by Jes

Could you imagine the Colorado Crapalanche without Joe Sakic? He's been the face of the Quebec/Colorado franchise since I was a wee little lad, and not having him on the team would be like not having rain in Vancouver during an August morning.

The 39-year old veteran hummed and hawed for awhile, and then decided to come back for one more season of Canuck killing, his 20th in the NHL.

Patience paid off for the Colorado Avalanche, who signed Joe Sakic to a one-year, US$6-million contract Wednesday after he decided to play a 20th NHL season rather than call it a career.

"Ultimately it came down to the fact that I still enjoy playing and competing," the 39-year-old captain said in a statement released by the team. "I'm comfortable with my conditioning and my overall health.

"I'm ready for the start of camp and am looking forward to the upcoming season."

Last season was really quite strange as it was the first time that I can remember that Sakic looked less than immortal. As a Canucks/Blues fan, seeing Joe Sakic with the puck was pretty much guaranteed to induce that crap-my-pants feeling. You just knew that it would take nary a split-second before he unleashed a laser-like wrist shot that scored the Avs yet another goal.

It wasn't too long ago when Burnaby Joe was still an elite forward. Actually, it was just two seasons ago when Sakic reached 100 points and looked even better than he did before the lockout. It speaks to Sakic's skill and conditioning that he could dominate at his age.

At long last, the specters of age and injuries caught up with Sakic, and he fell to just 40 points in 44 games last season. Those who got to see a lot of Sakic on TV could see that he didn't have the same zip in his game and didn't instill the same fear as he once did. I find it amazing that Sakic even put up that much offence, given how "out of it" he looked.

Still, Sakic is one of the league's smartest offensive players, and still adds a lot to the Avs in terms of productivity and leadership. In today's NHL, a point-a-game pace is damn valuable. Even as a mere mortal brought low, Sakic is better than most players in the game.

So, enjoy Sakic while you can, because the face of the Avs, and of the game's best ever, will be skating off into the sunset before long.

Labels: avalanche, joe sakic

by Jes

Despite the fact that I deride Swedish hockey players, I've always had a serious man-crush on Peter Mattias Forsberg. If I had to look like a celebrity, I'd choose Forsberg, or Jiri Slegr. (We're no strangers to love)

What defines the standard 'Canadian' hockey player that we hold in such high regard? Looking at Forsberg, he's probably the most Canadian hockey player of all time.

You know the rules, and so do I: Drive, heart, grit, determination ... Forsberg has all of that. Who else could come back from a broken ankle, broken spleen, and the numerous other injuries to be as effective as Forsberg. Mere mortals would have given up, but Peter Forsberg is no mortal.

Despite all of the pain, he'll never give up.

Clutch? Forsberg is that. We know he's one of the best NHL playoff performers of all time, and we can't forget how he pwned Canada at the 1994 Olympic Winter Games.

Selflessness? Yep. Forsberg dishes out plenty of assists, and always looks to set up his friends, rather than selfishly shoot the puck like Alexander Ovechkin or Pavel Bure. In terms of team players, Forsberg has always given it his all and never worried about personal glory. A full commitment, is what I'm thinking of.

Let's took a look back at the career of Peter The Great. You wouldn't get this from any other guy.

Just remeber, Peter Forsberg will never, EVER:

a. Give you up
b. Let you down
c. Run around
d. Desert you

---

Peter Forsberg, is one of the most easily recognized names in the sport of ice hockey. He was a great from the minute he joined the NHL in regular season, but he was driven far above the rest when he played (and helped win) the Stanley Cup Playoffs while suffering from internal bleeding from a ruptured spleen. After winning the Cup he landed in the hospital to have it removed.

The next season, Forsberg virtually disappeared. The following season he brushed off the Avalanche (and the $11-million paycheck) because he didn't think he was prepared to get back into the game. The game we all love, the game Peter loves, had taken its toll. Forsberg headed home to frozen Sweden in a town so far north that it has only hours of moderate daylight in winter. Most of us were resigned to Peter being gone from the game -- a thought we hated but could not affect. I remember when ESPN's article, "Finding Forsberg" came out... I wasn't sure if I wanted them to find him or to leave him alone.

Peter is the essence of hockey. He is an outstanding two-way player with grit and determination and a true love and passion for the game. When the Hockey Gods got together to create the mold Peter eventually became, they knew it was a one-shot deal... Forsberg is a one-of-a-kind.

...and now that the Canucks are basically going to flop in the playoffs (Should they make it), I can finally jump on the Avalanche bandwagon and outwardly appreciate Peter, rather than curse his name outwardly while inwardly coveting him.

Accomplishments:

Only Swedish player to have won the Stanley Cup, World Championship, and Olympic Hockey Gold on two occasions.

Drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers as the 6th pick in the 1991 NHL Draft.

Traded to Quebec Nordiques for Eric Lindros (et al)

Scored the penalty-shot goal that won Sweden the Gold in the Winter Olympics in 1994

Played first NHL season in 1994-95 (strike-shortened season) grabbing 50 points and the Calder Trophy

In 1995, became a Colorado Avalanche when the Nordiques moved to Colorado, scored 116 points during the regular season and 21 points in 22 games to help win the Stanley Cup

2001 heralded a second Stanley Cup with the Avalanche but a ruptured spleen for Forsberg

In 2002-2003 Forsberg led the league with 106 points and awarded the Hart Trophy

Material shamelessly stolen from 'hockeychic'

Labels: avalanche, Peter Forsberg, Tribute

by Jes

Last night's 2-1 Avs win over the Canucks shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, given how the Canucks seem to be throwing away the season without so much as a shrug.

Outshot, outworked, outchanced, out-mostanythingelsed, etc ...

Forsberg made his return ... no points, but looked solid. I don't understand why Coach Q played him nearly 20 minutes. Wouldn't you want to ease the guy in just a little?

I'm with local radio ranter Neil MacRae on coach Vigneault singing the same old bad song over and over ... why?

“Our guys are squeezing their sticks a little bit on offense,” Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said. “It’s not going in for us right now. Our guys are good hockey players and they are in a funk right now. We have to keep working.”

Cut and paste that quote from the last 2 months, and you have what Vigneault has been saying after every game.

1. If the Canucks are good hockey players, why are they fighting for a playoff spot? Good team don't have these types of problems all season long.

2. Keep working? Look at the Canucks game in and game out, and see a team that isn't working nearly hard enough.

3. Not going in for us RIGHT NOW? How about all frickin season?

Vigneault's inability to admit failure is one big reason why the Canucks are in the funk they are in right now. Rather than admit the truth, Vigneault has allowed the Canucks to accept failure by accepting their sub-par play.

Do the Canucks really think that it's simply a string of bad luck? *Sigh*

The SedinBots + Naslund haven't scored a goal in ... what ... 5-6 games? The lack of passion showed by the Swedes is reason #2 (#1 is a lack of depth) why the Canucks will never go anywhere. With the season hanging in the balance, these three meatballs are basically going through the motions, and are getting push around more than the 90-pound weakling at the beach.

So, as it stands today, the Canucks are in NINTH place and out of the playoffs. The team can't score, and is unwilling to do what it takes to actually win some games.

I can understand the lack of offensive talent, but not the lack of effort. Vigneault needs to stop lying to himself, the fans, and the team, and just admit that his boys haven't been doing enough to win games.

Labels: avalanche, Canucks

by Jes



What is this? 2001?

First, the Avs sign Peter Forsberg and his bionic foot.

Then, the Avs trade for Adam Foote.

I wouldn't be surprised if Patrick Roy came out of retirement to suit up.

The price for the rental is STEEP: A first round draft choice.

From The Hat:

That’s an exceptionally high price to pay for a rental, so presumably, the Avalanche felt they needed Foote’s experience and toughness on a blue line that had been relatively soft all season.

Earlier, they surrendered Karlis Skrastins and a third-rounder to the Florida Panthers for Ruslan Salei, who hadn’t played in Colorado before but was an effective player for Anaheim when they made that unexpected run to the 2003 Stanley Cup final.

A little known fact: Salei averaged above 26 minutes for the then Mighty Ducks in that playoff run. Salei is a quietly effective player. On the Panthers, he was second in overall ice time behind only Jay Bouwmeester, generally a pretty good indication of how important a role a player can have.

The Avs have been freefalling lately, after managing to win games without their big stars.

Now, as the stars filter back into the lineup, and the Avs get Foote and Forsberg into the lineup, Canucks fans like myself are nervous about Colorado re-finding their groove.

And, yes, Slew-foot Salei is a fine defenseman that gets little notice. Skrastins was clearly skating around with a fork in his back, and the Avs needed an upgrade on D.

*gulp*

Labels: Adam Foote, avalanche, Peter Forsberg, Ruslan Salei

by Greg

I actually got out to a hockey game when I was back home in Colorado for the holidays -- no small feat these days. Unfortunately, I was sick, riding the Robitussin express and popping so many pills that Hunter S. Thompson would have blanched, so my observations were limited to these:

1) Wow, the Kings suck

2) Wow, the Kings beat the Avalanche

3) Thank God, they don't have some dolt dancing to "Cotton-Eyed Joe" during TV timeouts any more (now it's Herbie Hancocks' "Rockit")

4) Wow, hot brunette in a Czech national team jersey

Other than that, I was just vaguely blissed out, watching the Avalanche lose to one of the NHL's bottom-feeders, a trend that's continued since.

Oh, and -- Joe Sakic was out, possibly the first Avalanche game I've ever attended in person without ol' Joe. A preview, probably sooner rather than later, of what Avs-fandom will be like soon.

Back in 2006, when the retirement of Steve Yzerman was met with a level of mourning usually seen after the death of one of the more popular popes, I vowed I wouldn't react that way when the time came for Joe to stroll.

I'll still hold to that, but it's gonna be kind of ugly. One of the things I noticed was the lack of a "center" for the Avalanche -- not the position center, but more of a spiritual center (I'm not totally off the Robitussin). There wasn't anyone that you could look to in times of crisis, and feel reassured.

Ryan Smyth? Close -- he was the most noticeable Avalanche, making heads-up plays, getting opportunities (none of which bore fruit, alas). Milan Hejduk? Still exciting, but always more of a complementary player than a centerpiece. Paul Stastny? A Denver Post columnist proclaimed the team Stastny's after this game -- with curious timing, since his game wasn't spectacular. At this point, strong as his first years have been, he doesn't seem to fit the bill either.

The Avalanche will continue to contend without Sakic -- they've got good hockey minds up top, and these days, it doesn't take much to rebound (and doesn't take much to contend). But for 12+ years now, they've had one player constantly there to give them an identity, and for the first time the other night, I got a glimpse of what that'll be like going forward.

Addendum: oh, fantastic.

Labels: avalanche, joe sakic, robitussin

by Greg

Tough. I'm watching game one right now (Budaj looks like a god! This statement automatically revoked if he gives up a goal, EVER), and watching it with the rather surreal soundtrack of my own voice. In an attempt to spread my half-formed, poorly-researched insights across multiple platforms, I'm a guest on Alanah's "Crazy Canucks" podcast discussing the Avalanche (along with Tapeleg from Jerseys and Hockey Love). Despite a few too many glasses of wine during taping (on my part), the occasional obvious lack of research (Tony Amonte no longer on the Flames? Who knew?), it came out pretty well. Check it out (if you want to listen to a whole lotta stuff about the Avs). Thanks for the opportunity, Alanah!

Labels: avalanche

by Greg

After the off-season arrivals of Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, and departures of Pierre Turgeon and Patrice Brisebois, there's a renewed sense of optimism in Avalanche-land. It's morning in America, to coin a phrase.

They missed the playoffs last year; it's widely predicted they won't again (for a non-Avs fan perspective, Jes has a preview up at AOL Fanhouse, ).

A group of Avalanche bloggers have assembled, meanwhile, to discuss the season -- for the first ever...



The full table of contents is up at Mile High Hockey. Over here, we're hosting question #5:

5. What happens if the Avalanche are under .500 mid-way through the season?

Mike @ BBnR (Bleu, Blanc et Rouge) -- If the Avs are below .500 at the midpoint, Coach Q. will be handed his walking papers. Hundreds of 14-year-olds on the Avs message boards suddenly declare that they never liked his 'style' anyway. Now the obvious choice for his replacement is Granato, but in a startling announcement, Super Joe pulls a Reg Dunlop and becomes a player/coach. Not wanting to miss out on a good idea, the Rangers make Shanny a player/coach also. However, Shanny decides to take it to the next level and play without a helmet. He's killed by an errant Scottie Upshall elbow in the first game against Philly. The hockey world mourns, Jagr wets himself, and Chris Drury assumes the captaincy of the Rangers. The Avs squeak into the playoffs as the 8th seed and get swept by the Defending Stanley Cup Ducks as Scotty Nieds, ala Bottle-Rocket Clemens, comes out of retirement just for the playoffs.

Draft Dodger (In the Cheap Seats and Mile High Hockey) -- There's little doubt in my mind that coach Quenneville will be fired if the team is struggling. If (and only if) the struggles are related to poor goaltending, I could see Giguere opening up the proverbial "cubbard" to move a prospect or two for a goalie the team can count on. Beyond that, I wouldn't expect a full-scale panic from the organization; they've got a solid foundation and won't sacrifice our future for short-term improvements.

Jibblescribbits (Jibblescribbits) -- If the Avs are under .500, unless Budaj has played spectacular and it hasn't been his fault at all, I think Giguere will try and make a deal to bring Bryzgolov in from Anaheim. Even if it's not Budaj's fault, he'll do it for the shot in the arm that they need. The only other
option they may have, and it's truly scary to even think about it at all, is to put Theo in net and hope he catches lightning in a bottle. I hate to say it, I really hate to say it, but under .500 at mid-season (when it's nearly impossible to be under .500 in this scoring system) means the best thing to hope for would be that Theo catches lightning in a bottle, and you can trade him out for some prospect, any
prospect, in the off-season.

Tapeleg (Jerseys and Hockey Love) -- Not.

Gonna.

Happen.

But if it did, I don't see much changing. I think Coach Q will stay in place, no matter what the season is like. If they miss the playoffs, he's gone, but not before. Granato will not be given his shot as a Head Coach in Colorado, and if he wants that as a career, he is going to have to go elsewhere.

I would love to see a Bryzgolov move, but so would half the league. I don't think he will be available by the halfway point, either traded to a team, or the Ducks realize they need him.

Also, if the Avs are below .500, I may cry. May. A man cry, but still.

Justin (Avalanche Guild) -- Due to the fact that I am extremely superstitious (I'm a goalie - enough said), I will not be answering this question.

Joe (Mile High Hockey) --
If the Avalanche are under .500 mid-way through the season, it will be because Joe Sakic had a heart attack, Scott Hannan was forced to shave his head, Ryan Smyth got traded to the Islanders (again), Andrew Brunette skated so slow he actually reversed the time-space continuum and Paul Stastny defected to the Czech Republic.

Only then would it be possible for the Avs to be below .500 mid-way through the season.

Greg (Hockey Rants and the Post-Pessimist Association) -- Another thing I don't really see happening; it would take a pretty big meltdown for them to be below .500. If they are? New coach, new goalie (unless it's a case of Budaj playing spectacularly behind a porous defense/no scoring).

Jori (Avs Prospects) -- Should the Avs have a sluggish first half, Francois Giguere will have a tough decision to make. The last two seasons for the Colorado Avalanche can be described as transition years as the team struggled to adjust to the salary cap. Expectations are high for this team, but I'm not convinced Quenneville will be fired if they get off to a slow start. I view Giguere as a patient man and he may be willing to let the team work through their problems. However, Giguere could make a transaction. I hear there is some guy named Forsberg who might be willing to join a team sometime during the season. Perhaps he could give the Avs a needed boost.

Shane (Avs Talk) -- Not gonna happen. But if it does, it will depend on what the root cause is. If the team isn't gelling, Q could get heaved. If Budaj and Theodore are both sucking wind, Weiman will get brought in to give them a wakeup call. And if it's due to a string of injuries, then the trainer will get fired.

Ok, the last one is in jest but so is the question, don't you think? ;)

* * *

There's seven more of these questions out there -- check out the above blog links, or head on back to Mile High Hockey to see the rest.

Labels: avalanche

by Greg

Well, Jes has kept the place clean. I've sort of been in hockey hibernation -- when last I checked in, I was still agog over the Avalanche's signings of Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan. I've sobered up a little, and I realize Jes is likely right in saying the Avalanche will probably regret the last couple years of the Smyth contract, and Dear Lord Stanley is correct in pointing out that Smyth isn't a cure-all, but hey -- the Avalanche identified needs and filled them. Good on 'em.

How about the rest of my summer hockey wishlist?

1. Never hear about Jim Balsillie or the status of the Nashville Predators again

2. Good homes for Tomas Kloucek and Petr Tenkrat

3. The Thrashers following Colorado's lead and filling some gaping holes

#1 is obviously not happening in my lifetime. #2 -- well, Tenkrat looks like he'll be staying in Timrå. According to the town's official website, Timrå has "good service and fine transportation links," not to mention good fishing and a large shopping center nearby. I'm sure he'll be happy. Kloucek is still hunting for a home.

#3 -- pretty far from happening, unless you identified the Thrashers' most pressing need as "more AHL-level talent." That wasn't high on my wish-list, alas. Going in, I would have said the Thrashers' most pressing needs were as follows: defense, centers, scoring depth. Picking up Todd White sort of addresses the latter two (though I would have liked a bit more), holding onto Slava Kozlov keeps the depth sort of steady -- although speaking of deals that'll look ugly down the line, I'm not looking forward to seeing Kozzie get $3.85 million for nine goals in 2009-10.

Defense? Eeeeek. They've lost Greg deVries, Andy Sutton, and Shane Hnidy -- added Ken Klee. Sutton is no big loss -- at some point, bozo penalties and turning over the puck in front of the net repeatedly are no longer canceled out by the occasional big hit. But deVries was steady (and never got credit for it), and Hnidy was at least reliable. Klee is a "cagey veteran," or "old and slow" if you prefer. (There was a priceless line in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, in which Klee said that every time he became available in the past, the Thrashers were always interested -- now, presumably, that no one else wants him, he'll sign.)

So that leaves Atlanta with five NHL-caliber defensemen. I'm fine with Niclas Havelid and Alexei Zhitnik. I'd be fine-r if they were the #2 and #3 defensemen, rather than #1 and #2. Beyond that, though? Steve McCarthy is starting to look perpetually "enigmatic," Klee and Garnet Exelby are lower-end. Mark Popovic isn't anything more than a spare defenseman. By all accounts, Boris Valabik isn't ready for the NHL.

The Thrashers may be relying on Swedish import Tobias Enstrom to step in, but he hasn't, y'know, played in the NHL yet. And there aren't that many options left on the free agent market -- looking at James Mirtle's list, the only attractive options are Danny Markov, Brent Sopel, and maybe Ossi Vaananen. The rest are headcases, burnouts, or generally useless.

The Capitals and Panthers have both improved considerably this offseason; the Lightning and Hurricanes are both likely better than they showed in 2006-07. Yeah yeah, I know they don't play the games 'til October -- but at least at this point, with the Thrashers' hopes resting almost entirely on Kovalchuk/Hossa/Lehtonen, last year's playoff berth is looking likely to be an aberration.

Labels: avalanche, Free Agent Signings, summer, thrashers

by Greg

In the last few minutes, there's been a flurry of reports, and now-- TSN is saying Ryan Smyth joins the Avalanche, five years/$31.25 million.

Presuming that this isn't all some great cosmic joke, and the Avalanche actually used the money to bring back Pierre Turgeon, I'm pretty damn happy with the team's performance in the free agent frenzy. Smyth was one of the forwards that I found most appealing (along with Drury), and Hannan will eat up minutes on the back end. Both great pickups.

This is kind of foreign territory for me -- the Avalanche have never been big UFA players. There was the Kariya/Selanne debacle in 2003 -- prior to that, the team's biggest-ever UFA pickup was probably... Dave Reid. Then post-lockout came Andrew Brunette and Ian Laperriere (hooray!) and Pierre Turgeon and Patrice Brisebois (boo!). At least at this point, Smyth and Hannan look pretty good.

And there's still enough money for the Avalanche to pick up Tomas Kloucek! As insurance, you understand.

Labels: avalanche, Ryan Smyth, tomas kloucek, UFA

by Greg

I pretty much missed the draft entirely, between preparing for and departing to paradise on earth, so I'm still catching up. A couple notes from this end of things:

* Who knows if he'll ever be a contributor at the pro level, but Avalanche top pick Kevin Shattenkirk has a great hockey name. It just sounds ... tough. Bruising. "He shattenkirked that guy right through the glass!" Unfortunately, it appears he models his style of play after Brian Leetch, not the first guy you think of when you think "hard-nosed" (or "throwing a check"), but ... still. Great name. It'd look good on a hockey jersey, if my closet didn't already make it look as if I have a mental disorder.

* Kind of hard to get too excited about the Thrashers' draft -- which resembled those of the 1990s St. Louis Blues, when they'd given all their top picks away to get Scott Stevens or Brendan Shanahan or Mike Keenan. Jes says good things about Spencer Machacek, so I'll take his word for it. Hockey's Future, in addition to referring to him as "lanky" (one of my favorite words), also notes that Machacek "already has 40 WHL playoff games under his belt," which should do the Thrashers good if they ever make it to the WHL playoffs.

* I've been playing my old pal Eastside Hockey Manager recently, and in a nice bit of synchronicity, my fake 2007 draft came at about the same time as the real one. In fake draft '07, fake Zach Hamill went first overall (to the fake Columbus Blue Jackets). In real draft '07, real Zach Hamill went eighth overall (to the semi-real Boston Bruins). When I saw that, my instinct was seriously "the Bruins got a steal!" before my conscious reminded me that the Zach Hamill made up of ones and zeroes that I'm drunkenly manipulating at 1 a.m. is not the same as the real-life one. And as is frequent in these cases, I took a moment to think about what I'm doing with my life.

Labels: avalanche, Entry Draft, games, Spencer Machacek, thrashers

By Greg

I'm always a big fan of unexpected signings, of guys making late debuts. And of course I'm a sucker for the Czechs. But even so, I was more than a little surprised to emerge from my summer hibernation and see that the Avalanche had signed Sparta Praha's Jaroslav Hlinka.

The Avalanche release rather oddly refers to Hlinka as a "prospect" -- it would seem that at 30, he's a little past that designation. He led Czech champion Sparta in scoring last year, he's been a star for some years in both the Czech and Swiss leagues.

Small and speedy according to this old Hockey's Future article, it's hard to figure where exactly he slots into an Avalanche squad that would seem to have its top six forwards pretty set. I'd guess fourth line/power play if he makes the team. (And if not, I imagine there's a clause involving a return to Europe -- I can't imagine he'd give up Czech stardom to play for the Lake Erie Monsters. Though who knows? I hear Shaker Heights is a fun place.)

Labels: avalanche, Czech Hockey, sparta praha

By Greg

So after I wrote them off innumerable times down the stretch, naturally Colorado made believers of me, only to break my heart into thousands of little shards last night.

Ok, it's not that bad. The whole ridiculous run was too improbable to ever seem totally realistic, and really served to get me excited for next season -- earlier this year I figured the Avalanche were about to enter a ten-year deep freeze, and now with the cast of young guys like Budaj, Stastny, and Wolski; Milan Hejduk enjoying an Easter-appropriate resurrection; and Joe Sakic apparently dead set on being awesome until he's 72 years old, I feel pretty good about what lies ahead. Plus, lots of cap space next year! Hurrah!

I'll admit that I was secretly looking forward to the possibility of a Colorado-Detroit first round series, and I'm a little sad that won't happen. But on the bright side, I no longer have to back my trash talk up with reality, so I can say with full confidence that had such a series taken place, the Avalanche would have won 4-0, scoring 82 goals to the Wings' three, and Scott Parker would have eaten Todd Bertuzzi's liver. So take that, Detroit.

* * *

Speaking of the Avs and Easter, Tapeleg at Jerseys and Hockey Love has been on fire lately -- if you haven't seen his marshmallow game recaps, you're really missing out.

Labels: avalanche, easter

by Jes

Most bargains in the NHL come in the form of superstar youngsters, such as Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin, who are signed to entry-level deals and have yet to cash in on the big contract, or other young player players who haven't quite made the leap and are still rather cheap.

With the advent of increased free agency, finding a veteran bargain is going to be more important to clubs faced with cap restrictions.

Enter in Andrew Brunette, who skates slower than Rosie O'Donnell chasing a Chihuahua up a staircase, and makes a whopping $800,000 US a year.

After 3 decent seasons with the Minnesota Mild (164 points in 245 games), the offensive-minded winger wasn't finding a lot of love on the free agent market. Slow skating, pillowy soft giants who don't put up huge numbers can sometimes have a hard time finding a good home (ask Jason Allison and Oleg Kvasha about that some time).

Alas, Brunette had to settle with the Avalanche, who were one of the few teams interested in his services, to the tune of $800,000 a year. Yes, even Jan Bulis makes more than that, and he has far less of a track record behind him. It's not like the Avalanche was banking on Brunette to be more than a decent 2nd liner that they could plug onto a team facing some cap issues, so the signing didn't get much attention.

What the Avalanche got was a tremendous bargain, and a player that has meshed perfectly with Joe Sakic. As it stands right now, Brunette is 20th in league scoring with 25-51-76 in 75 games. Contrast that with Markus Naslund and his $6mil salary, which has produced 55 points in as many games.

Chemistry in hockey is a funny toy, and sometimes the right combination can turn an average player into a star. Remember the old Czech unit of Hlavac-Dvorak-Nedved for the Rangers? Hlavac and Dvorak were rather useless as offensive players in every other situation, yet found the magic with each other.

Brunette has been the perfect foil for Joe Sakic, as Andrew passes the puck well, goes hard to the net, and is good at finding open spaces in the offensive end.

Brunette has also been durable, with 3 complete 82-game seasons to his credit, and 2 81-game seasons as well. For what the Avalanche are paying the guy, they are getting both production and a reliable name to slot in the lineup each and every night.

Just think about it: Signing Brunette for peanuts allowed the Avs to spend over $5mil year on a luxury backup goaltender. Nice!

Labels: Andrew Brunette, avalanche, Bargain Players, NHL

by Greg

Figures -- soon as I say "that's it -- Avalanche are done -- wait 'til next year," the team starts showing signs of life. Peter Budaj shuts out the Mighty vastly superior Ducks. In one of the nicer moments of the season, Joe Sakic scores his 600th goal against the Flames. Milan Hejduk returns from wherever he's been hiding all season.

So natch, mere days after writing them off, I'm starting to feel those faint stirrings of hope again. Tapeleg wrote a bit about his inability to root for the team to fail, which I totally understand. But in the end, should they somehow creep in to the playoffs (and they're now almost even with Edmonton for the number nine spot), I don't see them being able to pull off a surprising run in the manner of last year's Oilers.

I'd rather see Colorado blow things up a bit, write off this season, and start moving forward, rather than hovering around the 7-8 spots for a few years, always trading for a couple vets at the deadline then accomplishing nothing in the playoffs. It won't be easy to dump players, sure -- especially Theodore and his ridiculous contract -- but it's time to let the playoff streak die a natural death, and take a cue from the 2003-04 Rangers.

That said: I'll be watching the Avalanche tonight, rooting for another blow to the Flames. There's a disconnect between knowing something is good for me and actually wanting it to happen.

Labels: avalanche, playoffs

by Greg

So both my teams went into the deep swoon this week -- the only victory either has managed in recent memory came when the Avalanche and Thrashers actually met, so the laws of time and space demanded someone come away with the win. If there's a silver lining to the past week of bad hockey, it's that any dreams Colorado may have had of accomplishing much have been exposed as fantasy, and they can now concentrate their energies on trading Pierre Turgeon and Brad May for players that are actually useful.

The Thrashers, meanwhile, made a deal that ... doesn't really make a lot of sense to me. No, Vitaly Vishnevski didn't turn out to be the Great Russian Hope I'd expected. Yes, the Thrashers need a center. But they don't really need another third-line center -- all their centers are third-line centers -- and while Eric Belanger is, I'm sure, a fine player, he's also another third-line center. Having four third-line centers doesn't somehow equal a first-line center. Don Waddell indicates he wants to use Belanger as a top-line guy, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution rather optimistically calls him a "potential scorer," but it's hard to get really excited about a 29-year-old whose career high is 37 points.

The other theory is that the deal is just setting up something else -- that the deal is freeing up salary cap money. Belanger's salary is a quarter million less than VV's, but I'm no expert on the salary cap and the whole bit about payments already made this season just makes my head hurt, so I can't figure out how much it really helps. In any case, I certainly hope there's more to come -- it's a bit early to be preparing for disappointment.

Labels: avalanche, thrashers

by Gőlbez

Heavy boots of lead
Fills his victims full of dread
Running as fast as they can
Iron man lives again!

The NHL has a new, true Iron Man in Latvian Karlis Skrastins. Karlis, an evil Colorado Avalancher (boooooo!), is about to break the record for most consecutive games played by a defenseman with 487, formerly held by Timmay! Horton, the man who brought us many tasty donuts.

Given the rough-and-tough, shot-blocking style Karlis plays, you'd never figure a guy like him would be the one to break this record. Wouldn't you expect a Tomas Kaberle type to break the mark?

Anyway, I'm happy for Karlis achieving this mark, as he has never received nearly enough appreciation for his great defensive work as a Predator or as an Avalancher.

Article Link:

Karlis Skrastins, on the verge of breaking Tim Horton's NHL record for durability by a defenseman, has never shied away from pucks or pain.

"Pain is part of our job," he said.

Skrastins is set to break Horton's nearly 40-year-old record Thursday night against Atlanta when he plays in his 487th consecutive regular season game.

"It's one of those things that I can be proud about," Skrastins said. "I'm not a big goal scorer or I'm not getting a lot of points, but, you know, the record ... it's going to be in my memories for all of my life. It means really a lot to me."

There's no secret to the streak, he said.

"Maybe just hard work and a lot of effort. I'm just getting ready and try to keep my focus on every game, every shift and I'm not counting the games, just getting ready for one game at a time and just keep going and keep going," Skrastins said.

The fact that Skrastins has this streak is amazing enough, but the fact that he was, at one time, an NHL long shot makes this streak all the more impressive.

Karlis was pretty much an afterthought after being drafted in the 9th round, 230th overall by the Predators in 1998. He was 23 at the time, and has a couple of decent seasons in the Finnish league. Karlis came over, played in the AHL for a season, and then won a full-time job with the Preds in 1999. Since then, obviously, he's never looked back.

Labels: avalanche, iron man, nhl record, skrastins, tim horton

by Greg

In addition to hockey, I'm a pretty big American football fan. Yeah, I can hear the sneers and jeers ("that's a popular sport"), but I make no apologies. It's the only sport, in my opinion, that can match hockey for excitement. Well, that and cricket played in a minefield.

During this season, I was a wreck. I root for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which is the football equivalent of rooting for the St. Louis Blues these days -- "you guys tried hard" is about the best you can say. The Bucs went 4-12 this year, which for the football virgin, is not good.

From day one, they were never in danger of making the playoffs. But that didn't keep me from working myself into a nervous wreck every Sunday, agonizing over every setback, pacing up and down in the sports bar, going insane with every win, becoming known as "the guy who drops a lot of beer glasses." Every Sunday, I'd go home, exhausted and shattered.

Then, a funny thing happened. The regular season ended, Tampa Bay stopped playing, and I started enjoying football. The playoffs have been a lively ol' time, as I relax, enjoy, exult in good football, and never feel dread's cold hand on my heart. I don't care what happens! Let's just have fun!

Back to hockey. With more games spread over a longer period of time, I don't feel the highs and lows so much (until crunch time) -- I just become a cynic, a fatalist. Every loss, I'm certain, will begin the Thrashers' long slide out of playoff contention. I while away my idle time dreaming up schemes to get Jose Theodore's work permit revoked. Things like that.

Then when it gets to the playoffs, things heat up, and it's back to agony. Last season, I knew the Avalanche weren't gonna do anything. They obviously didn't have it in them to get to the finals. But every game of the postseason, I was acting like an expectant father, walking around the house as I watched, twitchy, nervous. Then when they were finally eliminated and I didn't have a stake, I was able to kick back and have a blast watching.

The lesson in all this is, I don't think hockey is very good for my health.

Labels: avalanche, NFL, playoffs