They are kind of like Santa, no one has ever seen them, but hockey fans swear they exist. Some times they bless you and some times they curse you, and in the playoffs you can never be sure. They are the Hockey Gods.
They seemed indifferent to the Colorado Avalanche for most of the season, until something angered them and they went on the “Injury of the Surnames that start with S” rage when nearly every one on the team whose last name began with the letter S got injured. Stastny, Smyth, Sauer, Sakic then Svatos. Smyth and Stastny were cursed more than once.
They toyed with the Avs up until the trade deadline, allowing them to get close enough to smell a playoff berth and then taking it away again. But then…..back came Foote, back came Forsberg, and along came that other guy, Salei who may have been the best of the three.
The Hockey Gods not only seemed to be smiling on the Avs, they gave the fans back hope, excitement a renewed interest in the team and a seed in the playoffs better than the number eight slot. They blessed the team with a goalie that stood on his head during the first round, and a team that seemed to be coming together at just the right time.
And just when everyone was thanking them for their kindness they turned downright mean.
Ok so maybe this is where the fairy tale ends, but somehow it is easier to blame the Hockey Gods, than to acknowledge that perhaps the team just can’t do it this year.
To acknowledge that means to acknowledge that the past success that Forsberg, Sakic, Hejduk and Foote brought to this franchise was just that, past success. As great as it is to see them all together again, it wasn’t enough.
It means having to acknowledge that tomorrow night, just might be the last game Peter the Great will play in the NHL. Foppa is a hero. Merriam-Webster defines a hero as “a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities-one that shows great courage.” Anyone who saw him try to play through his pain in game three would have to agree. Having had the chance to cover the Avalanche and be around Peter from the time he arrived until the time he left the first time, I can tell you that he hates to lose, and to him, not playing in the playoffs for even a shift, let alone missing two games is a loss. It must be hard for him to be here, on this team, playing at a level that is less than acceptable to him. He is ten times harder on himself than any Avalanche fan could ever be.
Foppa is not the only hero on this team by Webster’s definition. How about Ryan Smyth? What more could this guy have endured for his team this season? He played where he was asked but just couldn’t shake the flukey injury curse.
You don’t have to be a marquee players to be a hero: Brunett, Arnason, Laparrier, Guite, Jones, and the rest of the young guys or situation players who made the most of their opportunities to help carry the team while the big guns were hurt.
This seems to be the point in time that everyone knew was coming but no one wants to acknowledge. The end of the era of the Colorado Avalanche. You have to wonder whether Sakic too might play his last game tomorrow night. A long injury this year may have placed a different perspective on his future for him.
I’m not saying that the future of this franchise is in jeopardy in the hands of its young players, I’m just saying that the end of an era is here, and it is never easy to let go of something, especially a franchise past that gave the community so much excitement and joy in the past.
Unless you just fell off the turnip truck, the Colorado Avalanche and Detroit Red Wings in the playoffs is nothing new. Everyone recalls the great Wings-Avs post season rivalry.
They have faced each other a total of 30 games is six different playoff series. Four players (2 from each team) have played in them all and are still on the roster for tomorrow’s game: Joe Sakic, Adam Foote, Nicklas Lidstrom and Darren McCarty. Kris Draper, Peter Forsberg and Chris Chelios have played in 29. It has however, been six years since their last series. In head to head post season play, the Avalanche has 17 wins to 13 losses, and a 9-6 advantage at home and 8-7 advantage on the road.
Detroit however, swept the four game regular season series that included three shut outs. The Avalanche team did not include Forsberg, Salei or Foote.
There are a ton of other statistics related to these two teams in the playoff, but they are nothing more than tools to speculate what may or may not apply to this series.
So the question for this week, is what is it going to take for the Avalanche to win? The first key to success is to let the rivalry of the past be the past, for the most part.
Colorado’s top scorers in past Wings series, Sakic, Forsberg and Hejduk, know what it takes to beat Osgood because they have done so in the past. Ryan Smyth needs to summon up the annoying Edmonton Ryan Smyth and park himself right in front of the goal and annoy Osgood. Paul Stastny and Andrew Brunette should give it a try as well. The Stastny line needs to light up the lamp like it did in the beginning of the last series. Colorado needs to continue to roll four lines, and the 3rd and 4th line need to continue to pull their collective weight. Forsberg, who has in the past single handed changed the outcome of a series against the Wings, just needs to play his game, without letting them get to him. There are enough Swedes wearing the Winged Wheel to know how to get under his Nordic skin, but he needs to let cool heads prevail and focus.
Defensively, the Avs needs to take away the ice space from the Wings, “full court press” if you will, and stand them up at the blueline. If Hasek is in net, the Avs need to be sure they take smart shots and don’t waste them. He seems to get better the more shots he faces. If they go with Osgood, the Avs need to crash the goal, get in his way, let them know they are there and try to rattle his confidence. Jordan Leopold needs to continue his strong play, while Kurt Sauer quietly consistently shows and delivers each night. Liles should be given the green line to cheat up into the play when it feels right. The addition of Salei and Foote will bring the maturity and toughness the defensive corp was lacking in the regular season losses.
The Avs special teams need to continue to improve its performance, but the biggest key to an Avalanche success is the guy in the net. Jose Theodore is the single reason the Avs ended the season in 6th place, and advancing on to the second round. He is standing on his head in the groove, and he needs to carry that confidence forward. His confidence will allow the team to continue to play with confidence in front of him.
But hey, it’s playoff hockey so who really knows what can or will happen? All I know is that it will most likely be a great series to watch.
This week’s blog is due as the Avs and Wild are tied at 2 games a piece and the series is headed back to the Xcel Energy Center. For clarity’s sake this blog is due the morning of game 5 and had the big guys on the mast head given me another 12 hours, I might be writing a different blog.
All season long I’ve written here about what seems to be missing from the team, missing from the fans, and what was missing at the Pepsi Center for most of the season. That changed the day after the trade deadline.
The acquisition of Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei didn’t make the team immediate Cup contenders in fact even after they arrived it looked like the Avs post season dance card might remain empty.
The situation went from just trying to eek their way in, to finishing sixth just three point behind the division leader. It went from Goalie-Go-Round, to number one net minder Jose Theodore. Theo himself went from last season’s dead weight contract back up goalie to the guy keeping the team in this series.
So here they are all tied at 2. “What I know for sure” (thanks Oprah) is that there will be a game six and most are betting there will be a game seven both of which are “a good thing”, as Martha Stewart would say.
That brings us then to the question for this blog-if there isn’t anything more after this series, “Wasn’t it worth it anyway?”
Wasn’t it worth it to the fans who came out to see the return of one of their favorite stay at home defensemen?
Wasn’t it worth it for all the fans who felt cheated because one year Forsberg was here, the next there was no hockey and the poof, he was gone? I think there is some satisfaction for fans in letting a player know you appreciate the grit, character, dignity, professionalism and little bit of magic they don’t quite understand but greatly appreciate as no one else can match it that Foppa brought to each game during his tenure here.
Wasn’t it worth it to watch the two of them reunite with Sakic and Hejduk, to see them talk about how good it was to be together again, as if it were only yesterday that they practiced together, if for no other reason than to realize just how good special hockey here was, and how that kind of hockey was missed?
Wasn’t it worth it to sit in the Pepsi Center for the first home game (game three of the series) and feel the playoff vibe radiate throughout? To be a part of the volume that increased two fold just because the team took the ice? To hear people talking about the team again over the water cooler at work (ok, so I don’t know anyone who has an actual water cooler at work, but you know what I mean).
Wasn’t it worth it to say, “Who is that other guy they got at the trade deadline?” and then watch Salei’s performance during the playoffs (tied for third best in post season performance) including a powerplay goal (which have been far and few between among the Avs this season) and come to the determination that he might actually have been the best thing to happen to the Avalanche this trade deadline.
I am sure that even the team bean counters will say “Wasn’t it worth it in the increased revenue from ticket sales and the like?”
It’s fairly obvious by the fact that I write this blog that I am not the prowd owner of a crystal ball the can accurately predict the future, so the only thing I can say about what the next 120 minutes of regulation hockey will bring (other than a better than average shot at overtime) is that they will bring another challenge to rise up and face.
A victory in the series probably means facing Detroit, unless Nashville (who tied its series against the Wings 2-2 as I type this) pulls out an upset at the Joe and in that case there are more possible scenarios than I have time to map out and speculate and get this in on time.
Simply put, an advance by the Avalanche to the semi finals means another round of all the good things fans got to enjoy in this one. More of a good thing is an even better thing.
A defeat in the series probably means more fans watching the Rockies sooner, and the organization along with some of its’ key unrestricted free agents contemplating their future.
But in the end, wasn’t it all worth it?
Just like your lucky college t-shirt, the one that is faded and so full of holes the moths won’t touch it, shoved in the back of a drawer somewhere or on the floor of your closet, the one your spouse or significant other refuses to allow you to wear in public….. somehow, it made you feel good -you smiled when you wore it, it’s part of who you are, just like hockey in Denver with teams past, and the part of it that came back for a while this season.
Joe Sakic had more points (20 in 23 games) than any other visiting player at the Xcel Energy Center heading into Wednesday’s playoff game against the Minnesota Wild. He picked up two critical points, including the game winner which should let him retain that title at least for now.
This series could still easily go either way, and based upon the fact that the Wild won the majority of the games of their regular season match up, some would think the road to the second round would be easier for Minnesota to Colorado. It might be. Colorado had a two goal lead past the midway point of the first period, and before they could find a way to shut the door on the Wild, they pushed it back open. That has been a recurring theme for the last few seasons with Colorado-inability to “kick the opponent when they are down” if you will.
Perhaps Francois should have had one more face from the past return to Colorado-Ray Bourque. Certainly not as a player, but as the one person that seemed to be able to get the team to dig deep and find something that they were previously lacking-a clear, uninterruptible focus and the willingness to do whatever it took to get to the prize. Colorado’s last cup was not a result of incredible coaching that took them over the top, it wasn’t the rah rah of the captain. It was Bourque, the desire of every player in the dressing room to NOT be the one that kept him from the Cup; to not be the one who let him down.
This team and coaching staff need to find that again, because that is what it takes to get to the next round and hoist Lord Stanley. Don’t get me wrong, a win is a win, take it where you can. Theodore has really turned himself around, and proved to be pretty sharp in the first game. You can tell the team is skating in front of him with confidence as they should be. The scoring was evenly distributed and Ryan Smyth’s tip in goal was the annoying old Ryan Smyth of his top Edmonton days.
Colorado needs to continue the momentum roll into the second game and then coming home to the Pepsi Center. Don’t forget the Wild have come back from a 3-1 defecit in 2003 to knock the Avs out in game 7. If the right Colorado team shows up the Avs have a decent chance to get to round two.
So, the Colorado Avalanche are in for at least one round of post season play this year. That is at least four more games than they played last season. It is uncertain yet where they will finish, what seed they will be, or who they will play but they are in.
My question- is it enough that when it comes down to the second to the last game of the season and the team just squeeks in?
Would they have squeaked in with the pre trade deadline team?
Could they get there next year without Foppa and Super Joe?
Maybe those questions don’t matter now that the team will make it to the playoffs this year, but it is worth consideration over the summer and it begs the follow up, is the guy behind the bench the right guy for the job?
A coach’s job security is tied to the performance of his team, rightly or wrongly, we all know that. It is an easy argument to make when the team is under performing. What about when the team’s performance is inconsistent sometimes good, sometimes bad; when they some times perform under pressure and sometimes fall apart? Is it the responsibility of the coach to bring out the killer instinct in his team-to get them to put the nail in the coffin when they have their opponent on the ropes? If the players are lacking the abilty to find it within themselves who else’s could it be? Unlike the real world where those who under perform are put on probation, performance plans, and then with no improvement dismissed, employees with salaries over a couple million dollars a pop are not that expendable………..so the coach it is.
I’m not advocating that Q loose his job, I’m just saying that this is the year to pay attention to his ability to navigate his team through the playoffs and as with anything else, evaluate his peformance when it really matters.
You can say the game isn’t the same since the lockout. You can try to argue that the salary cap is ruining game and watering down the talent pool and a number of other arguments we’ve all heard and/or said before but sometimes facts tell a different story.
Here are some interesting tales from the facts of the NHL as they exist in the season today:
The league has completed 93% of its season and there are only 12 days left. In that 12 day period the following still have yet to be determined:
*17 of the 30 teams in the National Hockey League are within 7 points of a Division lead.
*The top five Northwest Division teams are separate by just 7 points.
*One one team (Detroit) has clinched its division.
* The President’s Trophy which is awarded to the team in the League putting up the best regular season record.
* The titles of both the Eastern and Western conference.
*Five of the six Division titles.
*Twelve of Sixteen playoff berths.
*All sixteen playoff seeds.
*The top four clubs in the Atlantic division are separated by seven points.
*24 of the 30 teams are within six points (3 wins) of a playoff berth.
* Five points separate the Russian race for the Art Ross Trophy which is given to the top scoring player. Washington’s Alexander Ovechkin has 107 in 77 games played, while Pittsburgh’s Evgeni Malkin is right behind with 102 in 77 games. Ovechkin who is fast becoming a fan favorite, the flash and gas exciting opposition to Sidney Crosby, is the first player in 12 years to score 60 or more goals.
The last time it was done in 95, the Penguins dynamic duo of Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux who has 62 and 69 respectively. One game later, he got his 61st goal of the season to set a record for the Washington Capitals in most goals for a season. A year that stood unchallenged for 26 years. The win keeps the Caps in contention for their first playoff berth in five years.
In a fact that might be even more amazing, the NHL is on pace to significantly beats its past March attendance records. The per gave fan average of 17,900 (97% capacity) this month handily beats last year’s average of 17,331 per game. The League will surpass 20 million in total attendance for the seventh consecutive season. For the first time in the 90 year history of the NHL the League has ended the regular season with a per game average that exceeds 17,000.
Hey, it may not draw the fan following of the NBA or the advertising dollars of the NFL, but in its own right NHL run to the playoffs, its own version of March madness can be contagious……..catch it, it is worth watching.
Not a whole lot new to write here this week. The Colorado Avalanche finds itself in an extremely tight race in the Northwest Division of the Western Conference. The team, to the extent any team can, really has the ability to control its own destiny. There are eight games left in the regular season for Colorado, and its opponents are all members of its own division. The Avs play Calgary twice, Edmonton twice, Vancouver twice and Minnesota twice.
Colorado went from third place in the Conference when it held the Division title before losing consecutive games to the Devils and Wild respectively, to hanging on by a skate-lace to the last playoff berth. The standings in the Conference and Division change daily. The Avs can’t control what other teams do, but it better find a way to control its own destiny. Winners find a way to win in the clutch, losers rely on the outcome of winners. Successful teams find a way to have everyone contribute, those you least expect come through on nights when those you most expect to let you down. Champions find a way to access their “killer instinct” in the depths of what seems to be an eminent defeat.
Now is do or die time, and teams who want it the most, are the most hungry-find a way to overcome their own obstacles and survive. Colorado is a team with successful veterans who have tasted that success.
Now is the time to set aside the excuses, legitimate or not, put it all on the line and take what is theirs for the taking. I don’t think there is a true competitor out there who doesn’t respect getting beaten by another competitor who was truly better, even if only for that day, for that game.
Likewise, I don’t think that there is a true competitor out there, that can tolerate a loss because they beat themselves and failed to perform.
The last 11 games of the season for the Colorado Avalanche should be interesting, especially since 10 of them are head to head match ups within the Northwest Division. The Avs are currently sitting in 6th place, but depending upon the outcome of these next games could end up in the number three seed as the Division winner, or starting their golf season earlier than expected.
Thursday’s game against Edmonton, if the Hockey Gods are smiling could see the return of defenseman Ruslan Selai, and fowards Ryan Smyth and Peter Forsberg. That could make for some fun watching. If they keep the line combination that had so much success in Atlanta in tact, Joe Sakic, Andrew Brunette and David Jones, imagine who might be on the second line-any combination of Smyth, Forsberg, Paul Stastny or Milan Hejduk. Certainly makes the powerplay take on a whole new meaning for the team currently sitting dead last in the league in that category.
Defensively the team looks better. Whether John-Michael Liles is playing better because the trade rumor monkey is finally off his back or because the new veterans are demanding he raise his level of play, who cares, the fact of the matter is that he is starting to make solid hits, get some points, and contribute to the team.
I think that we said in this column earlier this season that we didn’t care who Quenneville picked as the number one goalie so long as he picked. He picked Jose Theodore and to date Theodore has answered. Sunday’s loss ended Theodore’s six game winning streak his longest since a career high seven during his Hart Trophy 2001-02 season. He is 15-10-1 with a 2.05 GAA and .926 save percentage, has allowed two goals or less in 18 of those games, including one goal or less in 10 games and two shutouts. His goals against average of 2.05 since January is third in the league.
This sounds so cliche but these next 660 minutes separate a team from a group of individually skilled players. Granted they cannot control any destiny other than their own, but with the majority of the games on home ice, the Avs couldn’t have asked for much more. Colorado is 4-1 thus far this month and 15-2-2 in the last two seasons during March. They have won four straight on home ice are are 22-11 and 2 on home ice this year. Seems like they couldn’t ask for things to line out any better. Hopefully the 661 st minute will find them facing their playoff run on home ice, ranked third in the conference.
Hey Avs fans, how did last night feel? Peter is back, the Avs beat Vancouvor, and the world is right again. If you are like me and the other 18,000 fans at the Can last night, you couldn’t wait for this moment. The moment when Coach Q sent Peter Forsberg over the boards to take the ice for the first time, in a long time, this season in an Avs sweater. To a man, I was as giddy as a school boy. From the sights and sounds from the crowd, the long awaited return of Peter the Great was a special moment.
Although the line of Forsberg, Sakic and Hedjuk didn’t register a point on the scoresheet, they displayed the cohesion of a line that had been together for more than a couple practices and skate arounds, and looked dangerous each time they took the ice. The best part was seeing a Power Play unit with Forsberg actually possess the puck in the attack zone for more than 2 or 3 passes, which has been the norm this season.
As we talked about in previous postings, the signing of Forsberg is nothing but good for this current Avs edition. The excitement and energy in the locker room carried over to the screaming fans in the seats. We haven’t seen that type of energy from the fans since the pre-lockout years. As a reminder, Forsberg and Foote were with the team prior to the infamous lockout. Coincidence, I think not.
We as Avs fans have to admit we were beyond spoiled in the 90’s and early 20’s, when the Avs dominated from day one and continually fielded a feared and star studed lineup. We have since been forced to endure a product which may be full of promise, but was lacking the star power which generates a buzz. Forsberg and Foote are back, and so is the buzz.
I have to admit that I was caught up in the moment and began thinking of how quickly this team can move up the standings and push for a home playoff series. Going all the way back to the pre-season predictions, we all thought the Avs were a playoff team, that with a dose of luck and some strong contributions from some unsung players they could be legit Cup contenders. But, the only luck this team has had has been bad luck with injuries. Amazingly this team is only a short hot streak from surpassing Minnesota and Calgary for the top spot in the division.
The additions of Forsberg, Foote and Salei should keep this team in contention. Assuming Ryan Smyth recovers from his concussion and the rest of the team remains healthy, and Theo continues to play at his recent high level, this team has a chance to do what none of us thought they could do going into February. Actually be considered a contender in the West. Forsberg’s play last night was up to his typical form, gritty, skilled and unexpected. With a little more ice time to condition the lungs and legs, we can expect more from Foppa.
But rather than looking to the future, we should all live in the moment. The moment when Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote rejoined the team that they shared so many amazing memories with. The moment when the Avs became a front page story again. The moment when the lost buzz was found. And the moment when we all stopped what we were doing just to watch what Peter was doing with the puck.
Sit back and enjoy the next few weeks. Celebrate the return of Peter the Great and cheer, just like we cheered for the Avs of old.
Heeeeeeeeeeeeee’s back. Times two. I have to admit as I checked on the trade deadline updates there was a part of me wondering whether or not I’d see Rob Blake’s name be the next one to roll by. I don’t know that living in the past the future for this organization and I don’t believe it does either.
The worst case scenario for the situation with Forsberg is that the team doesn’t make it to the playoffs, Foppa doesn’t get to play in as many games as everyone would have hoped and he doesn’t come back next year. Worst case scenario with Foote is similar except that he plays in all of the the last 17 games. Even if the worst case scenarios come true, do the fans really lose? I think it is fair to say that after the lockout year, many fans felt “cheated” about the departure of Forsberg and Foote which was not so much a result of decisions by the Hockey Club, but rather circumstances of the post CBA NHL. If the worst case comes true, Colorado fans will have a chance to see these two favorites again, show their appreciation and remember fondly the seasons of the past. If the worst case scenario comes true, the Avalanche players, who are primarily a group of young talent and the future of the franchise, will have the ability to expand their exposure to seasaoned veterans and proven champions. They will be able to watch, ask and learn from the best of the best. They will offer, each in their own way, support and motivation in the locker room that is in addition to and not in place of the the leadership that is already there. If the worst case scenario happens, the Colorado Avalanche and Footer and Foppa will have a longer summer to take about and come to a resolution for next season. But those are all worst case scenarios.
What about the best case scenarios? Well, that is a bit like a fairy tale Cinderella story-wait didn’t that already happen in this town in the fall-except for the ending anyway, so you’re on your own there. I think what is really going to happen is somewhere in the middle, and that is not bad either.
If Forsberg comes back for some portion of the regular season and contributes enough to help them get over the hump into a round or two of the playoffs. I still think everyone benefits, the fans, because they get to see the team and its new additions longer, the players really benefit from their experience, and the team revenue continues to grow, which requires a playoff run to normally do so. Again, everyone wins.
Is Peter Forsberg the Peter of old? Probably not, in the pure physical sense on the ice as it relates to a difference between a body in its early twenties versus mid thirties. Has his vision on the ice and his ability to make incredible things changed? Most probably not. His experience hasn’t diminished and anyone who has spent any time around Peter knows that there is no way his competitive drive has changed. Foote’s skill as a solid stay at home defenseman hasn’t gone missing. He also got some great experience in Columbus playing with lesser known players or younger players aside from the talent laden Avalanche teams he always knew. That can only translate into a good thing in the room and on the ice. I think that teh mere presence of Footer and Foppa will set the bar of expectation for the rest of the team, and that in and of itself is also a good thing.
Bottom line-I can’t figure out how these acquisitions can be anything but good, no matter how you look at it.
