The Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL - October 11th, 2013

The Colorado Avalanche beat the Bruins last night.

“I think a shutout is a team thing,” Giguere said. “We have to be proud of the way that we killed the penalty tonight. It wasn’t pretty the whole game but getting two points in this building is a great sign for our team.”

The Avalanche got the game-winner at 19:20 of the first period, when Andre Benoit sent a shot in from just inside the blue line. Ryan O’Reilly tipped it high past Tuukka Rask for the first power-play goal allowed by the Bruins this season. The team had come in a perfect 7 for 7.

So it is the Avalanche who remain undefeated on the season, at 4-0-0, with the Bruins suffering their first loss. They were shut out for the first time since Feb. 28, 2012, breaking a streak of 71 games — including the entire lockout-shortened season.

The Phoenix Coyote drama continues.

If you’re wondering why Bettman was so stubborn about staying in the Phoenix area, those in the know say it was because of television. When the Atlanta Thrashers became the Winnipeg Jets in 2011, the NHL lost the eighth-largest TV market in the United States. With Phoenix ranked No. 12, Bettman did not want to lose another big market.

In listing its damage claims against Moyes, the NHL said it spent $112.7-million covering the Coyotes’ annual losses over the last four seasons - a cool $28.1-million per year. Remember that number when we get to the Gosbee-LeBlanc financing deal. The NHL also spent $15.1-million paying its lawyers through the bankruptcy court fight, handed over $11.6-million to unsecured creditors of the Coyotes and wants $6.5-million from Moyes to cover what Wayne Gretzky is owed in unpaid salary.

Judge Baum ruled the NHL can’t go after Moyes for the operating losses or what is owned Gretzky. He said he needs more information to decide if Moyes is on the hook for any or all of the $26.7-million paid to the lawyers and creditors but sounded dubious he would rule in favour of the league.

Joe Thornton made a remark to a reporter...

In case you missed it, here’s the recap.

On Thursday morning, media members were interviewing Patrick Marleau in the visitors’ locker room after the San Jose Sharks morning skate at Rogers Arena in Vancouver. Marleau was asked about Sharks rookie Tomas Hertl and his highlight reel fourth goal against the Rangers, a between-the-legs dangle that came late in San Jose’s recent 9-2 humiliation of New York.

At that point, Sharks veteran Joe (Jumbo) Thornton interjected, reportedly telling TSN reporter Farhan Lalji, “Shut up, have you ever played the game?”

According to former Toronto Sun scribe Jason Botchford, now with the Vancouver Province, Thornton, seeing that the scrum was now focused on him, joked: “I’d have my (beep) out if I scored four goals. I’d have my (bleep) out, stroking it.”

Supposedly there was laughter from the 20 reporters and cameramen on hand. But when Botchford was the only one to report Thornton’s comments word for word — with censorship included on the four letter one that starts with “c,” of course — the entire debate over journalistic ethics busted out.