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After the lights had gone down on the improbable second season for the Avalanche it was hard not to think about what could have been. 

What would have happened had Nathan MacKinnon not injured his shoulder three minutes into game seven against the Sharks? How far could the team have gone had the Colin Wilson goal not been stripped away by a questionable offsides call? How would the game have ended had the Avalanche adjusted to Joe Pavelski’s return sooner?

It is easy to be angry about any of these things and more. But then, if we keep our heads, we are able to feel grateful. The Avalanche. These Avalanche were two goals away from the conference finals. Let that sink in. 

During my admittedly erratic twelve years of writing about Avalanche hockey, there have been periods of glory woven into long stretches of mediocrity. The last time the Avalanche were a serious threat— a truly dominating force— was over fifteen years ago when the top three lines and defense iced Hall of Famers named Sakic, Forsberg, Kariya, Selanne, and Blake. 

There have been fits and starts since that moment: there was the false start of the Patrick Roy coaching era, and there was the false hope of the Ryan Smyth era. But mostly there was nothing. 

Absolutely. Stinking. Nothing. 

Just three years ago the Avalanche endured the worst hockey season in the modern era. Even the attention of the die hards started to wane when the questionable motivations of the Kroenke ownership seemed content to keep the roster set to perpetual mediocrity. I don’t blame anyone for turning away. There were better things to do. 

But this time seems different. This time there is a real spark. This time there is the hope of potential being realized. I have been an expatriate since August 22nd, 2009, when my career evaporated. Expatriate life is often an incredible mix of extremes. It is a life of exhilaration mixed with loneliness. Often the mind cries out for some kind of anchor. Something to cling to when the cold logic of personal economic decisions wins out over the emotional desire to return home. 

Personally my anchor has been sports because it always provides a welcome distraction. I was a die hard fan long before the economic crash of the late aughts drove me from my home. These days my love of the Colorado sports borders on madness. 

During the San Jose series I felt things that I hadn’t felt since the night I watched José Théodore carry the Avalanche to a playoff win over the Wild in 2008 from the upper deck at the Pepsi Center, the last time before this season that the Avs won a playoff series. I felt the pride that came along with controlling a superior team. The pride that comes along with being taken seriously. This time the pride was magnified even more because I watched the playoffs with my infant daughter. 

Say what you will, there is a pervasive and real inspiring force that comes with following a team that wins. Just as there are the soul sucking doldrums that come with being a fan of a team that constantly fails. 

I am sad today that there is no more Avalanche hockey this year. But I am happy that this time around the success the Avalanche realized was real and sustainable. In a way it feels like coming home.  

Until next year, friends. 

By the Power of Landeskog!

The Landy Man Can. Compher awakens. Jost gets involved. Hell, the Avs have a galldang second line! And Zadorov continues his hit parade, all narrated by the booming Gary Thorne voice in my head. 

It’s the Dog and Pony Show to your face! 

And like that, after a game in which the Avalanche were superior largely because of the emergence of J.T. Compher’s Magical Menagerie of Mystery Men we find our heroes returning to the land of the ten dollar coffee for more of the hockey after a heroic overtime goal by Gabriel Landeskog. 

Hooray for game sevens!

Can the Avs do what they can away from the Can as they did last night at the Can? 

You know the Landy Man Can!

Five Thoughts

1. Captain Avalanche 

For all but the most die hard Avalanche fans, Gabriel Landeskog has seemed like something of an enigma. While Nathan MacKinnon has soaked up the superstar attention and Mikko Rantanen has provided spectacular passes, it was, and has always been, the Avalanche captain who has done much of the dirty work on the best line in hockey.

Landy isn’t a typical superstar team captain but he gets the job done because he is willing to get dirty. Hell, Landy thrives on diving into the corners and emerging with a solid punch to the throat of the opposition. Admittedly, up until the last couple years I often looked at his numbers and shrugged. Fantasy-wise, he wasn’t much of a producer outside of fairly inconsistent twenty goal, seventy five penalty minute seasons, which made him a nice, middle round multi-category player but that was about it. However, life isn’t always numbers, and as I have ranted about before saber metrics and analytics can drag the fun out of sports more often than not. In hockey, heart, battling, leading, and teaching still matter. The Avalanche captain demonstrated those traits tonight as he has been doing all series. This time his hard work paid off with a game winner in overtime. 

2. It’s About Damn Time!

With three points from J.T. Compher, a goal from Tyson Jost, and solid contributions from Carl Soderberg, the Avalanche’s true second line at long last joined this hockey tournament. San Jose is a different hockey team when the Avalanche are able to throw together their super line and get support from their second unit. Suddenly, the Sharks can’t sit on MacK like he’s a lawn chair. 

For all their greatness, Burns, Karlsson, and Vlassic cannot defend against the speedy youth of the Avalanche when they are rolling depth. They especially have trouble when the Avalanche launch at them like they’ve been fired from a cannon, like Compher did when he almost sent Erik Karlsson back to 1955. If we get a repeat of the Avalanche we saw last night this will be a very, very interesting game seven in San Jose. 

3. Gruuuuu!

Yeah, the Avalanche goalie let in a gut punch of a game-tying goal off of Nikita Zadorov’s skate, but once again Philipp Grubauer proved that he is the solution in net for the  Avalanche. His positioning has been spot on and his recoveries after the first save have allowed his cat-like reflexes to take over. It’s such a pleasure to watch good, consistent goaltending in Denver again. 

4. About that Rantanen hit. 

At this point everyone who had followed the Avalanche knows that you never, ever, put your head down over the middle of the ice. Markus Naslund and Steve Moore, anyone? Last night Mikko Rantanen learned that rule the hard way against the wrong guy. Brent Burns is pulling no punches in this series and although it pains me to admit it, Rantanen should have known better than to watch his feet with Mongo roaming the ice. 

5. For game seven the Avalanche return to the land of the people who get rich off of selling your grandmother’s personal data. I have two predictions for what should be a very compelling game seven between the Avs and the team that will absolutely, definitely, go Stanley Cup-less yet again. 

First, Matt Calvert will make a triumphant return to the squad and be instrumental in at least one Avalanche goal. Second, the Avalanche will take the series with another stunning overtime goal after Nathan MacKinnon finds enough space to operate. 

Mark it dude. 

Until next time, Avarinos. 

Go squad!

Well, Damnit!

By the time the Sharks defense was done drop kicking Nathan MacKinnon in a manner that made me consider paying Marty McSorely hitman money to un-retire the Avalanche had been outrun and Philipp Grubauer had finally been solved. 

This may have been the last best chance for the Avalanche against San Jose but the war is not over yet. If anything this squad has shown the ability to find their legs and strike back. They have finally grown into a threat that needs to be taken seriously now and for the next several years. 

Now, where’s my wallet?

—->

Two Big Thoughts

1. The Grubauer Defense

For the last two games, up until Tomas Hertl was gifted an unfortunate puck drop in the crease, Philipp Grubauer has demonstrated that he is a far better goalie than Semyon Varlamov, and perhaps even better than Brendan Holtby, who was unceremoniously ejected from the playoffs along with the rest of Washington at the hands of the upstart Hurricanes. 

During these playoffs Grubauer has been a steadying force for an Avalanche defense that has a tendency to get stuck and run around in their own zone. He anticipates passes before they happen and gets sticky; rarely allowing bad rebounds, or many rebounds at all. At long last the Avalanche appear to have a franchise goalie who can weather the pressure of a deep playoff run. 

2. When Calvert is out, the game’s in doubt. 

Once again Matt Calvert was in the press box with an injury and once again the Avs lost a game in which his ability to grind and pester the opposition was sorely missed. He has become the lynchpin for the Avalanche during this playoff run. Without him Sven Andrighetto has had to step up. But as a diminutive wing who struggles when space on the ice is limited, he is not right player for the situations in which he is expected to perform. Namely, defensively, where he struggles.

As a result, San Jose is presented with an easier matchup against the Bourque-Jost line and consequently a cascading problem is created that effects the other lines. If Calvert is unable to return it is difficult to see the bottom two lines helping much against the Sharks at a time when depth scoring is sorely needed. 

The Avalanche return home for what could be their last stand against the Sharks. I’m not a fan of my playoff beard but it has become a fine companion during this run, like a puppy or some kind of chin ferret. Since I live in the Middle East I have also noticed that it gets me a certain amount of respect from strangers. Say what you want about this part of the world but there is something to be said about people who appreciate a solid lip skirt. 

San Jose May have the psycho billy trucker goatee market cornered but in the battle of the beards I’ll take Gabriel Landeskog and his wily crew of punks for the game six win. Let’s get to seven. 

Go Avs!