Over the past season for the Avalanche, it became awfully tough to watch the games, especially in the second half of the season when the team only won about 4 games in the last 30.
At one point, later in the season, I had the good fortune of attending an Avalanche game with the Bulldog Support Group that supports the Denver MLS team, the Colorado Rapids. I wrote an earlier piece on them here
Two things happened at this game for me. First, I was absolutely disgusted by some of the fans. There was a kid sitting about five rows down from me who had an iPad that he played for the entire game. Never looked up once, except maybe to eat his food or drink his soda. Never looked at the game at all.
There were also a couple of ladies sitting in front of us who seemed put off by the fact that our whole group wanted to cheer through the game. Apparently the real fans were messing up their chance to have a nice quiet talk. Sorry sister, if you're at a hockey game, you should be there to make some noise.
Second, the BSG is loud, cheers, sings, chants, the whole game, and I had so much fun that they inspired me to get rolling with my own group for the Avalanche.
After tossing an idea or two around the Twitterverse, about 4 of us came up with what we want to call it and what we can to try and do with it. The group is called The Burgundy Brigade.
Our mission is to bring excitement, passion, and a real enjoyable environment back to the Pepsi Center and cheer for the team no matter what.
We've made a lot of progress since the start. We have our own web page, we have a facebook page, we have a Twitter, @BurgundyBrigade, and we're attempting to get some networking going with the Avs.
So this is my call to all Avalanche fans who are tired of being outcheered by the opponents fans. Fans who want to turn the Pepsi Center back into a place feared by opponents.
Let's do this!
Showing posts with label Colorado Avalanche. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Colorado Avalanche. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
MLS Season Begins - Rapids Show Colorado Sports How to do it!
I had a brand new experience, tonight. Those of you who know me know that I am pretty much a follower of two sports, hockey and football, usually in that order. Recently, however, I have discovered the world's game. Soccer.
It all started when one of my friends in Colorado Springs told me that their Rapids support group, most specifically the Bulldog Support Group, check out their facebook page on that link, was going to go an Avalanche game.
Those of you who follow me on twitter, @TheSinBin, remember how much fun that was. The group was loud, on their feet the whole game, making noise, even when the Avs were down 5-1 and the rest of the building was busy knitting or something. After that event, I decided I had to check them out in their element.
Tonight I went to my first ever Colorado Rapids game as a member of the BSG, and let me tell you something. The rest of Colorado sports fans can learn a thing or two about how to support your team from the Rapids fans. Opening night, PACKED HOUSE. It was also banner night, as the Rapids celebrated their 2010 MLS Cup Victory at the start of the game. Then the game began, and what action it was!
Soccer, coming from a guy who has never really cared for the sport, is exciting as all hell to watch in person. Especially when you are in a group that is standing the whole game, chanting and singing to support the team or dog the visitors, telling the referees what they can do with their whistle, and jumping up and down during every chant and after every goal. There is a lot that goes on! Even the visiting team brought their own supporters who had their own chants. It was an amazing atmosphere.
One thing that people have been complaining about a lot in Colorado Sports this past year is the lack of fan support. Broncos complaining about having more Steelers fans than Broncos fans in the stands, Avalanche fans not filling the Pepsi Center (or playing video games on a tablet throughout the whole game. That's right kid in front of the BSG in 374, we saw you), Rockies never really filling the house, etc... Rapids fans were out in full scale tonight. Dick's Sporting Goods Stadium was filled. Rapids flags waved all game long. Support groups drove the Portland supporters into silence for most of the game. And the Rapids came out with a 3-1 victory.
Seriously, Denver sports fans need to remember what it is like to be rowdy and noisy and to make the team want to put hide under their benches because we're so loud. If you want a reminder of what that feels like, as I was given tonight, you need to go and check out the Colorado Rapids. It is MORE than worth the price of admission. Once Denver fans get the spirit back like the Rapids fans have, people will remember what a great sports town Denver really is.
GO RAPIDS!
It all started when one of my friends in Colorado Springs told me that their Rapids support group, most specifically the Bulldog Support Group, check out their facebook page on that link, was going to go an Avalanche game.
Those of you who follow me on twitter, @TheSinBin, remember how much fun that was. The group was loud, on their feet the whole game, making noise, even when the Avs were down 5-1 and the rest of the building was busy knitting or something. After that event, I decided I had to check them out in their element.
Tonight I went to my first ever Colorado Rapids game as a member of the BSG, and let me tell you something. The rest of Colorado sports fans can learn a thing or two about how to support your team from the Rapids fans. Opening night, PACKED HOUSE. It was also banner night, as the Rapids celebrated their 2010 MLS Cup Victory at the start of the game. Then the game began, and what action it was!
Soccer, coming from a guy who has never really cared for the sport, is exciting as all hell to watch in person. Especially when you are in a group that is standing the whole game, chanting and singing to support the team or dog the visitors, telling the referees what they can do with their whistle, and jumping up and down during every chant and after every goal. There is a lot that goes on! Even the visiting team brought their own supporters who had their own chants. It was an amazing atmosphere.
One thing that people have been complaining about a lot in Colorado Sports this past year is the lack of fan support. Broncos complaining about having more Steelers fans than Broncos fans in the stands, Avalanche fans not filling the Pepsi Center (or playing video games on a tablet throughout the whole game. That's right kid in front of the BSG in 374, we saw you), Rockies never really filling the house, etc... Rapids fans were out in full scale tonight. Dick's Sporting Goods Stadium was filled. Rapids flags waved all game long. Support groups drove the Portland supporters into silence for most of the game. And the Rapids came out with a 3-1 victory.
Seriously, Denver sports fans need to remember what it is like to be rowdy and noisy and to make the team want to put hide under their benches because we're so loud. If you want a reminder of what that feels like, as I was given tonight, you need to go and check out the Colorado Rapids. It is MORE than worth the price of admission. Once Denver fans get the spirit back like the Rapids fans have, people will remember what a great sports town Denver really is.
GO RAPIDS!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Avalanche Have Hit an All-time Low
Sorry it has been a while since I've written anything on this site, folks, I've been doing a lot of writing on the Bleacher Report, and have neglected you. Thank goodness A-Mac has been here to help pick up some of my slack.
That being said, if you want a much more hopeful view of what I'm about to write, take a look at the story on Bleacher Report.
Well, the Avalanche have done it again. Now losers of seven straight games, and 17 out of their last 18 games, the Colorado Avalanche are setting a new standard for amateurism in their games. Never before have I seen members of this once proud franchise quit so often, and so fast game in and game out.
I have said to several people that this team may be the worst team in the history of the franchise, and that is worse than the one that earned us the number three overall draft pick three years ago.
This may become a bit of a rant, and I apologize for that, so I'll cut to the chase. Joe Sacco needs to be fired. This guy seems to have one way of coaching. He does not adjust, and he does not attempt to fix anything, he just keeps plugging away with the same things and the team does not improve.
Case and point, he constantly talks about needing to skate in order to play their game. You just watch teams clog up the neutral zone against the Avs and they can't do anything. They are lost, their passing is bad, they make bad plays and boom, the puck is going the other way.
Or, the way he handles his personnel. If Sacco isn't happy with how you're playing, he benches you for a period, or makes you a healthy scratch for the game as his way of "sending a message". It worked for a while last season, and even a bit at the start of this season. Now players seem to be playing scared out of fear of being a healthy scratch! That's not coaching! Part of coaching is showing faith in your players, and Sacco does not do that.
About the only person he has done that with is Matt Hunwick, who is possibly the worst trade the Avalanche have ever made. Hunwick is constantly out for goals against, avoids physical contact at all costs, makes horrible decisions in his own zone, and is frequently found just watching the play yet he is out almost every single short handed situation. It just baffles me.
Sacco did a great job in his first year, but it seems his message has been tuned out by his players. Plus, he comes out for every press conference saying the exact same things about making mental errors and not starting the game on time. All of those things, when they are problems for more than two months of a season, are the fault of a coaching staff. One or two games, those are your players and you make adjustments. No adjustments made, same mistakes night in and night out, coaches. Joe Sacco is a good AHL coach, and he has done all he can do right now. It is time to fire Joe Sacco.
That being said, if you want a much more hopeful view of what I'm about to write, take a look at the story on Bleacher Report.
Well, the Avalanche have done it again. Now losers of seven straight games, and 17 out of their last 18 games, the Colorado Avalanche are setting a new standard for amateurism in their games. Never before have I seen members of this once proud franchise quit so often, and so fast game in and game out.
I have said to several people that this team may be the worst team in the history of the franchise, and that is worse than the one that earned us the number three overall draft pick three years ago.
This may become a bit of a rant, and I apologize for that, so I'll cut to the chase. Joe Sacco needs to be fired. This guy seems to have one way of coaching. He does not adjust, and he does not attempt to fix anything, he just keeps plugging away with the same things and the team does not improve.
Case and point, he constantly talks about needing to skate in order to play their game. You just watch teams clog up the neutral zone against the Avs and they can't do anything. They are lost, their passing is bad, they make bad plays and boom, the puck is going the other way.
Or, the way he handles his personnel. If Sacco isn't happy with how you're playing, he benches you for a period, or makes you a healthy scratch for the game as his way of "sending a message". It worked for a while last season, and even a bit at the start of this season. Now players seem to be playing scared out of fear of being a healthy scratch! That's not coaching! Part of coaching is showing faith in your players, and Sacco does not do that.
About the only person he has done that with is Matt Hunwick, who is possibly the worst trade the Avalanche have ever made. Hunwick is constantly out for goals against, avoids physical contact at all costs, makes horrible decisions in his own zone, and is frequently found just watching the play yet he is out almost every single short handed situation. It just baffles me.
Sacco did a great job in his first year, but it seems his message has been tuned out by his players. Plus, he comes out for every press conference saying the exact same things about making mental errors and not starting the game on time. All of those things, when they are problems for more than two months of a season, are the fault of a coaching staff. One or two games, those are your players and you make adjustments. No adjustments made, same mistakes night in and night out, coaches. Joe Sacco is a good AHL coach, and he has done all he can do right now. It is time to fire Joe Sacco.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Peter Forsberg Officially Retires
In another blow to the Colorado Avalanche, Peter Forsberg announced his retirement from the NHL today. He played only two games with the Colorado Avalanche in his latest attempt at a comeback.
Forsberg played well in the two games he played with the Avalanche. In Nashville, he had 17:32 of ice time and had two shots on goal. He also took two penalties and was minus-two.
In Columbus he had 17:38 of ice time with one shot on goal. He was minus-two in this game as well.
Before signing on with the Avalanche last week, Forsberg was very clear that he didn't know how things would turn out. He said that he didn't know how good he was going to be, but that he wanted to give it a shot. After two games, Forsberg seems to have decided that he is not up to a level of play that would help his team.
Regardless of the fact that Forsberg failed to return to the level of play he wanted, it is important to note the impact that he had on the game.
For a long time, Forsberg was considered the best player in the NHL, and arguably the world. His unbelievable combination of size, finesse and physical play was something that had only really been seen from the likes of Mario Lemieux. Forsberg was often more dangerous as a hitter when he had the puck.
His vision of the game was, and is, unparalleled. Watching Peter Forsberg play, there were always moments in games where you would watch him make a play and just shake your head really fast in that "did that really just happen" manner.
One could easily argue that Forsberg might be the best passer that has ever played in the NHL. I doubt that people like Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Claude Lemieux or anybody else who was lucky enough to play on a line with Forsberg would say otherwise.
His career stats show how consistent he always was, even when he was fighting off nagging injuries. In 708 games, he has 885 points—249 goals and 636 assists. That boils down to 1.25 points per game.
Another thing that can't be overlooked is that he is plus-238 for his career. Forsberg never really got credit for his defensive abilities, but that plus-minus ratio helps show his versatility. I find it very interesting that he never won a Selke Trophy.
His postseason numbers were just as impressive. In 151 postseason games, Forsberg had 171 points—64 goals and 107 assists. He just couldn't be stopped.
His awards were many. Two gold medals, two Stanley Cups, the Art Ross Trophy (league's top scorer), the Hart Memorial Trophy (league MVP), the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year) and the Bud Light Plus-Minus award in 2003. In addition to these honors, Forsberg was a seven-time All-Star and a three-time First Team All-Star.
My hope is that the NHL will not hold his injuries against him when looking to induct him into the Hall of Fame. His value and ability as a player are unquestioned. The only question that should be asked about his numbers is, "Can you imagine how scary these numbers would be if he had never been injured?" Yet the injuries that cut short his brilliant career may keep him out. To me, that would be tragic.
Nonetheless, Peter Forsberg is a remarkable man and a fantastic player. His career was tragically short but immensely wonderful in what he managed to accomplish. His love for the game is unquestioned, and he is adored and respected by hockey fans around the world. He knows where he stands now and is saying a final farewell.
So from me and hockey fans everywhere, thanks for the amazing memories, Foppa. You will never be forgotten.
Forsberg played well in the two games he played with the Avalanche. In Nashville, he had 17:32 of ice time and had two shots on goal. He also took two penalties and was minus-two.
In Columbus he had 17:38 of ice time with one shot on goal. He was minus-two in this game as well.
Before signing on with the Avalanche last week, Forsberg was very clear that he didn't know how things would turn out. He said that he didn't know how good he was going to be, but that he wanted to give it a shot. After two games, Forsberg seems to have decided that he is not up to a level of play that would help his team.
Regardless of the fact that Forsberg failed to return to the level of play he wanted, it is important to note the impact that he had on the game.
For a long time, Forsberg was considered the best player in the NHL, and arguably the world. His unbelievable combination of size, finesse and physical play was something that had only really been seen from the likes of Mario Lemieux. Forsberg was often more dangerous as a hitter when he had the puck.
His vision of the game was, and is, unparalleled. Watching Peter Forsberg play, there were always moments in games where you would watch him make a play and just shake your head really fast in that "did that really just happen" manner.
One could easily argue that Forsberg might be the best passer that has ever played in the NHL. I doubt that people like Joe Sakic, Milan Hejduk, Claude Lemieux or anybody else who was lucky enough to play on a line with Forsberg would say otherwise.
His career stats show how consistent he always was, even when he was fighting off nagging injuries. In 708 games, he has 885 points—249 goals and 636 assists. That boils down to 1.25 points per game.
Another thing that can't be overlooked is that he is plus-238 for his career. Forsberg never really got credit for his defensive abilities, but that plus-minus ratio helps show his versatility. I find it very interesting that he never won a Selke Trophy.
His postseason numbers were just as impressive. In 151 postseason games, Forsberg had 171 points—64 goals and 107 assists. He just couldn't be stopped.
His awards were many. Two gold medals, two Stanley Cups, the Art Ross Trophy (league's top scorer), the Hart Memorial Trophy (league MVP), the Calder Memorial Trophy (rookie of the year) and the Bud Light Plus-Minus award in 2003. In addition to these honors, Forsberg was a seven-time All-Star and a three-time First Team All-Star.
My hope is that the NHL will not hold his injuries against him when looking to induct him into the Hall of Fame. His value and ability as a player are unquestioned. The only question that should be asked about his numbers is, "Can you imagine how scary these numbers would be if he had never been injured?" Yet the injuries that cut short his brilliant career may keep him out. To me, that would be tragic.
Nonetheless, Peter Forsberg is a remarkable man and a fantastic player. His career was tragically short but immensely wonderful in what he managed to accomplish. His love for the game is unquestioned, and he is adored and respected by hockey fans around the world. He knows where he stands now and is saying a final farewell.
So from me and hockey fans everywhere, thanks for the amazing memories, Foppa. You will never be forgotten.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Peter Forsberg Signs on with the Colorado Avalanche!
Here we go again!! Yes, Peter Forsberg has announced that he will come back for another attempt at the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche.
This is the most recent attempt for Peter Forsberg to return to the Avalanche since his run in 2007-2008, when he rejoined the team towards the end of the season after an injury plagued year. He played nine games for the Avs that season and had a goal and 13 assists.
Throughout Forsberg's career, he has been a player that has had more than a point per game average. His career numbers are incredibly impressive. Forsberg has 249 goals and 636 assists in 706 regular-season games. A grand total of 885 points. His playoff numbers are equally impressive, with 64 goals and 107 assists in 151 career playoff games.
These numbers are so impressive that it really make one wonder what his totals would have been had he maintained his health.
There's no arguing with his numbers in his past career, the big question is going to revolve around whether or not he will be able to make a big enough difference for this Avalanche team in the rest of the season. The Avs are currently fourth place in the Northwest Division, and sit in 12th spot in the Western Conference. The catch being that they are only four points out of the eighth playoff spot, and seven points out of the fourth seed in the west.
Knowing Forsberg, he wasn't going to come back if he didn't feel as if he could play at the high level he is accustomed to playing. Still, will this be enough to push the Avs over the hump and into the playoffs? Quite possible.
If I am Joe Sacco, I immediately put Forsberg on a line opposite Milan Hejduk. These two played together for several seasons, most notably during Forsberg's Hart and Art Ross trophy winning seasons, as league's MVP and leading scorer. These guys have chemistry, and they will not take a long time to find it again. Throw Matt Duchene in the middle of that line, and you have something that could be very potentially scary.
From seeing Forsberg, if he is on his game, he can make everybody around him a better player and a potential scoring threat.
All in all, the addition of Peter Forsberg definitely can't hurt the Avs. We'll have to see how he feels while he's in the game time situations before we can fully decide whether Forsberg will be able to help push the Avs into the playoffs.
This is the most recent attempt for Peter Forsberg to return to the Avalanche since his run in 2007-2008, when he rejoined the team towards the end of the season after an injury plagued year. He played nine games for the Avs that season and had a goal and 13 assists.
Throughout Forsberg's career, he has been a player that has had more than a point per game average. His career numbers are incredibly impressive. Forsberg has 249 goals and 636 assists in 706 regular-season games. A grand total of 885 points. His playoff numbers are equally impressive, with 64 goals and 107 assists in 151 career playoff games.
These numbers are so impressive that it really make one wonder what his totals would have been had he maintained his health.
There's no arguing with his numbers in his past career, the big question is going to revolve around whether or not he will be able to make a big enough difference for this Avalanche team in the rest of the season. The Avs are currently fourth place in the Northwest Division, and sit in 12th spot in the Western Conference. The catch being that they are only four points out of the eighth playoff spot, and seven points out of the fourth seed in the west.
Knowing Forsberg, he wasn't going to come back if he didn't feel as if he could play at the high level he is accustomed to playing. Still, will this be enough to push the Avs over the hump and into the playoffs? Quite possible.
If I am Joe Sacco, I immediately put Forsberg on a line opposite Milan Hejduk. These two played together for several seasons, most notably during Forsberg's Hart and Art Ross trophy winning seasons, as league's MVP and leading scorer. These guys have chemistry, and they will not take a long time to find it again. Throw Matt Duchene in the middle of that line, and you have something that could be very potentially scary.
From seeing Forsberg, if he is on his game, he can make everybody around him a better player and a potential scoring threat.
All in all, the addition of Peter Forsberg definitely can't hurt the Avs. We'll have to see how he feels while he's in the game time situations before we can fully decide whether Forsberg will be able to help push the Avs into the playoffs.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Avs Remind Fans How Far Rebuilding Effort Has to Go
Last year, the Avalanche were one of the feel good stories of the NHL year. Having finished dead last in the Western Conference, people were excited to see the once proud franchise making a playoff run. So, when this season started, it seemed natural that expectations should be a bit higher for this team. After all, from one season to another, especially with a team this young, generally you expect improvement from year to year.
Start of this season comes around and things were a bit slower than last year. But you can't expect the kind of fast start that the Avs had last season every year. 20 games go by, 30 games go by, the Avs are right there in the conversation and are hanging with the Canucks. We start thinking, ha! Vancouver who!? We're going to hit our stride and then go flying by those guys.
Only something different happens. More and more games go by, and instead of that energetic, never-say-die team that we had become so used to seeing, we start seeing a team that can't start a game to save their lives, play horrible defense, and can't climb back into games the way they used to. We start to think, well, everybody is thinking "hey, they're bound to hit a slump at some point. They'll rebound."
Well, we're still waiting for that rebound. The Avs dropped another today, this time to the Anaheim Ducks. Another game marked by taking bad penalties, poor defensive zone play, and a lack of offensive intensity. It's something that has marked their play for the last month, or more, of hockey. Then I remembered something.
This Avs team is still rebuilding. This is a team that is still nowhere near their full potential, and will probably take a couple of more years to get there. Last year we experienced something that probably shouldn't have happened. If it wasn't for the insanely amazing play of Craig Anderson, last year's Avs would have been nowhere near the playoffs. The defense was just as inconsistent, the offense experienced similar ups and downs, the big difference was that Anderson was able to make all those insane saves that he had no business making. It's like that guy you play poker with that everybody hates because he goes all in with stupid hands, but wins each time. Eventually, you know that guy is going to run out of luck, it's just a matter of time. It seems that time has happened this year.
So, to all Avs fans, and this is just as much for me as anybody else, yes, the Avs are not a very good team right now. Yes, we're most likely going to miss the playoffs with this type of poor play. Let's all remember, we haven't seen the best that these guys can offer yet. Stewie hasn't shown us a full season of what he will be, neither has Duchene. Neither have a lot of these guys, but their talent is there and they are still learning. Eventually, our front office will help us get bigger and more skilled on defense. Eventually, our goalies won't have to know from the beginning that they have to win the game for us.
Rebuilding is not a fun process for a team, but if you do it right, that time will pay off. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks. They both spent a decent amount of time at the bottom of the NHL, and have both recently won Stanley Cups. The Avs will get there, I'm convinced, but we, as a fan base, need to make the trip with them and not give up on our boys.
Start of this season comes around and things were a bit slower than last year. But you can't expect the kind of fast start that the Avs had last season every year. 20 games go by, 30 games go by, the Avs are right there in the conversation and are hanging with the Canucks. We start thinking, ha! Vancouver who!? We're going to hit our stride and then go flying by those guys.
Only something different happens. More and more games go by, and instead of that energetic, never-say-die team that we had become so used to seeing, we start seeing a team that can't start a game to save their lives, play horrible defense, and can't climb back into games the way they used to. We start to think, well, everybody is thinking "hey, they're bound to hit a slump at some point. They'll rebound."
Well, we're still waiting for that rebound. The Avs dropped another today, this time to the Anaheim Ducks. Another game marked by taking bad penalties, poor defensive zone play, and a lack of offensive intensity. It's something that has marked their play for the last month, or more, of hockey. Then I remembered something.
This Avs team is still rebuilding. This is a team that is still nowhere near their full potential, and will probably take a couple of more years to get there. Last year we experienced something that probably shouldn't have happened. If it wasn't for the insanely amazing play of Craig Anderson, last year's Avs would have been nowhere near the playoffs. The defense was just as inconsistent, the offense experienced similar ups and downs, the big difference was that Anderson was able to make all those insane saves that he had no business making. It's like that guy you play poker with that everybody hates because he goes all in with stupid hands, but wins each time. Eventually, you know that guy is going to run out of luck, it's just a matter of time. It seems that time has happened this year.
So, to all Avs fans, and this is just as much for me as anybody else, yes, the Avs are not a very good team right now. Yes, we're most likely going to miss the playoffs with this type of poor play. Let's all remember, we haven't seen the best that these guys can offer yet. Stewie hasn't shown us a full season of what he will be, neither has Duchene. Neither have a lot of these guys, but their talent is there and they are still learning. Eventually, our front office will help us get bigger and more skilled on defense. Eventually, our goalies won't have to know from the beginning that they have to win the game for us.
Rebuilding is not a fun process for a team, but if you do it right, that time will pay off. Just ask the Pittsburgh Penguins and Chicago Blackhawks. They both spent a decent amount of time at the bottom of the NHL, and have both recently won Stanley Cups. The Avs will get there, I'm convinced, but we, as a fan base, need to make the trip with them and not give up on our boys.
Friday, January 21, 2011
FORSBERG SIGHTING IN DENVER!!!
It was reported today that Peter Forsberg will be practicing with the Colorado Avalanche, starting with the Saturday skate before the Avalanche game versus the Boston Bruins. No contracts have been signed, as of yet, and it seems that this is a way for Forsberg to test whether or not he is physically able to make another attempt at returning to the NHL.
Admittedly, when I first saw this reported I nearly jumped out of my chair; but there are so many questions that come along with this. It's important to try and look at all the pros and cons.
Pro:
The return of Peter Forsberg would mean amazing things for the energy level in the Pepsi Center. Forsberg is associated with the golden age of the Colorado Avalanche, and some excitement would immediately return to the building. If you watched the Avs last game, against Nashville, you probably noticed the absolute lack of any crowd noise. Just Forsberg's name would bring that buzz back to the Pepsi Center.
Con:
How much would this really help? Other than getting fans back in the seats, the Avs are still a team that is in the process of rebuilding. Sure, they have a lot of talent, but are the Avalanche really Stanley Cup contenders, even if Forsberg is able to make a return? At the moment the Avs are desperately fighting to maintain a spot in the playoffs. Sure, more excitement might return, but this might not amount to much more than a little bit of lightning in a bottle. Flashy and bright, but not very long lasting.
Just some of the amazing Highlights in Peter Forsberg's Colorado Career
Pro:
Imagine the affect that Forsberg could have on some of the younger players. Matt Duchene watched Forsberg play with the Avs when he was a kid, can you imagine how much he'll learn about the game by playing with him? It could be off the charts. Plus, veteran leadership is something that the Avs are hurting for at the moment. It's no secret that the Avs are a young team, and that youth is starting to show up in mass turnovers and poor defensive play. Forsberg could be a great teacher to many of the players on this team.
Con:
Forsberg's own body. Forsberg's career has been tragically short. He was on pace to have one of the truly great careers in hockey history, but he has been unable to get over that nagging foot injury that has had multiple surgeries. Couple that with the Avs horrible luck with player injuries right now, and it is one of those situations where it's almost like the hockey gods are just toying with us. Who's to say Forsberg wouldn't get on the ice and get hurt again?
Pro:
It really wouldn't cost the Avs that much. Forsberg's presence alone has demanded large contracts in the past. Even back in 2007-2008, when he tried his last come back, he still earned a pretty penny. The Avs salary cap, however, is one that could have handled multiple versions of that insane Kovalchuk contract that New Jersey is currently stuck with. I wonder how that's working out. At any rate, price is definitely NOT an issue when it comes to getting Forsberg signed.
3316419_crop_340x234 Peter The Great, working his magic
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Con:
Time. We hear the name Peter Forsberg and immediately remember all of the amazing things that this guy was capable of. Even back in 07-08 he had an impact. In nine regular season games the guy had a goal and 13 assists. But can that realistically be expected of him at age 37 with a foot that has been operated on and injured more times than anybody can count? There's no doubt that Forsberg, when he was at his best, could play a mediocre game and still be better than most people's best games, but age has to take a toll at some point.
This is a very interesting situation in which we find ourselves. With all the injuries that have stung the Avs, especially recently, the Avs are desperate for somebody. If Forsberg feels that he could play, it wouldn't be that great a shock if the Avs took a shot with him. Sure, he's older, but you have to think that some of that magic that Peter The Great showcased throughout his brilliant, but all too short amount of time in Denver is still there.
It's very premature to speculate on what is going to happen, but this is one Avalanche fan who can't wait to hear whether or not we will see a return of Foppa to the Colorado ice.
Admittedly, when I first saw this reported I nearly jumped out of my chair; but there are so many questions that come along with this. It's important to try and look at all the pros and cons.
Pro:
The return of Peter Forsberg would mean amazing things for the energy level in the Pepsi Center. Forsberg is associated with the golden age of the Colorado Avalanche, and some excitement would immediately return to the building. If you watched the Avs last game, against Nashville, you probably noticed the absolute lack of any crowd noise. Just Forsberg's name would bring that buzz back to the Pepsi Center.
Con:
How much would this really help? Other than getting fans back in the seats, the Avs are still a team that is in the process of rebuilding. Sure, they have a lot of talent, but are the Avalanche really Stanley Cup contenders, even if Forsberg is able to make a return? At the moment the Avs are desperately fighting to maintain a spot in the playoffs. Sure, more excitement might return, but this might not amount to much more than a little bit of lightning in a bottle. Flashy and bright, but not very long lasting.
Just some of the amazing Highlights in Peter Forsberg's Colorado Career
Pro:
Imagine the affect that Forsberg could have on some of the younger players. Matt Duchene watched Forsberg play with the Avs when he was a kid, can you imagine how much he'll learn about the game by playing with him? It could be off the charts. Plus, veteran leadership is something that the Avs are hurting for at the moment. It's no secret that the Avs are a young team, and that youth is starting to show up in mass turnovers and poor defensive play. Forsberg could be a great teacher to many of the players on this team.
Con:
Forsberg's own body. Forsberg's career has been tragically short. He was on pace to have one of the truly great careers in hockey history, but he has been unable to get over that nagging foot injury that has had multiple surgeries. Couple that with the Avs horrible luck with player injuries right now, and it is one of those situations where it's almost like the hockey gods are just toying with us. Who's to say Forsberg wouldn't get on the ice and get hurt again?
Pro:
It really wouldn't cost the Avs that much. Forsberg's presence alone has demanded large contracts in the past. Even back in 2007-2008, when he tried his last come back, he still earned a pretty penny. The Avs salary cap, however, is one that could have handled multiple versions of that insane Kovalchuk contract that New Jersey is currently stuck with. I wonder how that's working out. At any rate, price is definitely NOT an issue when it comes to getting Forsberg signed.
3316419_crop_340x234 Peter The Great, working his magic
Brian Bahr/Getty Images
Con:
Time. We hear the name Peter Forsberg and immediately remember all of the amazing things that this guy was capable of. Even back in 07-08 he had an impact. In nine regular season games the guy had a goal and 13 assists. But can that realistically be expected of him at age 37 with a foot that has been operated on and injured more times than anybody can count? There's no doubt that Forsberg, when he was at his best, could play a mediocre game and still be better than most people's best games, but age has to take a toll at some point.
This is a very interesting situation in which we find ourselves. With all the injuries that have stung the Avs, especially recently, the Avs are desperate for somebody. If Forsberg feels that he could play, it wouldn't be that great a shock if the Avs took a shot with him. Sure, he's older, but you have to think that some of that magic that Peter The Great showcased throughout his brilliant, but all too short amount of time in Denver is still there.
It's very premature to speculate on what is going to happen, but this is one Avalanche fan who can't wait to hear whether or not we will see a return of Foppa to the Colorado ice.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Avs vs. Coyotes Recap
Avs coming off of a huge win against Buffalo, that they tried to give away but managed to pull out, and needed to keep things going for them on this 5 game home stand. But, once again, the Avs came out just plain flat.
Scoring Summary:
Period 1:
Lots of shots, but the Coyotes had most of the decent chances, and the only goal of the period. Andy stopped a shot from the point, gave a small rebound, that was won by Taylor Pyatt. While kind of being bothered by the Avs d-man, Pyatt managed to backhand it over the glove of a sliding Anderson for a 1-0 lead. Andy was in pretty decent position, just a great shot that he managed to get elevated on the backhand.
No scoring again until about 19 seconds left in the game, when Pyatt put another one in the empty. Game closed out with a 2-0 win for Phoenix.
All in all, this was possibly the most boring game that I have watched in a long, LONG time. Now, that is really Phoenix's style. They are a trap team, and take advantage of turnovers. Transition is their game, and that's how they got their goal. A clear that didn't quite get out, they threw it straight at the net, and boom, suddenly they get a rebound in behind Andy. And this is the the thing that is killing the Avs. They cannot get out of their own zone. They have about 5 shifts a game where they really get buried in their own zone and just can't get out.
Then, there is Matt Hunwick. This guy has been so horrible since getting traded over to the Avs. I think the first game he played with us I was actually a little ok with him because he could skate so well, and actually did a couple decent things in his own zone. Ever since then, it has been a non-stop parade of horrible turnovers, poor defensive play, and getting beat all over the place in his own zone. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why Joe Sacco, the Avalanche coach, has not cut this guy's ice time, or even made him a healthy scratch. Holos gives 1 away, and I see something on Twitter saying Sacco just cringed, but watch Hunwick give 5 pucks away, and he's one of the first d-men out on the next penalty kill? This makes no sense!! Sacco benched Duchene earlier this year when he wasn't getting it done. He benched Liles, and made him a healthy scratch a few times, last year when he wasn't getting the job done. He's gone to Budaj this year, when Andy has looked shakey. I don't get it. A coach that is well known for holding players who aren't playing well accountable, and allowing somebody else a chance to get the job done, who just won't take this guy off of the ice. Hunwick has no place on the penalty kill, but is out there every kill. He made about 6 really bad giveaways tonight that Andy had to bail him out on every single time. It is time for Sacco to sit him down, scratch him, send him to the minors, or just do something to tell him that what he is doing is not going to keep him on the ice. It needs to happen, or else we can get used to more losses.
Avs play next on Saturday against the Islanders. Time for the Avs to wake up again. This Western Conference is really, REALLY close from seeds 4-13. The Avs are going to find themselves out of the playoff picture really fast here if they don't start playing with some urgency. Hopefully Stewie will be returning soon
Scoring Summary:
Period 1:
Lots of shots, but the Coyotes had most of the decent chances, and the only goal of the period. Andy stopped a shot from the point, gave a small rebound, that was won by Taylor Pyatt. While kind of being bothered by the Avs d-man, Pyatt managed to backhand it over the glove of a sliding Anderson for a 1-0 lead. Andy was in pretty decent position, just a great shot that he managed to get elevated on the backhand.
No scoring again until about 19 seconds left in the game, when Pyatt put another one in the empty. Game closed out with a 2-0 win for Phoenix.
All in all, this was possibly the most boring game that I have watched in a long, LONG time. Now, that is really Phoenix's style. They are a trap team, and take advantage of turnovers. Transition is their game, and that's how they got their goal. A clear that didn't quite get out, they threw it straight at the net, and boom, suddenly they get a rebound in behind Andy. And this is the the thing that is killing the Avs. They cannot get out of their own zone. They have about 5 shifts a game where they really get buried in their own zone and just can't get out.
Then, there is Matt Hunwick. This guy has been so horrible since getting traded over to the Avs. I think the first game he played with us I was actually a little ok with him because he could skate so well, and actually did a couple decent things in his own zone. Ever since then, it has been a non-stop parade of horrible turnovers, poor defensive play, and getting beat all over the place in his own zone. I cannot, for the life of me, fathom why Joe Sacco, the Avalanche coach, has not cut this guy's ice time, or even made him a healthy scratch. Holos gives 1 away, and I see something on Twitter saying Sacco just cringed, but watch Hunwick give 5 pucks away, and he's one of the first d-men out on the next penalty kill? This makes no sense!! Sacco benched Duchene earlier this year when he wasn't getting it done. He benched Liles, and made him a healthy scratch a few times, last year when he wasn't getting the job done. He's gone to Budaj this year, when Andy has looked shakey. I don't get it. A coach that is well known for holding players who aren't playing well accountable, and allowing somebody else a chance to get the job done, who just won't take this guy off of the ice. Hunwick has no place on the penalty kill, but is out there every kill. He made about 6 really bad giveaways tonight that Andy had to bail him out on every single time. It is time for Sacco to sit him down, scratch him, send him to the minors, or just do something to tell him that what he is doing is not going to keep him on the ice. It needs to happen, or else we can get used to more losses.
Avs play next on Saturday against the Islanders. Time for the Avs to wake up again. This Western Conference is really, REALLY close from seeds 4-13. The Avs are going to find themselves out of the playoff picture really fast here if they don't start playing with some urgency. Hopefully Stewie will be returning soon
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Avs vs. Canucks Recap
Well, after a brief 2 game road trip for the Avs, they came home for their first game of the new year to play host to the hottest team in the league, the Vancouver Canucks. The Avs were fortunate to win in Edmonton, after blowing a 3 goal lead; and didn't really start playing until it was too late. Avs need to have something they haven't had in a long time against Vancouver, and that is a complete game. Coming into the game, Vancouver had not lost in regulation in their last 10 games (8-0-2).
Period 1
Avs came out with some jump and had a lot of good chances. Duchene had a good one and was really flying throughout the first period. The teams traded power plays and didn't score. The Avs got a second power play and played well towards the end of it, getting a huge chance, which Luongo stopped. Suddenly, Vancouver had a 2-on-1 going the other way. Hunwick didn't really press the issue, and there was no real support from behind. Andy seemed like he was expecting a pass, and let a pretty weak shot go straight through the 5 hole. 1-0 Canucks. Alex Boulduc, for his first NHL goal. Such a tough game, because not 10 seconds before, it very easily could have been 1-0 Avs if they had buried their chance. Avs outshot Vancouver 10-8 in the first, but entered the intermission down 1.
Period 2
Second period had a good pace to it through the first half. Avs got another PP, but didn't manage to get anything past Luongo who was is clearly on his game for this one. A couple other good chances here and there for both teams, but no goals in the first half of the period. Things really slowed down in the middle of the second, but got quite heated towards the end of the period. A couple of incidents of fisticuffs after the play. No goals in the second, but did have 9 penalties. Still 1-0 Vancouver.
Period 3
Avs came out soft in this one again, and quickly paid the price. 2 bad shifts in a row where the Avs just can't get things out of their zone, coupled with a really weird hop off a seam of the seamless glass, I know weird, right, that just popped out in front of Anderson. Mason Raymond was right there to put it up high for a 2-0 lead. Avs now in DEEP trouble, because Luongo was on his game. With a bit over 6 minutes left, Stastny managed to crack Luongo on a goal that had to be reviewed to be counted. 2-1 Canucks.
Avs realized that they needed to bust their butts at the end of the game, but just couldn't squeeze one past Luongo to save their lives. Their really good chances just didn't get on goal, a big thing that has been hurting the Avs. When they are struggling, they just don't seem to get anything on net.
Andy was good, probably could have been better on the first goal that he gave up, but really kept the Avs in the game. Nothing he could have done about that second goal, just a horrible hop that went straight to the Canucks player in front.
PK has been better. Avs killed all PPs in Edmonton and Calgary, and now against Vancouver tonight. Considering the Avs were last in the league in PK at home coming into tonight, definitely a plus.
Sedins held off the board tonight, and only had 3 shots between the two of them. That is huge, because those guys are just rolling right now. Good signs defensively, though, the Avs are still struggling hard core getting the puck out of your own zone.
Hurts even worst because the Avs are now down 8 points to the Canucks, haven't managed to beat them this year. Avs have a pretty nice January, 12 games, no back to backs, and only 2 games on the road. Avs play Buffalo next on Tuesday, gotta find a way to score. See you then.
Period 1
Avs came out with some jump and had a lot of good chances. Duchene had a good one and was really flying throughout the first period. The teams traded power plays and didn't score. The Avs got a second power play and played well towards the end of it, getting a huge chance, which Luongo stopped. Suddenly, Vancouver had a 2-on-1 going the other way. Hunwick didn't really press the issue, and there was no real support from behind. Andy seemed like he was expecting a pass, and let a pretty weak shot go straight through the 5 hole. 1-0 Canucks. Alex Boulduc, for his first NHL goal. Such a tough game, because not 10 seconds before, it very easily could have been 1-0 Avs if they had buried their chance. Avs outshot Vancouver 10-8 in the first, but entered the intermission down 1.
Period 2
Second period had a good pace to it through the first half. Avs got another PP, but didn't manage to get anything past Luongo who was is clearly on his game for this one. A couple other good chances here and there for both teams, but no goals in the first half of the period. Things really slowed down in the middle of the second, but got quite heated towards the end of the period. A couple of incidents of fisticuffs after the play. No goals in the second, but did have 9 penalties. Still 1-0 Vancouver.
Period 3
Avs came out soft in this one again, and quickly paid the price. 2 bad shifts in a row where the Avs just can't get things out of their zone, coupled with a really weird hop off a seam of the seamless glass, I know weird, right, that just popped out in front of Anderson. Mason Raymond was right there to put it up high for a 2-0 lead. Avs now in DEEP trouble, because Luongo was on his game. With a bit over 6 minutes left, Stastny managed to crack Luongo on a goal that had to be reviewed to be counted. 2-1 Canucks.
Avs realized that they needed to bust their butts at the end of the game, but just couldn't squeeze one past Luongo to save their lives. Their really good chances just didn't get on goal, a big thing that has been hurting the Avs. When they are struggling, they just don't seem to get anything on net.
Andy was good, probably could have been better on the first goal that he gave up, but really kept the Avs in the game. Nothing he could have done about that second goal, just a horrible hop that went straight to the Canucks player in front.
PK has been better. Avs killed all PPs in Edmonton and Calgary, and now against Vancouver tonight. Considering the Avs were last in the league in PK at home coming into tonight, definitely a plus.
Sedins held off the board tonight, and only had 3 shots between the two of them. That is huge, because those guys are just rolling right now. Good signs defensively, though, the Avs are still struggling hard core getting the puck out of your own zone.
Hurts even worst because the Avs are now down 8 points to the Canucks, haven't managed to beat them this year. Avs have a pretty nice January, 12 games, no back to backs, and only 2 games on the road. Avs play Buffalo next on Tuesday, gotta find a way to score. See you then.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Avs vs. Oilers Recap
Well, the Avs haven't had the best 3 game stretch. 0-2-1 in their last 3. Heartbreaking loss to the Red Wings last time out, in a game that they really dominated and should have won. Can they turn thing around against an Oilers team that is last place in the Western Conference, or will the Avs come out asleep again?
Scoring recap
Period 1
Avs came out strong in this one. All lines firing. T.J. Galliardi got the scoring started on this one. Good play in the offensive zone, get the puck at the net, and Galliardi put one in off an Edmonton defensive player. That was at 3:22 of the first. A really good, fast start for the Avs on the road.
Paul Stastny was the beneficiary of a fantastic play by David Jones for the second goal of the game. Jones chased a dumped puck into the corner, won the 1-on-1 battle. He worked towards the net, smooth stick work, and made a great back hand pass to Stastny who buried it by the Edmonton goalie. 2-0 Avs.
Probably the best line of the evening was the Duchene-Hejduk-Fleischmann line. After a great shift of a lot of pressure in the Edmonton zone, Matt Duchene forced a bad pass from the Oilers defenseman that trickled right out to Flash who made no mistake putting it behind the Oilers goalie for a huge 3-0 lead.
Period 2
After the team traded power play opportunities, and failed, the Oilers ended up with a decent amount of momentum. Avs struggled a lot getting the puck out of their own zone in this one, and paid the price after Edmonton one a few physical battles to get the puck down low. Gagner made a great pass to Taylor Hall, who was all alone in front of the net, and he pounded it home. Andy had no chance on this one.
Avs had a lot of great scoring chances in this period but either got too cute, just plain missed, or were robbed.
Period 3
After the Avs fail on another golden opportunity to take a strangle hold of the game, Oilers take it down the ice, Hemsky takes it into the middle and burries it top shelf, over Andy's blocker to make it a 3-2 game.
Avs defense continues to fall asleep and just plain lets Edmonton back into the game. After a dominant beginning, the Avs expected the Oilers to roll over, and they didn't. 3-3 as Hemsky comes flying back into the zone, lulls the D to sleep, who just leaves Cogliano alone in front of the net who hammered it home for a 3-3 tie.
OT
The poor officiating continues. Avs got a PP, then the refs gave the Oilers a make up call that was weak, and that is being very, VERY nice. Teams trade PPs, and fail. Shootout.
Shootout
Andy makes first save on Jordan Eberle
Hejduk buries the first one for the Avs.
Andy then stuffs Hemsky
Dutchy gets stopped
Andy then stops Taylor Hall, who earns the Avs the extra point, that they really didn't deserve.
Andy played pretty well during this game. Gave up 3 goals, but was totally abandoned by his defense on this one. The most troubling part about this game is that the Avs blew a 3-0 lead, and constantly had trouble getting out of their own zone. Defensive pairs were all bad in this game, and we pretty much only won because Andy realized he would have to win it by himself this time around.
Avs got outshot by the worst team in the Western Conference and just seemed as if they expected that the game would be done after the first period; and that they really didn't know how to respond when Edmonton just wouldn't go down for good. Coming from a team that seems to pride itself on never giving up on games when they get down, it seems odd that the Avs would just try and put it in cruise control so early. As well as they played in the first, they were really just awful, collectively, in the last 2 periods.
As poor as things went for the Avs in the last 2 periods, you have to put part of this towards the officiating which was just plain awful, and that is putting it nicely. Seemed like since the Avs were up 3-0 at the start of the 2nd period, that meant that there would be absolutely nothing called for the Avs. Multiple times Oilers players barreled into the Avalanche goaltender, Craig Anderson, and somehow the Avs would end up with the penalty out of that situation. I don't understand how players can go crashing into the net, especially when the goalie is deep in his crease, and the penalty is not called. Pretty pathetic officiating, it definitely something that the NHL does not want. You never like it when it is so obvious that the officiating had such a strong impact on the game. That's a larger picture thing that the NHL needs to deal with.
In the end, the Avs end up with a win. Tomorrow night, the Avs are in Calgary. They'll have to come with a more complete game in order to beat a Calgary team that is always tough.
Oh, also, Hunwick was -1 again tonight. This guy has been a huge trade bust thus far. Think the Bruins would be willing to take this guy back?
Scoring recap
Period 1
Avs came out strong in this one. All lines firing. T.J. Galliardi got the scoring started on this one. Good play in the offensive zone, get the puck at the net, and Galliardi put one in off an Edmonton defensive player. That was at 3:22 of the first. A really good, fast start for the Avs on the road.
Paul Stastny was the beneficiary of a fantastic play by David Jones for the second goal of the game. Jones chased a dumped puck into the corner, won the 1-on-1 battle. He worked towards the net, smooth stick work, and made a great back hand pass to Stastny who buried it by the Edmonton goalie. 2-0 Avs.
Probably the best line of the evening was the Duchene-Hejduk-Fleischmann line. After a great shift of a lot of pressure in the Edmonton zone, Matt Duchene forced a bad pass from the Oilers defenseman that trickled right out to Flash who made no mistake putting it behind the Oilers goalie for a huge 3-0 lead.
Period 2
After the team traded power play opportunities, and failed, the Oilers ended up with a decent amount of momentum. Avs struggled a lot getting the puck out of their own zone in this one, and paid the price after Edmonton one a few physical battles to get the puck down low. Gagner made a great pass to Taylor Hall, who was all alone in front of the net, and he pounded it home. Andy had no chance on this one.
Avs had a lot of great scoring chances in this period but either got too cute, just plain missed, or were robbed.
Period 3
After the Avs fail on another golden opportunity to take a strangle hold of the game, Oilers take it down the ice, Hemsky takes it into the middle and burries it top shelf, over Andy's blocker to make it a 3-2 game.
Avs defense continues to fall asleep and just plain lets Edmonton back into the game. After a dominant beginning, the Avs expected the Oilers to roll over, and they didn't. 3-3 as Hemsky comes flying back into the zone, lulls the D to sleep, who just leaves Cogliano alone in front of the net who hammered it home for a 3-3 tie.
OT
The poor officiating continues. Avs got a PP, then the refs gave the Oilers a make up call that was weak, and that is being very, VERY nice. Teams trade PPs, and fail. Shootout.
Shootout
Andy makes first save on Jordan Eberle
Hejduk buries the first one for the Avs.
Andy then stuffs Hemsky
Dutchy gets stopped
Andy then stops Taylor Hall, who earns the Avs the extra point, that they really didn't deserve.
Andy played pretty well during this game. Gave up 3 goals, but was totally abandoned by his defense on this one. The most troubling part about this game is that the Avs blew a 3-0 lead, and constantly had trouble getting out of their own zone. Defensive pairs were all bad in this game, and we pretty much only won because Andy realized he would have to win it by himself this time around.
Avs got outshot by the worst team in the Western Conference and just seemed as if they expected that the game would be done after the first period; and that they really didn't know how to respond when Edmonton just wouldn't go down for good. Coming from a team that seems to pride itself on never giving up on games when they get down, it seems odd that the Avs would just try and put it in cruise control so early. As well as they played in the first, they were really just awful, collectively, in the last 2 periods.
As poor as things went for the Avs in the last 2 periods, you have to put part of this towards the officiating which was just plain awful, and that is putting it nicely. Seemed like since the Avs were up 3-0 at the start of the 2nd period, that meant that there would be absolutely nothing called for the Avs. Multiple times Oilers players barreled into the Avalanche goaltender, Craig Anderson, and somehow the Avs would end up with the penalty out of that situation. I don't understand how players can go crashing into the net, especially when the goalie is deep in his crease, and the penalty is not called. Pretty pathetic officiating, it definitely something that the NHL does not want. You never like it when it is so obvious that the officiating had such a strong impact on the game. That's a larger picture thing that the NHL needs to deal with.
In the end, the Avs end up with a win. Tomorrow night, the Avs are in Calgary. They'll have to come with a more complete game in order to beat a Calgary team that is always tough.
Oh, also, Hunwick was -1 again tonight. This guy has been a huge trade bust thus far. Think the Bruins would be willing to take this guy back?
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Avs vs. Wild Recap
Well, the Avs had a 6 game win streak snapped by the Kings last game. Snapped is the nicest way to put it, as the Avs were completely dominated in every aspect of the game in a 5-0 beat down. So they were definitely in need of a good showing against the Wild just before a brief Christmas break for the league. Plus, it's a divisional game, so you'd think that they would be rearing and ready to play tonight. Well, you'd think that.
Period 1:
Avs came out with a good pace, and even had an early power play. Unfortunately, Shattenkirk wiffed on a simple D-to-D pass, giving Clutterbuck a breakaway on Andy. Save on the breakaway, but no hope for the early Christmas present right in front of the net. Hammered home by Matt Cullen for a 1-0 lead, Shorthanded.
Avs don't wait long to even things up, as David Jones hammers home a weak rebound on the remaining PP to even it up at 1. Backstrom thought he had the puck covered, but Jones managed to find it and slam it in.
Then, the Avs gave up another one as a shot from the point was sent intentionally wide. Andy seemed to overreact to this puck, slid way of the net and tried to cover it as it came sliding back through the crease, but couldn't turn himself fully around. He actually knocked the puck into the post, and then it sat in the crease, once again, awaiting the stick of Matt Cullen who put home his second goal of the night. Period 1 ended 2-1 in favor of the Wild.
Period 2:
Avs came out looking pretty decent in the second, until David Koci, the biggest waste of a roster space in the NHL, took an incredibly stupid penalty, pile-driving a Wild player into Backstrom about 10 seconds AFTER Backstrom had covered the puck.
Ensuing power play, a one timer from the point went a bit wide, and Andrew Brunette, a former member of the Avalanche, put a little backhander over the unnecessarily sprawling body of Craig Anderson. Andy looked horrible on goals 2 and 3. Out of position, unable to move back once he had committed anywhere, and just flopped all over the place. Andy was pulled after this goal, very deservedly so.
Avs were very soft for the rest of the period, with the exception of the last 3 minutes. Budaj made some good saves in this period, and a few other really good ones in the third to keep the Avs close.
Period 3:
No scoring, but lots more action. Avs got very brave, out of necessity, with their D jumping up in the play. Budaj played very well in relief of Anderson, and really was the only reason it stayed at 3-1. Avs just couldn't buy one offensively. Backstrom was on his game, the Wild blocked a ton of shots, and they just missed a ton of shots wide, high, wherever. Game ends with a 3-1 Wild victory.
Things to note.
Craig Anderson has looked AWFUL the last few games. He has had 1 or 2 goals against in the last 3 games where he just flops around in hopes that he might be able to grab it. Makes a lot of us following the Avs think that there might still be something wrong with his leg, his hip, his groin, or something because he has not been sharp.
Greg Mauldin knocked himself out of the game late in the game when he went head first into the glass when tripping himself over a Wild player. He left the game. Looked like he might have lost a tooth in this one.
Cal Clutterbuck, the league leader in hits, had a couple of questionable hits, most notable on Kevin Porter. Porter had turned his numbers very clearly out to the players, which means you aren't supposed to hit them, out of safety. Clutterbuck hit Porter, probably a bit softer than he could have but still a bit harder than he should. Adam Foote stepped in to protect his teammates, and Clutterbuck cowered away when he was challenged. Martin Havlat also took a few cheap shots. Was called for a blatant slash on Duchene early, then took a couple of little swipes at Foote throughout the rest of the game. Then, again, when Foote stepped up into his face, Havlat scooted backwards and started yapping once 3 of his teammates were between him and Foote. Some lack of class there. Though you expect tempers in a divisional game.
Speaking of divisional games, with this loss, the Avs are now 2-6-1 against teams in the Northwest Divison. That is not going to be good enough if you want to get to the playoffs. The Avs also have a lot of divisional games coming up. The play Edmenton and Calgary on back to back nights, and then host Vancouver. They need to play better within their division if they want to go anywhere in the post season.
Avs defense continues to hurt them. Shattenkirk had a horrible giveaway on their first goal. D unable to clear people from the front of the net in several situations. That has to improve. Avs also need to get healthy. They are seriously missing the likes of Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk. Stewarts power and versatility is always tough for teams to deal with, and Hejduk just has so many intangible that he can always do what is needed.
Avs now get a few days off to think about what needs to get fixed, and then come back against Detroit on Monday.
Period 1:
Avs came out with a good pace, and even had an early power play. Unfortunately, Shattenkirk wiffed on a simple D-to-D pass, giving Clutterbuck a breakaway on Andy. Save on the breakaway, but no hope for the early Christmas present right in front of the net. Hammered home by Matt Cullen for a 1-0 lead, Shorthanded.
Avs don't wait long to even things up, as David Jones hammers home a weak rebound on the remaining PP to even it up at 1. Backstrom thought he had the puck covered, but Jones managed to find it and slam it in.
Then, the Avs gave up another one as a shot from the point was sent intentionally wide. Andy seemed to overreact to this puck, slid way of the net and tried to cover it as it came sliding back through the crease, but couldn't turn himself fully around. He actually knocked the puck into the post, and then it sat in the crease, once again, awaiting the stick of Matt Cullen who put home his second goal of the night. Period 1 ended 2-1 in favor of the Wild.
Period 2:
Avs came out looking pretty decent in the second, until David Koci, the biggest waste of a roster space in the NHL, took an incredibly stupid penalty, pile-driving a Wild player into Backstrom about 10 seconds AFTER Backstrom had covered the puck.
Ensuing power play, a one timer from the point went a bit wide, and Andrew Brunette, a former member of the Avalanche, put a little backhander over the unnecessarily sprawling body of Craig Anderson. Andy looked horrible on goals 2 and 3. Out of position, unable to move back once he had committed anywhere, and just flopped all over the place. Andy was pulled after this goal, very deservedly so.
Avs were very soft for the rest of the period, with the exception of the last 3 minutes. Budaj made some good saves in this period, and a few other really good ones in the third to keep the Avs close.
Period 3:
No scoring, but lots more action. Avs got very brave, out of necessity, with their D jumping up in the play. Budaj played very well in relief of Anderson, and really was the only reason it stayed at 3-1. Avs just couldn't buy one offensively. Backstrom was on his game, the Wild blocked a ton of shots, and they just missed a ton of shots wide, high, wherever. Game ends with a 3-1 Wild victory.
Things to note.
Craig Anderson has looked AWFUL the last few games. He has had 1 or 2 goals against in the last 3 games where he just flops around in hopes that he might be able to grab it. Makes a lot of us following the Avs think that there might still be something wrong with his leg, his hip, his groin, or something because he has not been sharp.
Greg Mauldin knocked himself out of the game late in the game when he went head first into the glass when tripping himself over a Wild player. He left the game. Looked like he might have lost a tooth in this one.
Cal Clutterbuck, the league leader in hits, had a couple of questionable hits, most notable on Kevin Porter. Porter had turned his numbers very clearly out to the players, which means you aren't supposed to hit them, out of safety. Clutterbuck hit Porter, probably a bit softer than he could have but still a bit harder than he should. Adam Foote stepped in to protect his teammates, and Clutterbuck cowered away when he was challenged. Martin Havlat also took a few cheap shots. Was called for a blatant slash on Duchene early, then took a couple of little swipes at Foote throughout the rest of the game. Then, again, when Foote stepped up into his face, Havlat scooted backwards and started yapping once 3 of his teammates were between him and Foote. Some lack of class there. Though you expect tempers in a divisional game.
Speaking of divisional games, with this loss, the Avs are now 2-6-1 against teams in the Northwest Divison. That is not going to be good enough if you want to get to the playoffs. The Avs also have a lot of divisional games coming up. The play Edmenton and Calgary on back to back nights, and then host Vancouver. They need to play better within their division if they want to go anywhere in the post season.
Avs defense continues to hurt them. Shattenkirk had a horrible giveaway on their first goal. D unable to clear people from the front of the net in several situations. That has to improve. Avs also need to get healthy. They are seriously missing the likes of Chris Stewart and Milan Hejduk. Stewarts power and versatility is always tough for teams to deal with, and Hejduk just has so many intangible that he can always do what is needed.
Avs now get a few days off to think about what needs to get fixed, and then come back against Detroit on Monday.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Avs vs. Kings Recap
The Avs came into this game with the longest active win streak, at 6 games. Could the push it to 7? We would see.
Scoring Recap
The Kings got things going on a pretty weak goal. Rob Scuderi put a shot on Anderson from the point. Andy made the save, but kicked the rebound right back to Scuderi. Scuderi put it to the back hand and put it past Andy on the short side. Andy reacted very poorly to that move, waiting until after Scuderi had made the move and shot the puck before he reacted. 1-0 Kings
Second period
The whole second period belonged to the Kings. The Kings had a few shifts that lasted a long time in the Avs zone. Brad Richardson got his 4th goal of the year against the Avalanche, he has 5 total in the season by the way. He redirected a pass by Doughty who made a great move after the Avs were unable to clear the puck from their zone. That has been one of the things that the Avs have struggled with, quick, efficient clears to get the puck out of their zone.
Third period
Avs just couldn't get anything going, at all. Dustin Brown got a goal where he basically was picking up the scraps. Kopitar made a great move to the front of the net and muscled his way past Kevin Shattenkirk. Andy stopped that one, but couldn't control the puck, or himself. The puck stayed still, and Andy slid out of the way, allowing Brown to just put it home uncontested. I say uncontested because Hunwick just stood there and watched as Brown scored. 3-0 Avs.
Dustin Brown scored again with about 5 minutes left. Cut to the middle, just sort of threw it at the net, and Andy gave up another soft one through the wickets.
Later, the Avs took a late penalty, and immediately gave up a one time power play goal by Justin Williams. Kings finish off the Avs and their win streak with a 5-0 beat down.
This was the first game that the Avs were shut out all season long. Mark Rycroft said that the Avs competed tonight but just didn't get the breaks. That is not really the case in my estimation. The Avs were clearly the slower, weaker team tonight. The big difference came when the Avs got down. In the past couple of games, when the Avs were scored on, they immediately came back and got on their opponents to even up the game. That did not happen at all tonight. Instead of rising up to equal the game, it really seemed like they were actually deflated by these goals. It was almost like they were so used to getting a tying goal when down that they just expected it to happen, but it sure did not.
The other big thing that happened in this game, and happened a lot when the Avs have been struggling, was the amount of shots that missed the net. There were a lot of those tonight that just went high, or wide. It's hard to score goals when the pucks aren't going on the net. Only 23 shots on goal tonight, and that is just not going to do it against a team that is scoring and is very solid defensively like the Kings.
Andy has also been very weak of late. Yes, he won his last 6 before this, but he has been giving up a lot of goals in those games. He's been soft, and needs to regain some of that form from last year, even a little of it, in order to make sure the Avs don't go on the wrong kind of streak.
One thing that you know is going to happen is that Sacco will be all over the guys about this. Sacco is not the type of coach that lets this type of play just go and assume that things will get better. You better believe the Avs are going to be worked in their next practice. My hope is that Sacco will stick with is form of holding players accountable. Hunwick has hurt this team since being here. Tonight you saw it again, where he goes and stands in front of the net, and watches as the other team crashes aggressively and scores an easy goal. Since joining the Avs, Hunwick is -5, and has only had a plus rating in 2 games. That doesn't necessarily mean he's playing poorly, but it does mean he's on when we're scored against. And many of the plays that we saw tonight, where he just stands and watches, has become a regular occurrence.
Well, Avs next game come on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Avs hoping that Santa leaves an early Christmas gift under the tree and gets the Avs another big win against a divisional rival! Need a bounce back game!
Scoring Recap
The Kings got things going on a pretty weak goal. Rob Scuderi put a shot on Anderson from the point. Andy made the save, but kicked the rebound right back to Scuderi. Scuderi put it to the back hand and put it past Andy on the short side. Andy reacted very poorly to that move, waiting until after Scuderi had made the move and shot the puck before he reacted. 1-0 Kings
Second period
The whole second period belonged to the Kings. The Kings had a few shifts that lasted a long time in the Avs zone. Brad Richardson got his 4th goal of the year against the Avalanche, he has 5 total in the season by the way. He redirected a pass by Doughty who made a great move after the Avs were unable to clear the puck from their zone. That has been one of the things that the Avs have struggled with, quick, efficient clears to get the puck out of their zone.
Third period
Avs just couldn't get anything going, at all. Dustin Brown got a goal where he basically was picking up the scraps. Kopitar made a great move to the front of the net and muscled his way past Kevin Shattenkirk. Andy stopped that one, but couldn't control the puck, or himself. The puck stayed still, and Andy slid out of the way, allowing Brown to just put it home uncontested. I say uncontested because Hunwick just stood there and watched as Brown scored. 3-0 Avs.
Dustin Brown scored again with about 5 minutes left. Cut to the middle, just sort of threw it at the net, and Andy gave up another soft one through the wickets.
Later, the Avs took a late penalty, and immediately gave up a one time power play goal by Justin Williams. Kings finish off the Avs and their win streak with a 5-0 beat down.
This was the first game that the Avs were shut out all season long. Mark Rycroft said that the Avs competed tonight but just didn't get the breaks. That is not really the case in my estimation. The Avs were clearly the slower, weaker team tonight. The big difference came when the Avs got down. In the past couple of games, when the Avs were scored on, they immediately came back and got on their opponents to even up the game. That did not happen at all tonight. Instead of rising up to equal the game, it really seemed like they were actually deflated by these goals. It was almost like they were so used to getting a tying goal when down that they just expected it to happen, but it sure did not.
The other big thing that happened in this game, and happened a lot when the Avs have been struggling, was the amount of shots that missed the net. There were a lot of those tonight that just went high, or wide. It's hard to score goals when the pucks aren't going on the net. Only 23 shots on goal tonight, and that is just not going to do it against a team that is scoring and is very solid defensively like the Kings.
Andy has also been very weak of late. Yes, he won his last 6 before this, but he has been giving up a lot of goals in those games. He's been soft, and needs to regain some of that form from last year, even a little of it, in order to make sure the Avs don't go on the wrong kind of streak.
One thing that you know is going to happen is that Sacco will be all over the guys about this. Sacco is not the type of coach that lets this type of play just go and assume that things will get better. You better believe the Avs are going to be worked in their next practice. My hope is that Sacco will stick with is form of holding players accountable. Hunwick has hurt this team since being here. Tonight you saw it again, where he goes and stands in front of the net, and watches as the other team crashes aggressively and scores an easy goal. Since joining the Avs, Hunwick is -5, and has only had a plus rating in 2 games. That doesn't necessarily mean he's playing poorly, but it does mean he's on when we're scored against. And many of the plays that we saw tonight, where he just stands and watches, has become a regular occurrence.
Well, Avs next game come on Thursday against the Minnesota Wild. Avs hoping that Santa leaves an early Christmas gift under the tree and gets the Avs another big win against a divisional rival! Need a bounce back game!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Avs vs Canadiens Recap
Well, what a game tonight for the Avalanche! After a rather up and down game against the Ottawa Senators a couple of nights ago, the Avs played host to one of the top teams in the Eastern conference, the Montreal Canadiens. Well, before I recap this game, let's give a bit of lead up, shall we?
Coming into tonight, the Avs had won 5 straight games. Not only that, but they were 6-0-2 in their last 8 games. The Avs were quite fortunate to pull out the win that they did against Ottawa, an overtime win 6-5, because they were sloppy defensively, and Craig Anderson was not very solid in net. But, the Avs were firing on all cylinders offensively, and managed to answer Ottawa at every turn. They had to know that if they came out with that same kind of sloppiness against Montreal, they would be made to pay for it. Well, they definitely responded in kind.
Scoring recap.
Mike Cammalleri got the scoring started for the Habs, on the PP. 3 of the Avs PK all went to the same spot to try and clear the puck, and failed. Leaving Foote alone on a 2 on 1. Cammelleri made a very pretty give and go and fired it right over Andy's glove. Never had a chance.
Avs answered on a PP of their own. Ryan Wilson scored this one from the point, through a ton of traffic in front with about 7 seconds left in the first period. Price probably never saw the shot.
Habs went back on top with another PP goal in the second. A shot rebounded off of Anderson right to the waiting Alexander Picard, distant relative of Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and pounded it home.
The Avs responded just over a minute later when Kevin Porter slipped one by Carey Price on a backhand as he rushed towards the net. This was a pretty weak one, by Price's standards, and I'm sure he would like to have it back. 2-2.
Then T.J. Galliardi put the Avs up to stay late in the 2nd period when Ryan O'Reilly but a very hard wrister on net. Price made a great save, up high, but the puck bounced straight up. Both Galliardi and Mauldin were crashing the net, and the Avs got a fortunate bounce off of Galliardi's leg, and past price. Proving the old saying true that "if you go to the net, good things happen."
The Avs survived an assault of shots in the third period, 14 to be exact, to hold on to the win. Anderson looking very good late, especially, to help the Avs hold on.
The Avs improved to 11-0-0 when leading after 2 periods, and the Habs fell to 0-11-0 when trailing after 2 periods, remaining the only team in the league to not come back and gain any type of point when trailing after 2 periods of play. The Avs also extend their win streak to 6 games, once again pulling ahead of the Vancouver Canucks by 2 points in the Northwest Division, and sit in 3rd position in the Western Conference. Where they will be by the end of tomorrow is anybody's guess in the crazy, crazy West.
Sadly, Matt Duchene's point streak was snapped in this game, but I don't think that will bother him too much. This guy is a huge team player. Galliardi returned to the lineup against Ottawa, after missing 17 games with a wrist injury, and has goals in both of his games. Not a bad way to come back. Since Anderson returned against Florida a week and a half ago, his only loss has come in OT, against those Panthers. Since then, he has not lost a game, and neither have the Avs. The Avs are in a current stretch of 19 games, where 15 of them will be played at home, and they have gotten off to a good start. As time goes on, this could prove to be a very crucial stretch of games for the Avalanche, where they very well could pull away from the Canucks as long as the continue to find ways to put the puck in the net.
One bit of bad news for the Avs tonight. Defenseman Kyle Quincey is to undergo season ending shoulder surgery after he was hurt in Washington against the Capitals. Obviously it is bad, because you never like to see a member of your team go down and out for the season. At the same time, Quincey has been very suspect, defensively, this year. He's made a lot of bad plays that have led to goals, and has been on the ice, just kind of standing and watching goals go in this year. He has been virtually invisible offensively, especially in comparison to what he did last year. Definitely hope he is able to fully recuperate from this injury and come back and play well.
Avs record now stands at 19-10-4, First in the NW Division. They play again on Tuesday when they host the LA Kings. Should be another good one as they try and push their win streak to 7 games! Go Avs!
Coming into tonight, the Avs had won 5 straight games. Not only that, but they were 6-0-2 in their last 8 games. The Avs were quite fortunate to pull out the win that they did against Ottawa, an overtime win 6-5, because they were sloppy defensively, and Craig Anderson was not very solid in net. But, the Avs were firing on all cylinders offensively, and managed to answer Ottawa at every turn. They had to know that if they came out with that same kind of sloppiness against Montreal, they would be made to pay for it. Well, they definitely responded in kind.
Scoring recap.
Mike Cammalleri got the scoring started for the Habs, on the PP. 3 of the Avs PK all went to the same spot to try and clear the puck, and failed. Leaving Foote alone on a 2 on 1. Cammelleri made a very pretty give and go and fired it right over Andy's glove. Never had a chance.
Avs answered on a PP of their own. Ryan Wilson scored this one from the point, through a ton of traffic in front with about 7 seconds left in the first period. Price probably never saw the shot.
Habs went back on top with another PP goal in the second. A shot rebounded off of Anderson right to the waiting Alexander Picard, distant relative of Enterprise Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and pounded it home.
The Avs responded just over a minute later when Kevin Porter slipped one by Carey Price on a backhand as he rushed towards the net. This was a pretty weak one, by Price's standards, and I'm sure he would like to have it back. 2-2.
Then T.J. Galliardi put the Avs up to stay late in the 2nd period when Ryan O'Reilly but a very hard wrister on net. Price made a great save, up high, but the puck bounced straight up. Both Galliardi and Mauldin were crashing the net, and the Avs got a fortunate bounce off of Galliardi's leg, and past price. Proving the old saying true that "if you go to the net, good things happen."
The Avs survived an assault of shots in the third period, 14 to be exact, to hold on to the win. Anderson looking very good late, especially, to help the Avs hold on.
The Avs improved to 11-0-0 when leading after 2 periods, and the Habs fell to 0-11-0 when trailing after 2 periods, remaining the only team in the league to not come back and gain any type of point when trailing after 2 periods of play. The Avs also extend their win streak to 6 games, once again pulling ahead of the Vancouver Canucks by 2 points in the Northwest Division, and sit in 3rd position in the Western Conference. Where they will be by the end of tomorrow is anybody's guess in the crazy, crazy West.
Sadly, Matt Duchene's point streak was snapped in this game, but I don't think that will bother him too much. This guy is a huge team player. Galliardi returned to the lineup against Ottawa, after missing 17 games with a wrist injury, and has goals in both of his games. Not a bad way to come back. Since Anderson returned against Florida a week and a half ago, his only loss has come in OT, against those Panthers. Since then, he has not lost a game, and neither have the Avs. The Avs are in a current stretch of 19 games, where 15 of them will be played at home, and they have gotten off to a good start. As time goes on, this could prove to be a very crucial stretch of games for the Avalanche, where they very well could pull away from the Canucks as long as the continue to find ways to put the puck in the net.
One bit of bad news for the Avs tonight. Defenseman Kyle Quincey is to undergo season ending shoulder surgery after he was hurt in Washington against the Capitals. Obviously it is bad, because you never like to see a member of your team go down and out for the season. At the same time, Quincey has been very suspect, defensively, this year. He's made a lot of bad plays that have led to goals, and has been on the ice, just kind of standing and watching goals go in this year. He has been virtually invisible offensively, especially in comparison to what he did last year. Definitely hope he is able to fully recuperate from this injury and come back and play well.
Avs record now stands at 19-10-4, First in the NW Division. They play again on Tuesday when they host the LA Kings. Should be another good one as they try and push their win streak to 7 games! Go Avs!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Vancouver Woes
The Avs are having issues in Vancouver. Not just troubles of the winning kind either. Though the Avs just did lose tonight, 4-2, they lost a bunch more than just a game. For the second time in as many trips to Vancouver, the Avs lost goalie Craigh Anderson, this time to an apparent groin injury. Then, later in the game, Adam Foote went down with a leg injury that sure didn't look too nice in the replay. A knee to knee incident where you immediately saw that Foote couldn't support his weight anymore, and had to be helped off of the ice.
As if that wasn't enough, the game winning goal for Vancouver was scored when Tambellini, #10 for the Cannucks, hit backup goalie, Peter Budaj, in the head with his stick, which then bopped an airborne puck straight back into the net. This was the second game in a row where Vancouver scored a goal off of Budaj's head. You just can't ask for luck this bad against a team.
Plus, after the Avs had pulled back to within one goal, they managed to give the puck away at their own blue line which lead from one Sedin, to the other, then the Alex Burrows, and then to the back of the net. This was definitely more about poor puck possession than bad luck, but the whole night was just off for the Avs. Poor play in their own zone, constantly making bad attempts to clear the puck which resulted in several shifts where they were pretty much just running around in their own zone, not getting enough offensive pressure, and still taking too many penalties (though they did manage to keep Vancouver's #1 rated power play off of the score board tonight) led to this loss.
The Avs play tomorrow in Edmonton, and they had better look better than they did tonight. Joe Sacco said in the teams pre-game skate that these three games, which started with the Cannucks tonight, should be easy ones to motivate for. Well, while they weren't as horrible as they were the last time they played the Cannucks, they sure didn't look as if they were ready to come out and beat the Cannucks tonight. Tomorrow against the Oilers, a team that they should definitely beat, and then again on Saturday against the Wild, another team that has been bottom dwelling, that they should beat. Let's see how motivated and prepared this team is, because games against those kinds of teams, the teams that you really should be whenever you play them, is one of the things that will make you or break you when it's time to see who makes the playoffs.
As if that wasn't enough, the game winning goal for Vancouver was scored when Tambellini, #10 for the Cannucks, hit backup goalie, Peter Budaj, in the head with his stick, which then bopped an airborne puck straight back into the net. This was the second game in a row where Vancouver scored a goal off of Budaj's head. You just can't ask for luck this bad against a team.
Plus, after the Avs had pulled back to within one goal, they managed to give the puck away at their own blue line which lead from one Sedin, to the other, then the Alex Burrows, and then to the back of the net. This was definitely more about poor puck possession than bad luck, but the whole night was just off for the Avs. Poor play in their own zone, constantly making bad attempts to clear the puck which resulted in several shifts where they were pretty much just running around in their own zone, not getting enough offensive pressure, and still taking too many penalties (though they did manage to keep Vancouver's #1 rated power play off of the score board tonight) led to this loss.
The Avs play tomorrow in Edmonton, and they had better look better than they did tonight. Joe Sacco said in the teams pre-game skate that these three games, which started with the Cannucks tonight, should be easy ones to motivate for. Well, while they weren't as horrible as they were the last time they played the Cannucks, they sure didn't look as if they were ready to come out and beat the Cannucks tonight. Tomorrow against the Oilers, a team that they should definitely beat, and then again on Saturday against the Wild, another team that has been bottom dwelling, that they should beat. Let's see how motivated and prepared this team is, because games against those kinds of teams, the teams that you really should be whenever you play them, is one of the things that will make you or break you when it's time to see who makes the playoffs.
Friday, November 19, 2010
The Avs Start to Get Healthy
10 games after my last post on the Avs, and a lot has gone on. The night I made my last post, Craig Anderson went down with a knee injury and nobody knew how long he would be out. Well, he returned tonight and helped the Avs to a 5-1 victory over the New York Rangers.
Over the past 10 games, the Avs have seen a lot of faces come up and contribute, due to necessity from injury. Adam Foote went out, Kyle Quincy, Kyle Cumiskey, TJ Galliardi, Craig Anderson, David Koci (though nobody really noticed his absence as all he does is come out for a couple of minutes and then sits for 5 minutes). Normally, a team this hit by injury, you would expect to crash and burn, but in the last 10 games, that have been without Craig Anderson, the Avs are 7-3. Why the success? The young blood that has come in, and, strangely enough, Peter Budaj. I mean, this is the guy that didn't manage to stay ahead of Jose Theodore, and assisted the Avs to a 14th place Western Conference finish, yet he's helped the Avs to a 7-3 record in their last 10. Why?
Well, here's my theory. Last year the Avs allowed more shots on goal than any other team in the NHL. And Craig Anderson bailed them out A LOT! There were very few games in which the Avs actually out shot their opponents last year, and they were quite frequently badly outshot. In the last 10, the Avs out shot their opponents 4 times, were exactly even in shots twice, and really only badly outshot once, against the Sharks in an OT victory. Something seems to have happened to this Avs team that took a full season and 20 games to catch on.
In the last 10 games, the Avs have scored 40 goals, and only given up 24. Once Craig Anderson went down, then Adam Foote, and other defensemen, it seems as if this team realized that they couldn't actually rely on their goalie to steal games for them, and realized that some serious offense was in order. Suddenly, the Avs have realized that the best way to win the games is to score against your opponents. And the young blood that was brought in has definitely helped.
Kevin Porter has scored some great goals, and actually has the GWG in the last 2 games for the Avs. Kevin Shattnekirk has proven to be very effective defensively, and has 2 goals in his last 2 games. Colby Cohen was involved in a lot of scraps in the time that he spent, and even managed to get under the skin of Jarome Iginla. Jonas Holos jumpstarted the Avs power play with his big shot, and helped with his physical play.
Now, the Avs are getting healthy. Adam Foote is back in the line-up, Craig Anderson is back in the line up, and it is obvious that those two should be brought right back into the line-up. Both great leaders for this team, but now there is a real question about what to do with the 2 Kyles, Cumiskey and Quincey, when they get back. If you ask me, at least one of them needs to go. We have a better offensive defensemen right now, and it would be a huge mistake to send him back down. Shatty is ready for the big time, and has already proven that he is more reliable than both of the Kyles in his own zone. I'm quite interested to see where this Avs team goes. They are now tied for first in the NW division, and if the type of offense keeps coming around that we have seen in the last 10, and Andy and Boods actually get the support that they have needed, we could possibly see a big move up in the standings for these Avs.
As the giant homer that I am, I will keep rooting for my Avs to make a return to the top of our division.
Over the past 10 games, the Avs have seen a lot of faces come up and contribute, due to necessity from injury. Adam Foote went out, Kyle Quincy, Kyle Cumiskey, TJ Galliardi, Craig Anderson, David Koci (though nobody really noticed his absence as all he does is come out for a couple of minutes and then sits for 5 minutes). Normally, a team this hit by injury, you would expect to crash and burn, but in the last 10 games, that have been without Craig Anderson, the Avs are 7-3. Why the success? The young blood that has come in, and, strangely enough, Peter Budaj. I mean, this is the guy that didn't manage to stay ahead of Jose Theodore, and assisted the Avs to a 14th place Western Conference finish, yet he's helped the Avs to a 7-3 record in their last 10. Why?
Well, here's my theory. Last year the Avs allowed more shots on goal than any other team in the NHL. And Craig Anderson bailed them out A LOT! There were very few games in which the Avs actually out shot their opponents last year, and they were quite frequently badly outshot. In the last 10, the Avs out shot their opponents 4 times, were exactly even in shots twice, and really only badly outshot once, against the Sharks in an OT victory. Something seems to have happened to this Avs team that took a full season and 20 games to catch on.
In the last 10 games, the Avs have scored 40 goals, and only given up 24. Once Craig Anderson went down, then Adam Foote, and other defensemen, it seems as if this team realized that they couldn't actually rely on their goalie to steal games for them, and realized that some serious offense was in order. Suddenly, the Avs have realized that the best way to win the games is to score against your opponents. And the young blood that was brought in has definitely helped.
Kevin Porter has scored some great goals, and actually has the GWG in the last 2 games for the Avs. Kevin Shattnekirk has proven to be very effective defensively, and has 2 goals in his last 2 games. Colby Cohen was involved in a lot of scraps in the time that he spent, and even managed to get under the skin of Jarome Iginla. Jonas Holos jumpstarted the Avs power play with his big shot, and helped with his physical play.
Now, the Avs are getting healthy. Adam Foote is back in the line-up, Craig Anderson is back in the line up, and it is obvious that those two should be brought right back into the line-up. Both great leaders for this team, but now there is a real question about what to do with the 2 Kyles, Cumiskey and Quincey, when they get back. If you ask me, at least one of them needs to go. We have a better offensive defensemen right now, and it would be a huge mistake to send him back down. Shatty is ready for the big time, and has already proven that he is more reliable than both of the Kyles in his own zone. I'm quite interested to see where this Avs team goes. They are now tied for first in the NW division, and if the type of offense keeps coming around that we have seen in the last 10, and Andy and Boods actually get the support that they have needed, we could possibly see a big move up in the standings for these Avs.
As the giant homer that I am, I will keep rooting for my Avs to make a return to the top of our division.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
9 games in, my thoughts on the Avs thus far.
Well, we're nearly 10 games into the NHL regular season, and we are once again seeing some great action from the Colorado Avs. Craig Anderson has been good, although we are now awaiting word on his injury from warm ups in Vancouver (other than it is a knee injury), and the team has its skating legs. But there is definite room for improvement.
First off, bright spots. John Michael Liles has been a HUGE bright spot. 0 goals, but 11 assists in 9 games, with a record setting assist in each game. He's not a big guy, and he doesn't have a huge shot, but he's a very fast skater who can get the puck to the net and let the bigger guys get things done. With 11 points in the first 9 games, you have to think that cracking 40 points will be a no brainer. Could be a career year for Liles.
Daniel Winnik was possibly the best offseason pickup by the Avs this year. This guy is fast, and smart. He's great defensively, and is able to contribute offensively. He logs a bunch of penalty minutes, and may get you 15 goals, great contribution from a 3rd line guy. I have been amazingly impressed by this guy, and won't be surprised to see his ice time continue to go up.
Chris Stewart. Always wonder about a guy who really busts out in a contract year. Wonder if he can put out that same type of effort now that he got a raise. So far, so good. 5 goals, including that amazing bomb (at 33 seconds) that beat the great Martin Brodeur. This guy is the real deal. I'm expecting 30 goals from him.
Minuses.
Special Teams.
As pointed out by several people, such as Adian Dater, have pointed out that the Avs are very undersized on the blue line, which hurts both your special teams. Hard when you don't have a big guy to get a big shot on the PP, and then you also can't keep your crease clear on the PK. Avs PK is located towards the bottom of the league, and the PP has given up 4 short handed goals, which you just can't do. This could be a big deciding factor in whether or not the Avs make the playoffs.
Defense
Again, thus far, the Avs D has looked about the same. Giving up tons of shots against, and just not getting involved enough offensively (with the exception of Liles of course). They're small, and very young. Holos has been a great surprise, and has even helped out the PP a bit, but this team lacks a really big #1 style shut down defensemen that isn't in his 20th year in the league. I love Footer, but that guy is old, and not long for this league.
4th line.
Really, we don't have one. They play, but we really don't get much productivity out of them. And, again, they are small. Our biggest guy, David Koci, is also our most worthless guy. He was a healthy scratch almost all of last season, and when he was on the ice, his job isn't to play, it's to fight. We lack a strong checking, very physical, and intimidating 4th line.
Question marks.
Craig Anderson
Slow down, I love this guy! The question is definitely not about his ability, it's more about whether or not he can handle the same type of load that Joe Sacco gave him last year. He faced more shots than anybody in the NHL, and made more saves, last year. Had 7 shutouts, and was just amazing. I'm more questioning how he will be used, because I think he was tired by the time we were giving up 50 shots each playoff game to the Sharks. He needs help. edit: Of course, now the question has become when is he going to be back for the Avs?! Currently, he is being listed as indefinitely out. This, needless to say, is bad. So now the bigger question is how will Budaj respond, and will we try and make any moves to get another goalie to help shoulder the load?
Matt Duchene
He's playing well, and has decent numbers (2 goal and 6 assists), but he seems like he is trying to do too much at times. He's getting chances, but really looks like he's trying to be too cute sometimes. I think he'll get through it, but you gotta hope that this Calder finalist won't fall victim to the sophomore slump.
All in all, my general assessment of this team is that they are, by and large, exactly the same as last year. Lots of shots, will rely heavily on their goalie and on a bunch of really young players that we aren't totally sure are going to be able to live up to their expectations. I'm not going to write them off yet, but I do believe that the Avs will be fortunate to make the playoffs this year. So here's hoping. GO AVS!
First off, bright spots. John Michael Liles has been a HUGE bright spot. 0 goals, but 11 assists in 9 games, with a record setting assist in each game. He's not a big guy, and he doesn't have a huge shot, but he's a very fast skater who can get the puck to the net and let the bigger guys get things done. With 11 points in the first 9 games, you have to think that cracking 40 points will be a no brainer. Could be a career year for Liles.
Daniel Winnik was possibly the best offseason pickup by the Avs this year. This guy is fast, and smart. He's great defensively, and is able to contribute offensively. He logs a bunch of penalty minutes, and may get you 15 goals, great contribution from a 3rd line guy. I have been amazingly impressed by this guy, and won't be surprised to see his ice time continue to go up.
Chris Stewart. Always wonder about a guy who really busts out in a contract year. Wonder if he can put out that same type of effort now that he got a raise. So far, so good. 5 goals, including that amazing bomb (at 33 seconds) that beat the great Martin Brodeur. This guy is the real deal. I'm expecting 30 goals from him.
Minuses.
Special Teams.
As pointed out by several people, such as Adian Dater, have pointed out that the Avs are very undersized on the blue line, which hurts both your special teams. Hard when you don't have a big guy to get a big shot on the PP, and then you also can't keep your crease clear on the PK. Avs PK is located towards the bottom of the league, and the PP has given up 4 short handed goals, which you just can't do. This could be a big deciding factor in whether or not the Avs make the playoffs.
Defense
Again, thus far, the Avs D has looked about the same. Giving up tons of shots against, and just not getting involved enough offensively (with the exception of Liles of course). They're small, and very young. Holos has been a great surprise, and has even helped out the PP a bit, but this team lacks a really big #1 style shut down defensemen that isn't in his 20th year in the league. I love Footer, but that guy is old, and not long for this league.
4th line.
Really, we don't have one. They play, but we really don't get much productivity out of them. And, again, they are small. Our biggest guy, David Koci, is also our most worthless guy. He was a healthy scratch almost all of last season, and when he was on the ice, his job isn't to play, it's to fight. We lack a strong checking, very physical, and intimidating 4th line.
Question marks.
Craig Anderson
Slow down, I love this guy! The question is definitely not about his ability, it's more about whether or not he can handle the same type of load that Joe Sacco gave him last year. He faced more shots than anybody in the NHL, and made more saves, last year. Had 7 shutouts, and was just amazing. I'm more questioning how he will be used, because I think he was tired by the time we were giving up 50 shots each playoff game to the Sharks. He needs help. edit: Of course, now the question has become when is he going to be back for the Avs?! Currently, he is being listed as indefinitely out. This, needless to say, is bad. So now the bigger question is how will Budaj respond, and will we try and make any moves to get another goalie to help shoulder the load?
Matt Duchene
He's playing well, and has decent numbers (2 goal and 6 assists), but he seems like he is trying to do too much at times. He's getting chances, but really looks like he's trying to be too cute sometimes. I think he'll get through it, but you gotta hope that this Calder finalist won't fall victim to the sophomore slump.
All in all, my general assessment of this team is that they are, by and large, exactly the same as last year. Lots of shots, will rely heavily on their goalie and on a bunch of really young players that we aren't totally sure are going to be able to live up to their expectations. I'm not going to write them off yet, but I do believe that the Avs will be fortunate to make the playoffs this year. So here's hoping. GO AVS!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
NHL Season Preview: Western Conference!
We are still plenty early in the season, so I thought that I would take a moment to give my season preview for the NHL. People are quite familiar with my feelings on hockey, as I do believe that it is currently the most exciting game to watch in the world right now, and I certainly hope that you all will join me and my excitement for this exhilarating game! Now, let's have a look at each division and conference. Starting with the best conference, the Western Conference.
Central Division:
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues.
All of these teams, except for the Preds, have colors in them. Fun fact, but completely irrelevant to the conversation. Now, as many people know, the Blackhawks are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. They just raised their Stanley Cup Championship Banner the other night. But their offseason was not pretty. Serious salary cap issues forced them to get rid of a number of the players that were key to getting them to that Stanley Cup. Most notably, Dustin Byfuglien and Antti Niemi. Niemi played incredibly on their way to the cup, and Byfuglien could not be stopped from in front of the net. They did pick up Marty Turco, life-long good regular season goalie but playoff choke artist, to help them out in goal, but the physical presence that Byfuglien brought will be sorely missed.
The Detroit Red Wings made waves by signing long time rival Mike Modano. Jimmy Howard played great for them in goal last year, and was a Calder finalist, NHL rookie of the year award, the big question will be about whether or not he can avoid a sophomore slump. They didn't really do too much, otherwise, to make themselves any younger, and the question for the Wings does revolve around whether or not they remain too old. There is no doubt of their skill, with players like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and others, but will they be able to push past other teams in their division.
The sleeper team in this division is the St. Louis Blues. Now, you might say what about Nashville, well they've been the sleeper in this division for a while. Usually competitive, but just not quite there. The big thing that makes the Blues a possibility is their big goalie acquisition this year. Jaraslov Halak. Now, Halak played OUT OF HIS MIND in last year's playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens. The big question is was this just a random fluke, or can he be the real deal? Now, people are fare too excited about him right now, claiming that he is this absolutely legit goalie, but one decent playoff run does not a franchise goalie make. He played scary good last year, no denying that, but we'll see what he's made of with a young Blues team that has a lot of talent, but a lot of shortcomings too. This team could be a surprise.
Columbus is the sad story in this division. Mainly because they just are never able to get over that hump. They have never been able to build a solid foundation around Rick Nash, and probably won't. Nash's contract keeps him in Columbus until 2018, but he may want out before that since he will never, EVER win a Stanley Cup in Columbus.
Division Winner: I hate to do it, but I think Detroit will benefit from Chicago's losses. Chicago will play well, and make the playoffs, but I think Detroit will take this division.
Northwest Division:
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Vancouver Cannucks
This is always one of the most difficult divisions to win. Each team, regardless of how well they are playing that season, always plays the others very hard. Vancouver has had a stranglehold on this division for the last few years, and I really don't see that changing this year. I'm a bit perplexed though. Vancouver is over the salary cap, and I'm not certain what the penalty is for that. You would think they would be forced to comply, but it doesn't look like anything is happening. I'll have to try and figure more of that out.
Edmonton managed to win their opening game of the season, and they will be quite exciting to watch, with a lot of really young talent, but I wouldn't count on them getting out of the basement this year. They may be ahead of Minnesota, but they won't make the playoffs by a long shot.
The big question, in my mind, in this division revolves around the Colorado Avalanche. Not just because they are my favorite team, but because they had a huge turn around last year, and everybody is curious about whether that was a fluke, or if they will be the real deal. Matt Duchene is the real deal, and that kid will only get better. Chris Stewart showed some amazing game last year, but the contract year question lingers around him. Did he play that well because it was a contract year, or because he's really that good? I think it is the latter, but we will see. And, of course, Craig Anderson. Last year, no goalie saw more shots, or stopped more shots, than Craig Anderson. Can he be as lights out as he was last year? In my opinion, they aren't going to want to play him as many games as they did last year. If they can get 10 more quality starts than last year out of Budaj, Anderson should stay fresh. Anderson, as it happens, is now in a contract year as well. So count on him playing his best so that he can lock up a long term deal with the Avs.
Division winner: Vancouver.
Pacific Division:
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotoes
San Jose Sharks
San Jose has dominated this division for years, but are they now yesterday's news? They are still loaded, there is no doubt about that. Marleau, Thorton, Heatley, plus the likes of Pavelski and Setoguchi, and Dan Boyle. Now a Stanley Cup winning goalie in Antti Niemi. People seem to think that San Jose managed to life their stigma of choke artists last year. I disagree. When you are the best team in the conference, you should be expected to win your conference. They have yet to do this. Should we say that they aren't choking just because they managed not to lose right away? To me, they are still chokers, they just didn't choke as bad as they usually do. Here's the cookie that you so richly deserve.
A lot of other interesting things though. The LA Kings are hot on the heels of the Sharks, as are the Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings are young, but have great veteran leadership as well. Ryan Smyth isn't what he used to be, but that guy will always work his guts out for you, and is a great stabilizing presence on the power play. The youth of this team is insanely gifted. Led by Drew Doughty, a finalist for the Norris Trophy (NHL's best defenseman last) last year, they also have the best scorer that nobody knows about, Anze Kopitar, on their team. Jonathan Quick also had a great year last year, in goal, and, should he improve, may be able to push the Kings to places they haven't seen since The Great One was in town.
The Coyotes are also quite talented. They finally have a stable goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov, who is also in a contract year. They also have an amazing core of young talent. A great acquisition from the Avs, Wojtek Wolski brings size, speed, and ability. Then add in the wiley veterans Shane Doan and very savvy offseason pick up of Ray Whitney, and you have a dangerous team. They're quite big and powerful on the blue line, as well, and really have great potential for this division. They are kind of the sexy pick to win the division.
Divison winner: I can't resist the sexiness, Phoenix wins the division, but people in Arizona still don't care about hockey. Sorry Gary Bettman.
Tune in next time for the preview of the Eastern Conference! Should be a good one!
Central Division:
Chicago Blackhawks
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Nashville Predators
St. Louis Blues.
All of these teams, except for the Preds, have colors in them. Fun fact, but completely irrelevant to the conversation. Now, as many people know, the Blackhawks are the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. They just raised their Stanley Cup Championship Banner the other night. But their offseason was not pretty. Serious salary cap issues forced them to get rid of a number of the players that were key to getting them to that Stanley Cup. Most notably, Dustin Byfuglien and Antti Niemi. Niemi played incredibly on their way to the cup, and Byfuglien could not be stopped from in front of the net. They did pick up Marty Turco, life-long good regular season goalie but playoff choke artist, to help them out in goal, but the physical presence that Byfuglien brought will be sorely missed.
The Detroit Red Wings made waves by signing long time rival Mike Modano. Jimmy Howard played great for them in goal last year, and was a Calder finalist, NHL rookie of the year award, the big question will be about whether or not he can avoid a sophomore slump. They didn't really do too much, otherwise, to make themselves any younger, and the question for the Wings does revolve around whether or not they remain too old. There is no doubt of their skill, with players like Pavel Datsyuk, Henrik Zetterberg, and others, but will they be able to push past other teams in their division.
The sleeper team in this division is the St. Louis Blues. Now, you might say what about Nashville, well they've been the sleeper in this division for a while. Usually competitive, but just not quite there. The big thing that makes the Blues a possibility is their big goalie acquisition this year. Jaraslov Halak. Now, Halak played OUT OF HIS MIND in last year's playoffs with the Montreal Canadiens. The big question is was this just a random fluke, or can he be the real deal? Now, people are fare too excited about him right now, claiming that he is this absolutely legit goalie, but one decent playoff run does not a franchise goalie make. He played scary good last year, no denying that, but we'll see what he's made of with a young Blues team that has a lot of talent, but a lot of shortcomings too. This team could be a surprise.
Columbus is the sad story in this division. Mainly because they just are never able to get over that hump. They have never been able to build a solid foundation around Rick Nash, and probably won't. Nash's contract keeps him in Columbus until 2018, but he may want out before that since he will never, EVER win a Stanley Cup in Columbus.
Division Winner: I hate to do it, but I think Detroit will benefit from Chicago's losses. Chicago will play well, and make the playoffs, but I think Detroit will take this division.
Northwest Division:
Calgary Flames
Colorado Avalanche
Edmonton Oilers
Minnesota Wild
Vancouver Cannucks
This is always one of the most difficult divisions to win. Each team, regardless of how well they are playing that season, always plays the others very hard. Vancouver has had a stranglehold on this division for the last few years, and I really don't see that changing this year. I'm a bit perplexed though. Vancouver is over the salary cap, and I'm not certain what the penalty is for that. You would think they would be forced to comply, but it doesn't look like anything is happening. I'll have to try and figure more of that out.
Edmonton managed to win their opening game of the season, and they will be quite exciting to watch, with a lot of really young talent, but I wouldn't count on them getting out of the basement this year. They may be ahead of Minnesota, but they won't make the playoffs by a long shot.
The big question, in my mind, in this division revolves around the Colorado Avalanche. Not just because they are my favorite team, but because they had a huge turn around last year, and everybody is curious about whether that was a fluke, or if they will be the real deal. Matt Duchene is the real deal, and that kid will only get better. Chris Stewart showed some amazing game last year, but the contract year question lingers around him. Did he play that well because it was a contract year, or because he's really that good? I think it is the latter, but we will see. And, of course, Craig Anderson. Last year, no goalie saw more shots, or stopped more shots, than Craig Anderson. Can he be as lights out as he was last year? In my opinion, they aren't going to want to play him as many games as they did last year. If they can get 10 more quality starts than last year out of Budaj, Anderson should stay fresh. Anderson, as it happens, is now in a contract year as well. So count on him playing his best so that he can lock up a long term deal with the Avs.
Division winner: Vancouver.
Pacific Division:
Anaheim Ducks
Dallas Stars
Los Angeles Kings
Phoenix Coyotoes
San Jose Sharks
San Jose has dominated this division for years, but are they now yesterday's news? They are still loaded, there is no doubt about that. Marleau, Thorton, Heatley, plus the likes of Pavelski and Setoguchi, and Dan Boyle. Now a Stanley Cup winning goalie in Antti Niemi. People seem to think that San Jose managed to life their stigma of choke artists last year. I disagree. When you are the best team in the conference, you should be expected to win your conference. They have yet to do this. Should we say that they aren't choking just because they managed not to lose right away? To me, they are still chokers, they just didn't choke as bad as they usually do. Here's the cookie that you so richly deserve.
A lot of other interesting things though. The LA Kings are hot on the heels of the Sharks, as are the Phoenix Coyotes. The Kings are young, but have great veteran leadership as well. Ryan Smyth isn't what he used to be, but that guy will always work his guts out for you, and is a great stabilizing presence on the power play. The youth of this team is insanely gifted. Led by Drew Doughty, a finalist for the Norris Trophy (NHL's best defenseman last) last year, they also have the best scorer that nobody knows about, Anze Kopitar, on their team. Jonathan Quick also had a great year last year, in goal, and, should he improve, may be able to push the Kings to places they haven't seen since The Great One was in town.
The Coyotes are also quite talented. They finally have a stable goalie in Ilya Bryzgalov, who is also in a contract year. They also have an amazing core of young talent. A great acquisition from the Avs, Wojtek Wolski brings size, speed, and ability. Then add in the wiley veterans Shane Doan and very savvy offseason pick up of Ray Whitney, and you have a dangerous team. They're quite big and powerful on the blue line, as well, and really have great potential for this division. They are kind of the sexy pick to win the division.
Divison winner: I can't resist the sexiness, Phoenix wins the division, but people in Arizona still don't care about hockey. Sorry Gary Bettman.
Tune in next time for the preview of the Eastern Conference! Should be a good one!
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Hockey Is Back!
Great time of year! Early in October, we see the return of the toughest gladiators in sports. Yes, that's right, hockey is back baby!! I know that I'm one of the minority in the United States that believes hockey is the sport to watch, but I am okay with that. I make my case yearly to people, and I'm fairly certain that I've made it on this blog before. I just believe hockey is the fastest, hardest hitting, most exciting game there is.
Plus, you have the players that are the most athletic that there are in sports. These guys all have to be in incredible shape to play this game. You watch how these guys skate, they are going all out the second that they step on the ice. Also, these guys are the classiest athletes in professional sports. You hear these guys making the Randy Moss comments after their first regular season game for their contracts? You see these guys making their own talk show because they simply can't stand to hear anything other than the sound of their own extremely annoying voice? No, these guys are all business. They go out, do their thing, play their game, and then they are good role models in the community. How many of these guys are dog fighters, or gang bangers, or other types of convicted felons? Hockey players have their head in the right place.
I will close by saying my usual comment. In this world where everything happens so fast; e-mail, food, music, news, everything, it shocks me more people aren't into this game. The thing people need, is education. Let me tell you right now, if you feel you can't understand the game of hockey, drop by my place, or A-Mac's place, and we'll teach you the ins and outs. Once you know it, you will be a fan for life. Bring on the pucks! LET'S GO AVS!!!
Plus, you have the players that are the most athletic that there are in sports. These guys all have to be in incredible shape to play this game. You watch how these guys skate, they are going all out the second that they step on the ice. Also, these guys are the classiest athletes in professional sports. You hear these guys making the Randy Moss comments after their first regular season game for their contracts? You see these guys making their own talk show because they simply can't stand to hear anything other than the sound of their own extremely annoying voice? No, these guys are all business. They go out, do their thing, play their game, and then they are good role models in the community. How many of these guys are dog fighters, or gang bangers, or other types of convicted felons? Hockey players have their head in the right place.
I will close by saying my usual comment. In this world where everything happens so fast; e-mail, food, music, news, everything, it shocks me more people aren't into this game. The thing people need, is education. Let me tell you right now, if you feel you can't understand the game of hockey, drop by my place, or A-Mac's place, and we'll teach you the ins and outs. Once you know it, you will be a fan for life. Bring on the pucks! LET'S GO AVS!!!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Conference Final Craziness
This is something that has been bugging me for years. This is a thing that seems to happen yearly in the NHL. The playoffs are long, and rough, and we all love to see who is going to play in the Stanley Cup Finals. The weird thing being that now, teams seem to not want to touch the trophy of their conference championship. The announcers love to play up "the curses" and after this year's playoffs, I reached my boiling point. I didn't write about this at the time because I was in the process of moving and just didn't have the time to, but now I am.
Who the hell came up with this? People talk about it like it has been around forever! The only problem is that this is something that seems to have just randomly shown up! I'm not certain from where, but somebody mentioned Eric Lindros in regards to this, but again, I'm not sure. At any rate, I am ready to debunk the incredibly stupid statement, yes, stupid statement, that Pittsburgh managed to break this supposed curse. I mean, you see in that clip that Toews didn't even touch that thing. So, here we go.
1995: New Jersey Devils. Scott Stevens lifts the trophy, Devils win the cup in 4 games. (7:03 in the clip)
1996: Colorado Avalanche Joe Sakic lifts trophy, Colorado wins the cup in 4 games. (1:04 in the clip)
1997: Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman lifts trophy, sweep the Stanley Cup.
1998: Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman lifts trophy again, and again, the Wings Sweep the finals.
1999: Dallas Stars. Derian Hatcher does not lift the bowl, but he does touch it. This is the first time I've ever seen a player not lift it.
2000: New Jersey Devils. Once again, Stevens lifts trophy, Devils win the Stanley Cup.
I couldn't find any other clips earlier than 1995 on You Tube, but something tells me that not too many other people went along with this beforehand. So, my plea to other teams is to let this particular "superstition" go. We've all seen, now, that for years, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the team that raised their conference championship trophy. They often won the cup in rather convincing fashion. So please, shut up Mike Milbury, Pittsburgh did not break the curse because there never was one.
Who the hell came up with this? People talk about it like it has been around forever! The only problem is that this is something that seems to have just randomly shown up! I'm not certain from where, but somebody mentioned Eric Lindros in regards to this, but again, I'm not sure. At any rate, I am ready to debunk the incredibly stupid statement, yes, stupid statement, that Pittsburgh managed to break this supposed curse. I mean, you see in that clip that Toews didn't even touch that thing. So, here we go.
1995: New Jersey Devils. Scott Stevens lifts the trophy, Devils win the cup in 4 games. (7:03 in the clip)
1996: Colorado Avalanche Joe Sakic lifts trophy, Colorado wins the cup in 4 games. (1:04 in the clip)
1997: Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman lifts trophy, sweep the Stanley Cup.
1998: Detroit Red Wings Steve Yzerman lifts trophy again, and again, the Wings Sweep the finals.
1999: Dallas Stars. Derian Hatcher does not lift the bowl, but he does touch it. This is the first time I've ever seen a player not lift it.
2000: New Jersey Devils. Once again, Stevens lifts trophy, Devils win the Stanley Cup.
I couldn't find any other clips earlier than 1995 on You Tube, but something tells me that not too many other people went along with this beforehand. So, my plea to other teams is to let this particular "superstition" go. We've all seen, now, that for years, there was absolutely nothing wrong with the team that raised their conference championship trophy. They often won the cup in rather convincing fashion. So please, shut up Mike Milbury, Pittsburgh did not break the curse because there never was one.
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Free Agency: NHL Style
I am definitely well aware of the fact that I am late on starting this, but that is not a problem. I must also apologize for not writing in quite a while. My wife and I have been quite busy moving. I got a new job up in Colorado, HOME STATE BABY!, and we have been quite busy packing and such. So that is why I have taken quite a while in updating this. So again, my apologies.
Now, I'm going to focus my attention on my hometown boys, the Colorado Avalanche, for the vast majority of this. Now, Greg Sherman, Avalanche GM, has made it abundantly clear that they are committed to a "build from within" style of management. Looking to "not take any shortcuts through trades or free agency." In general, I'm a fan of this idea, but there are some negatives. The good about it being that you are going to put your faith in your players, and allow them to prove themselves. You keep a core of guys together that you know work, and that ensures some great chemistry, and a pretty low payroll. We saw that promoting Joe Sacco was a great success for the Avs, as were many of the players that he brought up with him from Lake Eerie, the Avs AHL affiliate. The problem with this being that they are absolutely refusing to even consider making any signings out of free agency.
Don't get me wrong here, I understand the concept of not really wanting to shell out insane amounts of dollars to players that don't really deserve the contract, and I understand that the Avs have been guilty of that before (i.e. Ryan Smyth, Scott Hannan), but there were/are 2 players that I desperately wish the Avs had pursued during this time period. First, and most obviously, Ilya Kovalchuk. The Avs have slightly more than 30 million dollars worth of cap space this offseason, and could totally use a legit, all-star, sniper left wing that everybody has to pay attention to. Yes, his contract demands (10 million per year for 10-12 years) are pretty ridiculous, but the Avs are one of the teams out there that could actually afford this and still have some space left. I'd be happier with the whole 8 million a year for 8 years, but Kovy, and apparently the Avs, seem to have different plans. The other guy I really wanted, and is a totally moot point so I won't go too deep into it, was Anton Volchenkov. Just a beast of a shot blocking defensemen who is far more physical than any of the D-men we currently have on our roster. Oh well, I suppose that even though both of these guys are good LONG TERM options who are still quite young, Sherman believes that this is shortcutting, and would hurt the team in the long run. I call BS on that.
So far, 3 days into free agency, I'm most surprised at how crazily busy the Vancouver Cannucks have been. They have signed all kinds of folks, including coveted d-man Dan Hamhuis. This is a team that has won the NW division the last 2 seasons, and 3 out of the last 4 years. The NW is usually one of the most competitive in the NHL, and the Cannucks are showing that they realize this. I honestly think that they are the most likely to win it again, and have shown their fans that they are committed to getting better. What are the Avs showing? I'm not entirely certain yet. I'll let the year play out before I decide that this build from within strategy is bogus or not. But I can't imagine that the exact same guys are going to be THAT much better from one year to the next. Especially since we gave up so many shots last year, and Andy can't be as amazing as he was all the time. Eventually, he'll get tired of being peppered every single night.
So far, I give the Avs a D- for their performance during free agency.
Now, I'm going to focus my attention on my hometown boys, the Colorado Avalanche, for the vast majority of this. Now, Greg Sherman, Avalanche GM, has made it abundantly clear that they are committed to a "build from within" style of management. Looking to "not take any shortcuts through trades or free agency." In general, I'm a fan of this idea, but there are some negatives. The good about it being that you are going to put your faith in your players, and allow them to prove themselves. You keep a core of guys together that you know work, and that ensures some great chemistry, and a pretty low payroll. We saw that promoting Joe Sacco was a great success for the Avs, as were many of the players that he brought up with him from Lake Eerie, the Avs AHL affiliate. The problem with this being that they are absolutely refusing to even consider making any signings out of free agency.
Don't get me wrong here, I understand the concept of not really wanting to shell out insane amounts of dollars to players that don't really deserve the contract, and I understand that the Avs have been guilty of that before (i.e. Ryan Smyth, Scott Hannan), but there were/are 2 players that I desperately wish the Avs had pursued during this time period. First, and most obviously, Ilya Kovalchuk. The Avs have slightly more than 30 million dollars worth of cap space this offseason, and could totally use a legit, all-star, sniper left wing that everybody has to pay attention to. Yes, his contract demands (10 million per year for 10-12 years) are pretty ridiculous, but the Avs are one of the teams out there that could actually afford this and still have some space left. I'd be happier with the whole 8 million a year for 8 years, but Kovy, and apparently the Avs, seem to have different plans. The other guy I really wanted, and is a totally moot point so I won't go too deep into it, was Anton Volchenkov. Just a beast of a shot blocking defensemen who is far more physical than any of the D-men we currently have on our roster. Oh well, I suppose that even though both of these guys are good LONG TERM options who are still quite young, Sherman believes that this is shortcutting, and would hurt the team in the long run. I call BS on that.
So far, 3 days into free agency, I'm most surprised at how crazily busy the Vancouver Cannucks have been. They have signed all kinds of folks, including coveted d-man Dan Hamhuis. This is a team that has won the NW division the last 2 seasons, and 3 out of the last 4 years. The NW is usually one of the most competitive in the NHL, and the Cannucks are showing that they realize this. I honestly think that they are the most likely to win it again, and have shown their fans that they are committed to getting better. What are the Avs showing? I'm not entirely certain yet. I'll let the year play out before I decide that this build from within strategy is bogus or not. But I can't imagine that the exact same guys are going to be THAT much better from one year to the next. Especially since we gave up so many shots last year, and Andy can't be as amazing as he was all the time. Eventually, he'll get tired of being peppered every single night.
So far, I give the Avs a D- for their performance during free agency.
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