Avalanche Goalie-Go-Round

by J. Scott Moore

Ever since the Avs went with Budaj/ Raycroft it’s been a joke. What you say? But Craig Anderson! Yes, yes. BUT. But, if you can be honest with yourself, that was a shot in the dark, a gamble, a roll of the dice. Ok, over doing the metaphors? It wasn’t a complete shot in the dark, maybe a shot in a dimly lit room.

Read the rest at Hockey Independent

 

A Gallery of the Players and Coaches that have Brought Avalanche Fans Angst and Agony

I thought it would be fun to put up a collection of players and coaches that have come and gone here in Avalanche Land.  But these are those players that have produced the anger, the annoyance...the angst that only fans can real understand.
Remember fans.  This year it's all about the

Stupid Puck!!!

Those are great odds!!!



Are these really the same two people?





No caption needed.



Some fans thought Skoula was a little slow...

Skoula goes insane...

Maybe we were too hard on Tyler, I would say he skates well for a one-legged man.

Autograph denied!



I has stick?

I can’t seem to face up to the facts.

I’m tense and nervous and I... can’t relax.

I can’t sleep, cause my bed’s on fire.

Don’t touch me I’m a real live wire.



Psycho Killer

Qu'est-ce que c'est? [What is it?]

fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa fa better

Run run run run run run run away

OH OH OH

Act casual...

Got a pic for the collection? Send it!

Five for Fighting Monday

Once again it's Monday! Don't let the week beat the hell outa ya.

This weeks Five 4 Fighting spotlight is on the Washington Capitals @ Colorado Avalanche. Mainly because I'm going to the game, woot!

So you want to fight Matt Bradley? Wow, this is a hell of a fight! I hope this game doesn't come to blows, and I certainly hope that the Caps don't use Bradley to swing the momentum cause it might work. Wait, yes I do hope the game comes to blows, and I also hope Jose Theodore is in goal so the Avs get a win! At the same time I expect that Alex Ovechkin guy to put on a show.

So Bradley fights like this? Koci is a lot bigger than Bradley so that may not happen, probably just as well. The Caps don't fight that much anyway.

-From the Point

Could Martin Biron be an Avalanche?

Don Brennan at the Ottawa Sun is 'reporting' that there are some rumors that the Philadelphia Flyers are interested in Ray Emery. This could be good news for the Colorado Avalanche. If the Flyers are ready to part ways with Martin Biron, the Avs should move in that direction. Biron will be an unrestricted free agent this year.

Biron is coming off a 2 year deal at 3.5 M. Seems to me that price maybe depressed by two factors, the fact that the Flyers are willing to let him go and the apparent reluctance of GM's across the league to pay out too much salary with the fears of the salary cap being reduced. But at the same time Biron may benefit from the same situation that Theodore did this last off season. A shortage of quality goalies at reasonable prices on the free agent market. So it's kinda hard to predict what kind of salary Biron may command.

I think Biron is a pretty good, affordable goalie. Statistically he fared well this year, certainly better than Jose Theodore or Peter Budaj, the Avs goalies for the past 3 seasons.
Another reason I like Biron is that he can't be accused of being the product of a dominantly defensive team system. The Avs can keep Budaj as an affordable backup.

Certainly Biron will not come as cheap as this seasons line up of goalies. And the Avs are facing some cap challenges. But some how they are going to have to find a way to pay a decent goalie. Of course the defense is going to have to improve in front of the goalie. But to a degree, I believe that a step up in goal tending can elevate this defense to a more respectable level, and in return, produce better goal tending. Or maybe I'm just dreaming.

Posted by: From the Point