Colorado Avalanche: News From Around the NHL October 9th, 2014

The Colorado Avalanche have given Iggy an "A".

Veteran forward Jarome Iginla is the newest Colorado Avalanche alternate captain, the team announced on Wednesday.

Iginla joins fellow alternate captain Cody McLeod and team captain Gabriel Landeskog as the players that will don captain letters this year. Landeskog is entering his third season with the 'C' on his chest while McLeod is in his second season with the 'A.'

Budaj has always been a class act.

But if you think his first assignment to the minors in nearly a decade or the surprising and quickly evolving events that led to him being with the IceCaps have Budaj shaken, then you are unaware of the man's resolve and character.

"I'm not going to tell you that this has all been easy," said Budaj, who was acquired by the Winnipeg Jets in a trade on Sunday, then put on waivers for the purpose of sending him to St. John's.

"But it's not all hard either. I love hockey. I love to play hockey and I just remind myself that's what I'll be doing.

"This is a situation and believe me, I will make the best of it. That means working hard and staying positive, but I like to believe that's how I would be whatever the situation.

"So I'm determined to work as hard as I can to help the team put some wins together and hopefully use it as a stepping stone to get back to the NHL."

Joe Sakic and Adam Foote have children playing on the same hockey team.

Two former National Hockey League stars bring their minor hockey team to Chilliwack for this weekend’s International Challenge Cup bantam tournament.

Joe Sakic and Adam Foote coach the Colorado Thunderbirds, the only American team in the field. The two men were longtime teammates on the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, winning Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001.

Both have a son playing on the T-Birds and they called Chilliwack tournament organizer Roger Huitema to see if their team could come.

Peter Mueller and the Blues "mutually" end his contract.

The St. Louis Blues and forward Peter Mueller have mutually agreed to terminate his contract so that he can pursue other hockey options in Europe, according to the Blues' Twitter account.

Mueller, 26, had 24 goals and 46 points in 49 games for Kloten in Switzerland's top professional league last season. The native of Bloomington, Minn., signed a one-year, two-way contact with the Blues in July.

Is Chris Pronger going to be part of the department of player safety?!

Of course, it was the first day of the hockey season, but that’s beside the point. The point is: Chris Pronger! Applying/being strongly considered for a job in the National Hockey League’s Department of Player Safety!

Normally we’re not fans of exclamation points, but we’ll make an exception in this case.

To recap: the department of player safety, the title given to the sheriff’s office when Brendan Shanahan took it over from the beleaguered Colin Campbell — and which is now under the largely untested stewardship of Stephane Quintal — is pondering a role for one of the certifiably great defencemen, and villains, in the annals of the NHL.