Reasons to be cheerful
by Nemesis44UK on Dec 8, 2011 3:41 AM MST
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PrintI think it's fair to say that there is a little disappointment around our team this year. With some big additions on the blue line and in goal, I think it's fair to say that we were expecting a bit more than what we are getting. It's starting to look a bit grim:
The Avs failed to extend their 3 game winning streak with a big 6-0 loss against Vancouver.
Stastny, Wilson, Mueller, Olver injured and Porter suspended (possibly) and we face Calgary tonight. The team that laid last year's St Valentine's Day massacre on us.
Humping the cap floor like it's a Playboy bunny.
Less than average record (13-14-1)
Colorado currently sit 12th in the Western Conference and 21st in the league.
If Calgary beat Colorado tonight, they will overtake Colorado with a game in hand.
However: All is not lost! Follow me over the jump to turn those frowns upside down
There are plenty of reasons to be optimistic:
1. Ryan O'Reilly - I love this guy. His play has improved at a geometric pace, year on year. I adore his work ethic and his grit and determination, yet he is as humble as they come. Did anyone else hear his 1st star interview after the Detroit game? I think it was Kyle Keefe(?) who said something like "Can you hear this crowd? They love you!" and O'RLY said "I love them too," and the crowd went nuts :). Oh and schooling Datsyuk with some takeaways. Priceless.
I want him to be captain when the Duke retires.
2. TJ Galiardi - His GWG against Detoilet. What a rocket! I have seen that goal about ten times now and it never gets old. It was kinda like, with that shot, he said "look, just fuck off Detroit." I hope we can see a resurgence of Galiardicus, because he was phenomenal against SJ.
3. Stefan Elliott - Not having seen him play in LEM, I didn't know what to expect. A very smart D-man with an offensive upside. Oh and he's only a foetus, so he has loads of time to improve even more. Great!
4. Jan Hejda/Erik Johnson - Despite that awful drubbing by Vancouver, their +/- is dropping. Now they're only -28. Not that +/- is a great barometer, but it is a useful indicator.
5. Ryan "Mack Truck" Wilson - I have been mightily impressed with his play this year. As the bendy songstress Shakira warbled, his hips don't lie. Single handedly bringing the hipcheck back into fashion and no chance of a Shanaban with those devastating strikes.
6. The Can - Last few games, it seems that the Can has been pretty rowdy and I think that it energised the Avs, especially when every little semi-breakaway gets a huge roar of excitement. This is a great improvement and I like it.
7. The PK - Despite languishing around 80%, the PK has gotten really good. The early season horrors of the PK seem to have been worked out and the Avs have turned around a PK that was easy pickings into an arid hunting ground for opposing teams.
8. Humping the cap floor - We're not Columbus or Anaheim with their inflated payrolls and poor win returns for those investments. Similarly, we are not Calgary with their aged team, nor Minnesota with their dull, dull, dull team. Oh wait.....Ahem, moving on....
9. Stable management - We have management that is fluid financially and stable. Hopefully, the Avs will never go bankrupt or relocate. Two very big problems that the Avs have avoided. Even a crappy team is better than no team at all. Just ask Atlanta.
10. Money - Thanks to Enos' frugality, there is little chance of us "doing a Blackhawks" and splitting up a winning and successful team. There is actually money in the coffers to pay our core players what they are worth and keep the team intact. I personally don't want to see ROR or Duchene being sold to Vancouver or Pittsburgh, thanks.
So there we have it. Ten reasons why we should be cheerful about the future, despite the up/downs on the ice.
MileHighHockey.com is a fan community, allowing members to post their own thoughts and opinions on the Colorado Avalanche and hockey in general. These views and thoughts may not be shared by the editors of MileHighHockey.com.
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I don’t know why, but this list made me more sad than happy
DDC is deeply embedded throughout this blog. For better or worse, his taint taints us all.
by David Driscoll-Carignan on Dec 8, 2011 7:11 AM MST reply actions
Why?
Because we are supposed to be thankful for humping the cap floor?
Because we are supposed to be thankful for 2 defensemen who are a combined -28?
Because we are supposed to be thankful for being 21st in the league on the PK?
Because we are supposed to be thankful for being 22nd in league attendance?
I am sad as well.
I Live in Colorado
That right there is usually enough reason for me to be cheerful.
I would like the Avs to get better and be more competitive, but whatever.
It might snow today. Son’s coming home from school tomorrow. Yeah, life is good.
A defeat of Calgary tonight would be icing on the cake.
OK Shermie, time to be the shepherd
"Doing the Blackhawks"
This needs to stop. It’s complete BS.
The Blackhawks this year: 16-8-4 (leading the division)
Last year: 44-29-9 (playoffs, took WC reps to seven games)
The year before: 52-22-8 (Stanley Cup)
Yeah, bunch of idiots over there. Glad we’re so superior.
4th biggest pessimist of MHH.
"There's always next season." -- Jimmy Howard on not winning the Calder Trophy.
Agreed. Those eeeediots! Paying players to compete! Filling a huge arena! Winning a Cup and thereafter contending! What were they thinking?
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Dec 8, 2011 9:20 AM MST up reply actions
Stimpy, don’t make me come over there.
Datsyuk may have done it first, but he learned it from Peter Forsberg.
Thanks for everything Foppa!
Footer: We'll miss seeing you clear the riff raff off your lawn.
by Americanario on Dec 8, 2011 12:20 PM MST up reply actions
Umm, missing the point. By a light year.
I appreciate it was a long post, so I’ll recap:
Blackhawks dismantled their SC winning team due to costs. That is the point I was trying to make. Not belittling the ’hawks, who have done a great job reconstructing a contending team despite such huge player movement.
"Wisdom requires a flexible mind" - Dan Carlin
Keeping Kane, Toews, Hossa, Sharp, Bolland, Keith, and Seabrook is not even close to “dismantling.” I think that is the point some of us non-floorhumpologists are trying to make. They kept their core completely together. And for the spare parts they had to unload, they got decent returns. Nothing wrong with any of that at all. There has never been a Blackhawk salary cap apocolypse.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Dec 8, 2011 9:49 AM MST up reply actions
I see your point Bob but I do think there was a capocalypse of sorts, if not in skill, in sheer number of players moved:
Ladd
Madden
Byfuglien
Huet
Boynton
Brouwer
Burish
Sopel
Versteeg
to name a few isn’t a big change?
"Wisdom requires a flexible mind" - Dan Carlin
I see your point too. But the group of players in my list is only, say, about 100 times more talented than the group of players in your list. That’s what happens when you are one of the big boys like we used to be. You get to choose what talent you want to keep. And you don’t have to go desperately chasing after talent like we did when we traded a 1st and 2nd for Varly, or traded two valuable players in the EJ deal.
We also thought we’d be one of the benefactors of the Chicago Capocalypse. A lot of folks thought we’d make a run at Sharp. My guess is that Eno$ never even thought about it. Our humpology wouldn’t allow for it.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Dec 8, 2011 11:04 AM MST up reply actions
Do you think that Colorado is not a place players want to come to? I’m not being argumentative, I am genuinely curious if you think that we are no better a destination than, say, Columbus?
"Wisdom requires a flexible mind" - Dan Carlin
by Nemesis44UK on Dec 8, 2011 1:08 PM MST via iPhone app up reply actions
It was definitely an organization that players wanted to come to through the early 2000’s, as it was when Selanne and Kariya took big pay cuts just to try to win a cup together here. Colorado is still a great place to come to. The Avs organization now? No. Not at all. They have finished 3rd to last and 2nd to last in the entire league 2 of the last 3 seasons. They have the lowest player payroll in the league. They no longer have any established superstars, some of the best players to ever play the game, like Sakic, Roy, and Forsberg. And they are among the bottom 10 in terms of attendance. Their GM is an accountant with no hockey background. It is unclear what role respected guys like PL and Super Joe currently play in the organization. They are too cheap to even hire a full-time goalie coach. They are Columbus, only less willing to spend but in a nicer location.
We see a wonderful sun-soaked city nestled at the foot of the Rocky Mountains. Enos sees nickels and dimes.
by Bob in Boulder on Dec 8, 2011 1:19 PM MST up reply actions
No....ish
I’ll give you Ladd and Byfuglin and maybe….. just maybe, Versteeg.
Everyone else on that list is on the “If you want to win with us, here’s how much you get paid or kthxbuhbai” negotiations list. This is something that Bowman brought with him from Detroit.
Both of you are right, but there’s a difference between cap management, and cap appocalypse… jyust like the glass is half full or half empty. Chicago has suceeded with good cap management and getting lucky with goalies (Niemi, Crawford)
Reason to be cheerful #1
Company Christmas party in T minus 2 hours, quality scotch for which I am not obliged to pay!
2011-2012 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl: Vyechnaya Pamyat!
2011-2012 Colorado Avalanche: Chances are rapidly diminishing that this will not suck.
Reason to Cheerful
We have a hockey team to cheer for. No hockey is bad hockey. No matter how poorly the Avs play, they are my team and I’ll support them to the end.
Colorado College Hockey, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rockies fan to the death.
"We should be dreaming. We grew up as kids having dreams, but now we're too sophisticated as adults, as a nation. We stopped dreaming. We should always have dreams." -Herb Brooks
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