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| Unique Visitors: 481 |
| Total Unique Visitors: 856013 |
| Visitors Out: 2893 |
| Total Visitors Out: 2899 |
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| The Coach Q Era Is Officially Over |
| 2008-05-09 14:17:33 |
This is no April Fools Day joke. The Avalanche web site just announced that Coach Joel Quenneville will not receive a new contract from Colorado: The Colorado Avalanche Hockey Club announced today that Joel Quenneville will not return to coach the team next season. "After meeting with Joel, we mutually agreed that the best decision for both parties involved is to go separate ways," said Avalanche Executive Vice President & General Manager Francois Giguere. "On behalf of the organization, I want to thank Joel for his years of service and wish him the best in his coaching career." More to come. UPDATE: As PPP acknowledged in the diaries, this has major implications for the world's dwindling kitten population. Obviously, with the departure o...
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| Giguere Flies To Worlds, Maybe To Woo Burns |
| 2008-05-09 11:28:29 |
And no, I didn't say "Boo-urns." This little bit from Rick Sadowski over at the RMN wasn't posted until late yesterday afternoon so I didn't get a chance to link to it, but it's definitely becoming more clear that Avalanche general manager Francois Giguere is shopping his options. Or shoptions, if you will. I spoke with Giguere the day after the season ended and, except for saying that he'd welcome Joe Sakic back "with open arms," wouldn't comment specifically about any player or coach. Frankly, I didn't get the feeling that he was too enthusiastic about Quenneville. ... Seems to me, if Giguere wanted Quenneville back, a new deal would already have been struck. And if Quenneville wanted out -- I don't really think this is the case -- it would have made sense for the two sides ...
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| For The Love Of Sakic Part II |
| 2008-05-08 16:59:47 |
Just so you know, Mile High Hockey will be sponsoring the Joe Sakic page at Hockey-Reference.com as soon as "the check" clears and the message is approved. It's kind of pricey at first-glance but not really that expensive as far as advertising on heavily-trafficked sites goes. The message will appear as such for a full year. And if you don't get the reference, watch this. Mike Haynes, get better soon. UPDATE: Message is now up on Super Joe's page. UPDATE 2: I'm also sponsoring Mike Keane's page. Message should be up by tomorrow....
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| Lack Of Strength = More Injuries |
| 2008-05-08 14:48:26 |
Anyone who has ever been an athlete (or even just a casual game-player) knows that to avoid injury you need to increase your strength. The stronger you are, the less likely you'll be to get hurt. I learned the hard way that bicycle racing had created a major discrepancy between my quad and hamstring muscles when I dislocated my knee in April 2007. One of the main reasons I got hurt was because the front of my leg was much stronger than the back, creating an imbalance that ended with me in surgery and then on crutches for a month. Live and learn, I suppose. Another real-world example of the importance of strength training: the Colorado Avalanche. I linked to it in the previous entry about Coach Q, but Adrian Dater's recent blog post (in which he joins the chorus ...
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| Coach Q Keeps Losing Rooms |
| 2008-05-08 08:50:32 |
When a coach loses the respect of his players and they start tuning him out, willfully ignoring his commands and decisions, it is said that he has "lost the room." Well, Coach Q lost the biggest room of all a while back when he lost the respect of the fans. But it's becoming more clear that Q lost the players, too. Even though Ralph Routon contends: Many fans and observers feel Quenneville deserves most of the blame, and it's true the Avs have been postseason underachievers the past three years, never advancing past the second round. But unlike the Nuggets players, whose frustration with Karl is well-documented, the Avs don't appear to hold Quenneville responsible. Really? It's already been noted (twice) that Andrew Brunette is no fan...
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| Hmmm, Interesting... |
| 2008-05-07 16:52:15 |
For those of you who hadn't heard yet, the Toronto Maple Leafs fired their coach Paul Maurice today. Now, on its face, it wouldn't seem to have much of an impact on the Colorado Avalanche. But it might. We bloggers have use for actual journalists (even those disguised as bloggers), because journalists keep track of crap we usually forget---or don't even notice in the first place. For instance, Dater posts today a few interesting tidbits of info I hadn't previously thought about: Well, what do you know, the head coaching position for the Toronto Maple Leafs just opened up. And, what do you know, Joel Quenneville is without a contract to coach a team for next season right now. And, what do you know, the general manager of the Maple Leafs is Cliff Fletcher, the same man who gave Q...
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| But What About The Players? |
| 2008-05-07 11:15:45 |
While I've been focused this week on the Avalanche coaching situation, Draft Dodger over at In The Cheap Seats has been analyzing the free agency concerns facing each of the three player positions. What do the Avs do if Jose Theodore takes off? What about the limitations of Jeff Finger and Kurt Sauer? Should Colorado go after Brian Rolston? All these questions and more are pondered: Goalies Defensemen Forwards Worth noting in the comments section of the post on forwards is the brief discussion about possible captaincy replacements for Joe Sakic should he retire this summer (god help us all). My vote: a year (of mourning) with three alternates and no captain, and then Adam Foote if he's still around in 2009-10. UPDATE: And please, before you waste your time ...
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| Playoffs Open Thread |
| 2008-05-04 00:21:11 |
Philadelphia finished off the surprisingly ineffective Canadiens 6-4, to win the series four games to one. Most likely there will be a battle of Pennsylvania in the Eastern Conference Finals. Sunday's games: Rangers at Penguins, 12:00 PM Mountain time on NBC, and then the Sharks at Stars at 7:00 PM on Versus. This is a game day open thread for anyone inclined to discuss these games. Have at it....
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| The Real Extent Of The Injuries |
| 2008-05-02 12:26:03 |
On the Coach Q show this morning, it was reported that Peter Forsberg suffered two torn groin muscles (there's one on each side for you non-medical students), Wojtek Wolski suffered five broken ribs and both Ian Laperriere and Scott Hannan were playing with broken bones in their feet. What a bunch of divers. The audio of the show should be posted before long here. Hat tip to Dario over at ITCS. UPDATE: Dater confirms the damage, including the status of Paul Stastny---he tore his MCL and would have missed four weeks if the season was still going on. Luckily he'll have the off-season to recover fully....
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| WCS Game 4: Red Wings 8, Avalanche 2 |
| 2008-05-02 08:56:17 |
Well, thank god that's over. Despite the hope that they would leave the series with at least one win, the Avalanche once again completely crapped the bed and lost to the Wings">Red Wings 8-2. The sweep in the Western Conference Semifinals worsened the Avs' record against the Wings this season to 0-8. 0-8. Of all the teams to go winless against, why the Red Wings? Detroit fans can now gloat and revel in the fact that their extremely talented (and healthy) team easily dispatched a former arch rival completely decimated by injuries and crippled by poor coaching, both of which plagued the Avalanche all season long. The only exception was the first round series against th...
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| WCS Game 4: Red Wings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-05-01 13:00:03 |
In some ways, it's hard to believe this could be the last game of the season for the Avalanche. In other ways, it's hard to believe the season didn't end on April 6th. But I'm not going to write a season wrap-up just yet, since the Avs could still conceivably win tonight and keep their playoff hopes on life support for a bit longer. Paul Stastny, Ryan Smyth and Wojtek Wolski are all out for sure. They won't be back even if the Avs pull a Red Sox and make it to the next round. Marek Svatos, if he's off his crutches by now, has been warming up the local golf courses for his teammates. And, this just in: Peter Forsberg is out as well. The Avalanche will dress seven defensemen instead because, well, they can. Tonight TJ Hen...
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| State Of The Blog: April Edition |
| 2008-05-01 10:16:22 |
Unless I've totally missed the point, the goal of every blogger is to expand his or her readership and be seen by an ever-growing number of people. There's a lot of ego involved. I'd be a liar if I didn't admit that it's nice to have other people read and respond to things I write, and to take those things seriously enough to argue with me about them. For a guy that only wears underwear and lives in his mom's basement, that's not half bad. It's also nice to piss off sports radio hosts to the point that they call you (and "blogging" in general) out on the air---then try to jump on the bandwagon less than two months later with their own half-assed attempt. There's a special kind of inner glee I derive from that. Mile High Hockey set n...
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| Looks Like I Picked The Wrong Week... |
| 2008-04-30 08:53:40 |
...to watch playoff hockey. Or to be an Avs fan. At this point, with the Avs down three games to none, crippled by a constant string of injuries and a starting goalie who can now officially be labeled "done," things couldn't get much worse. At least we can point to injuries as a major reason for the collapse. Sharks and Rangers fans don't have that luxury. Dater adds: Just add Paul Stastny to the latest Avs injury list. There’s only one game left in the season for the Avs to sustain any more injuries, however, so it’ll all be over soon. This really is ridiculous, the number of injuries that came in bunches this year. I’m serious when I say this, I think the Avs need to hire some more medical personnel next year. Whether it’s a yoga ...
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| WCS Game 3: Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 |
| 2008-04-30 07:48:58 |
Going into the all-important Game 3 last night, the Avs needed to get the offense going and take the play to Detroit. At least, that's what Avs fans thought. The coaching staff didn't figure that out 'till the second intermission. By then, Paul Stastny was out after an awkward leg-on-leg collision with Henrik Zetterberg, Peter Forsberg had already left once for some kind of ankle problem and then returned, and the refs had decided that they'd rather just get the series over with ASAP. The game got started off on a fairly even pace and then Cody McLeod of all people scored with a tip-in of a T.J. Hensiiick shot after a nice feed from Tyler "Whipping Boy" Arnason. The jubilation in Le Can lasted for a couple of minutes until the Detroit puck-possession game got int...
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| WCS Game 3: Red Wings At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-29 13:08:05 |
Okay, first of all, I'm proud to announce that I've been meeting with a psychologist for the past two days and major progress has been made. I'm no longer superstitious about goalie names. The therapist helped me to realize that not saying the name(s) of the Avalanche goalie in the past two game threads didn't do jack to prevent the Wings">Red Wings from scoring a crap ton of goals. So I'm over it. Feel free to compliment Jose Theodore (or attack him) in the thread, as MHH no longer believes in silly things like superstitions. As for Theodore, I still think Budaj should get the start tonight, but I understand the other side, and the ESPN ...
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| Goalie Thoughts |
| 2008-04-29 10:23:48 |
I'll preface this by saying I didn't see Games 1 or 2 due to work deadlines and moving into our new house. That being said, I'm 50-50 on the goaltending situation going into Game 3. The way I see it, it boils down to two opposing views: • Theo was sick in Game 1, still feeling the after-effects in Game 2, and likely still not 100% going into Game 3. If that's the case, Boots should be in net tonight. The logic? You can't win with a sick goalie. • Theo was sick in Game 1, wasn't quite up to the level he needed to be in Game 2, but is 100% ready to go tonight in Le Can. Theo should start tonight. The logic? Theo is the #1 goaltender for the Colorado Avalanche (my fingers actually cramped typing that). Now, from where I'm sitting, Theo should be i...
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| There Is No Goalie Controversy |
| 2008-04-28 13:05:48 |
There is no controversy. Jose Theodore has gone 28-36 (saves-shots) against Detroit. Peter Budaj has gone 39-40. Peter Budaj is clearly the better goalie at this moment and should start game 3, without a doubt. And that is exactly why Coach Quenneville will do the opposite: Quenneville said Jose Theodore will start Game 3 for Colorado. He has allowed eight goals on 36 shots. Peter Budaj has stopped 39-of-40 shots. But Theodore deserves another start, Quenneville said. "He's our guy, and he had a good stretch for us. I think these extra couple days of rest are going to do wonders for him," Quenneville said. Lest anyone forget, Coach Q is not a very good coach, and is most certainly the wrong one for the Colorado Avalanche. ...
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| Goin' Back To Denver |
| 2008-04-28 10:21:36 |
So I took Sunday off to rest and forget about the Avalanche for a day, a recuperative break that was very much needed after their pathetic showing on Saturday afternoon. I enjoyed watching the Penguins beat the Rangers 2-0, and enjoyed the almost-constant debate about whether or not Sidney Crosby is, in fact, a diver. And then watching Chris Drury take an obvious dive on a weak holding call was icing on the cake. Nobody even mentioned what was so clear on the screen: he dropped to the ice for no reason other than to secure a power play for his team. And you know what? It was the right move, because his team wasn't getting the chances they needed and another power play was better than nothing. Is Chris Drury a bad hockey player? No, he's a great hockey p...
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| WCS Game 2: Avalanche At Red Wings, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-26 06:37:05 |
Gut check time. As in, seriously, every Avalanche player should check their stomachs, ribs, and any other body parts for illness, sprains, breaks or any other kind of injury before suiting up this afternoon against the Wings">Red Wings. Wojtek Wolski, we learned yesterday, is out for the rest of the series. Peter Forsberg is as reliable as Republicans banning abortion or Democrats creating universal healthcare. Don't expect him to play. If he does, it will be a nice surprise. His absence clears the way for some guy named Jaroslav Hlinka to play today, whoever that is. I vaguely remember him, but it seems like years ago since we saw him on the ice. Da...
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| Wolski Out, Forsberg Questionable As Always |
| 2008-04-25 16:51:43 |
According to the Denver Post, Wojtek Wolski suffered an injury "most likely to his ribs" (really, nobody can tell?) and is not expected to play the rest of the series against the Red Wings. With him out, I'm not expecting the Avs to play any more series after the Red Wings, so there's a strong possibility that Woolie's season is over. Peter Forsberg, as always, doesn't have a clue about his own health or his limits, and might or might not play on Saturday maybe. Or maybe not. Probably. Hat tip to InYoFace....
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| The "Nameless Goalie" Rule And A Comment On Diving |
| 2008-04-25 10:43:48 |
I've got a lot to write about today, so bear with me. The Nameless Goalie Rule I know it's confusing a few people, so I'll try to clarify this blog's rule on mentioning the Avalanche goalie's name during game threads. The purpose of this rule is to avoid jinxing the goalie, which is real and happens all the time. In the initial game thread post, I will avoid using the name, and during the game while the goalie is on the ice (or on the bench for the extra attacker), his name cannot be used. If that goalie is pulled or otherwise out of the lineup, his name can once again be used. You see? Last night, when Jose Theodore was pulled for Peter Budaj, we could once again talk about Theodore because he was out of the game, and Budaj was then off-limits because he was pla...
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| Son Of Stastny, The All-Powerful Part II |
| 2008-04-25 09:23:54 |
Paul Stastny had a case of the yips in the first round against Minnesota, but he shook them off in game 6 against the Wild and then scored a goal and an assist (and had a bunch of close calls) in game 1 against the Red Wings. Was there ever any doubt that he'd start producing? Unlike some fans, we Colorado diehards don't turn on our young stars just because they have a rough playoff series. But just how valuable is Paul Stastny, in the grand scheme of things? How good is he, really? Pretty damn good. James Mirtle, Bloggologist, has been running some statistics (courtesy of Behind The Net) comparing the best point- and goal-producers in the league based on certain criteria like most goals per sixty minutes of ice time and whatnot. Son Of Stastny's toothless gr...
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| WCS Game 1: Red Wings 4, Avalanche 3 |
| 2008-04-25 07:03:08 |
photo courtesy of Karl Gahring/Denver Post Johan Franzen is a beast. The 6-3, 220 pound center was the key player for the Wings">Red Wings early on in last night's game 1 against the Colorado Avalanche in the Western Conference Semifinals, leading his team to a 4-3 victory. He scored the third and fourth goals (the latter of which turned out to be the game-winner) for his team and also had an assist. All this in just 16:35 of ice time. He also inadvertently took out Wojtek Wolski when he careened into him after a first period hip check from Ruslan Salei (who was awful early in the game). Wolski's early departure, combined with the loss of Peter Forsberg to another "groin...
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| Better Know A Rivalry: The Red Wings |
| 2008-04-23 09:13:13 |
So the Wings it is. After the Flame-Outs lived up to their clever nickname once again by losing to the Jeremy Roenick-led San Jose Sharks last night (at least Mike Keenan got to yank a goalie, his favorite hobby), the matchups for the Western Conference Semifinals have been set. San Jose will face Dallas. Colorado will face Detroit. Hoo boy. Now, before I get going, let me state one more time for the record: the "Blood Feud" between the Red Wings and the Avalanche is over. It ended before the Lockout. The lineups of both teams are almost completely different than the last time the two teams met in the playoffs (2002!). With the exceptions of names like Hasek, McCarty, Forsberg, Foote an...
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| Playoff Heart Attacks Are Probably Bad For Me |
| 2008-04-21 13:36:54 |
Even though I lambasted the Calgary Flames for failing to fail against the San Jose Sharks and get the Western Conference going into the second round of the playoffs, it's actually pretty nice to get a few days off from hockey. I'm not alone when I say that there were times during the first round series between the Avalanche and the Wild that I was close to full cardiac arrest. Three overtimes in the first three games, and the Avs barely holding close leads in the final two games, had me suffering cold sweats, chest pains and a bizarre numbness in my left big toe which I still haven't figured out. All the symptoms were accounted for: Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing or pain in the center of the chest lasting more than a few minutes....
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| The Calgary Flames Are Selfish |
| 2008-04-21 09:27:43 |
Sure, all the matchups for the second round of the Western Conference playoffs could have been determined last night. But the Calgary Flames, in a self-absorbed tantrum, beat the San Jose Sharks 2-0 to tie their series at three games apiece. Don't they know they should be choking right now? This is the first round for crying out loud! Detroit beat Nashville and Dallas eliminated the former champion Ducks last night. Only those two winning teams are the possible opponents for the Colorado Avalanche in the second round. Detroit, the 1st seed, would play Calgary if they beat the Sharks, while the Stars would play the Avs. If Calgary loses, the Sharks face the Stars and everyone would be treated to a Wings-Avalanche post-season rivalry restoration. Personally, ...
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| WCQ Game 6: Avalanche 2, Wild 1 |
| 2008-04-20 09:04:20 |
Wild Eliminated, Avalanche Advance photos courtesy of Karl Gehring/Denver Post The Minnesota Wild were no match for the power of the Pimp Cane. Despite putting 35 shots on goal in a desperate attempt to beat Jose Theodore, the Wild lost 2-1 to the Colorado Avalanche and have now been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. There's no way I could possibly write a summary of Theodore's performance in the first round that would do him justice. He was simply phenomenal. Six games, four wins, a 1.88 goals against average and a save percentage of .940. Successful playoff teams rely on their goalies to carry them, and Jose Theodore has certainly carried the Avalanche. The Wild didn't stand a chance. Now, since the Avalanche ...
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| WCQ Game 6: Wild At Avalanche, Open Thread |
| 2008-04-19 13:45:37 |
The Avs need to put the Wild (and their fans) out of their misery tonight. Strike quick, strike hard, and be done with them. None of that lazy crap that dominated the first two periods of game 5, because the Wild aren't going to lose again if that's the way the Avs play. Nothing else needs to be said. A game 7 back in St. Paul is not an option. If you're at the game, help bring the house down. If you're not, help us get this thread going. Let's go Avs! ESPN preview....
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| Now That's Comedy! |
| 2008-04-18 14:22:13 |
Sprinkled throughout the 400+ comments to Mike Russo's blog today are calls for (or just speculation about) Marian Gaborik to be traded from the Wild. Man, the guy scores 40 goals in the regular season but has a rough playoff series and the fans are already tossing him under the bus. Even if Paul Stastny failed to score a single point in this series, would any of us be calling for his ouster? I understand being frustrated with an under-performing star player, but any team in the league would be happy to have Mary Anne in their lineup, so talking about dumping the poor guy seems a little impulsive to me. Not that I don't encourage it. I think the Avalanche could probably make some room on the bench for another gifted, sissy foreigner if Gaborik had to find a new h...
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| WCQ Game 5: Avalanche 3, Wild 2 |
| 2008-04-18 09:10:02 |
photos courtesy of AP Jose Theodore has come a very long way over the past season. If there was any one complaint many of us still harbored about him, it was that he still wasn't really "stealing" games for the Avalanche. Last night, he stole a game. He snuck in, tied up the owner, wrecked the place and made off like a bandit. The Avalanche beat the Wild 3-2 in game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals solely on the back of a goaltender everyone thought was washed up just a few months ago. Theodore's Pimp Cane was the strongest it has been all year, as he stopped 38 of 40 shots, including all but one in a flurry of 32 shots in the first two periods. The Avalanche defense gave him almost no help at all, especially in the ...
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| WCQ Game 5: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-17 09:15:20 |
With emotions from Game 4 still running high, I figured the game thread today couldn't be posted too soon. We saw the Wild's true colors come out on Tuesday, with cheap shots and attempts to injure, multiple misconducts and unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. We saw Stephane Veilleux take a flying leap into the back of Paul Stastny's head and more or less embarrass himself all night long with bush league behavior. In a typical show of inconsistency that has plagued them all year, the NHL's disciplinary overlords are apparently not going to punish Veilleux for his grossly illegal and dangerous attack. So be it. Minnesota has become the State Of Denial as they continue to whine and cry about the Avalanche, specifically Ian Lape...
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| WCQ Game 4: Avalanche 5, Wild 1 |
| 2008-04-16 09:01:00 |
How a team wins can say a lot about them. How a team loses can say even more. If that's true, then the resounding message from the Minnesota Wild's 5-1 loss to the Avalanche last night was "We're pathetic." After falling behind four goals to none in the second period, the Wild gave up completely and decided to spend the rest of the game trying to injure their opposition. It was shameful. 119 penalty minutes, including seven misconducts and two unsportsmanlike conducts pretty much sums up what the Wild are all about. They didn't come into game 4 looking to play hockey. They came looking to make Mark Kiszla---who wrote a piece lamenting the cheap, dirty play of the Wild prior to game 4---look like a soothsayer. Any...
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| WCQ Game 4: Wild At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-15 17:19:45 |
I think we've just about covered all the things the Avalanche needs to address as they prepare for this game in the last two posts. The power play must score. Tyler Arnason must sit. Jeff Finger should sit or see a major reduction in ice time. Peter Forsberg must be wrapped head-to-toe in ace bandages and ice (no word on whether or not he'll play tonight). And the Avs can't sit back on a lead---EVER AGAIN. Factors that will surely play into tonight's game for both teams: The Avalanche Losing two in a row stings. Time for redemption. Still at home. The team can feed off the fans if they want to. Lappy, Smyth and Wolski have been great. The altitude, maybe. The Wild Winning two in a row means forward mo...
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| A Humble Request |
| 2008-04-15 11:28:21 |
To add some validity to this post (where I promise not to go off the deep end), here's some mass media opinions of last night's game and the series so far: Pop Culture Reference in Title That Won't Be Relevant in 5 Years Courtesy of Kiszla Obvious Sports Cliche For Jibbles' Collection Now that we've got that out of the way, let's talk about the power play. It sucks. OK, got that out of my system. Jibbles committed a sin of sins yesterday with this post, suggesting that the PP may not be that bad. Jinx? I don't think so. Weapons-grade hallucinogens? More likely. I work with numbers on a daily basis. Numbers lie. It's in their nature. This just proves it. You know who else lies? 'Coach' Quenneville. Somewhere on his resum...
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| WCQ Game 3: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) |
| 2008-04-15 08:49:07 |
photos courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP Another first period goal for the Avalanche. Another stellar first two periods. Another blown lead in the third period. Another overtime. Another loss. The Colorado Avalanche have apparently found a formula they're very comfortable with, as the exact same scenario played out for the third time in a row last night against the Minnesota Wild. Unfortunately, the result wasn't victory like in game 1, it was defeat like in game 2. The Avs got off to a good start when Andrew Brunette potted a goal from the slot off a rebound from a Joe Sakic Wrist Shot™. But the real key to the play was the superb puck handling and passing of Wojtek "Can You Bench Me Now" Wolski. He ska...
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| WCQ Game 3: Wild At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-14 14:01:36 |
Let's get this show on the road. Had the Avalanche won game 2 on Friday night, they'd be cruising into the friendly confines of the Pepsi Center with a 2-0 lead in the series and everybody would already be speculating about their second round opponent. But they didn't win game 2. Instead, it's all even as the Avs head back home to Denver. Two things have to happen for the Avs to win tonight and tomorrow night in Colorado. First, they have to quit blowing leads. Two games they scored first, two games they found themselves in overtime because they let the Wild get momentum. Second, The Can has to put Xcel Energy Center to shame. Each member of the much-maligned Avalanche fanbase needs to take out a couple of loans (...
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| How To Screen A Goalie - Avery Style |
| 2008-04-14 09:47:17 |
I have to preface this by saying that Sean Avery and I are not close. We're not tight bros. I like him a little bit more now since he's no longer dating my ex-girlfriend, but I still think he's kind of a chump. That said, he has developed a new tactic for screening the goalie, a tactic that isn't illegal, believe it or not. The fact that doing this never occurred to anyone before is absolutely impossible to comprehend. Keep an eye on him in the first minute of the video (he's in front of Brodeur), and then watch the more detailed examination that starts around the 1:30 mark: Why has nobody ever done this before? Yeah, it's annoying, and sure, it's silly-looking, but talk about effective. The fact that the Devils defense j...
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| WCQ Game 2: Wild 3, Avalanche 2 (OT) |
| 2008-04-12 07:47:37 |
If anyone expected the Colorado Avalanche to sweep the Minnesota Wild in the Western Conference Quarterfinals, they were kidding themselves. In that building, in front of that crowd, the Avalanche are lucky to be returning to Denver with a win in hand. After another intense, roller coaster of a game, Keith Carney of the Wild exploited a bad shift by Joe Sakic and his linemates, and got a lucky tip off the skate of Ruslan Salei to win the game just 1:14 into overtime. Sometimes Super Joe isn't all that clutch. Mikko Koivu made him look silly on defense before getting the puck to Carney and the rest is history. The Avalanche have been extremely consistent so far. They've scored first in both games, and then squandered the lead ...
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| WCQ Game 2: Overtime Overflow Thread |
| 2008-04-11 23:30:45 |
Because 400 comments is too many for a single thread. Keep the insanity going here. Milan Hejduk tips a John-Michael Liles slap shot for a goal with just seconds left on the clock. To overtime we go, again. And the Wild look really tired....
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| WCQ Game 2: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread |
| 2008-04-11 10:51:58 |
Another early start to the game thread because there's nothing else to talk about today except tonight's matchup. Sure, things fell the Avs' way in Game 1, but don't think for a second---even with the mounting injuries faced by the Wild---that Minnesota is out of it. If anything, getting humbled in front of their own crowd is only going to make them play harder. Nobody wants to go home early from the playoffs. Mark Parrish is out, but Martin Skoula will play with a sore leg and Chris Simon will likely be in, so the Avs will have to keep their heads up at all times because he's the dirtiest player in the league. Forsberg needs to stay light on his skates because he'll be dodging two-handers all night long. Even Forsberg shadow Brent Burns is not above cheap play,...
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