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Puck Daddy features the Avalanche in their Summer of Disappointment series.
Most Disappointing Avalanche Transaction: O'Reilly RFA Fiasco 2012/2013 Off-season
At the risk of slightly redefining the category, I feel compelled to go with the gift that keeps on giving, andthat is the Avalanche's shoddy handling of Ryan O'Reilly in his first and, eventually, second go-round as a Restricted Free Agent. Following 107 points in his first three seasons, the 20 year old O'Reilly was clearly, along with draft classmate Matt Duchene and reigning Calder Trophy holder Gabriel Landeskog, the collective face of the Avalanche team.
A change in Minor Hockey?
For decades, the NHL's western franchises have sent their top minor league prospects far, far away to farm teams in the eastern half of the continent. It's a far-from-perfect scenario, and they haven't had much of a choice in the matter, given that hockey's "AAA" minor league, the AHL, has historically always held an eastern and midwestern footprint.
Thus, we have teams like the San Jose Sharks and Los Angeles Kings partnered up with AHL squads some 3,000 miles away in places like Worcester, Mass. and Manchester, N.H. The high cost of these long-distance relationships -- both in travel and financials, not to mention the unfair competitive advantage it gives to the NHL's eastern teams -- has forced many to propose major change.
Robitaille isgetting a statue!
Luc Robitaille will be honored this season by the Los Angeles Kings with a statue in Star Plaza at Staples Center as part of their Legends Night Series.
Robitaille, a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame who scored 668 goals in a career that saw him spend 14 of his 19 NHL seasons with the Kings, is scheduled to be honored prior to the March 7 game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The statue, to be created by renowned artists Julie Rotblatt Amrany and Omri Amrany, will join other iconic sculptures of celebrated Los Angeles sports superstars including Wayne Gretzky and Earvin "Magic" Johnson.