TJ Galiardi!

I want to offer a huge congratulations to TJ Galiardi for scoring his first ever NHL goal tonight on a beautiful shot on an even better feed from Lappy. Keep it up TJ!

Stoa signing

The Avs have signed Minnesota Golden Gophers captain, Ryan Stoa, to an entry-level NHL deal. I'm not sure if this means we'll see him this year since the games are seemingly meaningless at this point, or if they'll ship him off to the Monsters to see how he fits in there. Either way, welcome to the big leagues Ryan!

Also, Monsters defensemen Wes O'Neill, has been called up to the Avs and will make his NHL debut tonight, filling in for the injured Ruslan Salei. Good luck, Wes.


Edit, Dater is reporting that he will not join the Avs this season, but will be with the team at training camp this fall, and is expected to make the team as a second or third line center. Goodbye Arnason, Hellooooooooooo Nurse (Stoa)!

A few quick hits..

-Stastny is out 2-4 weeks (read: the rest of the season) with a broken bone in his foot, coming off a shot block. Both of his extended injuries this year have resulted from blocking shots, and as soon as each one happened I turned to my dad and exclaimed "great, he's hurt again", and sure enough, he's been out of the game for weeks or more after both injuries. To fill the void in his absence, the team has re-called Matt Hendricks from the Monsters. I see a lot of potential in him and while I hate seeing Stazz injured, I'd like to see Hendy get the chance to show what he can do now that the season is officially "lost".

-Milan Hejduk, the man who once claimed that he wished to retire after his contract ends following the 2009-2010 season, has now said that he wants to stay with the team for a few more years. FG, MAKE THIS HAPPEN.

-TG has seemingly ripped into the Baron's play of recently. Sure his numbers haven't been what they were earlier in the year, but look at the talent (or lack there of) around him. With a fully healthy team and line-mates, Wolski should thrive again at center.

Roy behind the Avs bench?

Brian Thompson, Colorado Avalanhhe Examiner, linked me to this article, which a lot of you may (should) be interested in. Could we really see Patrick back in Denver? Fingers crossed.

Good news? Yea right.

I know Avs fans, we are not very used to hearing good news these days, but fear not! My captain and yours, Joe Sakic, has returned to practice with the team. Though he wore a non-contact jersey, he was still out there on the ice with the rest of the squad. If all goes according to plan, he will be back for the end of the season (when I'll be in Denver!).

Cameron Gaunce interview

Once again, Ray from SchoolYourPool has notified me of an interview they've conducted with one of the Avs top prospects, this time being Cameron Gaunce. Big things are expected from him in the Avs future so read up now. You'll thank me later when you're all wearing his jersey in a few years!

Thanks again, Ray.





Also, there will be no talk of Thursday's "game" against the Oilers. If the Avs didn't make an effort on the ice, I won't make an effort to write about their lack of effort (confusing, I know).

Game #72 Preview

As the season is winding down, the injuries continue to pile-up. Since I last wrote, the Avs have lost three more defensemen (Foote, Salei, Tjarnqvist) and arguably the team's best player, Paul Stastny, to a foot injury due to another shotblock. Because of this, a number of the young prospects have been called up from Lake Erie to see what they can do in the team's time of need. Last game against the Wild, two defenders made their NHL debuts and were fairly impressive. Michael Vernace and Derek Peltier were paired together nearly the whole game and were pretty solid defensively in their own end, and even jumped up into the offensive rush on a few occasions, which is always a good thing to see when you have a young guy confident enough in his abilities to get back defensively if need be after an offensive chance. One of the players acquired in the Leopold trade, Lawrence Nycholat, also looked solid in his own end and even stood up a few of the Wild's better players.

Tonight, all three new(er) defensemen will again be in the lineup, as will top prospect T.J. Galiardi, formerly of the Calgary Hitmen (yes, Bret "Hitman" Hart's hockey team!). I personally have high expectations for T.J. and can't wait to see him out there tonight. Could we see two T.J.s playing on the same line tonight as we have seen with our two Codys in the past? Only time will tell..

Game #65 Preview

Today, the Avs travel to the Chi to take on the Blackhawks. The Avs current losing streak sits at six games, and unfortunately, I doubt it will be snapped today. Although the Avs actually showed some bits of life against the Wings on Wednesday, I just don't think they'll be able to pull off a win against a playoff-hungry team like the Hawks when the season is nothing short of a lost cause for our boys in burgandy at this point. Also, my Hart Trophy choice, Cody McLeod, will be out of the line-up today due to a shoulder injury suffered against the Wings. This will be his first time out of the line-up since being called up in December of 2007. Let's hope this doesn't hurt his MVP stock..





P.S. Ray from over at SchoolYourPool has notified me of an interview they have posted with up-and-coming Avs prospect Kevin Shattenkirk. I have very high hopes for this kid, so do yourself a favor and read up on your soon-to-be favorite Avs defensemen!

Hejduk and Smyth NOT on the block.

This calls for a John Kelly "OH THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

Trade #1

The Avs have traded Jordan Leopold BACK to the Calgary Flames in exchange for D Lawrence Nycholat, D Ryan Wilson, and a 2009 2nd Rd. draft pick.


More analysis to come after the deadline passes.

Quick Trade Deadline Preview

Despite the rumors, please keep Lappy, Smyth, and the Duke. Also, please trade Arnason, Tucker, and Hannan for one 7th round pick.


This would be a very happy day. More to come after the deadline passes.

Game #64 Preview

Tonight, the last place team in the West, our Colorado Avalanche, faces off against the last place team in the East, the New York Islanders. VS must be SO excited to have such an intriguing matchup being broadcast nation-wide tonight.