The first link is brought to you by DDC.
Because of this, it is hard to sit by and watch as some spoiled hack of a "journalist" mails in an insulting, uneducated diatribe that exposes his bigotry, all in the name of "news". Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Hank Siegel from Fox 31.
On the same day that had sports guru and renowned writer Bill Simmons lauding the reemergence of the NHL while simultaneously denouncing the NBA labor disputes, Siegel was busy typing away at his brilliant, Pulitzer Prize worthy darling, "Avalanche on a hot streak, but who knew?"
Also, a reminder that you can get discounted Avs tickets for October 30th, help MHH'ers play at the Pepsi Center! Plus, get there early and you can watch MHH take on the Avs guild! E-mail Derek if you want to play in the game, but they need to sell 200 tickets for the game to happen.
The Hockey News also has an article about the Avalanche.
Still, there is reason for optimism among Avalanche fans, as their club – the second-youngest in the league – is heading in the right direction.
This team is drawing comparisons to the one put together during the last major roster reconstruction in franchise history, which occurred in the early 1990s when they were still known as the Quebec Nordiques. Management at that time also relied on a foundation of young stars obtained through the draft and shrewd trading to build an eventual Cup champion – albeit after they moved to Colorado.
Have I mentioned that the Avs are offering discounted tickets to MHH'ers for October 30th?! Because they totally are.
Hockey's Future has a depth analysis of the Colorado Avalanche.
With a propensity to draft players from the WHL, OHL, and QMJHL, Colorado Avalanche general manager Greg Sherman has assembled a wealth of skilled prospects who either continue to refine their game in the Canadian Hockey League, or have moved on to playing with Colorado's AHL-affiliated Lake Erie Monsters. Fewer in number are the Avalanche's prospects currently honing their craft in the NCAA or in Europe, but they do have several with the potential to be serviceable NHL players in the not-so-distant-future.
Position-wise, the Avalanche can boast about having a system that is arguably the richest in talent along the blue line, in addition to a promising plethora of young game-changers between the pipes. Up front, the Avalanche have considerably less depth, but they may still have a couple of future stars on their hands.
TheAHL.com has an article about how well the Avs drafted in 2009.
For the Colorado Avalanche, the 2009 NHL Entry Draft has the makings of a franchise nucleus-forming one-stop shop.
Draft day was already a success by the time the Avalanche were off the clock early in the second round: after all, centers Matt Duchene and Ryan O’Reilly were theirs, and both would make the big club out of training camp at the age of 18 without spending a day in the AHL.
But finding defensemen Stefan Elliott and Tyson Barrie is what may put the Avs’ 2009 draft day over the top.
A first-round pick in 2004 for the Calgary Flames has decided to retire after suffering from concussions.
The 25-year-old winger, selected selected 24th overall by the Flames in 2004, suffered two concussions that he knows of.
"My decision was based on how I felt, how crappy I felt for and have felt for the last 11 to 12 months, and the six or seven months (after) the first one," Chucko said from his home in Minnesota. "When you sit at home with a headache for six or seven months straight, the decision doesn't come too hard.
"It was one of those things where I basically buried myself in a cage for two years because I couldn't do anything and I started to think `Is this really worth it?"’