Flavor of the Week

Written By: AvsNo26Rocks

Around the NHL

All Is Not Quiet on the Western Front

In the West, old regimes of power are ending; the mighty have fallen.
In the Western Conference, three teams, which have accounted for 6 of
the last 9 Stanley Cup Championships have already been bounced from this
year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, those teams being the Detroit Red Wings,
owners of the 1997, 1998, and 2002 Cups, the Colorado Avalanche,
who claim the 1996 and 2001 titles, and the Dallas Stars, who won
it all in 1999. Doors are closing on these clubs, and the glittering
lights of stardom are touching the new sheriffs in town, so to speak.

The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, whose most recent success was a trip to the
Stanley Cup Finals, riding on the coattails of the Conn Smythe-winning
goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere. After losing to the New Jersey Devils
in seven games, the Ducks slipped back in to mediocrity, missing the
playoffs the following season. However, under the rule of new general
manager Brian Burke, a new, younger approach brought the Ducks from
obscurity to dominance.

At the beginning of the season, players like Francois Beauchemin,
Dustin Penner, and Ryan Getzlaf were not even on the radar, merely
answers to NHL trivia questions. Now, combined with superstar
blue-liner Scott Niedermayer and aging legend Teemu Selanne,
these players have become a new breed of stars in the revamped NHL,
which is now a hotbed of players who, prior to this season,
would have never been looked at twice.

With their second round sweep of the Avalanche, the Mighty Ducks
have opened eyes and kept the televisions turned on with their
exciting play, a young, fast, and extraordinarily talented team
makes for great action in the changing face of professional hockey.
I, for one, will be tuning in to get a better look at what the
future superstars of hockey have to offer.

The Avalanche-Inside and Out

The Winds of Change

A wind is blowing through the city of Denver this week, and changes
are happening throughout the entire Avalanche organization. Management
and players alike will be refaced by the start of the new season.

Pierre Lacroix, who has been the general manager of the Avalanche
since the team came to Denver in 1995, is stepping down from his
position as soon as his successor is named. This had been arranged
since before this season began. Now, with draft day and free agency
looming, who will call the shots? Several GMs are job searching this year,
and frankly, they lost their jobs for a reason. It is speculated that
the new GM will also have a say in the coaching of the team, much
similar to Lou Lamoriello in New Jersey, who coached the team for the
remainder of the season after head coach Larry Robinson stepped down.
When the new GM is named and who it will be is a mystery to everyone
for the time being.

Several Avalanche players will be unrestricted free agents in the off-season,
players like Joe Sakic, Rob Blake, and Alex Tanguay, all all-stars, and all
commanding large paychecks. Alex Tanguay, 27, is still in the prime of his career,
improving game by game, but it the Avs re-up contracts for Sakic and Blake,
combined with Milan Hejduk's and Jose TheodoreÕs already hefty salaries,
will Alex Tanguay be the odd man out? In the world of the salary cap,
hard choices have to be made, and they were embodied in the exit of both
Peter Forsberg and Adam Foote this season. Rising Avalanche stars,
such as Marek Svatos, Wojtek Wolski, and John-Michael Liles, will
all be due raises in the very near future, but will the general manager,
whoever that may be, be loyal to the Avalanche's senior players,
or will he favor youth, jettisoning the veterans? Is it possible to see
Mr. Avalanche himself, Joe Sakic, in another team's sweater next season?
Will Rob Blake have landed his last hip check donned in the burg 'n blue?

All in all, the lineup for the 2006-07 NHL season is setting to be a
different one, an unfamiliar one. Sure, some players are sure to be back,
such as Steve Konowalchuk, Jose Theodore, and unfortunately,
Patrice Brisebois, but will the roster consist of Avs draftees or
journeyman sweater fillers? The winds of change are blowing, and the
Avalanche must prepare for the oncoming storm.

May 12th, 2006








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