So, yesterday, I taped the Avs - Stars game to watch when I go home from work. The only mistake I made was not coming directly home to watch it. Instead, I went by the bookstore, wearing my Avs jersey, where a random person blew the outcome for me.
“Oh, yeah. They lost.”
I watched about a minute of the game. I had to turn it off.
I feel it’s my civic duty as a hockey blogger to watch every game this season, and I still may watch this 7-5 loss, but I may not. I may record over it with some fine Cartoon Network fare, or maybe some Blue’s Clues, if that even still exists, some serious comfort TV.
Because, right now, it’s pure blind hope that is keeping the season alive for me right now. Not even playoff hope, because even if the Avs made it to the playoffs, they would go nowhere. Just pure blind hope not to fall to low in the standings, to be able to say, at the end of the season, something roughly like, “if only they had that one last piece.” I want to feel like everything was one tiny step away from glory, and not what the season is winding down into.
I don’t want to be looking forward to a high draft pick.
Why would you prefer them to remain mediocre? That’s exactly what you described. A middle-of-the-pack team that always seems to be one or two pieces short of the promised land. With the new CBA, the only way to get good is patience through the draft and savvy free-agent signings. The Avs front office hasn’t shown me any savvy signings in years, and you can arge that even the Roy and Bourque aquisitions were more gifts than clever positioning and maneuvering by the GM. Now Colorado fans are hamstrung by Theo’s contract, a bunch of smaller, offensive-minded defensemen, and (as much as I love him) Joe Sakic and his big contracts at the end of his career.
I’d prefer if the Avs just played the kids and tried to use the remainder of the season to gauge what they do and don’t have in the system. If it resulted in a better pick, then so be it. Clear up some cap space and commit to rebuilding, instead of wallowing in the muddy waters of not good, not bad teams. The Avs are D-O-N-E done for this year.
Actually, for the rest of this season, I would prefer it, not for the team, and not for any rational reason, but for my own self interest. As stupid as it sounds, the fan in me isn’t comfortable with falling that far so quickly. Really, it is the first time the Avs will not be making the playoffs, and the holes in the team have turned into gigantic pits. It has nothing to do with anything other than pure selfishness. As nice as a top three draft pick would be, it would be heart breaking to watch them spiral downward that fast.
As far as the system, what the Avs have lacked in the last two season is any system at all. Sharing an AHL affiliate with Carolina is not exactly taking development seriously. Now that they are moving into Cleveland, maybe they can get some work done on that front.
it’s true, although painful, that it might be better to go for the full-on collapse and some serious rebuilding. speaking as a fan of a team that, as far as i can tell, has spent a good many years being one or two pieces away from great, sometimes it’s possible that the right pieces just don’t exist. it’s rather like playing poker 1 card away from a straight flush- if it works, it’s amazing, but usually it doesn’t work, you just end up losing to the guy with a pair of 2s.
but hey, blind hope never hurt anyone, and it’s probably better for you personally than the alternatives, so might as well run with it.
If we had a decent goalie tandem we would be in the playoffs.