I’ve talked about what bugs me about Dater’s approach to the team and reporting before, but today’s wrap up of the woes and the end of the playoff push (or lack of push in the end) neatly sums up what I don’t like and fail to understand about his writing about the Avalanche, and it does it in one word:

We.

From the All Things Avs blog:

We’ll give the Avalanche players, coaches and management one last moral-victory, we-tried-hard-but excuse. Really, arguably, they didn’t deserve another one this year. They had a very good chance to make the playoffs down the stretch, but let’s face it: they blew it. All they really had to do, in hindsight, was take care of business against the worst team in the league, Columbus, at home. But the Avs lost twice to the Jackets in the final 20 games, including Thursday’s dismal 5-2 loss.

And in the last paragraph:

We’ll buy into the excuses one more time, and look for better things next season. But the clock is ticking…

It’s not the negativity.  It’s not the accountability question.  I agree with him for the most part – even if I tire of the same tone post after post.

Who is “We?”  Who is this we he is lumping himself in with?  That’s the part I don’t get.

Dater tends to stand on one side of the fence, wagging his finger at the fans for not showing up, for not being excited, for being jerks, for anything the fans do, then climbs over the fence and stands next to the fans to yell at the team.  Dater is or isn’t a fan of the Avalanche, but I can’t actually tell which one he is.  When he is a blogger, he is acting like a fan, but when he is reporting as a beat writer, he acts like a reporter.  And never the two shall mix?

Blogs are nothing more than a publishing platform.  They aren’t one style of writing or another.  Much like mp3s, that the music industry tried to paint as evil when they didn’t have control over them, are simply a file format.  There is nothing inherently anything about them.  That the Denver Post uses the same blogging software I do may be ironic, it isn’t an indicator of any similarities in tone or style.  To say “well, this is a blog, so…” should be meaningless.  Dater can blog from his parents basement just like everyone else (and as I said on twitter, if you bring up a blogger in their parents basement to win an argument, you might as well have played the Hitler card, because you just lost).  That you are allowed switch hats when you switch platforms, all under the banner of the Denver Post, is ridiculous.

So the two questions I have are, who is the “we” Dater is including himself in, and what are the consequences he alludes to?  What happens if this “one more time” doesn’t pan out?  Is there something Dater will do?  Is he going to pull out pictures of the Avalanche in compromising positions from a manilla folder?  Do they even make manilla folders anymore?

And let’s say things don’t go well next season.  Will Adrian Dater get mad at the fans for not showing up for what he calls:

- A tired game-night atmosphere that employs horrible music, uses horrible lighting, has really lame stops-in-play and between-periods entertainment and insults today’s tech-savvy, modern fan with 1999 scoreboard technology.
The Avs can hide their heads in the sand all they want and their corporate lackeys can pretend like it doesn’t exist, but the team continues to have a BIG problem with the local fan when it comes to going to games and really feeling entertained. The bad attendance of the last few years doesn’t ALL have to do with the product on the ice.

Because I totally agree with him on this.  TOTALLY.  But as a paying customer, all I can do is not go to the games and vote with my wallet.  And that is a problem as well for Dater, mad that we as fans don’t show up to support the team.  That I would rather watch the game on a big screen TV than go to a game for the exact same in-game entertainment year after year is a problem as much as going is.  We can’t seem to do anything right.

I don’t know who ‘we’ are, but I can tell you, I don’t hear a clock ticking.  No matter what the Avalanche do in the off season, they will be around, they will play games, and they will make the decisions.  The actual “We” are going to be along for the ride.

I read yet another sour-puss post in the Denver Post today, which I usually avoid at all costs.

Aside – I want you to think about that for a moment.  I’m a  fan of the Colorado Avalanche, and we have one newspaper in town.  And I try to avoid reading it because of the content.  One source with press credentials, and I TRY not to read it.  Isn’t that kind of telling?

There were parts of the post that bugged me, but none more than this:

When push came to shove, the Avs couldn’t win the big ones – again. It was right there for them: two out of three wins against Phoenix, Vancouver and San Jose, and they would have been in good shape for the playoffs. But they got one out of six possible points. Let’s face it, the Avs choked away a win the other day against Vancouver, the one game that stood out to me as proving these guys still aren’t ready for prime time yet.

The number one thing that bugged me was not the word ‘choked,’ but the word ‘again.’  Yes, again the Avalanche were not good enough to make the post season (most likely, as there is the mathematical possibility that they could sneak in).  It isn’t the gloom and doom of that word or that sentence that bugs me.  It’s that we have seen this before.  We have seen this perspective over and over.  It’s copy / paste every few games.

It isn’t that the Denver Post (and to be honest about it, Adrian Dater, the most visual of the Post writers) needs to be fans of the team.  That isn’t their job, and isn’t the way their writing should be structured.  But at this point, the emo message is that you are a fool to think this team was anything but losers.  You would be a mook to be a fan of this team.  And it was all inevitable, and is going to continue.

The Post needs to do it’s job, and that is report the news.  And they need to be given the leeway to state their opinions in the appropriate places.  It isn’t that the Post needs to conform to us, the fans.  But we don’t need to conform to their output either.

The overall issue here is a lack of choice on the part of the fans.  The Denver Post is the only credentialed media outlet that consistently puts out Avalanche material.  They don’t have to do anything other than what they are doing, because they aren’t pushed to do so.  They are the only game in town, and that’s the choice made by the Avalanche themselves.  The Avs are traditionally very closed off to the media.

But tradition has a way of falling when confronted with new successes, and as the blogoshphere has proven, success is available.  Examples like the Capitals, Predators, and Islanders have shown that bloggers can be healthy additions to the media availability.  They can provide what the papers can’t, won’t or don’t have time for.  They can be a positive addition to the ranks of the press box.  And now, more than ever, it’s time.

This summer, I’m asking for an Avs blogger summit.  A meeting of the bloggers who want to be granted credentials or given access to the Avalanche.  This would be an initial first step in collectively seeking to work with the Avalanche to get in the door.  I’m asking for this in the spirit of inclusiveness, to get many perspectives.

This will not be an overnight process.  Bloggers of many stripes have been around for years waiting for the opportunity.  But if the mountain won’t come to us, it’s time for us to go to the mountain.

If you’re interested, please let me know in the “contact me” link up above, or click here.  Lets do this.

My immediate thoughts on the trade were negative.  I couldn’t see a good reason for the Avs to trade away a perfectly decent defenseman when for a bona fide fifteen goal scorer that has a history of suspension.  After further consideration, I still don’t get it.

First, let’s look at Downie.  He has a history of suspensions that can’t be ignored.  From Wikipedia (with severely clunky language for hockey fans to stomach):

During a September 25, 2007, preseason game against the Ottawa Senators, Downie was involved in an incident in which he checked unsuspecting left winger Dean McAmmond into the boards, while Downie’s feet were off the ice. Due to the extent of McAmmond’s injury and having left his skates during the hit, Downie was suspended by the NHL for 20 games three days later for deliberate injury to McAmmond, as the NHL were cracking down on any play resulting in a head injury. To date, it is the fifth longest suspension given by the league.

And:

On February 28, 2009, Downie, by this point playing for the Norfolk Admirals (the Lightning AHL affiliate), slashed a linesman in the shin following a controversial empty-net goal in a game against the Hershey Bears, receiving a game misconduct for physical abuse of an official. Under AHL rules, this penalty carries an automatic 20-game suspension, which would be Downie’s second such lengthy suspension.

Aside: Make sure you take a look at that Wikipedia page, and the first picture they have of Downie.  He’s in the penalty box, isn’t he?

So lets not kid ourselves, we have us a real winner here.  Downie seems to have settled down under the tutelage of Yzerman and Coach Guy Boucher.  He did have twelve assists in the seventeen playoff games the Lightning were in last year.  So sure, he may have changed his ways.  He doesn’t have an ungodly amount of penalty minutes, but he is a minus fifteen (a stat I take with a grain of salt).  The Lightning do have a -31 goal differential right now, so even if that isn’t surprising, minus fifteen is tied for second worst in Tampa Bay (and make sure you say hello to Brett Clark who has the worst +/- on the team (miss you, buddy)).

What does this trade do to the Avalanche (and you will notice I didn’t use the phrase ‘for the Avalanche’)?  Some say it brings ‘sandpaper’ to the team.  And fine, I can see that.  I can also see plenty of opportunities in the past for the Avalanche to bring in sandpaper, and even at reasonable prices (Sean Avery comes to mind, even if I wouldn’t want to see him wearing Burgundy and Blue).  And Cody McLeod and Shane O’Brien are sandpaper guys, and can probably mix it up even more if needed, without getting in penalty trouble.  If sandpaper is the issue, why not trade TJ Galiardi? Oh, right, because no one is buying Galiardi.  Sandpaper, grit, toughness, whatever you want to call it, it’s a good thing to have.  Downie’s brand of it?  That will remain to be seen.

My other big question is how is Downie going to get along with Joe Sacco?  Boucher and Yzerman have been positive influences on Steve Downie, but put him in the current managementland in Colorado and step back.  We don’t know when this baby is going to blow.

There are two ways to look at the trade, with the deal between the Red Wings and Lightning, or without.  I prefer to look at it without the deal with Detroit, because the buck really stops for the Avalanche with the trade they were actually involved in.   But just for the fun of it, let’s look at Quincey for a first round pick.

Detroit shelled out a first for a guy they signed and quickly waived, and who wanted to show the Red Wings they made a mistake.  They traded that pick to former Red Wings star Steve Yzerman’s team.  Saying the Red Wings overpaid for Quincey is an understatement, until you remember this is a Red Wings pick, so it will probably be in the low to mid twenties by the time it comes up in the Draft.  Still, if Yzerman is shedding dead weight, and pick in the first round is valuable to him.  And lo and behold, he just shed a boat anchor about five minutes earlier.  Remember kids, it’s always good to not burn bridges when you leave a job or organization.  You never know when they will help you out.

According to plenty of media types (but I got my info from Puck Daddy), the Sherman and Red Wings GM Ken Holland had been in discussions about Quincey, but neither side cared for what was available in the end.  So Greg Sherman had his chance at a Red Wings first round pick and chose to say no.  That I can understand.  A late first round pick is less valuable to Sherman than a roster player.  And he did get a roster player, but it happens to be Downie.

As for the Avs and Tampa deal, Tampa is the obvious winner here.  Even if they had kept Quincey, they would have gotten a puck moving defenseman who isn’t scrawny, and there is always a need for those.  Instead, they got a draft pick that could be used to move up in the draft, or put them with two first round picks overall.  And they are still wheeling and dealing.  They could get more.

What does this say about what the Avalanche are doing in their final stab at making the playoffs?  Does this signal that they are selling, buying, or have gigantic pockets to be picked?  Has there been a trade that makes it look like there is any plan whatsoever in place for the Avs as they rebuild?  And is that why they don’t like to call it a rebuild, because they don’t know what the word really means?

For the record, Dater and Mile High Hockey disagree with me.  I’m willing to give this one a time will tell, but can I say that I’m happy with the trade?

I’ll leave the final word to my twitter account.

For all you Avs fans that haven't been going to games because you missed Brad May, you can line up for tickets now.

February 21, 2012 3:27 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@Tapeleg

Tapeleg

The NHL Situation Room blog explained the decision this way:

At 14:07 of the second period in the Blues / Avalanche game , video review was inconclusive in determining if the net was completely dislodged before the puck crossed the goal line. There for,  the referee’s call on the ice stands. Good goal Colorado.

78.5 (x)  When the net becomes displaced accidentally. The goal frame is considered to be displaced if either or both goal pegs are no longer in their respective holes in the ice, or the net has come completely off one or both pegs, prior to or as the puck enters the goal.

The question of whether the net was off it’s pegs was inconclusive, so the “call on the ice” stands.  Two things about this:

First, there was no call on the ice.  If there was, it was done in secret.  The ref neither signaled goal or no goal (wash out).  That is academic, but interesting to note.

The second thing is another rule that could have been applied, from section 25 of the NHL rulebook, Awarded Goals, and rule 25.2, which states:

25.2 Infractions – When Goalkeeper is On the Ice – A goal will be awarded when an attacking player, in the act of shooting the puck into the goal (between the normal position of the posts and completely across the goal line), is prevented from scoring as a result of a defending player or goalkeeper displacing the goal post, either deliberately or accidentally.

I think we can safely say that this is what happened.  Not only did the Blues players take the net off it’s moorings, they carried the puck in with them as well.  You could say that the puck wasn’t shot by an Avalanche player, but you could say that a shot was what put the puck into the defenseman (OK, it was a pass) in the first place.  And if you check out rule 78.4, Scoring a Goal, the second paragraph states:

A goal shall be scored if the puck is put into the goal in any way by a player of the defending side. The player of the attacking side who last touched the puck shall be credited with the goal but no assist shall be awarded.

If the net had stayed on it’s moorings, the goal would have counted.  The Blues knocked it off, and therefor the right call would have been to award the goal anyways.

The unfortunate part is that this was the game winning goal.  Had the Avs tried to score in the third period, rather than sit back and defend a one goal lead, they might have scored another goal or two, and St. Louis fans might feel a little less screwed over by the call (which they weren’t, really).

The Avs have won seven in a row at home, which is a stark contrast to the beginning of the season.  Maybe they can keep it up against the Tampa Bay Lightning, who were shellacked by the Sharks tonight.

Research, for the win.

(I don’t photograph well)

Nothing.

They have picked up steam on twitter over the last day or so, following one more account (bringing the grand total to 23), and tweeting 3 times in the last day.  And trust me, for them, that’s picking up steam.  Jay rightly points out that if he unfollowed, unliked, and uninterestated them (that is not a word), he wouldn’t miss much.  There just isn’t anything happening that is critical, or interesting.   And really, you should go read his post, especially for the comparisons with other Denver sports teams and the social media use by the Avalanche’s Conference rivals.  It’s good stuff.

So the Avalanche have the tools, and they have a following ready to devour up what they push out.  They have had it for a while.  This is easy pickings for them.  Can you imagine having a radio station with thousands of listeners tuned in, ready for you to broadcast whatever you have to say, and all that comes out is dead air?  Because that’s pretty much what’s happening here.  The tools are there, the fans are there, and all the Avalanche have to do is start using them to connect with the fans, and maybe even bring them back into the Pepsi Center.  Maybe sell some tickets.  Maybe help the relationship that have become strained with the fans over the years rekindle.

The next question is, what should they do with these tools?  There are two words in social media, but the first one carries all the importance.  The tools are the media, the second part.  Those are everywhere, and they’re easy part of the equation.  What you do with them is the first part, the social part.  And the Avalanche, they aren’t very social.  News is slow to get out, fan interactions are limited, information is slow, and anything personal is going to happen through their television network, Altitude.  The Avs don’t like to rock the boat, or change things up.  They want to give you a coupon for discount Lasik surgery, or a flimsy pop-pop in the playoffs, that you are going to throw away or kick to the corner.

Companies tend to think they are going to get a twitter account and immediately that makes them like Zappos.com.  Instead, Zappos sat down and talked about what they wanted to do, and more importantly, what they stood for, and who they were.  They developed a policy for how they wanted to interact with their customers, both good and bad.  And they rolled out those ideals and policies through their social media interactions.

What you don’t see from the Avalanche is interaction with the fans.  You don’t see any sort of forthcomingness, or anything that targets the fans heads and hearts, rather than making a B-line for their wallets.  You will hear of a ticket family four-pack before you will hear word one from the coach.  You will hear about how Altitude Sports and Entertainment is your home for the fan, and then wonder why fans would want to make a home there.

I think the reason we don’t see this is that the Avalanche do not seem to have any sort of policy towards the fans.  They don’t seem to stand for anything these days.  And as Seth Godin will tell you (and he’s right), all marketing is stories.  And if you don’t stand for anything, you don’t have a story.  Winning is not standing for something, excellence is not standing for something.  Wanting to win a Stanley Cup isn’t a story, but the Chicago Blackhawks ‘One Goal’ was a story.  Tim Thomas is a story.

And I’ll give you another one.

Mission 16W

You remember that, right?  It was going to take 16 wins to get Ray Bourque his Stanley Cup.  When Bourque told the team in the dressing room that this was probably his last shot at a Cup.  How the team rallied around him.  Bourque was practically shoved on the ice to be out there when the final horn sounded.  And when Joe Sakic handed the Cup to Ray Bourque without lifting it himself…  I still get goosebumps thinking about it, and I still tear up a little when I see it on TV.  I mean, I get dust in my eye, or something like that.

That’s a story.  And it’s one that the team rode for a long time.  And the fans rode it for a long time.  It’s a story that still works, and still has some weight to it.  And it wasn’t just about the Cup, and it wasn’t about tradition, or excellence, or perseverance.  Those are attributes, but they aren’t stories.  Joe Sakic created a story by handing Bourque the Cup.  The team created tradition, but it was built from the experience.

It’s an experience the fans are hungry for again.  And again, that experience isn’t winning.  Winning helps, but it isn’t everything.  If the fans in Atlanta had been treated better by Atlanta Spirit, there would have been more of them at the rink, and the Thrashers might still be there.  Look at how the fans were treated at the end.  That wasn’t about winning, excellence, or any sort of motivational poster.  It was about how the owners chose to treat the fans.  They treated them as a situation, rather than their greatest asset.

I want the Avalanche to start using the tools they have.  Twitter and facebook are ways to interact with people, but it’s the way you use it that makes the difference.  The Avalanche need to decide how they want to use it.

——–

As I was typing this, the perfect post came from Merlin Mann on his tumblog.  And it reminds me of what the Avs tend to do:

They protect their brand so much, that they aren’t leaving much behind to appreciate.   Is this the message?  Is this the story?  What is the value of a brand no one is allowed to appreciate?

UPDATE: And right after I published this, an interesting post from the Public Radio Program Directors Assn. blog came thought my feedreader, about social media.

Edison Research and Arbitron have released a new study of American social media use including Facebook, Twitter, mobile social behavior and location-based apps and services.

Edison’s website says, “Highlights of the study included the following:

• Social media now reaches the majority of Americans 12 years old and older, with 52% having a profile on one or more social networks.
• This figure is driven largely by Facebook, which is now used by over half (51%) of Americans 12+.
• Twitter is as familiar to Americans as Facebook (with 92% and 93% familiarity, respectively); however, Twitter usage stands at 8% of Americans 12+.
• Approximately 46 million Americans 12+ now check their social media sites and services several times every day.

How much more proof do teams need that they have an open and direct connection to fans, and potential fans, than this?  That’s a lot of people, and you can reach them.  Why not start now?

————————–

Day 3 of the SCF Dead Blog Challenge in the bag!  I can feel the momentum.  Can you?

Today, Seth Godin tells us where ideas come from.  And damn is he isn’t right.

Then I watched this:

Click here to view the embedded video.

It’s been a weird day after I got a text message from Scotty Hockey asking me about the trade. My head wasn’t completely on work, just wondering what had happened. Why it had come to this.

What had happened to the goalie at the beginning of the 2009-10 season that was ecstatic to be here, to play in front of this crowd, to be the go to guy? Who was the Craig Anderson that seemed like he didn’t care one bit about the game in relief of Peter Budaj in the Avalanche’s 9-1 shellacking?

This is what I said on Monday, February 14th:

- Craig Anderson, on the other hand, did not try. He was awful in his first replacement stint. And while he will get a pass from the faithful for being away from the team for a few days to tend to a personal matter, there was something more sinister going on than being out of sync. It was a lack of caring. It’s been a long time since I have seen any goalie resigned to getting scored on. It was hard to watch, and it’s hard to understand.

The Anderson who took a bow, not because he wanted to, but because the crowd would not stop cheering until he did, wasn’t there Monday. He hasn’t been there for much of the season, certainly not since his knee injury. The smile, the guy who had his shot and made the most of it. He seems to have left a while ago.

I’m still chewing this one over. I’ll have more to say on Sunday, when Jay and I record The Avs Hockey Podcast. I know I will have plenty to say, and so will Jay.

I know you aren’t supposed to get too attached to players in today’s NHL. They follow the money, and the money can chase them away. It’s Team NHL, with players moving all over. But I liked Andy. He was easy to like in an Avalanche jersey.

I’ve been saving this picture from training camp. I love this picture.

I’d like to think that there is a picture of an Ice Girl in his glove.

Thanks, Andy.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Allow me to present a few tweets from the night.

Forget jumping off the bench to start a fight, how about someone jump off the bench and score a goal? #Avs

February 14, 2011 11:12 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@Tapeleg

Tapeleg

The Avs commercial says "it's all about the future." Yep, because the present isn't looking so hot. #Avs

February 14, 2011 9:59 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@Tapeleg

Tapeleg

I put in more effort to get the game on my laptop than Anderson had on that goal against. #Avs

February 14, 2011 9:40 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@Tapeleg

Tapeleg

and my personal favorite:

#Avs organist playing Family Guy theme. Because this game is a too-long joke, when in previous seasons, it was fun to watch.

February 14, 2011 11:08 pm via Twitter for MacReplyRetweetFavorite

@Tapeleg

Tapeleg

Because that was just awful.  It sounds like the interviews after were just as bad, but at least I didn’t have to be subjected to them. Thank you, GameCenter Live:

The Avs lost their 8th straight game, by a score of 9-1 against the Calgary Flames. For a team that seemingly scored at will, it doesn’t get much lower than that.  But hey, misery loves company, and since I sat through that travesty of a game, a few notes.

- If I were going to name a player of the game for the Avalanche, I’d have to say Peter Budaj. No, really. You can stop laughing now.  Of all the players out there, he looked like he cared the most.  Maybe Matt Duchene (who may be injured).  But while Budaj was flat out beat on his second goal (high glove side, saw it all the way), he tried. And he acted like he cared.  When you get beat 9-1, and are pulled twice, the best you can say is that you tried.

- Craig Anderson, on the other hand, did not try.  He was awful in his first replacement stint.  And while he will get a pass from the faithful for being away from the team for a few days to tend to a personal matter, there was something more sinister going on than being out of sync.  It was a lack of caring.  It’s been a long time since I have seen any goalie resigned to getting scored on.  It was hard to watch, and it’s hard to understand.

- Joe Sacco looks like he’s run out of answers.  It’s the expression on his face, even though I can’t say it looks much different than usual.  Perhaps it’s his demeanor, but everything about him seems to reflect what is happening on the ice.  And while scratching Chris Stewart (who doesn’t even look like the same person as the one before the injury) and benching Liles for the first period of the previous game could have sent a message, there is little accountability that he commands.  When the team loses (again) without the benched or scratched player, it’s hard to say that the move sent a message other than “We need you.”

- The #BlameHunwick campaign keeps building steam, and for good reason.  His decision making process seems to have fizzled, and while fans were previously behind him, they now seem poised to shove him over a cliff.  In the loss to the Flames, he had too many errors to count, a few of which ended up in the back of the Avalanche net.

- David Koci: How many times did he ice the puck? The last of his leading to a goal (7th? 8th? There were so many, I forget).  I assume we will hear about a few call-ups, and he can go back to tussling Marc Moser’s hair in the press box.

- Philippe Dupuis laid a nasty, dirty knee on knee hit to Olli Jokinen in the last seconds of the first period.  (Puck Daddy has the video) Watching the replay, you can see Dupuis make a move as though he is going to (hip?) check Jokinen, but can’t line him up. Instead, he keeps his leg extended, though he could have gotten it out of the way.  It’s an awful play, and one that I can’t defend.  No one wants to miss their check (and Dupuis missed it by a country mile), but there is no excuse for what happened here. Collisions happen in a fast game, and the game is only getting faster. In those split seconds of missing a check, the only choice should be to let the other player go. It has to be automatic.  I don’t believe Dupuis intended to injure Jokinen, but that isn’t any excuse for what happened.

- Speed. Remember when the Avs were quick?  That speed seems to have gone away, but worse yet, the decision making seems to have slowed down as well.  Players get the puck, sit with it for too long, and give the opposition all the time they need to take the puck, deliver a check, or get set up to defend.  Watch a team that’s fast with the puck (rather than relying on long stretch passes), teams that deliver that short fast pass, and you see them open up space, and create opportunities.  There was a time when the Avalanche could do that.  It feels like a distant memory.

So where is this team at?  On the day that Peter Forsberg officially announces his retirement from the NHL, as we close a chapter in the history book of this franchise, where does that leave the Colorado Avalanche?

More soon…

If you need get squared away for the start of the season, or if you just want to get psyched up for tonight’s game, and the 2010-11 season, you should listen to a few solid podcasts (that I was involved with, of course:-) ).

First up, Jay Vean of The Avs Hockey Podcast and I did a preseason podcast this week that gets you up to date with what happened in the offseason, and what to expect in the months ahead. A great opening night primer, which you can find here. Also, I’m going to be doing more with the Avs Hockey Podcast this season. Jay was gracious enough to invite me to be a bigger part of his show, and it’s going to be a fun season. If you don’t listen to it already, and you’re and Avalanche fan, you are missing out. The iTunes page can be found here.

Over on The Rink, my main podcast, I posted a Avalanche roundtable podcast. After the first day of training camp, I got together with Justin of The Avalanche Guild, Ryan and Jonathan of The Burgundy Blog, and Angelique from the Colorado Avalanche Prospects blog, all hosted by James Kyle. We talked a lot about what we saw, and how we think the Avs will do this year based on what we saw. You can find it here.

I’ll probably be watching the later half of the game after work, most likely in a bar in downtown Chicago (Stocks and Blondes seems like the most likely). I’ll be the guy in the Avs jersey, possibly getting the crap kicked out of him. But it’s the start of the hockey season, so at least I’ll be smiling.

Well, sort of.

While we have all been pining for the NHL to return to our TVs and arenas, the people lucky enough to be near CHL teams have been watching hockey, as their season has already started. The rest of us have been doing unspeakable things to watch hockey this week. For me, that meant getting up at 7AM for training camp. And watching a game in St. Louis.

I like the arena in St. Louis. I hadn’t been to Scottrade since it was the Savvis. But more important, it was time to pay outrageous money for a game that was closer to the minors than the NHL. Honestly, paying over $70 for upper deck tickets to a game where the third line of an NHL team is the first line for the night is not outrageous, it’s thievery. With the arena less than half full (maybe a third? Maybe?), lowering prices for preseason games could garner the NHL a few more fans in the seats, but could also bring in some new fans as well. But this isn’t the way of the NHL.

And yet it was the first hockey of the season, so I was happy to be there.

Photos!

(click anything to make it bigger)

Warmups:

The excitement for the fans was centered around the first game of Jaroslav Halak as a Blue:

Game on:

Talking over the penalty kill (which looked decent):

Halak played the entire game, while Trevor Cann subbed in for Peter Budaj. It’s the preseason, so what do you want?

It wouldn’t be a minor league game without a fight.

Some people still wanted to go:

A few ejections later, the Avalanche won. Or the Lake Erie Monsters won. You know. Preseason. Don’t write too much into it.