Improve the Avalanche in 3 easy steps

1 - Score some damn goals. The Goal tending is there, but now we can't score a damn goal.

Milan Hejduk is 63rd in the league in shots on goal. He has scored 8 of 51 and played great defense for a forward from game 1. Hejduk is playing great hockey. But, we can't survive on Hejduk alone and that number should be 90 SOG by now. Problem = no one feeding him the puck.
NHL reference stats

Wojtek Wolski is 2nd in the league with 3 shootout goals. Wow! Seems cool but where the hell is the game time scoring? WW needs to attack that damn net or play the role of Hejduk feeder. Set Hejduk up... he'll shoot.
NHL reference stats

It's a sure sign that we have a weak transition game.

2- Keep the Defense just the way it is. No really! True, our D fails at times in really stupid ways, but there seems to be a great moral building and the chemistry among our blue liners is there no matter what the parring is.

3 - Hit! We are not the most talented team in the league anymore. Not by a long shot. The Av's have a tendency to get outplayed by faster, younger and more talented players. So, how do you stop talent.. you SMASH IT. You must finish checks and punish the other teams players for staying in the pocket long enough to make those pretty passes. Piss someone off with a BIG CLEAN HIT. Use the energy to create chances.

There are 600+ players in the league and the Av's have 3 players in the top 100 for hits?Not bad some of you might think. But lets face facts. We cannot dominate on talent these days. We are not a power house like we used to be so we have to do something to offset the amazing talent we face. HIT! McLeod is the only guy on our energy/crash line in the top 100. Followed by Tucker and Salei? Is this really enough?

Our top hitters:
54th in hits - Cody McLeod COL (energy/crash line)
78th in hits - Darcy Tucker COL (2nd or 3rd line role player)
95th in hits - Ruslan Salei COL (at home D man)

Wolski pulls a Forsberg!

Well that was timely. True, Wolski had been contributing to the team in other ways but Svatos was pretty much just filling a spot for the previous 5 games. He was doing all the right things but just didn't have the magic. So maybe, just maybe this is the spark that gets him scorching the league again. He is an opportunist in front of the net and a the fastest hands in the west with that top shelf snap shot of his. The thing is, he needs the opportunity and he needs the confidence to let if fly. So here's hoping. As for Wolski, WOW. Where does he come up with these moves. He must be extremely difficult to read as a goalie. Just when a goalie was going to toss his own trick book at him he pulls out a Forsberg. If EA sports is looking for perfect motion capture subject for shoot outs... call Wolski up!

Fianlly has luck on his side. Budaj was beat badly by a great move from Sedin who might think about getting that stick length checked.. looked like he was heeling it there but when he needed it he got lucky. All and all it was good game from some guys who really needed to have a good game.

Wurd!

Who shot the Sheriff?

Scott Parker was "let go" today. Turns out he didn't want to show up for work and like the rest of us chumps... he got his ass fired! I can't say if its much of a loss because I have not seen him play at all this season after getting a concussion in a preseason fight. Still, how bad does it have to be to not want to play hockey? So I went to the source NHL.com to see what the latest news was on old Parksie... and well.

"This page may have moved, is no longer available, is in the penalty box, or we have a problem with our web site, sorry."

I guess that says it all.

Here's to you old buddy.

Just when I was about to give Darcy Tucker a standing 8

Just when I was about to give Darcy Tucker a standing 8 count the guy comes out swinging. Maybe the transition phase is over with old Dtuck and he can get back to being an agitator for a while. I know I would hate to play against the guy, but so long as he is on our team.. Rock On I say. Grit, goals and a willingness to drop the gloves and toss knuckles is an endearing quality that might just get the guys around him fired up a bit. I can only hope that a "what have we got to loose" attitude overcomes the locker-room and the guys start laying it on the line before its too late in the game. We showed some great effort last night.. when it was way to F'n late. Wake up damn it!

"Take another sip of your Hater-aide..."

You haters! Old Joe is taking his lumps in the press and the world of blogs these days. "Super Slow Joe" is one of my favorites so far and hey, you cannot deny that Joe seems to be a half step behind lately. The Joe of 2 years a go would probably have 15 points thus far and be first on the team in scoring. But, this season the best he can do is 12 points and 3rd on the team.. 3rd on the team by a point. Seriously people? In a more perfect world Joe would become a sniper of a role player instead of playing the minutes he does covering for the other forwards on the defensive side of the red line. But to imply that he is not earning his spot on the roster is a little over the top. Give the man a supporting cast and you will see him morph into the pure scorer you so badly want him to be. Why are we not talking about the bottom of the pile? Look here and tell me how Marek Svatos has fewer points than 2 of our D-men. How does Cody McLeod have more points than David Jones and Tyler Arnason? Why is T.J. Hensik just now being called up? I am not sure what else the management has to salvage right now but it seems like a great time to shake it up. Drop some under performers to the farm teams, send a message and make a real effort to get better. Take another sip of your Hater-aide and keep trashing Joe. The problems are bigger than #19.. and #21 won't fix them either.

Wurd!

Well lets be honest - Av's vs. Sabers

The Avalanche stole one there. And, that is the good news. Its been a while sense we have had the goal tending to steal a game and the cherry on top is that we are getting production for all of the players that should be producing. Smith has been great, Hejduk is awesome and our role players have been keep it real with solid play and the occasional goal. The low lights.. well it seem like Joe was off just a little. No panic yet but the speed of the Sabers was very evident. WTF with the Sabers not dropping the gloves? They instigated all of that crap and then went all pathetic about backing it up??? Whatever I say. A win is a win and confidence is cash in hand for a goalie. I will take it.

Avalanche in a Fortune Coookie

"It's not enough to bash in heads. You've got to bash in minds."
-- unknown
That is to say, the Avalanche need a defense that frustrates the other team with its system and consistency. We need to get in the minds of the opposing teams top scorers. Sure we can play tough and toss people around as needed. But, Foote will get hurt this season and a Cuminsky isn't going to be able to fill those skates. We are scoring enough to make this a ongoing effort. But by trade deadline if we can't beat a team with defense on an off night of scoring.. we won't make it to or past the first round of the playoffs.

I Heart Joe Sakic

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ya ya ya.. Joe Sakic is our hero too. Got to love the groupies.

AVS Euro Stickers

You know those chinsy oval Euro stickers that everyone has on the back window of their car so that you can be VERY clear on where their great, great, great grand pappy was from.. Well, we're not above it. As a matter of fact, we just put in for another order. So skip the double tall mocha, no whip and tell the rest of the world what you are all about with your very own Chinsy Euro Sticker!

What Would Joe Sakic Do

Everyone knew that Joey would be back for another year. No way he lets an injury plagued season be his last word. So what would Joe Sakic do..

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Hockey Icons sets

From the Archives comes the Colorado Hockey Icon sets. Who doesn't need a Ken Dryden mask for their external hard drive?

Colorado Hockey Goalie Mask Icons. Vol 1 for Mac OS X


Colorado Hockey Goalie Mask Icons. Vol 2 for Mac OS X


Colorado Hockey Goalie Mask Icons. Vol 3 for Mac OS X

Rock & Roll Part 2 (before Gary Glitter ruined it)

Travel to any sports venue in the united states... the world for that matter and you are likely to here Rock and Roll Part 2. No matter the game or the athletes playing there is an anthem that means the home team has one-upped the visiting team. Swarms of people who would otherwise have nothing to do with each other join together with feet stomping and fists pumping to vocalize at the top of their lungs the most universal cry of victory... HEY! Only the emotion of competition and the resolution of a victory could get that shy accountant off his seat cushion in 2/10 of a second to clap his hands and toss his cap on to the ice without hesitation. The song that every kid hears in his head as he counts down the final seconds of the Stanley Cup play offs and shots a goal past the trash can on to the garage door to win it all. Only one song captures that felling of compete resolution and exhilaration and it does it with one word. HEY! Rock and Roll Part 2. You know..... the “Hey” song! Written and recorded in 1971 by the Garry Glitter band. Rock and Roll part two was the “b” side single 45lp to you guessed it, Rock and Roll part one. To this day the Avalanche, Broncos and just about every sporting team in the states plays the anthem the Colorado Rockies left behind. I had intended to prepare this article based on the answers to my questions below. Never one to get in the way of a good story I found it is best told by someone who was there. The story behind the most popular song in the NHL!