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Hard times in Colorado
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Hard to believe it was nearly six years ago since Milan Hejduk scored 50 goals and won the Rocket Richard trophy and almost eight since he hoisted the Cup over his head. Boy have times changed. They went from many consecutive division titles to not just last in their division but last in their conference and darn near last in the entire league.
If you are an Avalanche fan, much like the media to Head Coach Tony Granato all season, you must be asking "What is the problem here?" Solving the problems of professional sports teams always seems easier from the press box or your favorite armchair. If I had to sum it up in one word, that word would be Changes. Changes in the league, changes in the games and changes in the economy.
First, in the pre-lockout years, the Avalanche and then GM Pierre Lacroix has a reputation for making killer deals at or near the trade deadline. Most always these trades not only gave the team a real chance, but often times provided just what they were looking for. The cost for this investment at the time didn't seem to high, mostly future considerations and draft picks, and at the time, the Avs were young and deep in the depth chart.
Enter the lock out and the salary cap. Now the Avalanche couldn't afford to keep its high priced core. Fans sadly watched as Foppa left for Philly, and Footer for Columbus and Blake back to California. Now you have a team with a few seasoned veteran, some young guns, and a handful of third line guys. Not unusual except they were now a year or two behind everyone else in developing their team from within because they had traded most of that future away.
Now they have a team of veterans who have probably seen their better years, a couple of promising young stars and some other young kids who probably wouldn't be playing in the NHL if they were playing for anyone else. Captain Joe Sakic, who had fans on pins and needles most of the summer as to whether or not he would come back to the team was for all purposes a no-show due to injury. I'd put my money on him not playing again in the NHL.
The Avalanche have also been cursed by injuries. Last year it was the Hockey Gods curse of the S- every player whose last name ended in "S" got hurt last year except Karlis Skrastins who got traded before his turn came up. They were seventh in the League last year in man games lost to injury and have lost 237 thus far this season.
Lacroix moved up in ranks with the organization, and Francios Giguere took over. Giguere's signings and decision making on which players to keep and at what salaries have angered fans. Combine that with the second highest ticket prices in the League and you can see why the Return on Investment for the fans of the Avalanche is very much like the stock market these days.
It's not like sports fans aren't used to having losing franchises in their town. The Broncos, the Nuggets, the Rockies, they've all been there. This is the first time the Avalanche have really performed poorly and for a team that won the Cup its first year in Denver, this is not the expectation. Maybe they need to tank the rest of the season and go for the number one draft pick!
I think the coming long summer for this franchise, and how it resolves its the lack of solid goal-tending, departure of its captain and lack of reduction in ticket prices will set the mark for the rest of the season and how and when they support this franchise.
It could be an unusually chilly reception.
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