There is a new energy coursing through the air in Denver lately.
On Thursday night, I had the pleasure of being present at the first Colorado Avalanche playoff game since the 2009-2010 season, and I’m happy to say that the Avs didn’t disappoint.
Down by two in the third period, Colorado led a desperate attack to try and fight their way back into the game. Jamie McGinn scored and helped to pull the Avs back into one, but things were starting to look dim for the Avs.
First-year head coach Patrick Roy made the bold decision to pull goalie Semyon Varlamov with just over three minutes left to play, Erik Johnson made an unbelievable play to block an empty net goal that would have certainly been the dagger, and with just over 13 seconds left in regulation, DU’s very own Paul Stastny tied the game. All this before Stastny added his second goal of the game to get an important home win in overtime.
My point in romanticizing all of this is that Avalanche hockey hasn’t been this electrifying in some time.
The Avs had been rebuilding the last couple of seasons, which was made clear by their last place finish in the west in last year’s truncated 48-game season. As a result, former head coach Joe Sacco was sacked, and long-time Avalanche great and Hall of Famer Patrick Roy took over.
The move has clearly paid off for the Avs, as they have moved from last place to second in the West, only behind Anaheim.
The addition of Roy and rookie phenom Nathan MacKinnon, as well as Semyon Varlamov’s improved play and a number of other variables have helped Colorado turn the franchise in a new direction and has helped to return a hockey culture to Denver that it hasn’t seen since the early 2000’s.
This season has clearly been a success regardless of how Colorado ends up doing in their quest for their third Stanley Cup, seeing as they were the second worst team in the NHL last season.
The team’s new motto of “Why not us?” however, unquestionably shows that the team believes they are capable of hoisting the cup at the end of the year. Their play to this point in the season and early in the playoffs certainly affirms that sentiment.
