I hate the Detroit Red Wings. Somewhere above “Hockeytown” and below “the Detroit fans”.

Anyone catch that interview that was showed during Game 2 on FSN Detroit? (The FSN Detroit Crew is also on the list - BTW.) I googled hard and wide, but I couldn’t find a clip of the interview. The closest thing I found was this. Anyway, he basically throws a hissy fit when reporters asked if he was a little relieved after his Game 1 performance and Ozzie smirks "I don't doubt myself, ever. People that don't know me, do. I've played for 15 years, I mean, I have the most wins in playoff history for the Red Wings for a reason. It's not because I'm a bad goalie."

Chris, you were a bad goalie in the regular season. This regular season. The whole thing. You know, 82 games, 6 months. That’s a long time to stink. Your GAA of 3.09 - that was 41st best in the NHL. And your 0.887 save % was 45th. Congratulations. Your crappy goaltending was the reason the Avs were able to get wins in both games in Detroit this season. How dare anyone ask you if you were happy that you didn’t continue to suck in Game 1?

Yes, he’s only allowed one goal in the series and he shut out the Jackets today, blah, blah, blah. He did play well in the first 10 mins of Game 1, but any AHL goalie could have kept the Jackets off the scoreboard today, especially when they couldn’t even hit the net on their very few scoring chances.

Really, really can’t wait until (not if, until) this guy blows a game in the playoffs.

PS - Nice turtleneck.

An Open Letter to the Future GM of the Colorado Avalanche

2009-04-16T20:25:00.006-06:00

Hey, how you doing? (Future) Congrats and all that.

So, as you probably already figured out, things are a bit of a mess here. No cap room, no goaltender, an overpaid and underperforming defense and Sakic is probably not coming back.

Not that you want my advice, but here you go anyway:

1. First and foremost, find a goaltender! Find the best UFA goalie and overpay if you have to. If that means you have to buy out Tucker and Clark in order to find the money, do it. Until we have an answer in goal, we have no hope to truly compete for the Cup.

2. Don’t screw up the 3rd overall pick. We need a home run here. You’ve essentially got first pick after the two “can’t miss” prospects (Taveras and Hedman). The next group aren’t all going to be NHL superstars. It would be super cool if you could find the Mikko Koivu of the group, but at a minimum, you need to avoid picking the Stanislav Chistov of the group.

3. Re-sign Lappy. Young teams need veteran leaders and Lappy is a leader. Sure, Stastny is a great player, but slapping a “C” on his jersey isn’t going to magically turn him into a true team leader. Ian wants to stay in Colorado – sounds like he’d be willing to a take a hometown discount.

4. OK, changed my mind. Even if you don’t need the cap room, buy out Tucker and Clark. Tear up the two worst contracts of your predecessor’s tenure. Tucker is old and only taking up room and cap space – you could probably count the number of games he was decent in last season on one hand. Clark showed this season why it took him so long to make it to the NHL in the first place, he’s just not talented enough.
First, add the best defensively sound UFA at a reasonable price (welcome back Skoula?!*) you can on July 1. Assuming that Shattenkirk stays at BU next year and you can't get Hedman with the 3rd pick, Verance showed that he is already more reliable defensively than Clark and its not like Clark was piling up the points last year. Then let Peltier, Macias, Cuminsky and Wilson battle it out to fill in if / when injuries happen on the blueline. (*cough* Footer *cough*)
* No, really. I know it’s hard to believe, but he was actually good this season in Minnesota.

5. Just one more piece of advice. If you re-sign Tyler Arnason, I can’t be held responsible for the flaming bags of dog poop on your doorstep.

Good luck!

Former Av of the Night - Jose Theodore

2009-04-15T22:02:00.003-06:00

Jose actually stops a puck in tonight's loss to the Rangers.

Things are a mess for the Avs right now, but thank god FG didn’t overpay this guy…

Theodore was clearly the difference in the Capitals 4-3 loss to New York in Game 1 of the series. Theo picked right up where he left off last year against Detroit, unconfident and shaky. He gave up 4 goals on 21 shots. That’s a .810 save percentage. He could see all the shots the he gave up. No screens, no tips. Washington lost despite outshooting New York 35-21.

Who to Root For in the Playoffs

2009-04-14T21:14:00.002-06:00

The NHL playoffs start tomorrow. I love the first round. 3 or 4 great hockey games on each night - maybe the bets two weeks of the whole NHL season.

With the Avalanche out of the picture, who should you root for? Well, to perhaps help you make your decision, here are the former Avs who will be participating in the playoffs.

Eastern Conference
1. Boston Bruins -
- F Stephane Yelle #18

2. Washington Capitals -
- G Jose Theodore #60

3. New Jersey Devils -
- F Brian Rolston #12

4. Pittsburgh Penguins -
n/a

5. Philadelphia Flyers -
n/a

6. Carolina Hurricanes -
n/a

7. New York Rangers -
- F Chris Drury #23
- D Derek Morris #53

8. Montreal Canadiens -
- F Alex Tanguay #13
- D Patrice Brisebois #71

Western Conference
1. San Jose Sharks -
- F Claude Lemieux #32
- D Rob Blake #4

2. Detroit Red Wings -
n/a

3. Vancouver Canucks -
- D Ossi Vaananen #5

4. Chicago Blackhawks -
- Head Coach Joel Quenneville

5. Calgary Flames -
- D Jordan Leopold #40

6. St. Louis Blues -
- F Dan Hinote #13
- F Paul Kariya #9

7. Columbus Blue Jackets -
- F Chris Gratton #77

8. Anaheim Ducks -
- F Brad Larsen #29
- F George Parros #16
- F Teemu Selanne #8

In the East, I’m rooting for Washington. Even though I know I’ll be disappointed because there is no way Jose can hold it together for more than one series. I have a uncle in DC who is a big Caps fan, and how can you not love Ovechkin. (Well, unless your last name is Crosby or Cherry.)

I’m predicting Carolina to win the East. No one in the East really scares me, and Carolina getting Cole and the deadline was the best move. Plus they have a goaltender that has done it before.

In the West, I’m rooting for Columbus. Why? Simple - because they are playing Detroit, of course.

I’m predicting San Jose to win the West. They are built to do it this year and are loaded. But Joe Thornton has to be there best player. Last year, when they beat Calgary in the first round, Jeremy Roenick was their best player. If Claude Lemieux leads the Sharks past the Ducks the first round, the Sharks won’t be raising the Cup in June.

Avs to Draft 3rd Overall

2009-04-14T20:36:00.004-06:00

Could we see alot of this jersey soon?

Top Five Picks of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
1. New York Islanders
2. Tampa Bay Lightning
3. Colorado Avalanche
4. Atlanta Thrashers
5. Los Angeles Kings

Its nearly a lock that John Tavaras will go to the Island and Victor Hedman will go to Tampa.

So who will the Avs draft?

Here is what Hockey’s Future has to say:
"After the top two players available in this draft, the order of the next several players chosen will depend largely on the drafting philosophy and team needs of the teams choosing at positions 3 through 10. The Colorado Avalanche choose third overall, and would seem to be a team in need of some help at the forward positions. Any one of the following forwards – Matt Duchene (OHL), Evander Kane (WHL), Magnus Svensson-Paajarvi (SWE), or Brayden Schenn (WHL) – would be a plus for the Avalanche depth chart."

Things can change between now and June, but the clear front runner of the group appears to be Matt Duchene right now. So while you order your Duchene jersey, check out Jori’s Prospects blog, which includes a video interview with Matt.

Looking just to next season, I’d probably rather see the Avs draft a defenseman, especially given the success of last year’s Dmen top 5 picks Drew Doughty, Luke Schenn, Zach Bogosian, but the this year’s talent seems to dictate that they draft a forward. And that might be the right move in the long run anyway.

Lacroix Calls Out and Fires Francois Giguere

2009-04-13T21:54:00.006-06:00

The changes have already begun - the Francois Giguere era is over.

From avalanche.nhl.com:

The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that Executive VP/General Manager Francois Giguere has been relieved from his duties. Effective immediately, Avalanche President and Alternate Governor Pierre Lacroix will oversee the franchise until a new management structure is announced.

Pierre Lacroix issued the following statement:

“The results of this season are unacceptable. We feel a new direction is needed which re-emphasizes those standards of excellence our fans have grown accustomed to since 1995. We will work diligently towards reclaiming our identity that made our brand so special and unique.“We are too proud of what we have accomplished in this market to ignore where we are and what happened in just a very short period of time. Ownership and the dedicated Avalanche fans throughout the region deserve better results.

“The immediate future of this franchise is my primary concern so it was important to act now and start the process of restoring this franchise to where it belongs.

”The Avalanche has not set a timetable for finalizing a new management structure. Until such an announcement is made, there will be no further comment from any member of the team’s hockey operations staff."

I applaud Avs and Lacroix for the frank statement about the team‘s current state. Usually harsh words from Lacroix about Giguere, particularly “We are too proud of what we have accomplished in this market to ignore where we are and what happened in just a very short period of time. Ownership and the dedicated Avalanche fans throughout the region deserve better results.”

Best Moments as GM
2008 Trade Deadline - Giguere took an average Avs team that looked like it wasn’t going to get in to the playoffs and added Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei. The Avs made the playoffs and beat the favored Minnesota Wild in the first round.

Drafts - So far, it appears that FG did pretty well in three drafts with the Avs, particularly in early rounds. He drafted two players Chris Stewart and TJ Galiardi that have likely seen their last AHL game as well as the following 4 defensemen, all who have shown flashes and real promise: Kevin Shattenkirk, Nigel Williams, Colby Cohen, and (to a lesser extent) Jens Hellgren.

Worst Moments as GM
2008 Offseason - Nearly every move FG made was a wrong move.
- Let Brunette, Finger and Sauer go
- Grossly overpaid Clark @ 2 yrs / 3.5M. (Sauer is only making 1.75M in Phoenix.)
- After being bought out in Toronto, FG signed Tucker to a 2 year deal - a deal the Avs may have to buy out.
- Signed Raycroft instead of finding a way to land a veteran goaltender who could challenge Budaj or step in the starter role if Budaj struggled.
- Wasted money on Parker and Ledin, neither of which made the Avalanche roster after training camp.

2008 - 09 season - But as bad as the 2008 offseason was, the bigger tragedy was the FG did not do anything to address to obvious team needs during the season. Yes, the salary cap makes in season trades much more difficult to accomplish, but they are not impossible, not to mention that there are other ways to shake the team up. Doing absolutely nothing while the wheels came off this season sent the wrong message to the players, fans and ultimately to Pierre Lacroix.

What does this mean for Tony Granato?
I’m seeing mixed messages so far. Pierre may still be evaluating him, or he might leave this decision up to the new GM. By firing FG right away, it does tell me that Lacroix believes the Avs problems are primarily a talent issue, which I agree with.

Any rumors on who the new GM will be?
I’m seeing Eric Lacroix’s name a lot - but that feels a lot like the Roy coaching rumors last offseason - I just don’t buy it. I will let you know when I see something plausible and credible.

St. Louis Puts 2008-09 Out of its Misery, Beats Avs 1-0

2009-04-12T21:04:00.004-06:00

(a bunch of minor leaguers disguised as) The Colorado Avalanche closed out the 2008 - 09 season in fitting fashion with a boring and forgettable 1-0 home loss to St Louis. The Blues came out with good jump and got the game’s only goal just 6 minutes in by Brad Boyes. Even though they outshot St Louis 25-8 during the 2nd and 3rd periods, the Avs had very few real scoring chances. Not entirely surprising with only 2 true NHL top six forwards (Hejduk and Wolski) in the lineup. Highlights.

What Impressed Me:
“Jerseys Off Our Back” promotion - Yes, other teams have done this, but not only was it a great way to do something truly special for the fans on Fan Appreciation Day, it became a way to for the fans to say goodbye to Sakic. The Avalanche included all of players in the roster, and Sakic presented last (all other players presented their jersey to the fan in order of their number, starting at Raycroft and ending with Ledin) so that the fans (that bothered to show up / stay) could send him off. I also noticed all of the Avs players were also clapping for Sakic. If it wasn’t his last appearance in a Avs game as an Avs player, it sure felt like it. Unlike last offseason where I always felt Sakic would come back, I will be shocked if we don’t see #19 hanging in the Pepsi Center rafters by Christmas.

What Didn’t Impress Me:
David Peltier - Maybe has the most upside of the 4 AHL defensemen that we called up, we did not see the kind of growth we saw in Galiardi or even Vernace in the 10 or so games he played. He will need more time in Lake Erie, but this experience can only help.

3 Stars - Picked By: NORM JONES - ALTITUDE RADIO
1. STL G 50 C.MASON
2. COL G 1 A.RAYCROFT
3. STL R 22 B.BOYES

Scratches
Arnason (I was concerned when I saw him skating around at warmups -- but thank god - its over!)
Foote (injury)
Clark (injury)
Nycholat (injury)
Stastny (injury)
Salei (injury)
Svatos (injury)
Tjarnqvist (injury)

Next Event: 2009 NHL Draft Lottery - Tuesday, 6PM

Boston University Terriers are National Champs!

2009-04-11T22:51:00.004-06:00

So I’m sure you could use some good news Avs fans. Here you go!

In a remarkable game, Boston University Terriers won their 5the National Championship, beating the Miami (of Ohio) RedHawks 4-3 in OT. So why good news for the Avs? Because Boston has 3 Avalanche prospects, Brandon Yip, Colby Cohen and Kevin Shattenkirk, all who played key roles in the win!

Detailed report of the game and video highlights are available here - but here’s my quick recap. Boston and Miami skated to a tight 1-1 game after two. Halfway through the 3rd and it looked like a next goal game. Miami scored and then scored again. Shattenkirk and Cohen were on the defensive pair on both goals - the 2nd goal was created after a bad turnover by Shattenkirk at the blueline. BU looked absolutely dead in the water. In desperation, BU pulled their goaltender (who had an awful game) with over 3 minutes left. Hope returned to the BU side when Colby’s brother Zach scored with :59 left. Then Nick Bonino scored the game tying goal on a beautiful pass for Hobey Baker winner Matt Gilroy. BU had the momentum and was the better team in OT. Just over halfway through OT, Shattenkirk walked the blueline and made an remarkable pass to his partner, Cohen. Colby got a hard, low shot towards the net that was partially blocked by a RedHawk. It fluttered up and over the Miami goaltender Reichard’s left shoulder and dropped into the net.

How Did The Kids Look?
F Brandon Yip - This was Brandon’s senior season - he is closest of the 3 BU prospects to playing for the Avs. I’ve loved this kid since I saw him at Rookie Camp last July. He was the most consistent and effective of the three tonight. He has offensive skill, he works hard, he kills penalties - sounds like a good third liner to me. He will at a minimum be playing in Lake Erie next season and could be a guy who is one of the first in line to get called up.

D Kevin Shattenkirk - Our highly touted, highly skilled first rounder from 2007 continues to show the flashes that gets scouts excited. His wonderful assist set up the GW, but he also turned the puck over at his own blueline, a mistake that ended up in his own net. He is only 20 and only a sophomore. I wish Shattenkirk was a year or two closer, the Avs could certainly use the kind of Dman he will eventually become next season, but he is still developing. When he begins to truly dominate the NCAA, start getting excited Avs fans.

D Colby Cohen - Well, all this kid did was score the National Championship winning goal. Like Shattenkirk, Colby is a sophomore as well and is 19. His NHL future is a little more up in the air, but experiences like this year’s certainly can’t hurt.

Vancouver Lucks Out in Colorado, 1-0

2009-04-11T21:56:00.004-06:00

(A bunch of minor leaguers dressed up as) The Colorado Avalanche had yet another good defensive effort and another strong game from Budaj, but continued to struggle offensively. No goals for earlier side through regulation. Early in OT, Henrick Sedin scored a lucky goal when he tried to pass to Daniel Sedin (I know, shocking, a Sedin to Sedin pass) and it hit Hannan in the skate and bounced through Budaj’s legs. Highlghts.

What Impressed Me:
TJ Hensick - Jibblescribbits has recently nicknamed TJ “Mini Arny” which I thought was both hilarious and deserved, but TJ pulled out a decent game today. He had the Avs best chance of the game when he sped past the Vancouver defense for a breakaway and shot the puck a little high. Occasionally, it seems to click for him and he looks effective, dangerous and creative. But too often this season, he doesn’t. When TJ’s offense game isn’t going, he size becomes an issue and he just seems to get pushed around.

What Didn’t Impress Me:
The offense - You can’t win if you can’t score. The Avs have scored 2 or less goals in 11 of the last 12 games.

3 Stars - Picked By: MARC MOSER - ALTITUDE RADIO
1. COL G 31 P.BUDAJ
2. VAN C 33 H.SEDIN
3. VAN G 1 R.LUONGO

Scratches
Arnason - (general lameness)
Clark - (hand)
Foote - (head)
Nycholat - (head)
Salei - (knee)
Smyth - (hand)
Stastny - (head)
Svatos
Tjarnqvist - (head)

Notes: The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up the Northwest Division title once they got the game to OT. Remember when the media was oooohing and aaaahing over the Flames deadline moves, bringing in Jokinen and Leopold? Well, after the deadline, they proceeded to blow a large division lead. How bad will those deals look (and the draft picks they gave up) if they lose to Columbus in the first round?

Next Game: Sunday at home against St. Louis, 3PM

Riberio drops Avs in Shootout, 3-2

2009-04-09T22:12:00.004-06:00

In what will be come to be known as the "Riberio" game, the Colorado Avalanche lost in a shootout against the Dallas Stars, 3-2. No goals until the 2nd, when Avs got on the board with a PPG on a shot from Macias that Chris Stewart tipped in. The Stars finally got the on the board in the 3rd with a Brunnstrom PPG. The game looked to be going to OT, but the Stars’ Begin converted on quick rush late in the game. In desperation mode, Liles through a puck on net from the corner behind the goal line and got lucky. The puck hit Stars rookie goalie Climie’s stick and went in. In OT, Hensick (who was otherwise invisible) hit the post. The game went to a shootout. Wolski scored (of course), Hejduk scored, Hensick did not. Budaj couldn’t stop Brunnstrom, and let one trickle in from Neal. That set up the amazing Riberio winner. If you haven’t seen it, you need to watch it.

What Impressed Me:
Peter Budaj - Stopped 37 of 39 shots -- Maybe his most confident all year, Peter is playing at the top of his game when it matters least. Well, until the shootout when it mattered most.

What Didn’t Impress Me:
Mike Verance - Easily his worst game in the NHL so far. Seemed to be fighting the puck all night, which led to a couple of turnovers. He badly missed the net on his best offense chance on a shot from inside the circle.

Darcy Tucker - Whether he was falling down, flubbing chances or getting his shots blocked, (the latter led to the Stars 2nd goal) just horrible play in the offense zone. He was playing on the “top line” with Hejduk and Galiardi.

3 Stars - Picked by Aaron Lopez (AP)
1. COL G 31 P.BUDAJ
2. COL D 4 J.LILES
3. COL D 47 R.MACIAS
- Aaron, are you serious? 3 Avs? You know that Avs lost, right? And how is Riberio not on this list?!

Number Watch: Per Ledin played his first game in the NHL. He wore #97.

Notes: It was announced after the game that Sakic will not play in the last two Avs games.

Next Game: Saturday at home against Vancouver, 1PM

A Message to Budaj Supporters

2009-04-08T22:44:00.004-06:00

So, I was planning to do my normal post game recap (albeit, a night later due to the fact the game didn’t end until 11PM last night) but then I read this recap of last night’s game.

Ok - real quick recap -- Sharks won 1-0 in a shootout. Avs outworked San Jose all night, but hit the post 3 times. Galiardi looked good, and Peltier did not (especially in the first).

First a general observation: Hockey fans develop emotional attachments with all players, good and bad, but it always seems to be a little more extreme with goaltenders. Especially when there isn’t a clear cut number 1 guy (which has been the case in Colorado since the Theodore trade). No matter how good or how bad the netminders are, there always seem to be people that would jump off a cliff for their guy and like to run over the other guy’s mom with a tractor.

Now, back to the recap:
I couldn’t disagree more, David. Put the Budaj button back in the closet.

Of course Budaj’s going to play well for stretches - he is in the NHL for a reason. By default, any goaltender in the NHL is one of the very best in the world. They are all extremely talented and they can all play at very high level, otherwise they wouldn‘t be where they are at. When on their game, any NHL goalie can a steal game.

So what’s the difference between a great NHL goalie and a not so great NHL goalie? It all comes down to confidence. The guys that have long NHL careers, they are rarely to never shaken up by a goal, no matter how soft or flukey the goal was. It’s a special trait. It only seems natural that a bad goal would erode confidence and throw you off your game, but good NHL goalies can just let it roll off their back. Example: You can’t see it in this clip, but Brodeur was actually laughing after this goal.

There were moments throughout the entire season, starting with first 3 games of the season and most recently in the 7-2 blowout against Anaheim, where Budaj was visibly shaken after opponent‘s goals. He lacks this key trait and if he can’t fix that quickly, if he can’t “erase” that bad goal from memory and stay confident within his game, he won’t be in the NHL much longer.

And honestly, I don’t really see that happening for him. I wish the guy well, but you either have that quality in your makeup or you don’t. You can give a rookie a pass if a goal shakes him up here or there, but Budaj has been an NHL goaltender since 2005 and has played 180 games.

Budaj supporters: Sorry, but we have to move on.

The Top 5 Reasons Why There is Hope for the Avs

2009-04-06T22:14:00.004-06:00

5. Arnason will be gone.
“Addition by subtraction” is the phrase, I believe. Arnason was easily the worst player on an awful team. He only has 5 goals this season (and one of them against Edmonton simply hit him and bounced in) and re-wrote the book on lazy play. Good luck to whoever signs this guy… (you’re gonna need it!)

4. Wolski is now a center.
When Sakic and Stastny both got hurt long term, and when it become clear that Arnason had no business centering a top six line in the NHL (even on a horrible team), the Avs were basically forced to finally play Wolski at center. What they found was Wolski was a noticeably better player at center. True, he has some room to grow – faceoffs are still a sore spot and he disappeared in too often in too many games, but he now has an offseason to focus on playing center and improve. And he’s pretty good in those shootouts, too.

3. Universally accepted that goaltending has to be addressed. (even by the Avs management!)
Avs management deserves a lot of blame for believing that Budaj could carry the load this season and for not signing a proven veteran NHL goalie who could step in when Budaj faltered. Goaltending issues were so severe that FG (or future GM) now has no choice but to address the goaltending issue this offseason. You can’t win without goaltending in the NHL – (yes, even you Detroit – get ready for an early round loss in the playoffs this season!)

2. A top 3 pick in this year's draft
With 4 games to go, the Avs are just about guaranteed a top 3 pick. Just look at the top 3 three picks over the last 3 seasons.

2008
1 Tampa Bay - Steven Stamkos (76)
2 Los Angeles - Drew Doughty (77)
3 Atlanta - Zach Bogosian (44)

2007
1 Chicago - Patrick Kane (82)
2 Philadelphia - James Van Riemsdyk (0)
3 Phoenix - Kyle Turris (3)

The number next to the name is the number of games each played in the NHL in the season immediately following their draft. All but Van Riemsdyk are playing this season - and Van Riemsdyk isn’t playing in the NHL because he can’t, he is just been getting his education at New Hampshire. Anyway, there is a very good chance this top 3 pick helps us immediately next season.

1. Young talent.
Of course you’ve got the two young centers to build around – Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski - but you’ve also got Chris Stewart, David Jones, TJ Galiardi, Cody McLeod, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Ryan Stoa. All are under 25 and are already NHLers or are near locks to be in the NHL over the next couple of seasons. (and unless the Avs draft a goalie, you can add the top 3 pick to this list in June.) This is could be a young core to build around, but these players are also attractive, inexpensive assets that other teams could be looking to add to their team. Remember, to build the dynasty that would be become the Colorado Avalanche, the Nordiques drafted and traded away Eric Lindros, Mats Sundin and Owen Nolan, all before they had hit their prime. Each trade brought back key pieces to the team that dominated for nearly a decade.

Avs Win in Vancouver, 4-1

2009-04-05T23:05:00.006-06:00

(a bunch of minor leaguers disguised as) The Colorado Avalanche won a game! After losing 8 straight, the Avs went to Vancouver and beat Sundin, the Sedin Twins and Roberto Luongo and the rest of the Canucks, 4-1. A line of Galiardi, Tucker and Hejduk dominated the game - Galiardi had 2 goals and Hejduk had a 1 goal and 2 assists. Guite had the other Avs goal. Demitra scored the only goal for Vancouver. Highlights.

What Impressed Me
TJ Galiardi - He had two goals tonight and now has three on the season. Certainly the brightest spot of all the late Lake Erie call ups, it is very clear that this kid has the skill to become a top 6 forward in the NHL.

Defensive Play - Sure, Budaj played well, and sure the Canucks missed the net and hit the post on a few golden chances, but the Avs team defensive play was very solid all night. Only gave up a garbage goal late in the 3rd when the score was 4-0.

The Win - I know there are a lot of Avs fans who won’t be happy about the win, who think we should “Tank it For Tavares” -- I’m not one of these guys. As (out of work) head coach Herm Edwards said, “You play to win the game.” I do think the Avs management has been, shall we say, making it difficult to win by putting 4 AHL defensemen on the ice and asking them to win, but if they can pull it off, great. We’re going to get an excellent player who will have a really good chance to play right away and make an impact with out top five pick, and the Islanders are going to end up with Tavares. So we might as well win.

What Didn’t Impress Me
Refs - Two questionable goalie interference calls on the Avs; a blown call where they whistled the play dead while the puck was still lose (which was a post away from costing Willsie a goal) and a non call when Bieksa clearly boarded MacKenzie; it was not a good night for the men in stripes.

3 Stars (picked by TSN)
1. COL L 43 T.GALIARDI
2. COL G 31 P.BUDAJ
3. COL R 23 M.HEJDUK

Scratches:
Arnason
Clark (hand)
Foote (head)
Nycholat (head)
Salei (knee)
Smyth (hand)
Stastny (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)

Number Watch: Aaron MacKenzie (D) played his first NHL game. He wore #34.

Next Game: Tuesday at San Jose, 8:30PM

An Argument for Custom Jerseys

2009-04-03T22:07:00.005-06:00

I’m a big fan of the customized jersey. By customized jersey, I mean a team jersey with your own name and number. I have multiple Avalanche (and Broncos) customized jerseys - all with #81 and Payton. (The first real band I was in was called Car 81 Mob. Hence the #81.)

My wife got a #24 Wild jersey with Payton this Christmas.

I like custom jerseys for three reasons:

1. I genuinely think they are cool. Hardcore fan cool. I remember being pretty young, going to a Broncos game in the late 80s or early 90s and seeing a fan with a customized orange Broncos jersey. I got the concept right away. “Its like the jersey he would have if he was on the Broncos!“ I’ve loved the idea ever since.

2. I am not about to change team loyalty. I also learned this at around the same age. In 1990, the Broncos were limping along to a 5-11 season after getting belted 55-10 by the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIV the year before. I had a good friend who had decided he had enough and was going to root against the Broncos the rest of the season. I figured, what the hell, and I also tried to root against the Broncos - it was a home game against the Raiders:

TV: “(Raiders QB) drops back to pass - throw is over the middle - and its picked off by Steve Atwater!”
Me: “YES!!!!! … I mean, no…"

I knew right then and there - rooting for another team - not possble for me.

3. In the modern sports world, with free agency, millions of dollars, salary caps and enormous egos, buying a jersey with your current favorite player is more often then not only good for handful of years. A decent replica jersey now retails for around $100 (at least). A handful of years isn’t a good enough shelf life for me.
Maybe nothing can illustrate this point better then the hot sports topic around Denver right now, the Cutler trade to the Chicago. If you asked me in December, “I’m going to get a Broncos jersey, who should I get?“ my answer would have been, “Cutler is probably the safest guy to get -- I doubt he’s going anywhere in time soon.” A handful of months, a coaching change, and a few bruised egos later and all those folks who bought that #6 jersey aren’t very happy with their $100 purchase now.

I know, all whole lot of talk about the Broncos for an Avs blog. But hockey certainly isn’t immune to this phenomenon. That modern day hockey cliché, “You think you’re untradable! Are you better than Wayne Gretzky! Cos he was traded, more than once!” only continues to ring true. Just look at the jerseys around the Pepsi Center the next time you go. Tanguay, Drury, Theodore, Blake, Brunette, heck I’ve even seen Tucker and Arnason jerseys.

If custom jerseys aren’t for you and you are planning to buy a player jersey, you have to ask yourself “If this guy gets traded tomorrow, would I still wear this jersey?” Only true legends will usually pass this test. Sakic? - sure. Forsberg? - check. Roy? - heck yeah. Stastny? Wolski? - well, maybe not.

My wife didn’t really have a favorite number to go with, so she picked #24. This is currently worn by her favorite player, Derek Boogaard. Recently, Derek has been a healthy scratch for the Wild, for weeks at a time, and looks to be more and more expendable. But because she didn’t get Boogaard’s name on the jersey, even if the Wild decide to part ways with Mr. Boogaard, it wouldn’t feel silly next season when she puts on the jersey.

Another thing you can do as a hockey fan is just get a blank jersey. They are cheaper and they aren’t going to be tainted by a player who has moved on. (Football fans don’t have this luxury!)

If you decide to a custom jersey, do NOT order from NHL.com. We ordered the jersey’s pictured at icejerseys.com. Why? Check out the light blue section to the right of the page and follow the “Still not convinced about the IJ Customization Difference?” link. IceJerseys.com actually went easy on NHL.com, because the Avs jersey’s look 50 times worse than that Koivu jersey - mostly because of the Avs curved name plate. I’ve seen a couple of these at Avs games this year, they look so bad that it seriously looks like it was homemade. I'll have to take a picture the next time I see one...

Rookie Shuts Out "Avs", 3-0

2009-04-01T21:57:00.003-06:00

The (sort of) Colorado Avalanche (or as I like to call them “a bunch of minor leaguers dressed up as the Colorado Avalanche“) lost to the Phoenix Coyotes tonight, 3-0. Al Montoya shutout the Avs in his first NHL game. The former first round pick (6th overall) stopped 23 shots and made a couple of nice saves, but by no means stood on his head - the Avs simply have no offense. The Yotes got their first goal when Mikkel Boedker scored early in the first. The Avs seemed to dodge a bullet a few minutes later, when the Yotes PP hit the post on a wide open net, after a nice backdoor pass. The Avs were able to keep the game close, but in the 3rd, Shane Doan put the game out of reach when he blasted a perfect shot of the inside of the far post to put the game out of reach. Phoenix added a empty net goal in the last seconds. Highlights.

What impressed me:
Sorry, I got nothing…

What didn’t impress me:
The offense - With Smyth out, we now have one (1) true NHL quality top six forward on the ice (Hejduk). It looked like we were rolling a 4th line all night (well, without the energy part).

3 Stars:
1. PHX G 35 A.MONTOYA
2. PHX L 89 M.BOEDKER
3. PHX R 19 S.DOAN

Scratches:
Clark (hand)
Foote (head)
Nycholat (head)
Salei (knee)
Stastny (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Wolski (illness?)
Willsie

Notes: Smyth left the game with a hand injury. It appeared to happen on a hit from David Hale, which would explain why both Lappy and Tucker went after Hale after Smyth left.

Number Watch: Ray Macias (D) played his first NHL game. He wore #47.

Next Game: Sunday at Vancouver, 8PM

Who Will Be Back? Part 2 - Free Agent Defensemen and Goalies

2009-03-31T21:19:00.006-06:00

As promised, part 2. Below are the Avs Free Agent defensemen and goalies for this coming off season. Even though teams tend to almost always retain RFAs, I’ve added them to this list, as I don’t think all of the Avs RFAs will be retained. Like last post, I’ve sorted them into three buckets - Will Be Resigned, Will Not Be Back and Close Calls.

UFA Defensemen
Daniel Tjarnqvist
Lawrence Nycholat

UFA Goalies
Andrew Raycroft

RFA Defensemen
Kyle Cumiskey
Mike Vernace

RFA Goalies
Peter Budaj

Will Be Resigned
Mike Vernace - He’s an RFA and he has been the most consistent of the all of the Avs late call ups this season. As things stand now, good chance to be our 6th or 7th defenseman next season.

Kyle Cumiskey - He’s an RFA as well. He did not have a great season prior to suffering a season ending shoulder injury and there is reason to believe Kyle may not be able to make the jump to the NHL. However, I think his upside is still too high to give up on him just quite yet.

Will Not Be Back
Daniel Tjarnqvist - He has been about what you would have expected. He was signed to be an NHL ready plug when a dman went down this season. The recent play of young guys who could actually develop and improve, like Verance and Peltier, plus having other young guys who could be a good camp away from challenging for a spot like Ryan Wilson and Cumiskey (assuming he is retained) make a career journeyman like Tjarnqvist very expendable.

Lawrence Nycholat - Nycholat is a poor man’s Daniel Tjarnqvist. Next…

Peter Budaj - 2008-09 was Budaj’s big chance to be a clear cut NHL starter. Budaj blew his chance. Obviously, changes have to happen. It’s true that Budaj could be retained to be a backup, but I think that Raycroft is a more consistent goaltender from night to night and will be the choice of either goalie is retained.

Close Calls
Andrew Raycroft - You could make a good case that the Avs need to start over in goal completely, but its difficult to find one Free Agent goalie, let alone two. Yes, its possible that either Jason Bacashihua or Tyler Weiman get a shot to backup next season, but the fact that neither have been called up at any time this season tells me that management doesn’t believe either of these guys is the answer. Raycroft is not an NHL starter, but he has shown this season that he can be reliable backup.

There you have it. We will know in September how close my predictions are...

Ducks Out Talent Avs, 4-1

2009-03-29T21:40:00.004-06:00

Similar to last game against Vancouver, The Colorado Avalanche had another decent effort, but their current lineup's talent level just isn’t high enough to compete with NHL teams fighting for their playoff lives - Anaheim won 4-1. The scoring began when Galiardi made a horrible mistake when he passed the puck back into his own zone, right to Corry Perry, who blasted a shot by Budaj to take a 1-0 lead. (PS - It wouldn’t surprise me if Perry tricked TJ and called for the puck.) Liles evened the game on with a PPG goal on a nice pass from behind the net from Hensick to even the game after one. Anaheim started to come on early in the 2nd, hit the post a few times and then Ryan scored a pretty backhand goal on the PP to make it 2-1. The TJs both had great chances to tie the game before the 2nd period ended, but couldn’t bury the either chance. In the 3rd, Ryan put the game out of reach with his 2nd goal of the game and the Ducks cruised to the win. Highlights.

What impressed me:
The effort - Lately, Colorado seems to have much better efforts on the road. I don’t really blame them - the last handful of games at Pepsi Center have the feel of a preseason game. On the road, I’m sure it feels much more like an actual NHL game.

What didn’t impress me:
Peter Budaj - His confidence now seems to ebb and flow in 5 minutes spaces each period. The final of this game could have been just as ugly as the game against the Ducks a few days ago (which was 7-2) but Anaheim hit the post 3 or 4 times this game, including one that slipped under Budaj’s pad and would have been just a horrific goal. The 3rd goal of the game was also very soft - yes, Bobby Ryan made a great move to get the shot, but he's square to the shot, he can’t let it slip through the 5 hole. I really think Budaj is going to have trouble saying in the NHL next year, even as a backup. (Maybe he can play with Abbi in Europe...)

The lineup - No real issue with bringing back in Svatos and Stewart, but why the heck is Tucker back in the lineup? What purpose does it serve? Wouldn’t it make more sense if Hendricks was playing? So, you know, we could get a better idea if he’s worth resigning or not since he’s a UFA next season?

3 Stars:
1. ANA R 9 B.RYAN
2. ANA G 1 J.HILLER
3. ANA R 10 C.PERRY

Scratches
Foote (head)
Nycholat (head)
Salei (knee)
Stasnty (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Willsie
Wolski (illness)

Next Game: Wednesday at home against Phoenix, 7PM

Who Will Be Back? Part 1 - UFA Forwards

2009-03-28T22:43:00.009-06:00

Below are the Avs’ Unrestricted Free Agent forwards for this coming off season. I’ve sorted them into three buckets - Will Be Resigned, Will Not Be Back and Close Calls. I’ll be doing the Dmen and Goalies in an upcoming post.

UFA forwards
Joe Sakic
Tyler Arnason
Ian Laperriere
Ben Guite
Brian Willsie
Matt Hendricks
Scott Parker

Will Be Resigned
Matt Hendricks - The team is obviously evaluating Hendricks now to see if he has an NHL future. He probably won’t be able to jump up to the next level, at least as top 6 forward, but he has the talent to be a star forward in Lake Erie and so I think they'll resign him to play for the Monsters next season.

Will Not Be Back
Joe Sakic - Even if he wants to play (which is a big IF), we can't afford him. Get your tickets to the 4/12 game against St. Louis, it will be Joe's last game.

Tyler Arnason - The worst player on the worst Avs team ever. Smell you later, Arny.

Ben Guite - He’s 29 now, not effective enough, hasn’t had a particularly great season and changes have to happen. Ben will be gone.

Scott Parker - Not even sure he is playing hockey now. Anyway, no question he won’t be offered a contact next year.

Chris Durno - I honestly don’t know much about his game (sorry, don't get to see too many Lake Erie games), but the fact that he hasn’t been recalled in March speaks volumes to me.

Close Calls
Ian Laperriere - Giguere didn’t move Lappy at the deadline, which makes me think he’d like to resign him, (why let an asset go to waste if you don‘t want him back next year) however, if Giguere is fired (which is a real possibility), then its will be very easy for the new GM charged with rebuilding the team to let this older player walk.

Brian Willsie - These older, marginal players are always easy to let go but if he is resigned, it will be more for Lake Erie than Colorado. Why do I still think he could be retained? Its nice to have veteran leadership on your AHL team and its nice have a guy who played quite a few NHL games on your farm team, if you need to call up a forward for a game or two.

Vancouver Wears Down Colorado, 4-1

2009-03-27T22:23:00.005-06:00

After a couple of horrible home efforts against the Oilers and Ducks, the Avs bounced back with a good effort and were competitive for most of the game against Vancouver, losing 4-1. The Avs had a solid first period. Galiardi took advantage of a Hendricks screen and opened the scoring with a nice shot from the slot and the Avs took a 1-0 lead into the 1st intermission. Vancouver started to take the game over in the 2nd. On a really funny play in the Avs zone, Guite lost his stick and Lappy cleared it away, right into a Sundin pass. Even though it wasn’t intentional, it was correctly called a penalty shot. Lappy went berserk, and was thown out of the game. Even though Raycroft made the save on Demitra‘s PS, the Avs never seemed to recover. Both Sedins scored the games next goals, to make it 2-1 and Vancouver rolled to a win.

What impressed me:
Cody McLeod - Continued to show a surprising offensive confidence that he has built throughout this season. He got robbed in the 1st and hit the post in the 2nd. Hopefully, its not just a one year anomaly, as these good offensive years can be sometimes can be with a gritty 3rd / 4th liner.

The TJs - Galiardi had his NHL first goal (finally, one of these kids scores!) , but also played point on the PP, looks to be more comfortable than some of the other guys (like Hendricks) and Hensick is looking more and more like the playmaker I expected when we was called up from Lake Erie early in the season.

What didn’t impress me:
Avs Play in 2nd and 3rd - After a very even 1st, Vancouver outshot the Avs 16 - 5 in the 2nd and outscored the Avs 3-0 in the 3rd. The Avs let the game get away, although maybe it was more of a case of the Canucks showing up after a bad 1st period.

3 Stars:
1. VAN C 33 H.SEDIN
2. VAN R 38 P.DEMITRA
3. COL G 1 A.RAYCROFT

Scratches:
Foote (head)
Nycholat (head)
Salei (knee)
Stastny (head)
Stewart (head)
Svatos (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Tucker (back)
Wolski (illness)

Number Watch: Wes O’Neill played in his first NHL game, he wore #62.

Notes: Wolski missed the game with an illness. The Avalanche signed Ryan Stoa today, their 2nd round pick in 2005.

Next Game: Sunday in Anaheim at 6PM

Some News to Brighten Up Your Day

2009-03-26T21:12:00.004-06:00

There are only 8 more games left in the train wreck otherwise known as the Colorado Avalanche's 2008-09 season. Which means, in all probability that Tyler Arnason only has 8 more games in an Avs uniform!

Let the "Tyler Arnason Watch" begin.

Ducks Beat Lake Erie / Colorado, 7-2

2009-03-25T22:07:00.009-06:00

If you ever wanted to know how an AHL team would do against an NHL team, well tonight’s Avs / Ducks game might have been the closest thing to an answer you will see. The Avs had 4 recent call ups from Lake Erie (Galiardi, Hendricks, Peltier and Verance) plus another 3 players who spent significant time in the AHL at some point this season (Willsie, McCormick, and Hensick). The scoring for the Ducks started early in the first when Budaj gave up the worst goal of the season (I know, that 's saying something) when Christensen fluttered a puck on net and turned to go off on the line change. Similar to a wide receiver in football who starts to run with the ball before he catches it, Budaj started moving the puck up ice before he caught it -- it hit him in the glove and bounced into the net. Things only continued to go down hill, it was 3-0 after the first and the game as over. Hejduk and McLeod scored the goals for the Avs. Highlights.

What impressed me:
Cody McCormick - Nice effort all game long. Made a hussle play in a meaningless 3rd period that led to the 2nd Avs goal. McCormick played like he wants to be part of the Avs next season.

What didn’t impress me:
Goaltending - When you pull the first guy after 1, then pull the second guy because he was even worse after 2 and replace him with the first guy (who was bad enough to get pulled in the first place), you know you’re in trouble. Budaj gave up the worst goal of the season and Raycroft gave up 4 goals on 8 shots.

AHL Call Ups - None of them have been awful, but I';m still waiting for one of these kids to make a play to show they belong. Hendricks had a great chance in the slot in the second and shot it over the net; Peltier flubbed an open chance to get a hard shot on net right before the Christensen goal, etc. They are not taking advantage of chances -- the game looks a little too big for these kids right now.

Scratches:
Foote (head)
Nycholat (head)
Stastny (foot)
Stewart (head)
Svatos (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Tucker (back)

3 Stars:
1. ANA R 10 C.PERRY
2. ANA C 48 A.EBBETT
3. ANA D 34 J.WISNIEWSKI

Notes: Ruslan Salei left early in the 1st with a knee injury and did not return.

Next Game: Friday at home against Vancouver, 7PM

Patrick Roy vs Melanie Brodeur

2009-03-24T19:59:00.006-06:00

Must read story on Adrian Dater's blog about why Patrick Roy wasn't happy after the Avs won the Cup in 2001.

"You’d think a guy who just won his third Conn Smythe Trophy in a third decade, who had just won one for Ray, who had just beaten his alleged superior younger rival, would be delirious right?

But Roy was actually genuinely upset that he let in Petr Sykora’s goal that night in the 3-1 win. And we might all have Melanie Brodeur to thank for the Avs’ Cup win that year, so here’s more to the story: "

Mixing / mastering continues... I'm recapping tomorrow's game, promise :)

How Creepy is This Picture?

2009-03-23T20:00:00.003-06:00

(apologies for the short post, mixing our ep this week...)

Sharks Outlast Avs, 3-1

2009-03-22T21:31:00.005-06:00

The Colorado Avalanche bounced back from a horrible 8-1 loss with a much better effort in San Jose against on of the best teams in the NHL, but it still wasn’t enough. The teams skated to a 0-0 tie after the 1st period, however, the Avs failed to score on a 5 min PP, when Cheechoo took a major boarding penalty that resulted in Nycholat leaving the game and Cheechoo getting kicked out of the game. In the 2nd period, the Sharks got on the board with a McGinn PPG. The Avs answered with when Scott (I can’t call him “Zero Goals” anymore) Hannan took a nice Wolski pass on the rush to score on his old team. It looked like the Avs were going to skate into the 2nd intermission with a well earned tie but Michalek took advantage of a defense breakdown and scored in the last minute of the period. To their credit, the Avs didn’t lay down and die, but Nabokov played very well in the 3rd and held the Avs scoreless. Setoguchi added an empty net goal to salt the game. Highlights.

What impressed me:
TJ Hensick - His best game in a long time. He was much more confident and created offensive chances with some creative passes. Hopefully, this isn’t a one game mirage, this should be a game he can really build on and finish a disappointing season on a positive note.

What didn’t impress me:
Tony Granato - for playing Vernace instead of Peltier. After a couple of games, I certainly feel like Peltier has more upside and potential. Oh well, with Nycholat’s head injury, there is a really good chance that Peltier will be back in the lineup on Wed against the Ducks.

3 Stars
1. S.J D 21 A.SEMENOV
2. S.J L 64 J.MCGINN
3. S.J G 20 E.NABOKOV

Scratches
Foote (head)
Peltier
Stastny (foot)
Stewart (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Tucker (foot)

Next Game: Wednesday at home against Anaheim, 7PM

"Let's Go Quebec, Come On!"

2009-03-21T22:12:00.007-06:00

So, in the past few days, I’ve been thinking about how little I know about the Quebec Nordiques. A big reason why Avs fans don’t know much about the Nordiques has to do with the way the team was marketed when it was moved from Quebec to Denver. Essentially, the franchise completely started over, at least from an identity standpoint. New name, new conference, new uniforms and logo, heck - new country and new language. And that makes sense to me. The Denver Nordics? Yeah - that doesn’t work. Ok - makes a little more sense than the Utah Jazz (originally from New Orleans) or the LA Lakers (originally from Minnesota) but still lame. But I think that Avalanche management made a mistake to not acknowledge that franchise’s past in any capacity. Here are two things from Quebec that they should carried over into Denver:

1. The Retired Numbers:
The franchise retired these 4 numbers while they were in Quebec:

3 - J. C. Tremblay, D, 1972–79
8 - Marc Tardif, LW, 1974–83
16 - Michel Goulet, C, 1979–90
26 - Peter Stastny, C, 1980–90

So why not carry that over here? I’m not saying that each of these need to be hanging next to Roy’s and Bourque’s banners at Pepsi Center, but a single, modest blue and white banner with the 4 numbers and a Nords logo - what’s wrong with that? If that’s too crazy, then make it unofficial, but just simply not issue these numbers to players.

How cool would it have been to have Peter Stasnty take #26 down and give it to Paul? Oh, and the next time you see Tucker take a horrible, selfish penalty late in a game we’re losing by a goal, just think that he’s wearing Hall of Famer Michel Goulet’s retired #16.

2. The Goal Horn:
Our honky horn sucks. Quebec had a very unique, and much cooler goal horn - check it out here. That should have been moved over, too. Ok, so the “Let’s Go Nordiques” song after the horn has to go, so keep the horn and play “Rock ‘N’ Roll Part 2” (aka “The Hey Song”) after the horn.

Avs management weren’t giving Colorado fans enough credit if they thought we wouldn’t “get it”. If fans in Phoenix can carry over the “White Out” playoff tradition from Winnipeg, there is no doubt fans in Colorado could understand and even appreciate these little bits of franchise history. (Well, if they noticed them at all...)

"Well, Its Not As Bad as 1989-90"

2009-03-20T23:10:00.006-06:00

Last place might be new to Avalanche fans, but it isn't new to the franchise. From 1987-88 to 1991-92, the Nordiques finished in last place of the Adams division and were the NHL’s worst team in 3 of those seasons.

The worst season was 1989-90 where the team finished with a record of 12 - 61 - 7. That’s 31 points. For a whole season. Wow. To put that a little more in perspective, Vancouver was the second worst team in the league that year, they finished 64 points. That’s more than double Quebec’s point total.

Some stats? Sakic scored 102 points, but still finished with a plus / minus of -40. He was one of 5 players that was -40 or worse. Franchise players Peter Stasnty and Michel Goulet were traded during the season. Six different goalies played for the Quebec that season.

And if things couldn’t get any worse, this thing (otherwise known as "Badaboum") was their mascot:

Edmonton Embarrasses Colorado, 8-1

2009-03-19T21:59:00.002-06:00

The injury depleted Avs skated with preseason intensity tonight and Edmonton didn’t. The Oilers got started early with a Moreau goal on a play that started when Lappy got outworked on the half wall. The Avs answered with a quick McLeod goal to make it 1-1, but a Horcoff PPG a few minutes later was the start of 7 straight Oilers goals. Gagner had a hat trick, Kotalik had 1 goal and 3 assists. The Avs looked like the belonged in the AHL.

The Avs are now missing Sakic, Stasnty, Foote, Tucker, Salei, and Tjarnqvist. Chris Stewart left the game with a head injury. Its hard for me to imagine that if the Avs were not at the bottom of the standings that all of these guys would be out. I’m not saying that these guys are faking any injuries, but my guess is that management is not asking anyone to come back unless there are completely 100%.

What impressed me:
Cody McLeod - (barely) Had the only Avs goal (his 14th) and showed a little bit of heart when he got rough at the end of the game when the Oilers ran up the score.

What didn’t impress me:
The Colorado Avalanche - It was like Tyler Arnason had been cloned 18 times. 15 skaters finished as a minus. It was painful.

3 Stars
1. EDM C 89 S.GAGNER
2. EDM R 21 A.KOTALIK
3. EDM D 77 T.GILBERT

Scratches
Foote (head)
Salei (foot)
Stastny (foot)
Tucker (head)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Willsie

Number Watch: TJ Galiardi (LW) played his first NHL game. He wore #43.

Next Game: Sunday in San Jose at 6PM.

We Miss You, Bruno

2009-03-18T20:58:00.004-06:00

Interesting article in the Minnesota paper about former Avs player Andrew Brunette, who is playing on a partially or fully torn ACL in his knee.

"Brunette, 35, whose consecutive-games-played streak ended at 509 games last
month, has been gutting it out ever since. He arrives early and leaves late,
receiving hours of treatment. At times he can barely walk."

Good thing Giguere let this guy walk, huh? It’d be a real shame for young guys like Stewart and Hensick to see him battle through an injury like this one. Oh, and we could do without his 40 points, thank you very much (which would have been more like 50 if he were an Av, given the time he’d see lots of time with Stastny, Wolski, Hejduk and Smyth instead on a Wild team without Gaborik).

In all seriousness, I doubt FG would have let Bruno go if he knew Sakic was gone. True - he let him go July 1st and Sakic didn’t commit until late August, but I never really expected Sakic to be done this offseason - so I imagine FG had a similar sense.

Anyway - enjoy the article…

Wild Steal a Win - Beat Avs 3-2 in Shootout

2009-03-17T21:48:00.007-06:00

The Colorado Avalanche lost its first game of the season after it held a lead after two periods. Luckily this season’s dead, so giving up a point to a division rival in mid March didn’t hurt quite as bad as it should. No scoring in the first, both Budaj and Wild goalie Backstrom were sharp. The Avs outworked the Wild for most of the 2nd and got a lucky McLeod goal that bounced off of Backstrom, than off of Kurtis Foster, back off of Backstrom and in. Less than two minutes later, the Wild got a lucky goal of their own when Skoula tossed a shot at the net that hit Veilleux and went in. A few minutes later Wolski got a shot to the net that Smyth tipped underneath Backstrom and the score was 2-1 after two. The Avs sat back a little too much in the 3rd, but Budaj was on and luck seemed to be on their side - with two minutes left, it looked like they would escape Minnesota with a win. But, on a funny play, a puck that looked like it would bounce out of the Avs zone didn’t - Clark found the puck on his stick and Dan Fritsche stripped it away, cut across the middle and found Nick Schultz, who took advantage off a Hannan screen and put it top shelf for only his second goal of the season. OT was uneventful - Wolski scored on the shootout (again - yet another move), but Hejduk and Svatos could not. Budaj was beat by Koivu and Zidlicky. Highlights.

What impressed me:
Peter Budaj - Appears to have found his game (too little, too late). Was confident and strong - he deserved the win.

Derek Peltier / Mike Vernance - Both were very visible all night, neither were not on the ice for either Wild goals. Both played on the PP and in OT and looked confident (especially Peltier) - really looks like both have a shot to be our 6th / 7th Dman next year. We need to see more of both of these guys!

What didn’t impress me:
Clark / Hannan - Neither were particularly great or bad until the final two minutes but Clark’s giveaway and Hannan’s screen were two gifts wrapped up for the Nick Schultz and the Wild tonight.

TJ Hensick - Wasn’t particularly bad, but just continues to be invisible, not good for a skilled forward. Needs a good finish or he will be fighting for a spot in the Avs lineup next camp.

3 Stars
1. MIN D 3 M.ZIDLICKY
2. MIN D 55 N.SCHULTZ
3. MIN G 32 N.BACKSTROM
(wow, a game they shouldn’t have won and all 3 stars are from the Wild? How homer is this list?!)

Scratches
Foote (head)
Salei (foot)
Tjarnqvist (head)
Willsie

Number Watch: Derek Peltier (#50) and Mike Verance (#41) both played their first NHL games.

Next Game: Thursday at home against Edmonton, 7PM

Fun with You Tube

2009-03-16T21:19:00.003-06:00

Yes, it has been a horrible year, but there were still some great moments... Here are a few of mine.

Chris Stewart vs Tyson Strachan
Jordan Leopold vs Chris Osgood (#1)
Jordan Leopold vs Chris Osgood (#2)
Cody McLeod rubs it in vs the Kings

and this is a little off topic - but hey, this blog is named "Anyone But Detroit" for a reason!