Out of the deep freeze and onto the ice

I was nine the first time I saw her, and all I knew was I had to have her…

No, I wasn’t hormonal. Not yet, anyway. As a matter of fact, I wasn’t even really thinking of her as a “her”. But I’d never wanted anything so badly in my less-than-3500-days on the planet. In return, she just stared at me with her… blank… screen…

But enough was enough. I was officially turned on. I scrimped. I saved. I actually did extra chores. This was very serious. When I finally had enough to make the purchase, I was at the store before they even opened. I had every cent I needed, including taxes. I did not have one cent more to my name.

Over the years, I eventually wore that game out, literally playing until the text was worn off the buttons and it wouldn’t start any longer. The last year of its existence, the sounds had gradually gone from shrill and jangling to something resembling a goose being strangled. I didn’t care. When it died, a little part of my covetous childhood died with it.

When the nostalgic version was released a decade or so ago, I was standing back in line, just as anxious to get my toy back home. Sadly, I didn’t make it that far, and made my wife drive home from Target so I could play in the passenger seat on the way. If it makes you feel any better, it made me car sick as all hell. It was totally worth it.

I’m not sure I’ve been as impatient about anything since, but getting Colorado Avalanche hockey going again is feeling pretty danged close.

For all of the joys this weekend brings, there may not be anything finer than the puck dropping on the last 40% of Colorado’s season tomorrow in Philadelphia, the first of a five-game road trip. If the Avalanche can get some momentum going during a Philly-Buffalo-Ottawa-Columbus-Minnesota swing back East, they’ll find themselves heading home in prime position for plum playoff position with 16 of their final 28 games on home ice. Alliteration aside, it’s no exaggeration to say that this young squad gives Colorado one of their best chances at the Stanley Cup since their GM last lifted it 18 seasons ago.

Even more enticing, there’s a very real chance the season’s end could be a happily slippery slope for these Avs, with 23 of their last 33 games against teams who are in the lower half of their division. As long as the team can keep their eyes on the prize after the long break, they could win enough games for a one-seed, or at least hang onto their current two-seed position, and enjoy a couple rounds of home-ice advantage in the playoffs. There’s been no indication the team’s relative youth has impacted their output or focus, with their longest losing streak of the season a single five-game slide. Meanwhile, they have five-, five- and six-game winning streaks already on the year, and had won their last three coming into the break.

Once tomorrow’s puck drops, there’s just over two months left in the NHL season, but that still won’t crowd the Avalanche too badly, with only four back-to-back contests left in their year. The single downside to that stat is that each of those four B2B’s come on road trips, with the first wrapping up the roadie Colorado currently finds itself on. Should the team be able to tough it out and win the majority of those moments, we may be in store for a special season, indeed.

While the team’s .633 PTS% is only their third-best since winning the Cup in 2000-01 (a franchise-best .720), it’s literally a point off the .634 they entered into the 1995-96 season that saw them bring home their first championship. Some good fortune and great hockey could very well propel them to their third Stanley Cup in the franchise’s 40 seasons.

So, take advantage of your weekend, and start stoking that Avalanche anticipation. With tomorrow being one of only 11 weekend contests left in this fast-finishing season, you don’t have too many more to catch. It’s been a minute since an Avs team was this hot, maybe so hot as to have Denver weather in the 60’s and 70’s all weekend long. A hot team on ice and some warmth in the middle of winter? Sounds like a perfect way to get this Avalanche party started.