Ryan O'Reilly had a great night, scoring two of the Avs' three goals against the Dallas Stars. (Photo by CM Sonka)

So far the Colorado Avalanche have played three preseason games. Sunday night they finally won! Maybe this is a good sign. On a day when the Colorado Rockies outscored the Denver Broncos, the Avs also shut out the Dallas Stars.

Ladies and gentlemen, let it be hockey season.

The Good

• New goalie J.S. Giguere got a shutout, turning away all 16 of the Stars’ shots.
• Kyle Quincey‘s hustle paid off in the form of two assists.
• Ryan O’Reilly was downright studly, notching two goals in the second period.
• My Monster Patrick Bordeleau took on Krystofer Barch in the second period. Sadly I have no details about how it went.
• The Avs have continued their barrage of shots on goal, putting 31 on net.
• For what it’s worth, every single Avs player had a positive (or at least even) +/-. Seriously, check for yourself. I can’t even remember the last time that happened. (For the smart alecks out there who say “probably the last time they had a shutout,” I’m sure you’re right.)
• Brandon Yip wasn’t on the ice, because he broke his arm and will miss 4 – 6 weeks while it heals up.
• According to the Play-by-Play, Bordeleau also had a takeaway in the neutral zone. He used his 6 minutes of ice time well.

Matt Duchene takes a face off during Avs training camp. (Photo by @JessicaAvsFan)

Pardon the shouting, but the return of Colorado Avalanche hockey justifies the excitement.

Over the weekend training camp began, so technically, hockey has been back f0r several days now. But tonight the Avs will take the ice at the Air Force Academy to engage in the intra-squad tilt known as the Burgundy/White game. As I’ve said many times before, this is one of the best games of the season. Fans get to see the stars play against each other (which always generates sparks — last year Matt Duchene got in a tussle with then-housemate Adam Foote), as well as the most deserving prospects still vying for a spot on the opening night roster.

In short, it will be brutal, fast, hard-hitting, AWESOMENESS IN FROZEN HOCKEY FORM.

Ok, my excitement got away from me again. I apologize.

Since I was ridiculously sick and laying in bed dying this weekend I didn’t get a chance to post my training camp thoughts. Plenty of people that went to/followed camp and have excellent opinions have already written up their views. Check out The Avalanche Guild, Mile High Hockey, HockeyBuzz, Put It On Ice, and, of course, The Denver Post if you haven’t already.

If you’ve read my stuff very much at all, you know that I have somewhat of a unique perspective. So even if you have already read every opinion about training camp, I think you should stick around and read mine.  Consider it a warm up for the Burgundy/White game tonight.

Random Thoughts:

• I am ashamed to say that I forgot what the sound of bodies hitting the boards does to my psyche. It is the best mood elevator I know.
• Somebody get #62 (Troy Rutkowski) a sweater that fits. He looks like he’s playing dress up in his daddy’s clothes.
• Repeat after me: #4 is NOT John Michael Liles. #4 is NOT John Michael Liles. #4 is NOT John Michael Liles. #4 is NOT John Michael Liles.
• So nice to see Peter Mueller back on the ice. Even nicer to watch him take a few hits and not shatter like a pane of glass.
• #58 (Patrick Bordeleau) WILL hit you if he can see you. He may be moving slowly. He may drop his stick in the process. But he will hit you. And when he does, it’s gonna hurt.
• Mueller’s tinted visor makes him look like the “cool” kid in high school who insists on wearing his sunglasses inside. (This thought immediately brought the Corey Hart song to mind. This may be Mueller’s theme song in my head this season.)
• It was interesting that during the first game every player brought the same level of intensity to the ice. As time went on, however, it became obvious which players could truly hang with the big boys and which ones need to go back to school for a while.
• Milan Hejduk’s hands are just sick. I could watch him stick handle forever. (Get your mind out of the gutter.)
• A few players fired shots into the net above the coach’s perch rather than the net attached to the goal. Apparently hockey players need painfully specific directions in order to succeed.
• Matt Duchene had a breakaway from the blue line up along the boards that really showcased his speed. The defender should’ve had the advantage, but Duchene just made him look silly.
• Bordeleau hit #57 (Mike Brennan, signed to an AHL contract and not on the B/W roster for tonight) hard into the boards. Brennan took offense and hit Bordeleau right back…and then tripped over Bordeleau’s prone body. It was pretty funny.
• Watching Landeskog was really fun. He’s learning as he goes, which is obvious, but he learns quickly. I think he’ll be a valuable asset this season.

My favorites:

Patrick Bordeleau, #58. The big, bruising forward lays the hurt on people and can actually skate. He even put in a garbage goal off a fairly decent backhand on Saturday. I LOVE this guy, even though outside of a David Koci-type role he probably won’t ever see meaningful time with the Avs. He did make the Burgundy team for tonight’s game. I’m psyched.

Joakim Lindstrom, #28. His play was pretty flawless; he did the little things well and did a few important things very well. He’s kind of like the perfect backup singer. His voice melds perfectly with that of the lead singer so you hear one voice harmonizing with itself. That’s what Lindstrom’s game looks like. He makes everyone around him better because of his own strengths. He will be on Team Burgundy tonight.

Jan Hejda, #8 and Erik Johnson, #6. My love of defensemen is no secret. These two together were just beautiful. They already had chemistry together…a dark, brooding chemistry that made people pay for daring to bring the puck into their zone. I love it. It’s nice for EJ to have a defensive partner this season. I’m looking for big things out of both of them…and I’d LOVE for EJ to at least get the A. They are both on Team White tonight.

Mark Olver, #40. He’s just a little pocket-sized firecracker. I love this guy. He’s tiny and oh-so-fast, but he also has a lot of spunk. He is not afraid to stand up for himself or for others. We saw him play up with the Avs for several games last season, and he’s definitely making a bid to at least be among the first called up this year. He’s on Team Burgundy for tonight’s matchup.

Here is the roster for tonight’s game. Looking at the teams tells me that White should skate away with the win easily, but maybe the Burgundy underdogs will rise up and take the night.

So how about it, Avs fans….ARE YOU READY FOR SOME HOCKEY?!?!?!?!?!

Now is the time for all good prospects to BATTLE. (Photo by @JessicaAvsFan)

…And all through the house
Not a creature was stirring
Except for Katie, because she’s a freak with sleep issues on the most unexciting of days.

Seriously, folks. I average 2 – 3 hours of sleep a night. 5 is solid. 6 is HEAVEN. Today was a crazy day and my brain desperately needs a few hours of recharge time. But every time I close my eyes and drift off some part of my subconscious remembers that training camp starts tomorrow and I’m jarred awake.

I haven’t yet decided if I’m upset about this.

I’ve mentioned this before, but from camp through the preseason is actually my favorite part of the hockey season. I love watching the New Kids On The Block and seeing how they may fit in with The Old Guys. (You know, old. Like Matt Duchene.) I love watching the AHLers battle for a shot at The Show. And suddenly the disappointments, nay, heartbreak of last season don’t matter so much because HOCKEY IS FINALLY BACK!!!!

I get to catch the full open-to-the-public session on Saturday and a few minutes on Sunday. During these precious hours I will be watching carefully for the answers to these questions:

1. Everyone (read: Dater and a few others) have said the team is bigger and stronger. How will this impact their play and overall look on the ice?

2. How do each of the new additions (NKOTB) fit in with their new teammates?

3. Is Landeskog as fun to watch as advertised? More importantly, is he ready to be effective THIS season?

4. Which defensemen rise to the top, embracing the competition and proving themselves worthy warriors?

5. How do goalies Varlamov and Giguere handle their roles…whatever they might be? I realize camp is not exactly the best place for amateurs like me to examine goalie potential, but…do they look like they give us a better chance to win than the goalies we let go? (Note: I fully believe this is a stupid question. The answer is also pointless, since we have who we have. However, it’s still a question that popped into my head.)

6. Now that Peter Mueller put on some additional mass and is, you know, on the ice, how has his game changed? Does it look like the road to recovering his former touch will be long? Or has the weight and injury caused a fundamental shift?

7. Will it ever be possible to obtain a blue practice jersey? Those are AWESOME.

That’s about it for me. I’ll let you all know what I see at camp and what I believe to be the answers to my questions. If you can’t make it to camp yourself, I’m sure there will be a plethora of opinions made public by a bevy of people. Read them all, or as many as possible…it’ll give you a much more comets view and make your life far more entertaining.

HAPPY TRAINING CAMP DAY AVS FANS!

Peter Mueller skating in the 2010 Burgundy/White game, one of the last times fans have seen him play. (Photo by Katie Martinez)

Rookie camp started on Tuesday morning. The young guys have been out on the ice at Family Sports Center trying to get used to each other and the complete lack of oxygen at this altitude. Adrian Dater and Mike Chambers of the Denver Post have been at camp checking out the players; if you haven’t read their stuff yet, there’s a ton of it here. The Mile High Hockey folks have also had representatives at camp; check out their reports here. The highlights: UND grad Brad Malone is willing to be Cody McLeod-esque in order to make it to the show, Peter Mueller is skating in drills (can I get a WOOOHOOOOOO?), Joey Hishon is the newest victim of concussion symptoms, youngin’ Gabriel Landeskog is willing to put the work in to earn his assumed place on the opening night roster, and Duncan Siemens is a stud.

Now, I will admit that last entry was a little bit self-serving. Mike Chambers doesn’t exactly call Siemens a stud. But given my love of defensemen it should come as no surprise that I’m completely stoked to see this kid at camp.

As I’m sure you remember, the Avs took Siemens (yes, I chuckle every time I say his name…not sure when that’s gonna stop) 11th in the draft this summer. Given my appreciation for defenseman and the Avs recent struggles in that department I was really excited to see him in an Avs jersey. Prior to the draft, The Scouting Report had him listed at #14 and called him a “project” due to questions about his decision-making ability and true offensive skill once separated from the ridiculously high scoring Saskatoon Blades.

On the plus side, the guy is a big, physical hockey player. He’s 6’3″ and just about 200 pounds, which puts him in the top 5 of all defensemen in the Avs system. Oh, and he just turned 18 on September 7th. (As a 5’2″ high school teacher, he’s the size of kid that makes me a tad nervous.) According to the draft profile he isn’t afraid to throw his body around or drop the gloves, but can still skate well. Having never watched him play an entire game myself, I will go ahead and trust them on these things.

The idea of having a player (even if he goes into the system for a few years to continue to grow and mature) who is willing to play a physical game and can still skate makes me very, very happy. Like, Christmas morning as a five-year-old who just opened the best gift EVER happy.

Here are a few of the more amusing videos I found starring Duncan Siemens. Enjoy…and if you’re in Colorado, make a point of heading to Family Sports Center on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday at 9:00 am to catch the new kid and a bunch of his competitors on the ice for the return of Avalanche hockey.

Oh, and in case you lost count…Peter Forsberg/Red Wings night is 22 days away. We are getting closer to the time when I can count down in hours and minutes.

Something else to look forward to.

And some offense! Duncan Siemens is wearing #20 for Team Canada…

COME ON, OCTOBER!!!!!

Now that the somber weekend of reflection has passed, we can look forward to the wonderful world of hockey that is right around the corner. Rookie camp starts sometime this week. Regular camp starts on Saturday the 17th and runs through Monday the 19th, open for free to the public from 9 am to noon at Family Sports Center. The Burgundy/White game is next Tuesday the 20th. The Avs’ first official preseason game is next Thursday, September 22, in Dallas.

And the season opener is a mere 26 days away. Avalanche hockey is so close I can almost taste it.

Last week I promised you all a preview of the guys I am most excited to see play in camp and preseason games. I was going to start with one of the well-known acquisitions, but where’s the fun in that? So instead I decided to start with one of my favorite AHLers: Patrick Bordeleau.

The 25 year old left winger has been with the organization since 2008. Presumably he’s been invited to Avs’ training camps every season since, but as 2010 was the first camp I attended it was the first time I noticed him. Standing 6’5″ without skates, he kinda sticks out.

His style of play sets him apart just as much as his size. In the scrimmages and games I saw last season he brings an almost crazed physicality to the forward position. Bordeleau skates everywhere hard and fast, somewhat resembling a charging bull. His size, when moved with such purpose, is pretty intimidating. Especially if you’re a pane of glass.

Bordeleau never, ever backs down from a fight. In fact, he often starts them. In the preseason games he played with the Avs in 2010 he was in two fights, one against B.J. Crombeen of the Blues and the other against Brandon Segal of the Stars. During the regular season with the Lake Erie Monsters he was in 27 scraps according to Hockeyfights.com. Here’s the first:

During the 2010 – 11 season Bordeleau played 72 games with the Monsters. On top of his 125 penalty minutes he also managed 10 assists and 2 goals, one of which was a game winner in late February. Oh, and he can pull off the fauxhawk like no one’s business.

In non-hockey news, he did an interview with Dennis Manoloff of Cleveland.com back in 2009. Over the course of the interview Bordeleau admits to playing baseball until the age of 17, loving pizza and spaghetti, and ordering three Big Macs at McDonald’s on the rare occasions when he eats at that fine establishment. But hands down my favorite quote comes at the end, when Manoloff asks Bordeleau to name one American misconception about Canadians. Bordeleau responds:

“I’m French Canadian. I don’t really know about Canadians that much.”

I can’t decide whether laughter or an eyebrow raise wins out in this situation.

Anyway, my guess is Patrick Bordeleau won’t make the Avs squad this year. He’s just not potent enough offensively to justify keeping him around. But I will enjoy every second of ice time he gets during camp and preseason. He plays hockey like a wrecking ball, and I love it. So if you get to check out camp or any of the preseason games, keep an eye out for #56 #58. It’ll be a good time. I promise.

Edit:  As a reader so kindly pointed out, Bordeleau is #58, not #56. That’s what I get for writing posts late at night, and why I could use an editor! Thanks! 

It's almost time for the Avs to prove if this season's catch phrase has any real meaning or not. (Photo by Katie Martinez)

Go take a look at the Avs roster. Yes, now. Just peek.

IT’S HUGE!!!

As I look down the loooooong list of names I see many that I remember/recognize, a few that I don’t, and a few that flat-out make me smile. (Rissmiller? Brophey? And, yes, Siemens? I’m looking at you guys.) But the point is that all these guys are going to be in one place, at one time, attempting to prove themselves to the Avalanche brass.

This is, in my opinion, the most exciting part of the hockey season. Now, that may be because it’s been awhile since the Avs last serious Cup run, but my point still stands. I love watching all the young kids lay it all on the line for a chance to make the show. Camp may be the only shot some of these guys get. The deserving ones will stick around for preseason games, playing their hearts out night after night to show that this is their season.

I freaking LOVE it.

Camp for everyone officially starts on Friday September 16. That is a mere 9 days away. Every day between now and then I will take a look at the guys I’m excited to see at camp. Some are the obvious lightning rods, some are more…obscure.  But I have my reasons for getting up early on Saturday and Sunday to drag my butt to camp to watch these guys scratch and claw for a spot on the final roster.

Though I do hope the actual scratching and clawing is abandoned in favor of fighting. Or maybe an entertaining foot race. But scratching should be below everyone’s dignity.

So hang on, Avalanche fans…the season is right around the corner. Warm up here with me. It’ll be fun. Promise.

Also, if you missed it yesterday, the 2011 Colorado Avalanche Soundtrack was published yesterday on The Pulse. You should definitely check it out, especially since many of the ideas came from readers via Twitter or our Facebook page. I love it when I get to pimp out other people’s ideas…they’re always so much better than my own.

There once was a teacher named Katie

Whose students were driving her crazy

As their anger she savored,

She forced them to labor

And sat in her chair being lazy.

To be fair, I’m sitting in my chair because I sprained my ankle falling UP the stairs the other day. Yes, I fell. Yes, I fell going UP the stairs. And yes, I’m such a klutz that I managed to injure myself while doing so.

Sigh.

About the only good things I have to say about today are that 1) it is finally Friday and 2) the Colorado Avalanche regular season is now a mere 36 days away. I have more good things to say about the Avs’ training camp roster and the nearness of the Burgundy/White game, but that will have to wait.

IS IT OCTOBER YET?!?!?!?!?

Today is Monday, August 29, 2011. There are 40 days left until the Colorado Avalanche regular season opener at the Pepsi Center. Perhaps even more amazingly, according to Terminator 2: Judgement Day, we are 5,110 days past Skynet blowing all of our cities to nuclear smithereens.

Congratulations to us on surviving the machine apocalypse.

There is still not much going on in the hockey world. Clearly everyone is laying low in anticipation of the butt-kicking they are to receive in a couple of weeks when training camp starts. None of our preseason questions (will Mueller actually be able to find his pre-concussion form? Can Landeskog hang with the big boys? Which of the baby Avs will get to play with the grown ups on opening night? What number will everyone wear? WILL MATT DUCHENE EVER GO TO PROM WITH THAT GIRL???) can be answered until the boys actually start to play hockey.

One of the reasons it’s so easy to be excited about a new season is that, quite simply, it is a new season. The only way to escape the stench of The Spring Which Shall Not Be Named is to get out on the ice and win more than two games out of twenty. New players and coaches bring with them a sense of mystery. In short, every Avalanche fan is vibrating with excitement, just waiting to see what this new season will bring.

In the words of Sarah Connor, “The unknown future rolls toward us. I face it for the first time with a sense of hope…”

Now it’s up to the Avalanche to prove themselves worthy of our hopes.

40 more days.

Avalanche #44 Ryan Wilson. Hockey player and mouthguard chewer extraordinaire. (Photo by CM Sonka)

I hereby declare Thursday, August 25, 2011 to be Ryan Wilson Day. Men and women, boys and girls, Avs fans and non-Avs fans, feel free to celebrate in your own way.

As of today there are 44 days left until the Avs take the ice against the Red Wings. That’s exactly six weeks and two days.

I would continue the conversion into the smaller units of time measurement, but I’m afraid the number of hours would be depressing. Minutes even more so. If I calculated the seconds I may find myself driving to the Rocky Mountains to dive head first off of Mount Evans. (You can drive all the way to the summit, or pretty darn close. And if I’m just going to fall off the top I am not going to trek all the way up first.)

Anyway. 44 days, the number Avalanche defenseman Ryan Wilson wears. The Avs acquired Mr. Wilson from the Flames for Jordan Leopold several years ago and he has played 128 games with the NHL club since. He’s not exactly what you would call a dazzling hockey player; his 16 points last season put him at 403rd in the league and his 68 penalty minutes put him at 112th. Wilson’s most impressive stat is the season total -8 on the that had him ranked 745th in the NHL.

Seriously, that’s impressive, though in much the same way as a brain-freezing gulp of Slurpee.

On the heels of those stats allow me to disavow you all of the notion that I hate Ryan Wilson. I met him once and he was an incredibly nice guy. He even asked how I was and how I was enjoying the hockey season. (This was two seasons ago during a good streak, so it wasn’t a rhetorical question.) I’ve heard nothing but good things from others who have met him. While his numbers are neither terrifically horrifying nor All Star Game worthy, he has served a purpose on the ice over the past few years, and I’ve had fun watching him play. He’s gotten into some great scraps, several of which I caught in person, including this one:

So mostly I like watching Penguins get hit. What can I say.

Anyway, much love for Ryan Wilson. He may struggle to make the squad this year given the sheer number of players that will be competing for a spot on the defense. Hopefully that situation will translate into a much improved defense come October, but we will have to wait and see.

Again, Happy Ryan Wilson Day to you all. Please let me know how you plan to observe the holiday.

Also…is it October yet?

The AHL schedules were recently released, which means that the rabid hockey fans of Cleveland, Ohio now know when the Lake Erie Monsters will be playing.

You know, if they choose to brave the bone-chilling cold to catch a hockey game.

I am far from an AHL expert. I only half-heartedly pay attention to the feeder club for the Avs. If you are looking for some awesome coverage, check out Colorado Avalanche Prospects run by the uber-fabulous Angelique C. Murray. But to me there is one game that stands out: on Thursday February 23 the Monsters welcome the Hershey Bears to the Quicken Loans Arena (affectionately known as “The Q”).

Why this game, you ask? Because I am a hockey nerd with the dream of traveling to see the Colorado Avalanche play in every NHL arena in North America before I die. Luckily I should have quite a few years ahead of me in which to accomplish this feat. Anyway, last year I got the idea to try to see the Avs play in Columbus and the Monsters play in Cleveland on the same trip. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to spend the money in February of 2011, but apparently the hockey gods smile upon me, since they have granted me another chance this season.

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. On Thursday February 23 the Monsters play in Cleveland. On Friday February 24 the Avs play the Blue Jackets in Columbus.

Thus making possible the Avalanche system double-header. It’s like magic. Or Christmas in February. Or something else really great.

So, if you have a little extra money and would like the opportunity to see the baby Avs and the big boy Avs play on back to back nights in Ohio, start planning on February 2012.

Oh, and guess what? ONLY 47 MORE DAYS UNTIL REGULAR SEASON AVS HOCKEY!!!!

Sorry, my excited got away from me for a second there. I’ll try to keep it under better control…but I make no promises.