Links and bits- Daily Cupcake (Icing?)

I'd like to welcome Matt Hunwick to the Colorado Avalanche and say my goodbyes to Colby Cohen.

The big Avalanche story, of course, is the trade of Colby Cohen.  

"I honestly, like, when the Colorado GM called me and he’s like ‘We just traded you,’I was praying," Cohen said when asked about being a Boston Bruin. "I had a few cities in mind, but I was praying it wasn’t Edmonton and when he said Boston, I was like, ‘Wow, this couldn’t be any better!’"

Is it wrong that in all of this commotion I am absolutely shocked that he would go on record as to say that he was praying not to go to Edmonton!?  I know a lot of NHL'ers are rumored to not want to live there, but it surprised me that he wouldn't want to go to a place where he'd have a good chance of breaking into the lineup. That boy obviously hasn't been groomed for the NHL media yet.  Surprising, seeing as how was in Colorado. 

Gotta say, Matt Hunwick doesn't seem to excited to be an Avs. In all fairness to him, it's his first time traded as a pro and he grew up watching the Bruins.  He did say the "right" things, but I'm not so sure.... Either way, we won't have to wait long to see what he's capable of.

In a phone conversation, Hunwick told ESPNBoston.com he understands the situation, but will miss Boston.

"It’s tough. It’s disappointing leaving the team I was drafted by, and the team I’ve spent my entire time as a pro," Hunwick said. "But at the same time, it’s a new opportunity and I’m excited to have that chance."

Hunwick will be on a plane early Tuesday morning to Colorado, and he’s expecting to be in the lineup for the Avalanche against the Blues on Tuesday night.

SBNation has a short blurb about it.  I'm so so sure on the whole " another move before the road trip bit", but hey, at this point who knows?

Less clear is the Avalanche front office’s desire to move Cohen for another NHL-ready defenseman when they already have an excess of d-men on the roster. Furthermore, trading for an undersized defenseman just days after star forward Chris Stewart breaks his hand and while current defenseman Ryan Wilson has been struggling immensely also sends a mixed message. One thing appears certain: expect the front office to make another move before the Avalanche start their next road trip, as it's unlikely they travel to the South short at forward.

I admit, I was wrong, I found a nice article about Stewie... of course it was about the fact that there wouldn't be a Stewie vs Stewie game, but it was nice to read.

Anthony Stewart got a free steak dinner.  The Thrashers forward was to dine courtesy of his brother Chris, a forward with the Colorado Avalanche, Monday night. There will be no immediate opportunity to return the favor.

A nice article about David Koci.

David Koci sits alone in the Colorado Avalanche locker room, his equipment soaked and sweat streaming from his face.

The protective bar removed from his helmet after having fully recovered from a broken jaw suffered in a preseason fight against Los Angeles' Kevin Westgarth, he's the last man off the ice after Colorado's morning skate as one of the team's healthy scratches.

It's not about the Colorado Avalanche, but I'm sure you'll forgive me.  The funeral for Pat Burns was held in Montreal yesterday afternoon.  Sounds like a touching tribute to a man who loved the sport.  It's a Damn shame that he didn't get into the HHoF in the last ballot. I'm in good company thinking that too.  Raymond Bourque agrees.

Bourque addressed the subject Monday.

He's "a guy that probably should have been in the Hall of Fame this past year and will be in the Hall of Fame someday," he said.

And another article about his funeral...

Burns' ashes were carried into the church for the funeral and, afterward, back out in an urn that is actually a miniature replica of hockey's Holy Grail.

And one last article about the Hunwick deal.

"Matt was a player for us, a good skater with good pick retrieval," Chiarelli said. "He a very good person, but this is a step I had to take to take care of the cap situation and get a player or two back. It wasn’t fun, but we are confident in our defensive pipeline in the very near future that are pushing to replace some of the stuff that Matt brought.

Gonna give the poll another couple of days before the name is changed...