When it comes to Pokemon, ProfessorOak knows his stuff. When it comes to the Avalanche, he's just as sharp. So in the wake of a tumultuous and injury-ridden Avs season, why not add a little fun to the frailty? Indeed, it's time for Part I of "Spirit Pokemon." We bounced ideas off of each other but all-in-all the following came entirely from the brain of ProfessorOak, which is why I'll let him take over from here:
As many of you have come to know, Pokemon was a large part of my childhood and the main reason for my plethora of Pokemon knowledge today. And as you may have seen in the game day threads, I have been assigning the Avalanche team as a whole a Pokemon that would have a "type" advantage against the opposing team (with varying levels of success). I have even assigned, per request, certain MHH members their own "Spirit Pokemon" based off of what I know of them.
What I plan to do with this series (thanks to the awesome idea from Sean Harsha) is assign a Spirit Pokemon to each Avalanche player. For my sanity I will just be going in alphabetical order starting with forwards, which brings us to...
PATRICK BORDELEAU is a monster. Straight up. His main skill is punching people in the face and hitting them hard. He has quickly become a fan favorite and has even been noted to be loved by many Avalanche players (based off of anecdotal evidence at practices and training camp).
Because of this, I assign Bordy the Spirit Pokemon of...
Notice the resemblance in fighting stance? Not only that, but the description of Machamp is "It's four muscled arms slam foes with powerful punches and chops at blinding speed." That pretty much says it all.
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STEVE DOWNIE is quite the interesting player. He plays a tough game yet has flashes of brilliance that you wouldn't expect from a power forward/grinder type. In my mind, he is most known for his crazy, Manson-like, eyes.
I assign Downie the Spirit Pokemon of...
Not only does Primeape love punching, hitting and smashing things, but the description of Primeape perfectly captures the craziness that is known as Steve Downie: "It grows angry if you see its eyes and get angrier if you run. If you beat it, it gets even angrier".
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MATT DUCHENE has become a leader on and off the ice, which has surprised some. On the ice, he displays lightning fast speed and off the ice he is a powerful and vocal figure. Pinpointing Duchene to one specific Spirit Pokemon was a tough task because his play and personality show flashes of so many different types.
I assign Duchene the Spirit Pokemon of...
As you could probably assume, Jolteon is fast as hell. It looks cute and cuddly, but when it comes time to battle, it is quite fierce. When battling Jolteon, you must always be cautious because it can strike at any time.
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MILAN HEJDUK. Old (not-so) faithful has struggled for the past year and a half or so. His age is getting to him. Nevertheless, he has given so many years of his career - and life for that matter - to this organization. He is a soft spoken leader and is well respected by the team. The Hejduk that we all loved and knew had soft hands and one hell of a shot, able to place it wherever he wanted to.
I assign Hejduk the Spirit Pokemon of...
Braviary is a bird Pokemon whose accuracy cannot be lowered. It is swift and graceful yet can strike at anytime. If this description were true, "The more scars they have, the more respect these brave soldiers of the sky get from their peers," then Hejduk has more scars than anyone else on the team. He has won a Stanley Cup, a gold medal and a bronze medal in the Olympics and has been in this league since 1998. You find me someone in that locker room, or even the league, that doesn't respect this man and I will find you one of two things: an asshole or a liar.
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DAVID JONES...hmmmm, this one is interesting. There are many different opinions surrounds David Jones, but I think one thing can be agreed upon: he's inconsistent. When he is hot he is hot, sniping shots past goalies that had no chance. When he is cold, he is lazy, slow and sometimes just doesn't look like he's trying. This season, he just hasn't been very useful.
I assign Jones the Spirit Pokemon of...
Bidoof is quite the interesting pokemon. His special ability is "Moody." Basically, at the end of each turn, he both raises his stats and lowers his opponents, or vice versa. He can raise his stats and get real hot, but there is just as much of a chance that he lowers his and starts to suck.
Ladies and gentleman, your Colorado Pokelanche.