The Good, the Bad and the Ugly from the past week with the Colorado Avalanche

The leap day edition of the past week’s events with the Colorado Avalanche as everyone waits with baited breath hoping the Avalanche don’t do anything stupid before the trade deadline.

Happy Leap Day everyone and may the trade deadline bless the Avalanche!

THE GOOD

1. The weekend Stadium Series lived up to all the hype in beautiful, sunny weather. Colorado showed NHL hockey is alive and well in the Rocky Mountain region as they sold out their Saturday night regular season game (which the Minnesota Wild were unable to do the week before) and more than 43,000 fans cheered on their beloved team in the Alumni game (over 5,000 more than the preceding week’s alumni game in Minnesota and over 2,000 more than the Bruins vs. Canadiens Winter Classic alumni game).

Fans wore jerseys new and old, showcasing the best of hockey fandom, and demonstrating a passionate appreciation for the historical significance of a legendary rivalry. Way to go Colorado!

2. The Avalanche and the Detroit Red Wings played arguably the best ever alumni game. Both teams exceeded expectations as they brought their best effort forward early in the contest. Unlike some of the more leisurely alumni games where everyone genially skates around, players like the great Peter Forsberg skated across both ends of ice, even chipping in on a key defensive play assisting Patrick Roy with a deflection.

Ray Bourque and Adam Foote threw their bodies down to block shots (unheard of in an alumni game), and a plethora of checking showcased a rivalry that’s not dead yet. Special kudos go out to the Avalanche player who hit Kris Draper from behind and knocked him down! Joe Sakic shined with a goal and an assist as did Valeri Kamensky, and Patrick Roy looked like he could still excel on the team’s current roster.

3. The current Avalanche players seemed to pick up on the old rivalry as the Saturday night game contained it’s fair share of physical play. Both teams played tough and it looked great for Colorado until the last five minutes. But both the fans and the teams had a night to remember.

4. Avalanche Captain Gabriel Landeskog and Detroit Red Wings Assistant Captain Pavel Datsyuk tussling on the ice seemed oddly reminiscent of the old rivalry. It was nice to see the competitiveness between the teams lives on!

5. Forward Nathan MacKinnon threw the puck on net eight times against the San Jose Sharks, setting a new personal record for shots on goal in a game. His goal in the shoot out was a thing of beauty and helped lead to their eventual win. But he finally broke through for a regulation goal against the Detroit Red Wings, his first in the past seven games. Hopefully his goal drought is over. One has to appreciate MacKinnon’s effort over the past few weeks as he kept shooting the puck and increased pressure on the opponent even when he wasn’t getting the goal.

6. Calvin Pickard secured his spot on the big club, finally, and proved he earned it with his stellar play in the overtime and shoot out with the Sharks.

7. Newcomer Shawn Matthias score his first goal for Colorado in his first game with the team against the Sharks. He looks like a good fit on the Carl Soderberg and Blake Comeau line.

8. The Avalanche did NOT sell off their future to acquire Tampa Bay’s troubled youngster Jonathan Drouin. While he may grow into a quality asset, Tampa Bay is asking too much for a guy with a difficult reputation. Maybe the Lightning’s General Manager Steve Yzerman hasn’t recovered from his loss in the alumni game.

9. Colorado picked up young wing Mikkel Boedker from the Arizona Coyotes and developing defenseman Eric Gelinas from the New Jersey Devils to provide mid-range depth to the team in advance of the playoffs. While not earth shattering trades, they managed to improve the team without sacrificing their future. Everyone can now breathe a sigh of relief.

10. Marc Andre Cliché was traded for a 24 year old forward named Taylor Beck. The Avalanche continue to get younger and Cliché will not again be seen in an Avalanche uniform. May he prosper elsewhere.

THE BAD

1. Goaltender Semyon Varlamov has given up four goals in his last two games. Hopefully he comes back with a vengeance against the Minnesota Wild. It always seemed to work for Roy.

2. The Avalanche couldn’t get a trade for Reto Berra even with the recent rash of goaltender injuries. The fact he cleared waivers indicates there’s not much interest in him outside the organization so they are likely on the hook for his salary through next year.

3. While Alex Tanguay has not been as effective this year, seeing him traded to the Arizona Coyotes was a surprise. The move isn’t technically bad as the Avalanche needed an upgrade on wing, but as a nostalgic note, it’s hard to say goodbye to the last player who helped them win a Stanley Cup. Thank you Alex Tanguay for all the great memories!

4. The fake snow blowing onto the ice during Saturday night’s game and flying into the seats, forcing the officials to halt the action so they could clear the ice, added a comical element to an important game. This is Colorado, home of numerous ski areas who make snow for a living, and cotton snow was the best they could come up with?

THE UGLY

1. The Avalanche have scored only two power play goals in their last seven games. Having said that, hope remains as Colorado is actually 1-5 on the power play this past week since Jarome Iginla scored a power play goal in the third period against the San Jose Sharks.

2. The Minnesota Wild won their Sunday game after the Avalanche lost to Detroit the night before. Colorado owns a two point lead while Minnesota has one game in hand. Having the Wild this close is ugly. While trying to gain points to secure their playoff position, the Avalanche have won five of their last eight games. Both teams will likely bring their best to Tuesday’s matchup.

3. Fans complaining about trading away two prospects to essentially acquire two NHL players who shore up the team and should be able to help Colorado reach the playoffs need to reconsider their priorities. Neither of the prospects have even progressed to the AHL yet so they are only considering the value of imaginary awesomeness. The Avalanche managed to acquire real current value in upgrading their depth without selling out their future. The front office showed they have come a long way from five years ago. Quit whining.

WHAT TO WATCH

1. With all the trade moves today, it will be interesting to see the trades made by the teams around the Avalanche.

2. The Avalanche face both the Wild and the Nashville Predators this week. With crucial points and wild card spots on the line, these games should be intense.

3. Watching how the Avalanche integrate their new players should be fun!

4. Fans will get to see some of the best hockey of the regular season in the remaining 18 games. Buckle up and enjoy the show!