SB Nation - Joe Sakic

Who Should Light The Cauldron At Opening Night Of Olympic Games In Vancouver?

Sean Zandberg — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 01:16:57 -0000

I'm trying to be as diplomatic about the Steve Simmons quote as possible. Sure, it's Vancouver's choice on who they pick, and Trevor Linden is one of our major local heroes. But what has he done at the national or international level? Well, he did score the tying goal in Nagano against Hasek and the Czechs in Nagano when it appeared nobody could. That was a beauty moment hearing Bob Cole scream like that. But the Canadians sagged out of the medal round after that loss. Linden's charitable work in BC is both inspiring and amazing in itself.

Let's look at the bigger picture though, beyond Simmons and his underhanded shot at the Canucks' history. There are other people who I'd pick before Linden. But before I say who, check out who has all lit the cauldron in the past. There are some great stories there. Muhammad Ali (Atlanta 1996) and the Miracle on Ice team for the USA (Salt Lake City 2002)? Absolutely brilliant on their part. A person born on the day Hiroshima was bombed (Tokyo 1964)? Moving stuff.

More after the jump.

This isn't about BC vs Ontario, so Simmons, who has a bit of a valid point in my opinion, needs to tone it down and stop stirring the pot. This is about CANADA, yes. It's also about BC, who fought hard to get the games here. But I think the torch lighting needs to inspire an entire nation. So with that in mind, here are my picks (not in order):

-Betty Fox, mother of Terry Fox. Born in Winnipeg raised in Van. This concept is gaining momentum.

-Rick Hansen. The Man in Motion. Born in Port Alberni raised in Williams Lake.

-Marc Gagnon, from Chicoutimi Quebec, short track speed skater has won 3 golds and 2 bronze.

-Cindy Klassen, speed skating, from Winnipeg, has won more medals than any Canadian.

-Burnaby Joe Sakic. Mario Lemieux may have been captain of Team Canada in Salt Lake City, but it was Joe Sakic who dominated and destroyed the Americans in the gold medal game. He was named the tournament MVP. No kidding! That was a game I'll never forget.

I think all these people, should have some part in the final leg of the torch run up onto the podium. But if I had to choose one over the other, it would be Betty Fox or Cindy Klassen. How about both at the same time? Bingo. I'm in. Then you have a BC flavor AND a Canadian flavor all tied into one beautiful moment.

This of course is just my opinion. There are other ideas for providing inspirational ways to officially open the Winter Games. In the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, a 12 year-old promising Calgarian figure skater named Robyn Perry lit the torch. The gesture was done to symbolize youth and inspire future Olympians. Not bad. I think we should up the ante though. 60,000 people at McMahon Stadium and 6 billion people worldwide watched her do that. The torch-lighting is a monumental moment in Olympic history.

I'm not catering to a Leaf-loving journalist or any that follow him. I'm talking about a defining moment not only for British Columbians, but for Canada. Let's get this party started right, and then kick some butt, Canada!

Poll

Who do you think should light the cauldron on opening night of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver?

Game 28 Preview: Avalanche at Lightning

David Driscoll-Carignan — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 13:00:13 -0000


Colorado Avalanche	5:30 MT / 7:30 ET / 12:30 GMT	Tampa Bay Lightning
14-8-5	November 30th, 2009	10-6-8
33 pts	St Pete Times Forum	28 pts
4th in West	Tampa, FL	8th in East

The Colorado Avalanche suffered a huge blow on Saturday when they lost David Jones to a torn ACL, but there's no time to dwell on the disappointing turn of events. The Avs begin a key 5-game road trip tonight in Tampa. Colorado slipped out of the top spot in the NW and dropped from 3rd to 4th in the Western Conference standings this week. They need to stop that slide quickly; seven teams are behind the Avs by just 5 points or less and Colorado needs points to stay ahead of them. Obviously, a few of those elusive 60-minute efforts would really come in handy this week...

Although the Avalanche don't face the Lightning all that often, there are a lot of familiar faces on the Lightning. Besides old friend Alex Tanguay, there are 5 other former players who've played for a NW division team: Mathias Ohlund (Vancouver), David Hale (Calgary) and Kurtis Foster, Stephane "That Ass" Veilleux, Todd Fedoruk (Minnesota). The Lightning also have notable players in Steve Stamkos, Vinny Lecavalier, Martin St Louis and some Victor Hedman fellow. Add in Jeff Halpern, who always seems to do well against the Avalanche, and you've got a lot of familiarity for a team

As you can see by the tale of the tape below, the Lightning, like the Avalanche, are relatively unspectacular on paper. Probably the most notable stats for the Lightning would be that they are 27th in the league in penalty killing and 29th in penalties taken. Not a great combination. The 17 penalty minutes per game is a bit misleading, however, as they include a lot of misconducts and coincidental fighting majors (forward Zenon Konopka has 9 majors and 3 misconducts and leads the league with 93 penalty minutes). In actuality, both teams average 4.2 times shorthanded per game.

A depressing stat to help your Monday get off on the correct foot: the Lightning are averaging about 600 more people per game this year in attendance.

Colorado			Tampa Bay
7th	33	Points	19th	28
10th	2.96	GF/G	18th	2.75
21st	2.93	GA/G	15th	2.79
20th	19.4	PP%	16th	20.2
16th	79.6	PK%	27th	76.2
30th	25.9	S/G	26th	27.8
26th	32.7	SA/G	23rd	31.8
29th	46.6	FO%	11th	51.3
12th	13.1	PIM/G	29th	17.0
Stastny	25 pts	Top Scorer	Stamkos	29 pts

Raw Charge

Avalanche vs Lightning coverage

Today in Colorado Avalanche History: 2007. Subbing for an injured Joe Sakic, TJ Hensick makes his NHL debut in San Jose.

Today in Colorado Avalanche History

David Driscoll-Carignan — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 13:38:01 -0000

November 26th, 2008. Speaking of things we're thankful for, this date marked the final home game for Super Joe Sakic. Sakic was returning after missing 6 games with a back injury. Unfortunately, he re-aggravated the injury during the game and missed the final 9 minutes. He took the ice again two days later in Phoenix, but only managed one shift. He would miss the rest of the season to injury and, I'm told, retired the following summer (I still don't believe that rumor, however).

As for the game, the Avalanche won 3-1 on goals from Daniel Tjarnqvist, Ryan Smyth and Ian Laperriere. Peter Budaj turned away 21 shots and was named first star of the game. Sakic skated on a line with Wojtek Wolski and Milan Hejduk, but was held scoreless (his final NHL shot was on Manny Legace). The game also marked the first NHL meeting of the Stastny brothers - Yan and Paul.

Thanks again, Super Joe.

Brendan Shanahan skates into the sunset

Bruce McCurdy — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:10:51 -0000

More photos » by RYAN REMIORZ - AP

FILE - In this June 13, 2002, file photo, Detroit Red Wings' Brendan Shanahan holds the Stanley Cup after beating the Carolina Hurricanes. Shanahan, a member of three Stanley Cup championship teams with the Red Wings, announced on Tuesday, Nov. 17, 2009, that he is retiring from the NHL, after 21 seasons and an almost certain Hall of Fame career. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz, File)

Browse more photos »

If you judge the man's career by the individual awards he received, Brendan Shanahan was the equal of Ethan Moreau. One King Clancy Memorial Trophy apiece, nothing else.

Leadership and humanitarian contribution are all well and good, but individual awards do not begin to cover the breadth, and the depth, of the hockey player that was Brendan Shanahan. Power forwards are poorly served by those awards, and Shanahan was one of the finest power forwards of his or any era. One could argue he was the player Cam Neely might have been had he stayed healthy.

18 minutes a night, game after game, season after season, Shanahan was as consistent as they come. He put up huge numbers across a very broad spectrum over the years: 1524 GP (11th all-time); 656 goals (also 11th); 1354 points (23rd); 2489 PiM (22nd); 5086 shots on goal (6th); 237 powerplay goals (5th); 109 game-winning goals (4th). But his individual successes were dwarfed by those of his teams: the 3-time Stanley Cup champion won gold medals representing Canada in the Canada Cup, the World Championships, and the Olympic Games, joining several exclusive clubs in the process. More on this later.

Shanahan first came to prominence at the '87 World Juniors, when he was one of the top performers on a Canadian team whose run to a certain medal and possible gold was derailed by the infamous Punch-Up in Piestany. It was to be the only international bauble to escape Shanny.

First though was the rise to prominence in the NHL. Drafted second overall (behind Pierre Turgeon) out of London Knights that summer of '87, Shanahan proceeded directly to the NHL, never playing another game of junior or any in the minors. I picked him in my "keeper league" fantasy pool that same fall so followed his career as closely as possible as he worked his way up the charts. As a rookie in New Jersey he scored just 7 goals and 26 points but took no prisoners, posting 131 PiM. He would reach triple digits in that category for 13 consecutive seasons and 17 of his first 18. By his second season he added scoring to the mix, reaching 20 goals for the first of 19 consecutive seasons, as well as the 50-point plateau which he would miss only in the lockout-shortened season (1995-95). By Year 3 those totals surged to 30 and 72 and Shanny was on his way as an elite power forward.

For a star the man moved around quite a bit in the first half of his career. His value can be seen in the quality of players for whom he was exchanged: Scott Stevens was awarded to New Jersey as compensation when Shanahan signed as a restricted free agent in St.Louis in 1991; the Blues later dealt him to Hartford in '95 with Chris Pronger coming the other way; a year later the Red Wings put together a package including Paul Coffey and Keith Primeau to bring Shanny to Detroit where he settled down for the next decade. By any measure Stevens, Pronger and Coffey rank among the top handful of NHL defencemen over the past 30 years.

Shanahan reached his individual peak in St. Louis where he put up back to back seasons of 51 and 52 goals. In 1993-94 he was All-World, posting 52-50-102 with 211 PiM, career highs all, while leading the NHL in shots on goal (397) and shorthanded goals (7) and making the season-ending First All-Star Team for the first time. I remember attending this game where I essentially isolated on "my" guy from my seat in the high end zone for the entire game. Shanny broke a 1-1 tie early in the third, but it's the empty netter that I remember in detail. Oilers down 2-1 but on the powerplay, goalie out for the 6-on-4, faceoff in Blues' end, 53 seconds left. St. Louis sends out Shanahan to not only kill the penalty but take the faceoff, just another one of those value-added things you don't expect from a winger. Can't recall who the centre was for the Oilers, but when the puck dropped Shanahan lifted the guy's stick clean as a whistle as he spun to his left, picked up the disc with his right skate, kicked the puck on to his stick as he completed his 360 and sifted a 180-foot shot right into the empty net. Total elapsed time: 3.6 seconds. One of the best empty-netters I've ever seen. In the end it turned out to be the game winner when Louie DeBrusk of all people notched a late consolation goal.

Another memorable Shanny performance closed that '93-94 season. The Blues met the Winnipeg Jets, featuring another top power forward of the day, Keith Tkachuk (a player whom I have always detested for various reasons). On this occasion Tkachuk caught Shanahan with a vicious high stick, really raked him and opened a wicked cut above his lip which resulted in a nasty scar. Shanahan bled profusely, went off for repairs, came back for the third period still leaking, and proceeded to score two goals to put the game on ice. Then he turned his attention back to Tkachuk, jumping the Jets star and whaling the tar out of him. The message was loud and clear: Do Not Mess With Brendan Shanahan.

That spring of '94 Shanahan was a key player as Team Canada won its first world championship in 33 long years. It was Brendan's second gold medal on the international scene, adding to a trophy case that already included Canada Cup gold from 1991.

Next on the agenda was the Stanley Cup. Mired in their own decades-long drought, Detroit had been coming close, making the SCF but being swept by the Devils in '95, then winning the President's Trophy with a record 62 wins in '96. The Wings brain trust felt they were a little too soft up front so targeted Shanahan as their man, landing him early in the '96-97 season. It was a perfect fit; with the veteran Shanahan in a support role the Wings won back-to-back Cups in '97 and '98.

Alas, around this time I parted ways with Shanny on my fantasy team, being suckered in a weak moment by a shiny bauble named Sergei Samsonov who had just won the Calder Trophy. Short-term pain for long-term gain I figured, but I figured wrong as Shanny outpointed Sammy in each subsequent season. Never mind the other 19 things he could do for a hockey club that Samsonov couldn't; even in a points-only hockey pool Shanny proved to be the better bet.

In real life Shanahan settled down in Detroit for a decade, where he was a constant force, missing just 20 games over that entire span. His goal totals ranged from 25 to 41 and basically fluctuated with his shooting percentage, as his shots on goal were virtually constant year over year: 266, 288, 283, 278, 277, 260, 280, 289 ... the man was a shooter through and through.

His career reached another pinnacle in 2002 when he helped Team Canada break another decades-long jinx, winning the Olympic gold medal for the first time in a half-century. He then completed a remarkable double when the Red Wings reclaimed the Stanley Cup. Shanahan and team-mate Steve Yzerman became just the second and third men to accomplish this feat, previously accomplished by the great (and greatly underrated) defenceman Ken Morrow in 1980.

Shanahan joined a couple of other exclusive groups in the process, including the "Triple Gold Club" which consists of 22 players (and entirely too many Swedes) who have won Olympic and World Championship gold as well as the Stanley Cup. Only five players have won those three plus a Canada/World Cup: Slava Fetisov, Igor Larionov, Joe Sakic, Scott Niedermayer and Brendan Shanahan. That's pretty elite company.

During the lockout that torpedoed the 2004-05 season Shanahan headed a two-day summit of players and coaches which made 10 recommendations to the NHL and the players association to improve the flow of play. Many of these changes were adopted when play finally resumed.

After a final 40-goal, 80-point, 100 PiM season in which the Wings won the President's Trophy but were upset by Edmonton in the playoffs, Shanahan made one last appearance for Team Canada at the Worlds. Although his appearances were limited by playoff commitments, he had represented his country in 1987, 1991, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2002 and 2006: a World-class player for two decades.

Shanahan moved on for two solid seasons with the Rangers before signing with New Jersey midway through last season to end where he began. He broke in with the Devils at 18 and played his last games with them at 40. Announcing the end of his wonderful career earlier this week, Shanny retired from the NHL with at least one unofficial record, having compiled no fewer than 9 "Gordie Howe hat tricks". Brendan Shanahan brought a lot of game, and he brought it every night.

Monday links: Come sail away with me edition

averagejoe — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:00:37 -0000

Good news: I thought we were going to have to have a moment of silence for Mr. Dell Laptop. On Sunday afternoon, my laptop just decided to shut off and not turn back on. I had to switch to the work laptop I use to report from the road. Back, by some miracle, the old p.o.s. turned back on at 11:30. He's resting now, but it looks like I won't be out a laptop. Anyway ... let's get to the links.

Blues news

David Perron is a hard-working kid who seems to finally get "it." [Belleville News-Democrat]
With a little break in the schedule, the Blues are reflecting on their less than stellar play. [St. Louis Post-Dispatch]

Hockey news

Every game Sunday was decided by just one goal. [Yahoo! Sports]
Monday's games. [Yahoo Sports!]
Here are your Monday standings. [NHL]
Washington Capitals right wing Mike Knuble will be out nearly amonth with a broken finger. [TSN]
If the Coyotes keep winning but the Phoenix fans don't care, do they actually win? Yes. Yes they do. But, they might not stay in Glendale if the seats don't get filled. [TSN]
Andrew MacDonald has been called up by the Islanders. I'm thankful that he doesn't go by Andy. [Lighthouse Hockey]
The Boston Globe is reporting that Marc Savard will re-up with the Bruins. [Stanley Cup of Chowder]
The Anaheim Ducks are a struggling bunch. [ESPN]
Joe Sakic will be going to the Hall of Fame. The Colorado Sports Hall of Fame. [ESPN]

Other links

This guy responds to classifieds. As is often the case, hilarity ensues. [Ned Wingfield]
Google's autcomplete is both awesome and scary. [Autocomplete Me]
Cross Check Raise has a Project Mayhem idea. I'll let him explain: "Watching a web feed this weekend, it was broadcast by ESPN America, which is the overseas face of ESPN. They were running a poll for which game to broadcast on Thanksgiving weekend 11/27: CGY vs DET or CAR vs ATL. I figure we can screw DET and help Hildymac's Thrashers by stuffing the ballot box here. Let's keep Fuck Detroit from their Euro-Phruit fans. The UK face (hence, English) of ESPN America is here. The poll is towards the bottom of the far-right column. When I voted, it was 78/22 in favor of DET." [ESPN America]

Video

This is what happens when I watch South Park and do the links. You get videos like this. Enjoy.

Gametimelinks(at)gmail.com

Beware Of The Canuck Killer: Canucks-Avalanche Preview

Sean Zandberg — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:00:30 -0000

GAME TIME: 7:00 PST

TV: CBC

THE ENEMY: Mile High Hockey, Jibblescribbits, Jerseys and Hockey Love

The Province put out an article called "Canuck Killer On The Loose" on April 1, 2008. At that time, Milan Hejduk, who began his career in 1998, had scored 32 goals in 54 games in his career against Vancouver. 9 of those goals were game winners. That was and still is more than Joe Sakic or even Jarome Iginla have scored against us. I decided to dig into his stats a little further, but could only start at the 2001-02 season, as that was how far back Hejduk's game-to-game stats would go on ESPN's site.

Since that season, Hejduk has played 46 games against the Canucks. He has scored 23 goals, 19 assists and 42 points. The Avalanche have a 25-19-2 record against us since then. Colorado won 13 of the games where Hejduk scored a goal. They have won 18 of the games where he registered at least a point. Since that Province article came out, Hejduk has 2 goals and 5 assists in 8 games against Vancouver. Canuck killer indeed.

So why all this Hedgeduck talk? Well, barring him getting hit by a bus or an errant Canuck fan's bullet, he should make his return to the Avalanche lineup tonight after missing 2 games with a sore back. Colorado lost both games in his absence.

The Avs could see the debut of Tom (Not-So Discount) Preissing as well. TJ Galiardi, Ruslan Salei and John-Michael Liles remain out of the lineup.

Coach Joe Sacco is putting the heat on his team, saying Friday:

"We talked briefly after practice and it’s a must-win for us," said Sacco. "It’s a team that’s played well against us. The last time we played them in Vancouver they took it to us. We need to respond with a good effort tomorrow night."

This is the last game of Vancouver's 5-game road trip. They are currently 1-3. After this game, they travel home for a 5-day layoff and will meet the Avalanche again on the 20th. There should be some bad blood brewing after these 2 games. After the game on the 20th, Vancouver will not play the Avs again until March 9. Thank...god? We'll see.

Craig Anderson will start in goal for the Avs. Despite 2 setbacks against the Oilers and Canucks recently, his stats are still super, as is his play. Concerning for Canucks fans, as Van can't score! You never know what will happen though.

-Avs are 6-1-0 at home this season.

-AV looks to use the same lines and line-up tonight:

Kesler-Hank-~~Wellwood~~ Raymond

Samuelsson-Wellwood-Burrows

Bernier-Rypien-Pettinger

Glass-Johnson-Hansen

Mitchell-Bieksa

Edler-Salo

Schneider-Ehrhoff

-Vigneault told The Province that he liked what he saw from Wellwood last game and that, of course, he needs to start scoring.

-Colorado unveiled their new 3rd jersey on Friday and will don them for the first time against the Canucks. Nice-looking uni's I must say, except for the damned clowns wearing them.

One Year Ago...

David Driscoll-Carignan — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 12:00:26 -0000

A year ago today...

Matt Duchene was centering the second line for the Brampton Battalion.

Ryan O'Reilly was playing for the Erie Otters.

T.J. Galiardi, T.J. Hensick, Chris Stewart, Matt Hendricks and Kyle Cumiskey were playing in Lake Erie.

Kyle Quincey was getting acclimated to his new team (Los Angeles) after being waived by Detroit.

David Jones was playing on the 3rd line with Tyler Arnason. Marek Svatos was the left wing.

Wojtek Wolski was playing on the 2nd line with Joe Sakic and Darcy Tucker.

Cody McCormick was our 4th line center.

Paul Stastny had 11 points in his first 7 games.

Peter Budaj was the Avs' starting goalie.

Craig Anderson had made just one appearance for the Panthers, in relief.

Tony Granato was our coach.

What a difference a year makes.

Mile High Mailbag

David Driscoll-Carignan — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:57:48 -0000

We don't get submissions for an actual Mailbag segment like the big guys, but that doesn't mean our readers don't have questions. While browsing around through some of the keyword searches that have brought folks to this site, I thought I might pick a few out and see if I can proactively answer any questions the visitor(s) might have...

song at joe sakic's finale

It was Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling. It was a good song on September 30th. It is a GREAT song now.

the VS channel blacked out because comcast bought DirecTV

Well, not exactly. More like two corporate giants don't mind screwing over their customers to get what they want. Regardless, the end result is the same.

craig anderson goalie

Yes, he sure looks like one.

is denversportsradio.com still operating

I don't know, but having me on as a guest recently couldn't have helped their long-term outlook.

red wings suck

It warms my heart to think that we are making a difference on the internet.

colorado avalanche ice girls

Have I mentioned it warms my heart to think we are making a difference on the internet?

hot pictures women naked

Sorry, we usually either pixelate their faces or put some scary Avalanche logo in front of them.

ranked among the high league

He signed with Vancouver this offseason, actually.

hates keenan

Guilty as charged.

kristin chenoweth tall

???

why is tyler arnason still on avs payroll 09-10?

Thankfully, he is not. However, we are still unable to answer why he was on the Avs payroll from 2006-2008.

tyler arnason

seriously, what is wrong with you?

Canucks Play In Denver Early

Sean Zandberg — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:46:25 -0000

UPDATES: Wow. The Canucks confirmed they offered Dan Cloutier a tryout contract. Wellwood does have the flu and is a game time decision. Stop sharing veggie dips with Rypien! Shirokov, who is rooming with Samuelsson, was told to relax by his new buddy. Good for you, Sammy.

UPDATE: Mikael Samuelsson talks about his leadership role and chemistry with Ryan Kesler at the Province. Great read, and reason to feel optimistic about him.

UPDATE: Kyle Wellwood missed practice on Monday and it has not been revealed what his injury is yet. Ryan Johnson took his spot between Steve Bernier and Mason Raymond while Tanner Glass centered Darcy Hordichuk and Rick Rypien.

Just a heads up to those of you who don't know: the Canucks-Avalanche game starts at 12:00 PST Saturday.

The Canucks will look to bring a more consistent effort from nearly the whole squad after a disappointing start to the season against the Flames that inevitably contributed to their death.

Colorado played an emotional game last night after Joe Sakic's number was raised to the rafters. The team responded by pounding on the Sharks 5-2. That game had a similar stench to it as the Canucks game. The Sharks came on late, including outshooting the Avalanche 19-1 in the 3rd period but were stymied by new Avalanche goaltender Craig Anderson, who was the games' first star, and is picking up where he left off in Florida last year. Looks like Peter Budaj could be taking a back seat to this guy.

It's another game against a division rival. The Canucks will need to get used to all the new faces on their roster, and that will take some time. While they're doing that, the Avalanche are going to come out on fire on home ice.

This will be the game thread for the event. I'll continually post updates at the top of this post as they happen.

GAME TIME: 12:00 PST

TV: Sportsnet Pacific

THE ENEMY: Mile High Hockey

Next Game

Vancouver Canucks
@ Colorado Avalanche

Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 12:05 PM PDT
Pepsi Center

Complete Coverage >

"In Edmonton, he called me for diving," Burrows said. "[Tonight] he got me for hooking when I thought I got his stick. Sometimes you just have to tell them they're cute and refereed a good game and next game maybe he'll give you one."

- Alex Burrows about the non call when he was highsticked.

Game 1 Recap: Avalanche 5 - Sharks 2

David Driscoll-Carignan — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 14:33:46 -0000

More photos » by David Zalubowski - AP

2 months ago: Colorado Avalanche left winger Wojtek Wolski, front, of Poland, scores a goal against San Jose Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov, back right, of Kazahkstan, as defenseman Marc-Edouard Vlasic, back left, and Rob Blake, back center, look on in the first period of a hockey game in Denver on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)

Browse more photos »

Final - 10.1.2009	1	2	3	Total
San Jose Sharks	1	1	0	2
Colorado Avalanche	2	3	0	5

Complete Coverage >

Hello, I love you,
Won't you tell me your name?
Hello, I love you,
Let me jump in your game.

- The Doors

Show of hands: who saw that one coming?

I know I didn't. I admit, I don't think the Avalanche are going to be that good this year. If they play many more games like that, however, I may have to start changing my tune. The Avalanche rolled over Dany Heatley and the San Jose Sharks 5-2. To be fair, the Sharks looked awful for most of the game...but who the fuck cares? The Avs won and looked damn good in the process.

With all the new faces and changed jersey numbers, it was kind of hard to recognize the team on the ice at times. Truth be told, this team looked completely different. This was not the mucking, cycling, simple-minded, snore-inducing team that we saw under Joel Quenneville and Tony Granato. These guys were flying out there. The defensemen were firing long passes to break out the forwards. The forwards were circling in front of the net instead of grinding things to a hault behind it. The emphasis clearly seemed to be on skating over hitting and it was a lot of fun to watch. It occured to me that we were finally seeing Tony Granato's promised "uptempo" game. This is the place where we make derisive comments about Tony G but let's be not be too harsh. Granato was working with guys like Ben Guite and Tyler Arnason, not TJ Galiardi and Matt Duchene. There was a noticeable uptick in skill level on the ice last night compared to last year.

After the touching Joe Sakic ceremony (my favorite was the final walk through the dressing room), the Pepsi Center was rocking at the start of the game. In a move loaded with symbolism, Matt Duchene took the opening faceoff (one of the few draws the team actually won). This was the first time for many of us to see Duchene on the ice and it was something else. He looked a little nervous early (on the bench before the game, he looked downright petrified) but shook it off as the game went along. There was one penalty kill he was on (sorry, didn't note when that occured) when he put on a forechecking clinic, keeping the puck deep in San Jose for a good 20 or 30 seconds and then finished up the shift with a hit in the corner. That seemed to be the turning point for him, and he looked much looser on the ice after that. He had a couple of breakaways (including one beauty of a steal). He didn't manage to put the puck in the net, but those goals are going to come. He was blazing fast and loaded with talent. Sorry, Brampton, he ain't coming back. I'm not as convinced that Ryan O'Reilly is here to stay; I don't know think that he had a bad game (he and Duchene each had their first NHL assist) and I saw him working hard defensively...I just wasn't wow'd like I was about Duchene and the guy in the next paragraph.

Holy freaking cow. How on earth did the Detroit Red Wings let Kyle Quincey slip away on waivers? He was just a joy to watch in all areas of the game, whether it was making plays defensively, firing crisp passes up to his forwards or manning one of the points of the powerplay. It was only one game, but he really improved the defense. He and Scott Hannan played a terrific game. If he keeps playing like that, he's going to make a lot of people forget about that Ryan Smyth guy.

Finally, I've got to say that Craig Anderson looked pretty good in net. He turned away 38 of the 40 shots he faced including 19 (!) in the final period as the Avalanche took the foot off the gas (I guess you can't change everything in one game). Anderson looked, um, a bit unconventional out there as he seemed like he was dropping to the ice a lot. He seemed to be all reactions and instincts, a sharp contrast to the controlled, positional game of Peter Budaj.

It's only one game...but, hey, at least we know we won't go 0-82! The Avalanche won handily and unexpectedly last night but there is more to it than that. The Avalanche were ENTERTAINING last night and that's something we haven't been able to say for quite some time.

Lines

Unfortunately, my shift chart program is on the IR at the moment. I'd like to say that it'll be back up and running shortly, but I don't really have the time to update it to work with the current season's NHL reports. For now, I'll have to list the lines the old-fashioned way. Sorry.

Wolski - Stastny - Hejduk
McLeod - Duchene - Svatos
Tucker - Galiardi - Stewart
Koci - O'Reilly - Hendricks

Quincey - Hannan
Foote - Liles
Clark - Cumiskey

The 1st unit PP was Hejduk, Stastny, Duchene, Liles and Quincey. The 2nd unit was Tucker, Wolski, Svatos, Clark and Cumiskey. No forwards on the point during the PP that I noticed.

Your PK forward pairs were Galiardi / O'Reilly, McLeod / Duchene / Hendricks / Wolski

Your scratches were Hensick, Jones and, surprisingly Ruslan Salei (we were only tipped off to this when we saw Salei in the dressing room before the game wearing a suit). Not sure if he's injured or in Sacco's doghouse...

Quick Hits

According to Versus, Wolski has scored a goal on opening night in each of the last 4 seasons. They also had Salei and Hensick in the starting lineup and said that Mike Hough was the last Avalanche captain, so take that stat with a grain of salt.
12 Avalanche players had a point in the game.
Kyle Quincey led all players with 27:02 of ice time.
The Avs were a dreadful 29% in the faceoff circle.

Video Highlights

Next Up

The Avalanche host the Vancouver Canucks Saturday afternoon at the Pepsi Center (1pm MT / 3pm ET). That's the last home game until October 23rd, as the Avs are headed out on a 7-game road trip.

Other Recaps

What I liked best about this win for Colorado was its quick-strick capability at even strength. - Adrian Dater, All Things Avs

"I'm just trying to focus on going to the net," Wolski said. "You see so many goals come on little pokes, little chips right in the crease. I'm really trying to focus on making sure I have a presence in front." - John Kreiser, NHL.com

Seeing Kyle Quincey play makes me feel much better about the Ryan Smyth trade. Dude was a beast! Ice-time is indicating #1 d-man status and he deserved it. - Shane Giroux, Avs Talk

If the Avs can play like this every game (I am not expecting 5 goals each game) then they are going to be in every game. Even in the games they lose, if the other team walks into the locker room thinking, "That game was much harder than it should have been," the Avs will be in good shape. - InYouFace, MHH

O'Reilly didn't stand out as much to me. I thought he was pretty good on the PK, but even then he was out shined by his partner T.J. Galiardi. One game is a small sample size, and we'll have to see how he does the next 2-8 games to see if he warrants staying in the NHL this season. - Magnum, Disgruntled Avalanche Blogger

At 18 years, 236 days, O'Reilly is the second youngest player to see action in franchise history. The youngest was Owen Nolan, who beat O'Reilly by two days - AP

Someone must have convinced Joe Thornton this was a playoff game because he was invisible. - Sean Payton, Anyone But Detroit

Heatley had a lousy Sharks debut with a minus three and he was the guy who didn’t backcheck, allowing the fourth goal. He was just standing there, gliding back toward the net - hell, Cheechoo would have atleast fallen down trying to get there. Heater also did a Selanne impression by missing a wide open net in the third period. - Doug, Sharks Hockey Analysis

However, San Jose's debut produced more questions than answers, shining a spotlight on the team's weaknesses in goal and along the blueline. To make matters worse, the first line was outplayed on nearly every shift, the power play couldn't manage to score on a two minute 5-on-3 in the third period, and the slow-footed defense was flustered by the speed of the young Avalanche forwards. - Ryan Garner, Shark Sandwich

It's obvious that the blueline needs some work. - Mr Plan, Fear the Fin.

Our D didn't show up. Don't know where they were but their less skilful, more inefficient clones showed up instead. "You idiots! These are not them! You've captured their stunt doubles!" So true. - Gray, Couch Tarts

"The performance was disappointing, very disappointing," McLellan said, singling out some of his top-end talent in particular. "We have some world-class athletes on our team and they didn’t play like that." - David Pollack, Working the Corners