Morning Flurries: Let’s play some hockey already

As the week drags on, it seems like it’s been ages since that last whirlwind game for the Colorado Avalanche.

Coming off a tough win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the Avalanche played their final game before heading to Sweden in an exciting matchup against the New York Islanders - made all the more exciting by a mid-period trade of Matt Duchene to the Ottawa Senators.

Who, of course, Colorado will face off against in Sweden in just a few days’ time.

It seems like the week just can’t move any slower, but we’re here with a bit more Sweden-related (and some Avs-related) content for you to peruse while you wait for the team to take the ice again:

If you happen to be fluent in Swedish, there’s an excellent podcast recorded across two continents that discusses the Matt Duchene trade this week. SvenskaFans, hosted by Niclas Viberg in Sweden and Sebastian Noren in Ohio, touches on the outsider’s perspective of Colorado’s recent trade - both what it means for Ottawa and how the return in Colorado was viewed. [SvenskaFans]

Moving back to English, though, here’s a look back at the impact Swedish players have had on the Avalanche throughout the club’s history. [Mile High Hockey]

Who’s ready for the NHL Global Series? We are!

After all, how lucky are we to have a chance to watch the best players in the world on an international stage? Where else could we possibly have watched that?

From the bad guys, by the way, here’s a look at what Daniel Alfredsson says the NHLers are in for when they kick off their two-game series this weekend. [NHL.com]

Finally, he’s Swedish, and he’s a part of the team that’s currently in Sweden, although he personally isn’t there right now. Here’s Marcus Hogberg’s new mask: