The Colorado Avalanche: News from around the NHL - November 5th, 2013

Tangs is out for at least two weeks.

Colorado Avalanche right wing Alex Tanguay will be sidelined for "a minimum of two weeks" because of the knee injury he sustained Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens, Avs coach Patrick Roy said Monday.

Tanguay was hurt in the second period of the Avalanche's 4-1 win. Roy said Tanguay would be re-evaluated by team physician Dr. Andrew Parker after the two-week period.

TSN has put the Avalanche in first place of their Power Ranking.

The Colorado Avalanche have one loss in their first 13 games and have taken over top spot in the TSN.ca NHL Power Rankings.

What sets the Avalanche apart right now, and can't possibly last at this level of performance, is goaltending. Semyon Varlamov and Jean-Sebastien Giguere have combined to stop 95.5% of the shots they've faced, an incredible number over 13 games, let alone a full season. Until that regression hits the crease, however, the Avalanche have earned their place at the top of the Power Rankings.

An ex-NHL'er is coming out and describing some of the long-term effects of his head injuries.

In the first few years after his retirement, former NHL defenceman Jamie Macoun would talk about the knee, ankle and back injuries he suffered during a rugged 1,128-game career.

But in the past decade, he has become more concerned about the residual effects of head injuries.

"If you talk to my kids, they say I have some damage. I can’t remember their names. I can’t remember my dogs name for crying out loud," Macoun said Monday as the federal government announced funding for new research on concussions with a focus on improving the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the injuries in children and youth.

"If this research had been done 25 years ago where would we be now?"