First off, I have never coached hockey. I only played roller hockey for a couple years before getting concussed and quitting. But, I went to an Avalanche game this one time so I am a qualified hockey expert.  

There has been a lot of discussion about head coach Joe Sacco’s systems being the weak link on the Avalanche (by extension that indicates being solid in other facets of coaching). I first began to wonder early in the 2010 season when it seemed the Avs seemed to fare much better against teams they did not face as often, most noticeably the Eastern Conference.

In short, division rivals that see the Avs on a regular basis seem to have cracked the Avalanche Code. So, can we crack it? And why does Chris Stewart come into play? Take warning, there be diagrams ahead.

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In final review, the move by the Colorado Avalanche to acquire Semyon Varlamov was bold, unexpected, and risk with upside. We are all surprised by it but it has become the hallmark of recent Avalanche trades. Chances are Varly will make the Avs a better team and hey, he even has a shot to become a top-tier goaltender.

So why did this move place a unsettled, nagging feeling that peculiar region of my body that empathizes so much with this hockey team? Yes, the strategic execution of acquiring a goalie was severely wanting and ultimately a cause for concern as Sherman develops a history of getting decent but unequal returns. However, this concern is ancillary , almost trivial in nature. The Varlamov trade was a large scale revelation of reality. In one swift moment the Avs sent a message about how they feel about the team and how it will be managed.

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I am pretty disappointed at the disrespect being given by Gabriel Landeskog's biggest supporters and fans. Every time it happens perceptions about the #2 overall pick are warped and modified in ways that don't credit him as a hockey player. It often looks something like this: 

But he can change the momentum with his character, on-ice work ethic, and never-say-die attitude, not to mention his already highly developed sense of leadership.

Or maybe something like this:

This guy screams like he’d be that valuable forward come playoff time that nevers gives up, goes and grinds out a goal or two…

Generally, if you were to read this board (and apparently many scouting/draft editorials) one might start to think drafting Landeskog #2 overall was a good move because he is an extremely hard working player with lots of lots of intangibles and a body ready for the big leagues. It makes it sound like a team drafting Brady Quinn and that he will be a Super Bowl QB on intangibles. And it is this idea that has a number of fans wishing for an elite skills-based talent instead of getting-by-on-early-physical-maturity Gabriel Landeskog.

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This is a question of endless debate so lets get official results. Is this season the result of personnel (aka injury, talent, youthfulness) issues or coaching. Assign your blame in the poll and say why in the poll. Remeber, the ultimate consequence of your vote may have some bearing on whether we think Sacco deserve to remain head coach of Colorado.

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Fierce as a howling wolf the debate over Joe Sacco rages. The Colorado Avalanche are arrested in their worst stretch of play, ever. Yet Sacco's role is considered safe on count of injuries. Never mind that a real hockey player with a real coach never gets injured.

 Figurative illustration of the Avalanche magnitude of suck.

I confess to liking aspects of Sacco's ability but in the face of doubts raised (with hopes razed) I realize that it is in the team's best interest if he does not return as head coach next season. Turns out I am wrong. For reasons we never imagined, Joe Sacco must have another season.

Yesterday an old friend stopped by who has an intimate understanding of hockey knowledge that even Don Cherry covets. I apologize for name dropping but his name is Gandalf and yes, we do go way back.

So Gandalf and I are smoking pipes and talking hockey on the balcony and get this... not even hockey know-it-all Gandalf knows the what the deal is with Joe Sacco. At this point I decided to bust out the palantir despite objection from Gandalf.

What the palantir revealed was a shocking and powerful warning of the future that might be. A future were past mistakes repeat themselves, darker and more powerfully. For five full hours we were transfixed the haunting vision I outline below.

In the summer of 2011 Joe Sacco was demoted from head coach to assistant. The Avalanche hired middling but experienced head coach who had spent time in the Southeast Division. The palantir did not name him but he looked a bit like Barry Melrose.

This coach led the Avs to two let down filled seasons as a playoff bubble team, making it in once and getting dominated by the Columbus Blue Jackets in a 5 game series. Still, this coach came back for a third season but the team struggled heavily.

Having seen enough the Avs fired this coach three and a half weeks into the season and Joe Sacco was promoted back to head coach. At this point the palantir began to become highly erratic. We heard stranges whispers of McNabb talking negatively about the Avs and garbled subdued chants of, "Granato rises again!" whispered in the dark places of the Pepsi Center. Glimpses of positive quotes from players transposed over losing scores appeared interspersely among visions of a new uniform being unveiled. The new uniforms were literally aprons.

All this has happened before and will happen again. Straight from the real experts. 

I am really excited to announce my pet project to the MHH crew. I am building a website to serve as a voting booth for sporting events with the main focus on whether games are officiated evenly. It is called www.sportstilts.com

For example, tonight I will put up the poll for the Avs vs Thrashers and then everyone can say whether the game was 'tilted' in favor of one team or the other. We can get some cool information and trends on the long run from this.

Anyways, these things are more accurate if more people vote so I am throwing it out to all of you. I remember 'helping' to launch this website and I am excited about this one also.

I also have the latest trades up for voting so we can see what is going on. You can find the trades here: http://www.sportstilts.com/index.php?option=com_communitypolls&controller=polls&task=list&catid=2&Itemid=55

I was struck by envy today which makes no sense. Can a person envy a person who governs another sports body and loathe the one that runs your favorite sport? NFL commish Roger Goodell was on the spot in a sideline interview at a college football game. He fielded, with dignity, some questions on tough topics such as agents in amateur football and Favre. You can see it here, http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/22825103/vp/39701699#39701699

It filled me with renewed rage that Gary Bettman continues to run the ship in the NHL. He who talks with false enthusiasm about chicken fricken fingers. See here, http://www.milehighhockey.com/2010/10/7/1738045/game-1-recap-avalanche-4-blackhawks-3-ot#48786824

He who has lost the respect of the fans who pay his salary. See here,  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQqkjxNSWZ0&feature=related

He who ... well I can't describe this one... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ew84MplyjM

I could link youtube videos of Bettman all day but you can just search it yourself. He is always on the defensive and has false bravado about his work. Everything is ok, fans are lost in hysteria (yes he used that word), and the media is after me with a sledgehammer (yes he used that word.) What a weasel.

Sigh. If Goodell can avoid a lockout it will be even more frustrating.

Time to dig up old posts with predictions http://www.milehighhockey.com/2009/7/28/966009/snoozeday-thread-trying-to-stay#18804331 . There are a number of them made here.

If you have other old posts like this, repost them here.

I think the Avs could be a #7 or stretch for a #6 or #5 playoff seed. That was my prediction last July if things went perfectly this season. Things didn't go perfect but they came pretty close as we are looking at a likely 8th seed.

r) Tucker not being a complete waste of a unipron. Jibbles, somehow they overcame it most of the year!

Pepsi has new logos in the works for a big portion of their product line. As the naming rights holder for The Can I wonder what the implications are for the Pepsi Center. Would you rather have the old or new logo plastered all over?

http://www.underconsideration.com/brandnew/archives/pepsi_revealed_sort_of.php

What will they do to the Pepsi ball thingy that hangs down as if it were the center's testes.

Here are some other interpretations of the new logo design. http://www.movement-radio.com/pepsibutt.jpg

http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-hockey/spec-rel/091608aaa.html

Yes, yes the notorious Brian Burke is the guest speaker at the season kick-off event for Notre Dame hockey. Now, I want to go support my Irish but I am concerned I might start shouting out things like "Burke has a man crush on Big Bert" and embarrass everyone in the middle of his speach. Then again I may be able to convince him to trade for Arnason.

What should I do MHH? Does anyone have any questions I should ask if I am able to go?

I am being lazy and ripping from my Rookie Camp report on the AdventuraCompany.com forums.

I took lots of pictures and video, and I will start with Kyle Cumiskey, surprise MVP of the day for me. He didn't seem to make any mistakes and was always in a good position to be a part of the play defensively. Good use of stick and body, for a smallish defender. The only thing he didn't do was score a goal, although he managed to set his team in a good position to do so a few times with excellent passing, skating and puck control skills. He was partnered with Nigel Williams who had a nice physical presence and looked pretty decent and should be worth keeping an eye on. They worked well together.

TJ Hensick and Chris Stewart were the most skilled forwards despite seeming to lack consistant focus. When they decided to take over play they stood head and shoulders above. David Jones was all over the ice but I wanted to see some more skill from him. Could be a great 'roll player' (I hate that term in a way) at the NHL level.

Here is some of the video I caught of Cumiskey. Look for the quick poke check in the second clip of the video. He made other plays as well I missed on tape. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wG710...

Amidst constant questions about bringing Peter Forsberg back to the Avalanche, François Giguère continues to express supreme confidence in Colorado’s current roster. The Avalanche have a logjam of scoring talent at forward, but where does a 30 year old NHL rookie from the Czech leagues fit in?

Following the high profile free agent signings of Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan, FG has been prone to say, again, that he is ‘very satisfied with the way our roster looks’. There is however, more meaning to this quote than solely the acquisitions of Smyth and Hannan, they also seem to refer to Jaroslav Hlinka. At the press conference announcing the signing of Smyth and Hannan, FG spoke these words about him:

"Hlinka is a guy we're anticipating a lot of things from," Giguere said. "He was the best player in the Czech League the past two years. Our scout, (right wing) Milan Hejduk, highly recommended him."

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