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 10:12 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 8:59 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 8:40 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 10:08 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.

The Avalanche were feeling the sting of losing a few long time key players, including Peter Forsberg, Dan Hinote, and Adam Foote. But for me, the season was marked with a goalie-go-round that seemed unnecessary. David Aebischer was faultering (but ended the season with a winning record for the Avs), Peter Budaj had some solid play but faltered at times, and Jose Theodore eventually showed his face in a trade from Montreal. But Vitaly Kolesnik was the guy who was thrown in at a moment of desperation.

The 2005-06 Colorado Avalanche Vitaly Kolesnik game worn jersey:

Kolesnik was the third goalie, playing in the AHL for the Lowell Lock Monsters (not to be confused with the Lake Erie Monsters), who the Avs were sharing an affiliation with the Carolina Hurricanes (who won the Stanley Cup that year, largely on the work done in Lowell during the previous AHL season). Kolesnik was called up for a little while, and the Avs carried three goalies for a bit. Call ups and being sent back down was confusing at the time, with the new waiver rules in the CBA. No one knew what was going to happen when someone was called up. Would they be wearing the team colors in a few days, or playing for someone else.

Kolesnik didn’t really shine in net, but the Avalanche weren’t taking the minor league system seriously enough then, and it would show in the next few seasons of play. And the three headed goalie monster took it’s toll.

For Kolesnik, the writing was on the wall. With the Avalanche trading for big name and big dollar Jose Theodore, and Peter Budaj the next goalie the Avs would be turning to, Kolesnik was going to be stuck in the minors barring the unforeseeable. Kolesnik packed his bags the next year and headed to Russia. Vitaly was a part of the 2006 Kazakhstan Olympic team, that won one game and lost four. I don’t know how many of those Kolesnik played in.

The two things that are a little unique about this jersey are the patches. First, the obvious one. The Avalanche ten year anniversary patch:

A cool – but not overly photogenic – patch. I know there were mixed reviews on the patch, but there are mixed reviews on everything. I like it. Enough said.

The other interesting part is found inside the hem of the jersey.

Meigray, the people who deal with NHL, AHL, ECHL and other league’s game worn jerseys put a patch inside the jersey (sometimes outside the jersey) to authenticate and catalog it. Notice the dates on the Meigray patch, and the small patch they added on. You can’t have a game worn jersey during the lockout, can you? Also, check out the NHL logo. It’s the logo previous to the change after the lockout.

For some reason, I have a place in my heart for third goalies. They work hard in the system, and have less slots available to them. You could be a solid goalie, but things just don’t work for you with a team. To me, this is a classic example.

Last summer seemed like the longest off-season ever. For me, it dragged and dragged, and I couldn’t wait for October to come. This summer has a different feel to it, with the impending approach of training camp and the start of the season feeling like a bulldozer riding up my ankles.

I’m looking forward to the start of the next season, but it sure does feel like summer is going by fast. Perhaps it’s the entertainment that we have had all year. I haven’t been chiming in much lately, so I just wanted to throw some thoughts up here.

I’m happy the NHL won the Kovalchuk case:

Yeah, I know. Evil Bettman. I’m not a Devils fan. Whatever. But I didn’t like this contract for a multitude of reasons. It did more than just circumvent the salary cap, it circumvented parity, created a false market for star players, and restored the have and have not spending of the pre-cap days. It also wasn’t bargaining in good faith, which should be expected across the entire leagues, all teams, all agents, and all players. I understand that some people didn’t want to see the NHL win this case. I’m certainly glad they did.

The Avalanche are doing nothing:

This is the offseason of our discontent. The Colorado Avalanche haven’t touched the free agent market, and that has some fans concerned. I don’t blame them, but for the moment, I’m going to take the approach that the Avs have confidence in their minor league system (which just fells strange to type), and are very happy with the team they have now. I would have liked to see the Avalanche plug a few holes in the lower end of the market (two 20 – 25 goal scoring wingers and a bottom three defenseman), but looking at the over-spending that went on in the first part of free agency, I’m glad they didn’t repeat the mistakes of a few years ago (how did that Ryan Smyth / Scott Hannan free agency ‘splash’ work out?). I wouldn’t be surprised if a few bargains are picked up along the way. I would rather see two half Kovalchuks on the team than the real deal.

Twitter is killing my blogging:

I’ve been on twitter a lot lately (@Tapeleg). It’s a great time waster, but also a great place for conversation (not every conversation is great, mind you). I got into hockey blogging to have a conversation about hockey, to talk to people about hockey in a way that I wasn’t getting in my day to day life. Twitter is decent for that, but it isn’t perfect. It does fulfill some of my needs as a hockey fan, but not all of them. Twitter is great for reactions and instant analysis, but that doesn’t mean it’s superb at either. And staying away from my blog make me a worse writer. Those stumbling blocks come up more often, and I get more frustrated when I haven’t been regularly writing. It’s time to get back to the blog.

Jerseys to come:

Remember when I hated the RBK EDGE jerseys? Yeah, about that. I still hate the EDGE 1.0 version, which are just garbage. And the retail versions are an insult to your wallet. More expensive for a cheaper product? If you buy an off the shelf jersey, you are being had. But the player’s RBK EDGE 2.0 jerseys? Pretty nice. I’m still not convinced of the cut, but it’s a huge improvement over the 1.0. I now own two 1.0 jerseys, and a 2.0, all player jerseys. The 2.0 is a much nicer jersey than I was expecting. I will have photos to post at some point.

I also have some more jerseys to post. Photos have been taken of some jerseys I have owned for a while. The new ones still have to be photographed, but their day will come. For now, I will go back into the archives. And check out the jersey posts from Jay at The Avs Hockey Podcast and from Greg at The Post Pessimist Association blog.

More to come, I promise.

And if you need your fix, there was a new episode of The Rink posted. You can find it here.

Mark from Alaska wrote this comment about the Avs 3rd jersey:

They look like a replica of an old fashioned sweater using new technology/fabrics. I don’t buy into the fact that a sleek fabric makes a player better or faster. Constant gut-checks, love of the game and a hatred of failure makes players better…RBK doesn’t really help or assist, it only makes them look worse in the process. I’m pretty sure the goal leaders in the NHL won’t be thanking RBK for their great season unless contractually obliged to do so.

Dead on, Mark. I wonder if Sidney Crosby, poster boy for Rebook, ever read a statement thanking them for his Stanley Cup.

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