On the fifth day of Christmas the Avalanche gave to me… 

Five Cody fights

Four little Monsters

Three hits from Malone

Two shootout goals

And a pain in my head and tummy.

As dangerous as they are (perhaps because of this), I am a huge fan of hockey fights. Very few things get the players’ and fans’ blood pumping more effectively than a good fight. I know there are many who feel that, given the likelihood of injury and emotional byproducts, fighting should be removed from the game. While those arguments are certainly valid, as a fan I really enjoy watching them. The fighting was the third thing to attract me to the sport, behind the skating skills and hits.

What can I say? I appreciate the dual nature of the game. Knowing that an effortlessly elegant skater can get smooshed against the boards at any moment just enhances my enjoyment of each separate element.

Cody McLeod has a little bit of a reputation as a fighter. Thus far this season he has put up five fights. While I am ecstatic that he is willing to step up when necessary, I would be even happier if he could win them consistently. According to the fine people at hockeyfights.com, he has been the clear victor in only one of the five bouts.

Ouch.

McLeod’s first fight was a draw against Columbus Blue Jacket Derek Dorsett on October 12, 2011. Cody then took a few weeks off, allowing Ryan Wilson and Shane O’Brien do the fighting for him. On November 6 Cody decided to go against Tim Jackman of the Calgary Flames. He took another couple of weeks off, but David Jones’ willingness to fight seemed to propel him back into the festivities. On November 15 he lost to Arron Asham of the Penguins. On November 28 he finally won a fight when he went toe-to-toe with Krys Barch. Last but not least he took on San Jose Shark Brad Winchester on December 15.

I was fully planning to insert video into this post, but since the DIA free wifi sucks that will not be happening. Follow this link to see Cody’s fight card this season and click on the tiny TVs next to each entry to see video.

Thanks for your hard work, Cody. Keep it up. Just be happy you can’t be in the press box every night.

This is how I feel when the Avs win.

Winning at home in front of a great crowd is even better. Friday night the Colorado Avalanche opened a record-setting 8 game home stand with a 3 – 0 win over the Dallas Stars. Given their rocky record on home ice, this shutout win was especially impressive.

Oh, and it was goalie J.S. Giguere’s 35th shutout. Congratulations, #35, the win was both meaningful and numerically amusing.

The goals came from Chuck Kobasew (yeah, I was surprised, too…but he tipped in a shot by Ryan Wilson), Paul Stastny, and Matt Duchene, who added insult to injury with an empty netter at the tail end of the game. Shots on goal were plentiful during this game, with 24 coming from the Stars and a whopping 45 from the Avs.

Dallas played a very physical game and out-hit the Avs 23 – 13. The leaders of the Dallas Hit Squad were forward Jamie Benn and defenseman Mark Fistric with four hits each. The Avs retaliated as necessary (no need to risk penalties when you have the lead throughout the game, after all) as “led” by Gabriel Landeskog, TJ Galiardi, Chuck Kobasew, and Shane O’Brien with two hits apiece.

Speaking of Shane O’Brien…this guy is on his way to becoming one of my new favorites. I love that he is willing to be physical when necessary, including defending his goaltender and getting a little nasty in the crease. He also has found his scoring touch as he already has 7 points on the season. Basically, O’Brien is on his way to fulfilling the expectations everyone has of Erik Johnson.

The Avs will be back in action on Sunday night against the visiting San Jose Sharks. The Sharks will certainly represent a challenge, as they are playing well and always seem to have the Avs’ number. Hopefully the boys in burgundy and blue will be able to build on Friday’s success and send the Sharks out of town sad and depressed.

The Avs could stand to learn a few lessons from the Broncos. (Sketch by Katie Martinez)

In other news, the world is ending. Prepare accordingly.

Tuesday night the Avs lost in excruciating fashion to the Pittsburgh Penguins. In my opinion any loss to a Pittsburgh team is excruciating, but Tuesday really was special. The Avs had a 3 – 1 lead going into the second period and still managed to lose 3 – 6. I was lucky enough not to be watching this debacle as I was tutoring kids instead, but just checking my text messages was enough to send me on an emotional rollercoaster.

ESPN NHL – COL Goal COL 1 PIT 0 – Goal scored by Jay McClement
ESPN NHL – COL Goal COL 2 PIT 0 – Goal scored by Matt Duchene
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal COL 2 PIT 1 – Goal scored by Jordan Staal
ESPN NHL – COL Goal COL 3 PIT 1 – Goal scored by David Jones
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal COL 3 PIT 2 – Goal scored by Pascal Dupuis
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal COL3 PIT 3 – Goal scored by Brooks Orpik
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal PIT 4 COL 3 – Goal scored by Evgeni Malkin
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal PIT 5 COL 3 – Goal scored by James Neal
ESPN NHL – PIT Goal PIT 6 COL 3 – Goal scored by Kris Letang

See? It’s soul crushing to see the goals laid out like that. I’m sure it was even worse to watch. On the bright side, the team showed up to play the first period. On the less bright side, they neglected to play the third period.

At the end of October the Avs were 7 – 4. They had gone on a rampage through the Northeast, sweeping 5 teams on the road and starting out with 6 wins in 8 games. While some underlying fundamental issues were clear (offense wasn’t really clicking, big holes on defense), good goaltending and luck were enough to help the Avs find success. They were even somewhat entertaining.

So far in November the Avs have lost 6 of their last 7. “We need to play a full 60 minutes” is heard every night from fans on Twitter and message boards as well as from the coaches and players in postgame interviews. Goaltending has pretty much fallen apart, as Semyon Varlamov has started in the lion’s share of the games and has a 5 – 8 – 1 record. J.S. Giguere is 3 – 1. The defense has gotten lackadaisical in front of the goalie (seriously, only three players have non-negative plus/minus stats: Gabriel Landeskog, Shane O’Brien, and Ryan Wilson). The offense has been inconsistent to say the least, and though the movement of Matt Duchene to the wing seems to have mostly solved the first line scoring problems, there are three other offensive lines that still need some tweaking.

The Avs have become downright depressing to watch. Maybe it’s because we are fresh off of the 2010 – 11 season, but every time they have a lead (which is rare) I find myself wondering how they will manage to blow it. I take games far more seriously than I should, and as a result, each game is an emotional rollercoaster. It is not good for my psyche.

By way of contrast, the Denver Broncos have become a source of (dare I say) joy. Love him or hate him, Tim Tebow and the goofy offensive scheme have managed to do what neither Kyle Orton’s Broncos nor the Avs have been able to do: win. The whole team looks energized. The offensive line is playing like a group of studs, protecting their QB and opening up running lanes seemingly at will. The defense is playing well enough to limit their opponents’ ability to score. And Tebow has been able to lead a team to victory in spite of completing only 2 of 8 passes in an entire game.

Now that’s leadership. True leaders make everyone around them better, playing and standing up for the team first and foremost. They lead by example in the locker room and on the field/ice. Tim Tebow has leadership skills in spades. I can only hope newly crowned Milan Hejduk can be a fraction as effective in his captainship as Tebow has been as starting QB.

At the beginning of the fall I never would have imagined that the Broncos would be the more uplifting team to watch this season. I completely believed that the Avs would pull together and play as more than the sum of their parts, getting a few more wins than losses in spite of persisting issues and holes. I also completely believed that the Broncos would be a royal mess all season long, that they would be incapable of finding a workable solution to the quarterback controversy or overcoming their positional difficulties. Clearly I was wrong on both counts. The Broncos are actually a terrific example of a team that has come together and through effort, scheme, and play calling become better than the talent of individual players should dictate.

As a Denver native I am a Denver Broncos fan and I am thrilled that they are no longer the laughingstock of the NFL. They have been an exciting team to watch over the past few weeks. As a relatively recent hockey convert, however, I really would like the Avs to stop delivering gut-wrenchingly lame performances and (gulp) learn something from the Broncos:

• Never quit. Never, ever, ever. A game is 60 minutes long. If you give 100% in every second of that 60 minutes, miracles can happen.
• Play to cover each other’s weaknesses and exploit each other’s strengths.
• Find what works and stick with it until it stops working.
• If players refuse to buy into the scheme or are cancerous, get rid of them.
• If accepted methods aren’t working, try something unorthodox. Worst case scenario, you continue to lose. Best case scenario, you get some wins, look like a genius, and lessen the blow of trading the first round draft pick to Washington..

So Avs, get it together. Figure out how to put together a team that cares enough to play hard for the entire game. Capture my faith and my trust again as the Broncos have managed to do. I know it’s possible; I see glimmers of it every game. I’m not asking for a serious Cup run this season or anything crazy. All I ask for is hope. I want you to play well enough to renew my hope that all is not lost and that this team will win again in the not-too-distant future.

After all, that’s what each of us wants: a bright spot in a largely mundane existance that serves to remind us that hope and joy still exist. Sports teams hold incredible power over us because they consistently bring hope and joy into our lives. There have been weeks where an Avs or Broncos win is one of the only really good things that happens in my little world. Currently the Avs are using this power for evil while their counterparts across I-25 are using it for good. How cool would it be if the Avs could learn a few lessons from the Broncos and go back to being a beacon of light in our dull little worlds?

The Calgary Flames once again best the Avs Saturday night. (Flames courtesy of Amada44 via Wikimedia Commons)

I swear, the Colorado Avalanche are trying their darndest to kill me. Tonight they played 30 minutes (at least) of incredibly lackluster hockey against the division rival Calgary Flames and entered into the third period down 4 – 1. An early goal by Matt Duchene lit a flame under the Avs and they managed to play one period of impassioned, exciting hockey. Unfortunately the third goal (credited to David Jones) was their last, and they lost the game 4 – 3.

An outcome they richly deserved.

Don’t get me wrong; I love the Avs. My sports teams mean a lot to me and I probably care more than I should about the final score of their games. But usually I don’t get too upset about poor play or a few losses. After all, it’s only sports…there are bigger concerns in this wonderful world of ours. The fastest – and maybe only – way to push my anger button is to fail to play hard from beginning to end. These men are professional athletes. Their job is to be ready for every game, get out on the ice, and do their everything in their power to be the best version of themselves in order to help their team win every night. No, it’s not easy, and it’s understandable that their humanity would get in the way from time to time. But they get paid to play the game. And we the fans part with our precious time and  hard-earned money in order to support them in their endeavor.

Call me old fashioned, but I think the least they can do is play hard starting at the first puck drop and continuing straight through to the final horn.

Some of the players appear to give it their all come hell or high water. Shane O’Brien, Ryan O’Reilly, Ryan Wilson, Gabriel Landeskog, Kyle Quincey, and Milan Hejduk are a few of the names that come to mind. (That was not meant to be an exhaustive list…though it may be close.) The majority of the players, however, seem to only show up when the team is so far behind they need a miracle to get the win. There are many who believe this is largely a coaching issue, a perspective which is becoming harder and harder to dismiss. Assigning blame, while somewhat cathartic, does little to address the problem.

The Avs must figure out how to bring effort and passion to every period. As a fan I would be far more comfortable with losing if I could see that the team wanted to win as badly as I want them to win. If fans could look at the ice and see the players working hard it would be so much easier to put wear our hearts on our sleeves and cheer for our team. Until that happens we will always reserve a piece of ourselves, holding it back in case this team turns out to be no better than last seasons’ Avs, the team that broke our hearts month in and month out.

I know this wasn’t much of a recap. If you want the boxscore or stats, check here. Honestly I’m so fed up with this “oh, wait, we’re 18 goals down and it’s the third period? Maybe we should play some hockey now, boys” attitude that I sort of want to scream. Or beat the stuffing out of a punching bag.

This week the Avs go on the road, and could be the first team to play against a Crosby-d Penguins team on Tuesday night. Let’s hope the boys manage to show up for more than one of the periods in Pittsburgh.

Not scary at all. (Photo by TaraO)

On Wednesday night, the perfect road record of the Colorado Avalanche was besmirched by the by the smug Calgary Flames as they lost by two goals in regulation.

Ok, maybe calling them “smug” isn’t exactly fair. I’m just tired of watching the Avs lose to Calgary. Or hearing them lose to Calgary. Or getting the text message updates about them losing to Calgary while I’m stuck at school being the teacher waiting for parents to come in for Parent/Teacher Conferences.

I’m not going to recap a game I didn’t see. Suffice it to say, Ryan Wilson and Kyle Quincey got the tallies for the Avs while Roman Horak and Rene Bourque scored for the Flames. Bourque actually scored twice; once on a very intimidating empty net when Giguere was pulled in an attempt to even up the score before the end of the game. The game ended in regulation (a somewhat foreign concept to the Avs) with a score of 4 – 2 Flames.

The only bright spot in all of this is that I was right about something: the score! Sure, I said that the Avs would win 4 – 2, but at least I had the score correct! That’s better than I usually do. Otherwise, my predictions were pretty much wrong. And by “pretty much” I mean “completely.”

The Avs get to try again on Friday night, when the Edmonton Oilers come to town to celebrate Bernie’s birthday. (No, I’m not kidding…the Avs will be celebrating the birthday of mascot St. Bernard Bernie.) Maybe that will inspire them to get a win at home.

There’s always hope.

This image speaks for itself. (Original photo by JessicaAvsFan)

It sure is nice to be on the winning side of a landslide score. It’s been a few games (ok, 40) since the Colorado Avalanche defense was able to shut down their opponent while the offense caught fire. Last night ex-Av Craig Anderson and his Ottawa Senators were on the losing end of the Avs’ 7 – 1 coming out party.

I tried to feel sorry for him, I swear I did…but it just didn’t work. So I settled for dancing a little jig of delight instead.

Milan Michalek gave me a little heart attack when he tipped in a power play goal early in the first. Luckily for the Sens this was the high point of the game. Milan Hejduk tallied a power play goal to tie it up three minutes later and Gabriel Landeskog got his second NHL goal on the heel’s of Hejduk’s. When Zack Smith laid a huge hit on the young Landeskog at the end of the period, Ryan Wilson stepped up and defended his teammate. Awww.

After the penalty- and goal-filled first period the second was relatively quiet. In his first start of the season Joakim Lindstrom made his presence known as he put a wrister past Anderson.

In the third period the wheels really came off for the Senators. The Avs’ Matt Duchene converted on the power play early on, Daniel Winnik put up a short handed goal a few minutes later, and David Jones and Lindstrom converted on separate power plays later in the period. By the time the final horn blew the Avs had amassed seven goals on 39 shots, four of which were power play goals. Every player except T.J. Galiardi (who only had nine minutes of ice time) put the puck on the net. Not a single player had a negative +/-, which is pretty easy to accomplish when an opponent is held to one goal on 16 shots.

This kind of game is exactly what the Avs needed: the defense and offense performed well at the same time. The players needed to remember how fun it is to score (heh heh) and get back a little of the magic they’ve been missing in the past months. Sure, it came against a weak opponent, but that’s how it works sometimes. You destroy a weaker team and it reminds you of forgotten strengths. You embarrass a former teammate and realize you can embarrass other goalies as well.

The next game won’t be quite such a cupcake as the Avs continue their East Coast swing in Montreal. Hopefully the Avs won’t lose their mojo on their day off today, and tomorrow night we will be toasting another glorious victory.

Seriously, I forgot how much fun it is to watch a winning team. I wouldn’t mind at all if this continued.

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 official opening of the 2011 – 12 Colorado Avalanche season is exactly 88 days from today. As we all know, time is relative. To some, 88 days is nothing – like those trying to lose weight for a high school reunion, train for a triathlon, or build a people-sized quantum teleporter. (Beam me up, Scotty!)

To the rest of us, 88 days sounds like forever. And we need some entertainment to pass the days.

This “Countdown to October” series is a way to share the amusing pictures that I collect with you all, and hopefully make you laugh just a little bit as we pass the days until the hockey season is back up and running. If you have an image to share, please feel free to share it with me via Twitter or email.

Without further ado…on day 88, you could go play a round of golf! Just try not to leave divots quite this large. The groundskeepers don’t appreciate it.

Quick tip: if you choose to wait for hockey by playing golf, aim for the ball. (Photo by Katie Martinez)

To be totally fair, the day this photo was taken the guy pictured played a MUCH better round of golf than I did. Or than I ever have. Or likely ever will.

There has, of course, been some Avalanche news to share. They had pity on Kevin Porter and Ryan Wilson, signing each to one-year contracts and getting out of salary arbitration. The organization signed goalie Cedrick Desjardins and forward Evan Brophey to one-year contracts, both headed to Lake Erie unless they absolutely blow up camp. Four other LME players have agreed to terms, which means the Avs will have roughly the same pool of talent from which to pull when our starters inevitably get a little banged up.

Perhaps my favorite recent article about the Avalanche was the one on Puck Daddy detailing a chat between writer Dmitry Chesnokov and our new goalie, Semyon Varlamov. It is excellently done and gives great insight into Varlamov’s attitude and perspective on his new city and new team. I gotta say, I’m stoked about the attitude, and I can’t wait to see what he’s capable of if he can stay healthy and get more starts.

So, that’s the news 88 days out from the opening game between the Colorado Avalanche and visiting Detroit Red Wings on Saturday October 8. What are you up to today?