Mile High HockeyMile High HockeyA blog and fan community dedicated to the Colorado Avalanche, Mile High Hockey is a part of the SportsBlogs Nation network. Articles
Game 77: Flames At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-24 19:19:00 Flames again. Phadouche will be back in The Can, up to his usual dirty tricks, but this time with an able-to-fight Lappy no doubt itching for a good scrap with him. Lappy fought in the Edmonton game for the first time in weeks now that his lacerated finger has healed, and he definitely had a good showing. Let's hope he wastes little time wrecking the Flame-Outs defenseman. Now, lets talk about line combinations for the 150 millionth time, shall we? I know everybody is just dying to talk about them some more, so I don't have a choice. Dater (who I owe some serious royalty checks to lately), says tonight's lines (at least for half of the first period) will appear as such: Wolski-Sakic-Brunette Smyth-Stastny-Hejduk Forsberg-Arnason-Jones McLeod-Guite-Laperriere In his morning preview of tonight's game, Dater asked Coach Q about Wolski returning to the first line with Super Joe and Andrew Brunette. Quenneville said: Asked about his line-jugg... More About: Preview , Open , Avalanche , Game , Thread
The Avalanche Rosetta Stone
2008-03-24 15:35:00 In my last post, a recap of the 7-5 loss to Edmonton, I went out on a limb and tried to translate a seemingly innocent statement by Joe Sakic---that the team wasn't prepared to play Edmonton---to mean that the players were frustrated with Joel Quenneville and the rest of the Avalanche coaching staff. I said: Now, that quote can be read two ways. Either the players just came out in the first period and didn't care, didn't play hard enough, and it's all their fault. Or---and I admit this is pretty paranoid and maybe a major bit of reaching---they weren't prepared for the game by the coaching staff. Super Joe, infamous for his simple, matter-of-fact comments to reporters' questions, could be speaking in code these days. Is he blaming himself and the other players, or are his quotes a veiled cry for help? Is he trying to tell the world that the coaching is at fault without actually saying it? I wonder, but that's probably just me. Lots of ... More About: Stone , Rosetta
Prozac Time
2008-03-23 19:51:00 I watched the Edmonton game. Right up until it was 3-0. Then I found other things to do with my time. Later in the afternoon, I popped over to Jibbles' page and saw that he too was trying to keep from getting swallowed alive by the despair that is being foisted upon Avalanche faithful right now. I have to agree with my fellow circle-jerkie: It ain't worth it to get dragged down by the current 'style' of play that the Avs seem content to dole out for multiple periods of game-play. Why should I spew MORE vitriol against the current state of affairs when all it will serve is to cheapen the remainder of the season for me? Don't get me wrong, I still think there are some serious problems with this team, and I don't see much light at the end of the increasingly shortening tunnel. Therefore, I'm planning on taking the remainder of the season with a glass-half-full approach, just to maintain my sanity (plus, I'm house shopping, so who nee... More About: Time
Game 76: Oilers 7, Avalanche 5
2008-03-23 13:51:00 photo courtesy of Andy Devlin/Getty Who could have predicted, after the Avalanche won eight games out of nine between February 26th and March 13th, that they would then lose four in a row, including all three games in a critical three-game road trip against divisional foes? For a brief time, the Avalanche were sitting pretty atop the Northwest Division with 84 points. That was on March 13th. The Avs haven't won a game since, and now sit in fourth place, five points behind first-place Minnesota and barely clinging to the final playoff spot in the Western Conference. The latest humiliating defeat came at the hands of the formerly-terrible Edmonton Oilers, who are now, especially with yesterday's 7-5 win over the Avs, very much still in the playoff fight. The Avs were terrible to start the game, allowing three goals by the Oilers in the first period, including one just fifty seconds into it. Jose Theodore didn't even play fifteen minutes before gett... More About: Game
Game 76: Avalanche At Oilers, Open Thread
2008-03-22 19:53:00 Paul Stastny = In Adam Foote = Out Peter Forsberg = Doubtful ESPN preview. More About: Open , Avalanche , Game , Thread
First Round Matchup---Wings Fans Say "Bring It"
2008-03-21 16:07:00 At this point, it still looks highly possible that the Avs will make the playoffs in the eighth seed. If they do, then their first opponent would be the Detroit Red Wings , a team that absolutely dominated them during the regular season. Oh, and there's some kind of history between the two. Really? I had no idea. Am I worried? At this point, I don't think it matters who the Avs play in the first round---they're probably going to lose. I hate to be pessimistic, but be honest, this team doesn't exactly scream "capable" right now, does it? Well, capable of losing maybe, but whatev. The Wings' diehards are not afraid of the Avs. In fact, they want this matchup bad: Yes, laying waste to the Dive sounds like a glorious way to begin the Spring. Fun, most likely violent, and most certainly satisfying. From our narrow-minded fan’s perspective, it is the matchup of choice. More than that though, Denver’s the team... More About: Fans , Round
Game 75: Flames 2, Avalanche 1
2008-03-21 14:57:00 So the Avalanche didn't commit to the Yeti last night when they let the Flames win 2-1. They have apparently committed to losing instead, having now dropped three games in a row in the midst of a critical final run for playoff positioning. The Avs are still in eighth place, despite all of this. Luckily for Colorado, Nashville and Edmonton are having lots of trouble catching up, and the former still sits four points back in ninth place. Edmonton is behind by five points and Phoenix is six points behind. Funny how things work, Colorado plays Edmonton tomorrow and then again a week from today. Even if the Avs lose both games to Edmonton, but tie with them for points at the end of the season, the Avs would get the nod for the eighth playoff spot because they would have a 10-7 advantage in points and a 5-3-1 record over Edmonton this season. That is, of course, as long as neither Nashville nor Phoenix has stolen the eighth spot by then. Playoff ra... More About: Game
Game 75: Avalanche At Flames, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-20 19:14:00 Well look who we have here. If it isn't the Flame-Outs, fresh off a most impressive 3-0 shutout loss to the Columbus Blue Jackets, who don't have a healthy starting goalie, or a veteran captain, or much of an offense other than Rick Nash. Nice work. I suppose Dion Phadouche (0g, 0a, - 3) wasn't properly fueled for the game. The bad news is that Colorado hasn't been all that hot lately, either. A frustrating loss to New Jersey and an unforgivable choke job against the Wild mean the Avs are treading water when they should be backstroking into the upper seeds of the playoffs. Peter Forsberg is being over-played (and trying to over-play), the power play is causing a kitten holocaust, and the defense periodically takes a night off here and there. It's time to separate the men from the not-men. The Avalanche need to rise above their injuries, the bad coaching, and all the other problems they've succumbed to this season and make a statement that the ... More About: Preview , Open , Game , Thread
Coach Q's Latest Poll Numbers Not So Good
2008-03-19 23:00:00 Adrian Dater is finally coming around: The chatter is definitely increasing. We here at the National Avalanche Security Agency are picking up lots more, especially when it comes to Joel Quenneville’s coaching decisions the other night in Minnesota. I’m not as big a Q basher as many fans, but I will say this: He had the wrong lineup against the Wild. He probably had one Cody too many, and his benching of Wojtek Wolski was, at this point in the season at least, counterproductive. He then goes on at length, naming each and every flub Coach Q made against Minnesota, which resulted in a 3-1 loss and a setback on the road to the playoffs. My favorite part: About the lineup the other night, not only was the wrong personnel in the game, but I didn’t like Q’s line combos much. Playing Ryan Smyth on a third line, with guys like Lappy and Tyler ("if it ain’t Edmonton, I ain’t scoring") Arnason was a disaster. Finally, by the end of the game, Smitty w... More About: Poll , Numbers , Good
Reading Between The Lines Re-Re-Revisited
2008-03-19 20:57:00 After reading Draft Dodger's post today about the offensive production of each Avalanche line this season, I noticed how many combinations of players have been used on each. Part of this is due to injuries, of course, but the majority of it is due to indecisiveness (or impatience) by the coaching staff. Anyway, which combinations of players have been the best this season for the Avalanche? First, the various combinations that have appeared on the top 3 lines, separated by line, with goals, assists and total points included: Line 1Line 2Line 3 So what does this tell us? First of all, Paul Stastny is money in the bank. The lines he has appeared on have vastly outscored any other center's lines all season. And I'm talking percentages, not totals, so Joe Sakic's injury doesn't count against him. The best combination has been the RPM Line of Stastny-Smyth-Hejduk, with 22 games played (17 as the top line, 5 as the second), 22 goals and 27 assists. ... More About: Reading , Lines
Reading Between the Lines Re-Revisited
2008-03-19 17:15:00 With all the controversy lately over who is playing where, I figured it might be a good idea to look again at how the lines are stacking up. Obviously, we've done this before. Twice, actually. Obviously, I think it's worth re-revisiting. For reference, here's the 4 lines broken down on a game-by-game basis. Note that these are just even strength numbers. Line 1 Line 2 Line 3 Line 4 Here's the performance to date: 1st line: 46g 64a 110pt +12 2nd line: 59g 76a 135pt +37 3rd line: 21g 34a 55pt +4 4th line: 13g 22a 35pt -16 As usual, I will be focusing on goals. Again, even strength only. To compare numbers to last year, I projected the totals out to 82 games. With just 8 games left, that shouldn't stretch the numbers too wildly. Line 1: 51g 33% of scoring. LY: 55g, 33% (-7%) Line 2: 65g 42% of scoring. LY: 53g, 32% (+23%) Line 3: 23g 15% of scoring. LY: 36g, 21% (-35%) Line 4: 14g 09% of scoring. LY: 24g, 14% (-40%) It's difficult to compare line-to-line scoring... More About: Reading , Lines
Who Will Save The Kittens?
2008-03-19 15:46:00 The Avalanche power play has sucked all year. It was third-worst in the league for a couple of months, then dropped a spot, then dropped to the bottom for a long time. It's now back up to 29th overall (just barely ahead of those suckasses in St. Louis), but it still sucks. It sucks so bad we even had to create a meme that involves killing poor, defenseless kittens just to express how bad it is. Only a monster would kill a kitten. Are the Avs monsters? You do the math. I'll do the math. The Avalanche score on just 14% of their power play opportunities (43 goals in 308 chances), ten full percentage points below the best power play team in the league, Montreal. While Western Conference teams don't have as much success with the man advantage, Detroit leads with over 20% and half the other teams are above 17%. Colorado ranks 20th in power play opportunities, but 29th in goals scored. The team with the least opportunities, Tampa... More About: Kittens , Save
Nashville Has It Easy
2008-03-18 20:16:00 The Avalanche are now in eighth place in the West, clinging desperately to the final playoff spot. The team closest to stealing it from them is the Nashville Predators. Starting Friday, all but one of the 113 remaining games for every team in the NHL is against division rivals. James Mirtle says this is bad for Colorado, but very good for Nashville: In the west, for example, this is bad news for the Northwest Division teams, four of which are currently in playoff position. There are going to be fewer points to be had here, for instance, than in the Central Division, where as of now only Detroit is on pace to make the playoffs. As Minnesota, Calgary, Vancouver and Colorado slug it out with each other to close the season, Nashville should have the relatively easy task of taking a few points from their division's bottom feeders. Let's hope St. Louis and Columbus remember how to play hockey, if only for the last few games of the season. The Avs will need all th... More About: Easy
Searching For Wojtek Wolski
2008-03-18 19:34:00 Avalanche winger Wojtek Wolski, a first-round pick and potential star forward among the younger players in the franchise, was a healthy scratch last night against the Wild. It was just one among many games this season in which Wolski has sat in favor of lesser players. Despite his goal against Edmonton on March 13th, his lackluster performance in the game against New Jersey two days later was enough for Coach Q to shut him down again. Says Adrian Dater of Wolski's perceived struggles: Wolski and Hlinka the forward scratches tonight against the Wild. Wolski’s descent to healthy scratch-dom continues to be a slightly big story around the team. Hard to believe the former first-round pick and the team’s fourth-leading scorer is sitting out a game in mid-March while Cody McCormick and Cody McLeod are in, but Joel Quenneville just hasn’t been happy with Wolski’s overall game lately. The feeling is he hasn’t been using his size still, not ba... More About: Searching
Game 74: Wild 3, Avalanche 1
2008-03-18 14:59:00 photo courtesy of Paul Battaglia/AP The Avs had to win and they didn't. Now they're fourth place in the Northwest and eighth in the Western Conference. They still have four points on Nashville, but with eight games to play that's not a safe lead. Colorado didn't get steamrolled. They played hard for most of the game, and put 30 shots on goal, but Wild netminder Nicklas Backstrom wasn't having any of it. He stopped at least a dozen really great Avalanche chances, and never looked like he broke a sweat. At the other end, Jose Theodore also had a very good game, and made a couple of spectacular saves. The only pucks that beat him were on the power play or off a screened deflection. When all things were fair, he was better than the Wild. Not that it mattered in the end. The only Avalanche goal was scored on the power play by Joe Sakic. That goal, his 204th, ties him with Wayne Gretzky, something not mentioned in the AP game r... More About: Game
Game 74: Avalanche At Wild, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-17 19:30:00 THE STRETCH RUN BEGINS Well, kiddos, every game matters now. Every game is a must-win---even the games against Edmonton. The Avs are 2-3 so far this season against the Wild , but they've won eight of their last ten and are finally getting healthy again. Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote are both expected to return to the lineup (I have no time for "maybe"), and Paul Stastny's groin seems to be doing just fine, if his two points and 22 minutes of ice time against New Jersey are any indication. Jose Theodore and the Avalanche defense looked weak in the Devils game on Saturday, so hopefully the return of Foote will tighten up the loose ends and remind the others how well they are capable of playing. Theodore I don't worry about too much anymore. He'll either be fine or he'll be on some other team next year. Either way, it will ultimately work out fine for the Avs. The line juggling should be truly epic tonight, since Q has already switched Hejduk, Smy... More About: Preview , Open , Game
And Down The Stretch They Come
2008-03-17 15:31:00 Well, this is it. It all comes down to the final eight nine games of the season, just like we all figured it probably would. The Avs are in the thick of the playoff battle, and have just eight games to play, all against division rivals. Three teams in the Northwest Division are tied with 84 points: Colorado, Minnesota and Calgary. Vancouver is just two points behind, and Edmonton has won eight of their last ten, and trail the leaders by just seven points. It's conceivable, if a little unlikely, that they are still in the playoff fight as well. So you've got four definite contenders and one maybe---no doubt the toughest division in the league. Can the Avs do it? What if they don't? I won't even entertain that thought at all. The Avs' remaining schedule, starting with tonight's game against the Wild: Monday, March 17: @ Minnesota Thursday, March 20: @ Calgary Saturday, March 22: @ Edmonton Monday, March 24: Calgary Wednesday, Ma... More About: Stretch
Game 73: Devils 4, Avalanche 2
2008-03-16 04:53:00 photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP I'll be totally honest with you. I didn't watch much of this game, and I'm pretty glad that I didn't. On paper, the game looks fairly even, with shots and hits being similar for both teams. But on the scoreboard and between the pipes, it was all New Jersey. Martin Brodeur set a new record today, winning his 40th game for the seventh time in his career---something no other goalie has ever done. I guess this blog will have to up its game a bit if it's ever going to convince anyone. I did watch enough of the game to see Ryan Smyth put a great shot on goal at the very end of the second period, but it was his only shot of the day and Brodeur's sweet glove save pretty much summed up the entire game. If there's one bright spot about this loss, it's that Paul Stastny continues to be consistent as hell since he returned from his appendectomy/groin injury layoff. He has four points in his last three games (1g, 1a ... More About: Avalanche , Game , Devils
Game 73: Devils At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-15 19:56:00 This has all the potential to be a really great game. Or, it could also be the most boring game ever played. You never really know with the New Jersey Devils---a team Colorado almost never plays. The Devils are good, and currently lead the Eastern Conference by just one point over division rival Pittsburgh and Northeast Division foes Montreal and Ottawa. All three teams are tied with 87 points. The Avs are still in sole possession of first place in the Northwest Division, but losing today is really not an option for them. Every other team in the division, with the exception of idle Calgary, plays tonight. A Colorado loss and wins by Vancouver and/or Minnesota would result in yet another annoying tie for first place. And nobody wants that. The Devils are hot, winners of four of their last five games. The Avs are hot, winners of eight of their last nine. Ryan Smyth is expected to return to the lineup, and Paul Stastny, despite ... More About: Preview , Open , Avalanche , Game , Thread
Stastny Out With Another Groin Pull
2008-03-14 20:51:00 Sure enough, Paul Stastny left the game last night with what the Rocky Mountain News calls a "slight" groin pull. He did not practice today because of it. Honestly, does anyone on that team ever stretch? The RMN says Son of Stastny will play on Saturday, but you have to assume that he probably won't, or he'll just hurt himself again. Peter Forsberg did practice, so that kills my "hiding in a bunker" theory, but he won't play Saturday, nor will Adam Foote or Jordan Leopold. At least Ryan Smyth is scheduled to suit up and rejoin the lineup against the Devils, so that's good. More About: Pull
Sandy Clough And Bob Costas Should Get Married
2008-03-14 19:02:00 Because I absolutely love it when dinosaur Old Media types toss out tired, old cliches about sports blogs and bloggers---which they clearly don't understand at all, and often equate with infamous message board dipshits---I have to turn your attention to the giant collective sigh caused by Bob Costas . I like Bob Costas. He's got a great voice, and he knows his shit. He's been a loud critic of Barry Bonds and all of his fellow cheaters in baseball, has ridiculed Terrell Owens and the other attention hogs in the NFL, and has been generally harsh as hell on the culture of stupidity in the NBA. To my knowledge he hasn't actually talked about hockey since 1992, but hey, I know my place as a puck fan.* Anyway, Costas has weighed in on the whole "Blogs As False Controversy" topic with these tidbits of genius: ...it's one thing if somebody just sets up a blog from their mother's basement in Albuquerque and they are who they are, and they're a pathetic get-a-life ... More About: Sandy , Married
Game 72: Avalanche 5, Oilers 1
2008-03-14 15:01:00 photo courtesy of David Zalubowski/AP What a day. The Avalanche beat the Oilers 5-1 and every other team in the Northwest Division lost, with only Minnesota losing in overtime. The Avs now occupy first place with a two-point cushion and only ten games left to play. As a bonus, Colorado's two power play goals lifted their overall percentage to 13.8, just above St. Louis and no longer the worst in the NHL. Also worth noting, so far in the final 19 games of this season, Colorado is 8-1-0. A 7-1-2 finish will tie last year's amazing streak, only this time it will guarantee a playoff spot, if not the Northwest Division title outright. The game last night started slowly, but Jeff Finger lit the scoreboard first with help from Jaroslav Hlinka and Paul Stastny. The Avs went into the second period with a slim, one-goal lead, but the floodgates were opened and it was all over for the Oil. Four goals, scored by Hlinka (unassisted off a gorgeous ste... More About: Game
Game 72: Oilers At Avalanche, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-13 19:24:00 The Avs are in good shape right now. Calgary lost last night, and so did Vancouver, which leaves Colorado in a tie for the top spot in the Northwest Division going into tonight's game against surprisingly resilient Edmonton. The Oilers have been pretty hot lately, and a win against the Avs would compliment their continued good fortunes. Luckily for the Avs, though, the Oilers seem to only win in overtime, which means a point in the standings for our boys and that would still help. As far as injuries go, Ryan Smyth and Ruslan Salei both participated in a "scaled-down practice" on Wednesday and appear to be ready and/or just about ready to return. Salei's eye is improving and Smyth's concussion symptoms are gone. Adam Foote and Peter Forsberg remain mysteries, though, since neither skated on Wednesday and the team has played its usual hall of mirrors injury report routine. Coach Q seemed optimistic about Foppa coming back, but his status has s... More About: Preview , Open , Avalanche , Game , Thread
The Final Word On Steve Ott
2008-03-13 15:15:00 To all the Stars fans who have said things like this: The game replays and the video I have seen do not support a hit to the head, and it is questionable if he left his feet before the impact......is there other video out there that can show a hit to the head or more conclusive evidence? And this: At first glance I thought that Ott intended to injure, but when I looked again it was one of those unfortunate "he didn't do what I thought he was going to do" hits. It seemed that Ott was trying to time his hit but then missed the body and got the head. It happens. IMO Ott wasn't trying to injure. And: I did not see anything even resembling a dirty hit by Ott on Sunday's rematch ... Leopold is an emabbrassment [sic] when it comes to durability. He should carry a purse instead of a stick he's such a wimp! And: ott had him lined up, with every intention of finishing that check when he was all the way out at the faceoff dot. looked to me like he hit him with his shoulder, s... More About: Steve , Word , Final
Ott Suspended Three Games For Douchery
2008-03-12 15:09:00 Dallas Stars pest Steve Ott was suspended for three games for leaving his feet and illegally hitting Jordan Leopold on March 9th. Leopold left the game and missed the Avs' game last night against the Thrashers while recovering from concussion symptoms. UPDATE: This is a clip of the fight between Ott and Ruslan Salei, but it includes a replay of the hit on Leopold. It's so ridiculously clear that Ott left his feet and hit Leoprone in the head that it's impossible to dispute it. Ott wasn't called for a penalty on the play, which was obviously illegal to everyone watching except for the refs, who swallowed their whistles in typical "give the home team a break" fashion. I have no numbers to back up this claim, but it seems like the officiating in the NHL has never been as biased or as inconsistent as it has been this year. The Avs have gotten a ton of breaks they didn't deserve, and so have all the other teams across the league. I assume the Dallas Morn... More About: Games
Game 71: Avalanche 5, Thrashers 2
2008-03-12 14:48:00 photo courtesy of Gregory Smith/AP Just like they should have, the Avalanche beat the Thrashers 5-2, gaining two incredibly valuable points and moving up into a two-way tie for the Northwest Conference lead. Fellow first place occupier Calgary has played two fewer games, but hopefully they'll hold true to late-season form and suck from now until April. Andrew Brunette, who Dater informs us has the nickname "Kitty" because he's a little less fast than a cat, scored two goals and seemed to click extremely well with rookie David Jones on a line with Joe Sakic. Jones scored his first goal of his NHL career and also had two assists, along with a team-leading five hits. I've said all season that Brunette is junk without Sakic, and his recent success when paired with the Avalanche captain seems to confirm that. The Jones-Sakic-Brunette line had eight points on the night. Obviously, they will never play together again. Also worth noting was the power play... More About: Game
Game 71: Avalanche At Thrashers, Preview And Open Thread
2008-03-11 23:55:00 The Atlanta Thrashers suck. They're not a good hockey team. The Avalanche should have no trouble beating them tonight and gaining two points in the standings. Enough said. In injury news---since all my game previews are actually injury reports this season---Adam Foote is expected to return to the lineup, but fellow defensemen Ruslan Salei and Jordan Leopold will miss at least one game due to their respective injuries. Salei does not have a broken orbital bone and is predicted to return for Thursday's game, while Leoprone is showing symptoms of a minor concussion and may have to sit longer. I really feel sorry for him these days. The poor guy may never play a full season. Peter Forsberg is still out with a sore groin, but he skated in practice and is showing signs of improvement. Hopefully he just needs a little more rest and will be good to go on Thursday as well. The game starts at 5:00 PM Mountain time, 7:00 PM Eastern. I'm not... More About: Preview , Open , Game , Thread
Don't Talk About My Momma!
2008-03-10 20:48:00 Scott Cruickshank of the Canwest News Service posted an interesting piece yesterday about a new breed of pests in the NHL. You know, guys like Sean Avery and Alex Burrows. Young, motormouth assholes who exist only to anger and frustrate opposing players. The reason this article was of interest to me is that Cruickshank interviewed both Ian Laperriere and Scott Parker, and they both had great things to say. Says Lappy about the newest breed of young shit talkers: "It comes with experience -- you think you're going to get away with stuff like that, like you do in junior," says Laperriere. "But here? These guys are men. You can't do that for a long time. If you want to have a short career? Go ahead, be my guest. But if you want to stick around, you've got to quiet down." Asked who's talking trash nowadays, and he doesn't hesitate. "Alex Burrows in Vancouver," says Laperriere. "He's the guy who will have the last word. But it's his second year in the NHL an... More About: Talk , Momma
Things Could Be Worse...
2008-03-10 19:05:00 The loss last night to the Stars, and the loss of more key players to injuries, was a bummer, no doubt. Just when we were getting all excited about the playoffs and Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and a back-in-business Jose Pimp Cane Theodore, the rug got pulled out from under us. But things could have been worse. The Avalanche could have been forced to wear tie-dyed jerseys, like the poor boys up in Cleveland had to do: I bet TJ Hensick (pictured) wishes he was still suiting up in the Burgundy and Blue (even the sad, current versions of the Avs' uniprons). I can't, for the life of me, find any explanation whatsoever for this horrendous fashion disaster. I've checked the Monsters site and can't find any answers. Anyone know why those poor guys were forced to wear such horrible uniforms? (hat tip to my overlords at UniWatch) And, in other uniform-related news, Jeff Finger is now wearing a visor. Before the mysterious "hand injury" last week, he ... More About: Things
Call The Doctors, Stat!
More articles from this author:2008-03-10 16:11:00 I want to make a quick post about the Avalanche medical team before we let things get too far when it comes to criticism. I have to admit, we've given the Avalanche medical team a lot of grief this season, especially for the Joe Sakic "it's a groin pull, oh wait, it's a major hernia" fiasco, not to mention the Kurt Sauer "it's whiplash, and uh, it's a concussion, too" incident. The Paul Stastny groin pull while rehabbing after an appendectomy didn't go over very well with us, either. And now, with Peter Forsberg out with a mysterious groin pull of his own, the temptation to lay into the Avalanche doctors and trainers gets even harder to resist. But, let's cut them just a bit of slack---if just for a second. The medical team, led by Dr. Andrew Parker (pictured doing his best Coach Q impersonation), an orthopedic surgeon with 20 years of experience (and no pending malpractice suits), are trained professionals and we're not. We didn't go to medical sc... More About: Doctors , Call , Stat 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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