Are the Colorado Avalanche trying to win games or fill seats? That’s the lead question after rumors arose yesterday indicating that Patrick Roy will be the Avs’ next head coach.
In Calgary on Thursday night we saw a deep Avalanche club start to attack across all four lines. John Mitchell and Paul Stastny each scored twice during a six-goal outing. The outburst at the Flames doubled Colorado’s production from their first four road games this season.
When the NHL returns to action on Saturday diehard hockey fans around the US and Canada will fill arenas and tune in their TV’s to catch something they’ve been sorely missing. What about the casual fan though? Has the world’s top hockey league damaged its brand irreparably?
The face of the Avalanche franchise, and its most prolific player in history, has been announced as a 2012 inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Joe Sakic, owner of a Hart Trophy, a Conn Smythe Trophy, two Stanley Cups, and an Olympic Gold Medal, now can add “Hall of Famer” to his list of accolades, as if there was any doubt this day would come.
The Avs latest teenage phenom burst onto the scene with 22 goals and 30 assists, beating out Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Adam Henrique for the award.
The Colorado Avalanche announced on Friday that they had signed captain Milan Hejduk to a one-year deal. Hejduk’s production has slowed dramatically in recent years, but this move likely ensures that Milan will retire an Avalanche. Colorado took a similar approach to re-signing former captain Joe Sakic to one-year deals until his retirement.
Colorado Avalanche center Paul Stastny and the US Men’s Hockey Team are just getting warmed up at the 2012 International Ice Hockey Federation Men’s World Championship. Stastny logged a goal and two assists on Tuesday in Finland as the US Men dropped Switzerland 5-2 to close out preliminary play.
Time for the Avalanche to return to glory. Spend some money Kroenke. Avs nation sat through a couple of awful seasons. We are ready to support a winner again. You build it, and we will come.
The Colorado Avalanche you may have known are dead and gone. The Avs team that struggled through much of this season – that was too young and showed it the last two years – has found its stride at just the right time.
The Colorado Avalanche have been searching for consistency all year, and with ten games to go they’re finally hitting their stride. Seven wins in their last ten games have catapulted the Avs into the Western Conference playoff field.