Put Away Early
There is almost always a 24-hour period when I have to transition from being a Colorado Avalanche fan into just being a great NHL fan. In 2001 I had the wonderful pleasure of never having to make that shift, as that year the Avs went all the way and the smile didn't really leave my face all summer long. But such is the nature of being a fan of any team: Sooner or later they are going to let you down. Boston Red Sox fans know this or they knew it for a very long time. Fans of any team in Philadelphia apparently know this. I live not too far from Portland and Blazers fans are, it would seem, being tested on a scale that makes Ecko and Locke from Lost look like a couple of pussies running around in the jungle. You could make a reality series out of what Blazers fans have endured.
For those who missed it, the Colorado Avalanche got swept in their second round series against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. This painful 4 games of hockey for Colorado fans was only offset by the comfort of knowing that Detroit was already out of the playoffs and Vancouver, who have passed the Wings on the rivalry scale versus Colorado, didn't even make the post-season. In fact, Colorado were by all accounts not expected to even make the second round. Even in defeat, two sell-outs at the Pepsi Center in Denver for Games 3 and 4 probably made enough money to pay for goaltender Jose Theodore's 2006-2007 salary. The playoffs are a cash cow in the NHL. The salaries of NHL players end at the conclusion of the regular season. They get a per diem paycheck for the playoffs while ownership makes a windfall. And, no, I am not taking sides in the battle of billionaires versus millionaires. It just is what it is.
Of the teams hit hardest by the salary cap (Detroit, Philadelphia, Toronto, New Jersey, New York, Dallas, and Colorado) the Avalanche can hang their heads high and say they got as far as anyone could expect given that they could no longer afford the greatest player in the league (when healthy, which is a major factor) in Peter Forsberg and a top-tier defensive player in Adam Foote. To get under the cap they didn't do the buyout option that Detroit and Philly did (which is basically throwing money away and eating into profitability) with some of their players or waive older players and send them to the minors the way New Jersey did. If any team got under the cap honestly it was Colorado. This doesn't mean they didn't make mistakes, as some of their cheaper free agent signings were playoff disasters. But with the cap expected to rise next season and at least one or both of their top players, Rob Blake and Joe Sakic, expected to take pay cuts (both had carry over contracts from the pre-cap era) next season the Avalanche should have enough flexibility to improve their team on the open market and via some re-tooling. As a long time fan I have seen more talented versions of the Avalanche than I saw this year but I will give the 2006 version this much: Rarely have I seen an Avalanche team work so hard. So while they ran out of energy against a very good Anaheim team I give them high marks for their overall effort this season.
Meanwhile the playoffs move forward and I flip my cap around from the side that has the Avalanche logo to the one that bares the NHL logo. I don't really care who wins the Cup; I just want to see some excellent games. (Okay, so I would prefer a Buffalo vs. San Jose final.) When Lord Stanley's Cup is ultimately awarded it is one of the great presentations in all of sports. The looks on the players faces, no matter what uniform they have on, is always an awesome sight. I still have that to look forward to it. And given the absence of it last year I can hardly wait.
J
For those who missed it, the Colorado Avalanche got swept in their second round series against the Anaheim Mighty Ducks. This painful 4 games of hockey for Colorado fans was only offset by the comfort of knowing that Detroit was already out of the playoffs and Vancouver, who have passed the Wings on the rivalry scale versus Colorado, didn't even make the post-season. In fact, Colorado were by all accounts not expected to even make the second round. Even in defeat, two sell-outs at the Pepsi Center in Denver for Games 3 and 4 probably made enough money to pay for goaltender Jose Theodore's 2006-2007 salary. The playoffs are a cash cow in the NHL. The salaries of NHL players end at the conclusion of the regular season. They get a per diem paycheck for the playoffs while ownership makes a windfall. And, no, I am not taking sides in the battle of billionaires versus millionaires. It just is what it is.
Of the teams hit hardest by the salary cap (Detroit, Philadelphia, Toronto, New Jersey, New York, Dallas, and Colorado) the Avalanche can hang their heads high and say they got as far as anyone could expect given that they could no longer afford the greatest player in the league (when healthy, which is a major factor) in Peter Forsberg and a top-tier defensive player in Adam Foote. To get under the cap they didn't do the buyout option that Detroit and Philly did (which is basically throwing money away and eating into profitability) with some of their players or waive older players and send them to the minors the way New Jersey did. If any team got under the cap honestly it was Colorado. This doesn't mean they didn't make mistakes, as some of their cheaper free agent signings were playoff disasters. But with the cap expected to rise next season and at least one or both of their top players, Rob Blake and Joe Sakic, expected to take pay cuts (both had carry over contracts from the pre-cap era) next season the Avalanche should have enough flexibility to improve their team on the open market and via some re-tooling. As a long time fan I have seen more talented versions of the Avalanche than I saw this year but I will give the 2006 version this much: Rarely have I seen an Avalanche team work so hard. So while they ran out of energy against a very good Anaheim team I give them high marks for their overall effort this season.
Meanwhile the playoffs move forward and I flip my cap around from the side that has the Avalanche logo to the one that bares the NHL logo. I don't really care who wins the Cup; I just want to see some excellent games. (Okay, so I would prefer a Buffalo vs. San Jose final.) When Lord Stanley's Cup is ultimately awarded it is one of the great presentations in all of sports. The looks on the players faces, no matter what uniform they have on, is always an awesome sight. I still have that to look forward to it. And given the absence of it last year I can hardly wait.
J