Congratulations…

The Detroit Red Wings proved last night that they are, unquestionably, the best team in hockey. They orchestrate their system with such precision and clarity of purpose that no other team in the league comes close to being as functionally good as the 2008 Wings. The Penguins, the Sharks, and even the Stars probably had as much star power as Detroit, but they lacked the consistency that only a ton of veteran players, solid player development/scouting, and great coaching can bring. The whole Detroit organization deserved to win the Cup, and a very small part of me is glad that they did. If only because it will be all the sweeter to take them down in the playoffs next year.

Here’s a tip of my hat to the 2008 Stanley Cup Champion Detroit Red Wings. Here’s hoping that their fans are as humble and gracious in victory as the team was. (Except Draper and Kronwall; may they both be brainwashed by a mad scientist who convinces them that they are baseball players.)

Week(s) in review: Avs Continue Going Back to the Future, Rox Back to the Cellar

Ok, it’s not quite so bad as all that. And I know I’m behind a tad on the “Week In Review” - but I’ll keep the whining about life to a minimum and just whine about the things we all care about: Colorado Sports.

The Avalanche continued the Magical Mystery Tour by bringing the old coach in to be the new coach. Now it could be argued that this was how it should have happened… more time on the bench to learn the gig. I suspect the Avs just wanted something with stability. I’m honestly ambivalent about this choice. I think it could work remarkably well, and I think it could blow up in ol’ Francois’ face. Either way, I am much more concerned that Joe comes back. I think he will, but the day he finally announces his decision, regardless of which way he goes, will be the biggest news day in Denver sports this year.

The Rox continued their slide into anonymity and irrelevance. It pains me to say that, because those of us close to the team, who attend the games, and watch these guys day in and day out, know that this is a talented roster. Maybe last year’s run was a perfect storm, but that doesn’t diminish the talent it took to execute said run. But this year, between the injuries, the inconsistencies, and the statistical settling back into expected performance levels (I think they call that ‘regression to the mean’), things aren’t quite OK in Rockies-land. Over the last couple weeks, we’ve seen some offensive spark (Barmes anyone? I tell you, if he’s not playing 2B when Tulo returns, Hurdle needs a swift kick in the teeth) and some glimmer of hope from the youngsters (Jimenez - finally pitches a sweet outing, and they can’t come up with the W). So what’s going on with the Rockies? As Ian put it, what signs are there that they can at least make the next 4 months bearable?

Here are my top reasons why the Rockies don’t suck as much as it appears:

1. Barmes. Barmes. Barmes. Did I mention Barmes? Dude is a stud.

2. Atkins. Atkins. Atki– you get the point. I fear they might not be able to sign him to a long term deal, so enjoy him this year.

3. Cookie. The other pitchers will settle in. Outside of the 2 guys above, the offense is just not doing its thing. The pitching will resolve itself. Let me take this opportunity to say that anyone who thinks we need to trade Holliday mid-season for some “quality pitching” IS A FULL-ON RAVING MANIACAL DUMBASS. I’ve never agreed with the “trade him now because the season is wasted” mentality, especially with another year left on his deal. And the “quality pitching” trade never works out in favor of the team getting the pitches. Well, rarely. Who is really available? The only pitchers I would trade Matt for are untouchables to their current teams.

So that’s the last couple weeks in review. We’ll have to do this again someday.

One Hour Later

It took an hour after my last post for GM FG to decide on Tony Granato as the new Avalanche Head Coach. It was the safe play for sure, but that doesn’t mean it won’t work out. Granato did well in regular season play his first time around (2002-2004), but was stymied in the playoffs. It’s a whole new team (and by that I mean young), and Granny has his work cut out for him. So long as he gets us to the playoffs next season, I will have no complaints.

Choices, Choices

Coach Q is out. I defended him in the thick of the playoffs, but looking back we could have won the Wild series a game or two sooner if he had (taken my advice and) rotated his bottom lines into the mix more consistently as he did in games four, five, and six. Overall, he wasn’t a bad coach… but he was a lame duck when it came to in-game strategizing, and in the playoffs that is an enormous factor.

After reconsidering all the options today it occurred to me that Ron Wilson (now the ex-coach of the San Jose Sharks) is taking the fall predominantly for his players’ poor performances in the playoffs.

All of the games in the Dallas series were so close that a big game (a big period, a big shift) by the likes of Joe Thornton, Patrick Marleau, or even Jonathan Cheechoo could have easily swung the series the other way. Thornton failed to score in that whole series, and Marleau was a non-factor in games one and two before scoring a goal in both games three and four. Then he disappeared again for the rest of the series. Cheechoo scored just once in the series. The Sharks’ star players failed them, not their coach, and Ron Wilson took the fall despite coaching his team past the first round of the playoffs three out of his four years with the team.

And Wilson’s resume is pretty stellar compared to most of the other options. Tortorella (who led his Lightning to a Cup Championship victory) is the only other coach that can boast any kind of consistent success in the NHL. I could also see taking a flier on Chris Stewart or John Anderson (both VERY successful minor league coaches,) but the NHL is a whole different animal and that’s risky business. Especially when considering that Joe Sakic’s return may depend on GM François Giguère’s decision.

Giguère has said that he will take his time with this decision, likely waiting until after the playoffs have concluded. As such, I will take my time deciding as well. For now, I see this as a four horse race, with an additional warning that if an ex-Maple Leafs coach is chosen (two of the potential candidates fit this bill) I will personally construct and operate the “Fire Coach X/Y” bandwagon immediately after their official hiring.

Punker Theo

Jose Theodore playing with Pennywise… big step towards earning his new contract… seriously, major pimp points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-kgzvRmdjA

Peter Budaj @ World Ice Hockey Championship

Playing for his home country Slovakia (usually an IIHF powerhouse but undermanned this year.)

There is a high res link below the video in youtube. Click it before you watch.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FNPl0kXwI48

Slow Clap

Alright… here we go… the Avs are out, the sting of defeat is considerably less than a week ago, now is the time to start the slow clap for a season well played.

<clap>…..<clap>….<Clap>…<Clap>..<CLAP>.<CLAP><CLAP><CLAP>

Doesn’t everybody feel better? Yeah.

Losing the way we did was rough, but seeing Cody McCormick out every third shift made it a bit easier. I mean, we were running lines full of AHL talent by the end, and it was eerily reminiscent of the entire season. Injury after injury all year long, and finally at the end we got solid and beat a tough Minnesota team in a rough-and-tumble series that we would have lost had this team made the playoffs a year ago. Props all around.

There’s plenty to worry about from coaching to goaltending to buffing up the blue line and bringing back offensive talent. We have the whole off-season to brood on all the big Q’s. But the answers to some of those questions may be a call-up away considering the solid to downright stellar play of the new Avalanche Youth Movement. Right now there is a lot to be thankful for, and a lot to look forward to.

THREE

Two teams in the history of the NHL have come back from down 3-0 in a best-of-seven to win the series.

1942 Toronto Maple Leafs come back to beat the Detroit Red Wings after falling behind 3-0 in the series.

Thirty three years later…

1975 New York Islanders come back from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, finishing the job on April 26th.

Thirty Three years and three days later…

2008 Colorado Avalanche are down 3-0 with a chance to become the third team in NHL history to mount the seemingly unsurmountable comeback.

Start thinking in threes.

Dual-Semi-Live-Blog

The danger with live blogging a game is that things you say appear ridiculous later. But how that’s different from my normal blogging, I’m not sure. (rimshot goes here)

Avalanche game. First 10 minutes was amazing. Like a different team hit the ice. The goal was great, the attack time was great, the hitting was great… then the Wings showed up, and the Avs started skating backwards again, and it looked like the penalty kill unit was just trying to clear the puck, only that was when it was even strength. Period one ends with a 2-1 Wings lead. The Avs need to bottle up what they had in the first half of the period and make the second period something to remember, or this season will be just a memory.

Rockies game: WTF?! I turn over from the hockey game, and find the lineup in a state of disarray not even Hurdle could dream up. So here’s what happened. Baker got hurt before the game. Early on, Tulo pulls up gimpy (oh crap), which means Atkins shifts over to second (ouch), Barmes takes shortstop (fine), and Iannetta comes in to play third (?!). This leaves Podsednik and Spillborghs on the bench. That’s it, folks. Things are getting dicey for the boys in purple. We’ll see how this goes. If they can’t pull 2 of 3 from the stinking Giants, things are looking sad in Rockies-land. Injuries or none, the Giants are not good, and losing 2 or 3 in a row to them is just plain sorry.

More updates to come, as the night goes on, assuming I haven’t had too much beer to write/type/spell coherently.

***edit: Well, I didn’t get back to the computer. Avs lost, Rockies won. I’d gladly flip those two if I could. I’m feeling like my game 6 tickets aren’t going to be incredibly useful. Even if they can pull out game 4 (tonight was a much better effort for sure), I just don’t see them taking game 5 away at the Joe. ***

Close as They Come

I have lost sleep. No, seriously, I have lost sleep over this series. I just don’t know how to call it. The teams match up so evenly on paper, and in the real world an undermanned Avs squad lost four games to the Red Wings during the regular season. But this is certainly not that Colorado team, and while the Red Wings have looked soft at times the Avalanche has steadily seemed more sure of themselves, more capable offensively defensively and in net, over the course of the last couple months of hockey. And so my instincts tell me to take the coward’s exit in predicting these first four games by calling home victories all around. I am not one to fight instinct. And in a matchup as close as this one, the last change that is afforded to the home team becomes a huge factor. Here goes…

Game One 4/24 @ Detroit Red Wings

If we are going to win a game in Detroit, this one is the most likely to be it. I believe that the Avalanche will come out of the gates more fired up, but the Wings can score at any time. If Colorado can get up early they have a chance, but if Detroit scores first it will become almost impossible for the Avs to come back/keep pace. Prove me wrong boys. (Do it in overtime, that’ll really piss the Wing Faithful off.) Avs lose 3-4.

Game Two 4/26 @ Detroit Red Wings

You’ll notice that all of my predictions will be for high-scoring games. This has less to do with defense or goaltending and more to do with the vast expanses of open ice that I believe this matchup will produce. Barring the Wings playing fully dominant puck-control hockey, these games should be back and forth across the neutral zone all game long. Game Two in Detroit in the Western Semi-Finals… well, I’d be a fool to pick the road team. And I am only occasionally a fool. Avs lose 2-3.

Game Three 4/29 vs Detroit Red Wings

At some point in this series the Avalanche offense will explode for five goals against EITHER Chris Osgood or Dominek Hasek. I don’t see Mike Babcock being dumb enough to put a goaltender as mistake-prone as Hasek in net against the Avs, so we’ll say that on April 29th, 2008 Chris Osgood gets scored on five times by the Colorado Avalanche. Don’t forget to pick up a fresh bottle of whiskey. (That’s a personal note, feel free to disregard.) Avs win 5-3.

Game Four 5/1 vs Detroit Red Wings

Rubber game? Not quite. I expect this series to go seven games, and that means the only true rubber game is Numero Siete in Detroit on May 7th. Don’t hold your breath, that’s a good way to kill brain cells. A better way is to toss back a few cold brews and enjoy the two weeks of playoff hockey between now and then. Avs win Game Four 4-3.

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