Flavor of the Week

Written By: AvsNo26Rocks

First of all, I would like to thank Bugg627 for giving me the opportunity
to voice my opinion on a web site like this, one dedicated to the quiet
warriors on the Colorado Avalanche blue line and the fans that are arguably
the best in sports.

My articles will be about all things NHL, with a portion dedicated to the Avs.
Every week, while the NHL season is still going, my column will appear every
Friday, and in the off-season, I'll post my article on the 15th of every month.

As this is the introductory article, half of it is a welcome and a thank you,
and half of it will be puck talk. If it isn't already obvious, my first
subject will be the road leading up to the Avs defeating the
Dallas Stars in 5 games in the 2006 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

AVS IN 5
The Colorado Avalanche had doubters from Day 1 of the season.
Many experts picked them to be on the outside looking in come playoff time,
pegging them as a team with no scorers, and just plain too old. What emerged
in the burg n' blue was a rising star, one that bears the number 40.
Marek Svatos, in his rookie year, scored 32 goals and 50 points, but the most
special thing about this Slovakian native is his nine, and no, it's not a
typo, game-winning goals. Just to illustrate how mind-blowing this statistic
is, consider the fact that the Avs won 34 games with Svatos in the lineup.
That means Svatos scored 26.5% of the go-ahead goals in these triumphs.
If that's not phenomenal, then I need to check my dictionary. That's not
even counting the game-tying goals and huge third period goals, which
became his bread and butter.

Worries that the Avalanche had no scoring were squelched when the team
finished the regular season fourth overall in scoring, which was greatly
bolstered by the highest-scoring defensive corps in the league, led by
rock solid Rob Blake and super sophomore John-Michael Liles, both with
14 goals on the season.

The defense doesn't just score buckets of goals; they put their bodies
on the line in the name of victory, blocking more shots than any other club.
Also, the Avs boast league highs in shots blocked by a defenseman
(Karlis Skrastins), most shots blocked by a defensive tandem
(Skrastins and Brett Clark), and most shots blocked by a forward
(Ian Laperriere).

The best of all the surprises put forth by Joel Quenneville's squad is
the resilience and never-say-die mentality. The team is balanced with
grizzled, playoff-honed veterans, like Joe Sakic, Blake, and Pierre Turgeon,
and rookies such as Brad Richardson and Svatos. Even when down by a seemingly
insurmountable number of goals, it just wasn't enough to keep the Avs
from getting back into the game.

The one constant overlooked by many, but loved by the Avalanche faithful,
has been the Captain. Joe Sakic's amazing career has rendered all of us
awestruck many times, stealing our breath with gigantic goals, hard work,
and steadfast leadership. His guiding light has pulled the team from
the depths of heartbreak to the sweetness of the vaunted silver chalice.
Super Joe, once again, finds himself to be the Avs leading scorer.

All in all, the Avs' season has been a success. And with the addition of
former Vezina and Hart Trophy winning goaltender Jose Theodore,
the Colorado Avalanche are looking to push that success to the next level,
all for a chance to kiss the most storied trophy in sports history,
purchased for $48 over a century ago, yet millions are spent to bask
in its glory. Blood, sweat, tears and sacrifice flow freely,
all in the name of the Stanley Cup.

May 5th, 2006

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