Avs 3, Coyotes 1: I Was There

Tommy says to me, I know a guy. With season tickets. Tommy says he can get two tickets. So there you go.

We had dinner at Wazee Supper Club where I had the all meat calzone and the amazeballs appetizer. Then it's time to head to the Can.

It's Celtic Appreciation day so there's bagpipes being played. Okay.

The announcer on the jumbotron tells us before the game that this is basically a playoff game. So there you go, free playoff tickets!

Here's our seats:

I've now sat in a few places in the Pepsi Center. These were probably my least favorite. But as a wide angle, you did get a chance to see the plays develop a lot more.

Within the first minute, the Avs turn the puck over and give up a great scoring chance. Varlamov made a great save. Throughout the first period, there were lots of turnovers by both teams, including some sloppy skating where players were falling seemingly off their own accord. Lots of scoring chances for both sides. I thought the Coyotes generally outplayed the Avs in the first, but Colorado had a 1-0 lead off a lucky bounce leading to a tip-in.

In the second period, toward the end of a power play, Johnson pokes at the puck in the neutral zone, getting it to Grigorenko. Who passes to Duchene, passes to Comeau, passes back to Duchene for the one-timer goal.



Good shit!

Arizona kept getting good chances but Varlamov was making great plays. 2-0 Avs through two.

In the third, Grigorenko makes a nifty play to get a rebound in the back of the net and it's 3-0 Avs with 14 to play. At this point, it feels like, oh man, the Avs got this one, it's not even a contest. Game over, blow out city.

And then the Coyotes score with 11 minutes left. 3-1.

And then about twenty seconds later they have another great scoring chance and I realize that if Arizona gets another one it's going to be very nerve-wracking, as Colorado has a reputation for giving up third-period leads. So basically the entire last 10 minutes were very tense and exciting, even though it had felt like a blowout earlier.

But they hung on for a 3-1 win. They put the puck in the empty net but after the buzzer.

This brings my personal attendance record to 5-3, with 5 x's on the hit list.

Avs 6, Flames 3: I Was There

I try and go to one or two games a year. I got some tickets for 30 each in the upper deck on StubHub and took Tommy from work. Before the game we ate pork tenderloin sandwiches at Freshcraft.

The Avs opened with an unsuccessful power play and from then on it was mostly Flames. It seemed like whenever Colorado go the puck out of their own zone they turned it over or settled for a weak shot from the point.

Both teams have a shot that hits the post in the first period. With 9 minutes to go, the Flames have a wraparound attempt that looks like they should score on. Varlamov ends up doing a snow angel and the puck is sitting there near the line for a second, but no goal.

With 20 seconds to go in the first, there's a loose puck and Duchene finds it. He fires a backhand shot that gets saved and then uses some nifty hands to score with his body all the way behind the goal line.



It's only his second of the year and the Avs take the 1-0 lead into the first intermission. Here's a picture of the view from our seats:

In the 2nd period, the puck is deep in the Flames zone and they make a nifty pass along the boards to create a two on one. Tyson Barrie tries to hedge his bets by staying in the middle but the shooter never has to make a pass. Easy shot and score. 1-1.

On a Calgary power play, a Flame crashes the net and tips the puck toward goal. He careens into the net knocking it off the moorings a split-second before the puck crosses the goal line. We go to video review and the call is confirmed: no goal.

Soon after Barrie fires it toward the net and Iginla tips it in for a 2-1 lead.

Shortly after, there's another two on one for Calgary. This time the defender goes down, forcing the shooter wide. He gets off a decent shot and it's seemingly stopped under Varly's pads but no one knows where it is. A few seconds later, a Flame comes in and pokes at the pad. We never see the puck but it goes to a video review. For all I know it trickled across. But they confirm: no goal.

After that close call, Calgary goes on the power play again. But the Avs set up shop in their zone and Erik Johnson fires a slapshot. The goalie is screened and the Avs get a shorthanded goal. 3-1 and we're going nuts.

Just before the end of the 2nd, Calgary scores on a wraparound, a play that's been there all day for them.

3-2 Avs after two. During the intermission, Johnson gives an interview talking about how they need to learn from previous games mistakes where they've given up leads in the 3rd. I think this is pretty fun and make a few jokes about them being in a good spot because they've blown so many leads before.

Early in the third, the Flames shoot and Varly saves it, bouncing high and just over the top of the crossbar, landing on top of the net. Yet another close call.

With 12 to go in the game, a Flames shot from the point trickles through and it's 3-3 to the surprise of no one. As I always say when this happens, "on the bright side, we're going to see at least on more goal tonight."

With 7 minutes to go, Iginla makes a nice play in the zone to gain control of the puck. He's at an angle and I see an Av in the slot. Turns out it's MacKinnon. I scream out, "It's right there!" As I'm doing that, Iginla passes it to Mac and he shoots it. The puck hits the back of the net just as I finish saying it.



Great moment. Avs up 4-3 with 7 to go. Tommy and I joke around that Colorado scored way too quickly, way too much time to give up the equalizer now.

Right after the goal, Calgary trips a Colorado player. The Avs go back on the power play, I'm thinking there will be just 4 minutes left to kill after the power play is over. But instead Beauchemin puts it on net and Duchene tips it in. Power play goal and it's 5-3. Holy crap.

With 3 minutes left Calgary pulls the goalie and the Avs fling it down the ice. In a play reminiscent of the first playoff win I saw, the puck is sliding down and the defenseman is giving chase. This time he doesn't get there in time, but it hits the post. Instead of clearing it, he kinda parks in front of the goal and it's an easy put back for Iginla. 6-3 on the empty netter.

Great game with a ton of close calls. Calgary really could have scored 7 or 8. But hey, they didn't. Calgary was the opponent in the first game I ever attended but they won that time. Not tonight.

Avalanche Comeback On My Birthday

My birthday comes at a good time on the sports calendar.

I follow four teams--the Chiefs, Avs, Illini football and Illini basketball. From the end of the hockey season in April/May to the start of football season, I've got no teams. But there's a stretch of time when all four teams are playing. This year it's from November 14 to November 29. From when the Illini start playing basketball until they stop playing football.

When we were in college, it felt like Illinois always played Northwestern in football right around my birthday. I remember thinking that was one thing I wanted as a present, an Illinois win.

Anyways, for perhaps the first time, I went to see one of my teams play live on my birthday.

- - -

This would also be Brit's first real hockey game. We took the boys in the spring, but sat in a suite and spent far more time walking the concourse than we did watching hockey.

We had good seats, the first time I've been in the upper deck, but also the first time I've sat at center ice. Also, the first time I got a good view of the new HD screen.

The seats feel virtually like the same angles as watching on TV. Good side to side action. I actually prefer the lower bowl even if it's behind the net because I like to feel and hear the action, but this was great viewing and Brit liked the seats a lot.

I told Brit I had a prediction. 3-2. I didn't say which team.

It was 0-0 in the first when I told Brit that Carolina's not very good. Three seconds later they scored. It was 2-0 Carolina, 5 minutes into the game. Not a great start. The Hurricanes scored to make it 3-1 late in the first. Roy pulled the 2nd string goalie, and put in Pickard, the AHL callup. (Varlamov is day to day with a groin injury.)

At this point, I told Brit that Carolina could get 6 goals.

The Avs couldn't complete a pass. They couldn't get it out of their zone with possession. They played very poorly.

After the first period, I got monster chicken nachos. It was still 3-1 when Pickard made the save of the game.



A few minutes later, Johnson scores and it's 3-2 with 31 minutes to play. (So my prediction was right!)

Colorado played better in the 2nd and 3rd, but still trailed with 6 minutes to go in the game. MacKinnon had some real chances on net but couldn't get anything to go in.

And then...



Tied up 5 to play. Now we're either getting another goal or it's going to a shootout. Either way, at least one more puck is going in the net tonight.

With two minutes to go, one did.



After that, Carolina pulled their goalie and there were some chances but nothing serious. The Avs comeback and win 4-3.

It's hard to believe but for the first time since I've moved here.

Pretty rad.

Avalanche 6, Predators 5: I Was There

I picked going to this game based on the time and cost of the tickets. I got a good deal because it was a weekday afternoon game (President's Day). And I would be taking Joe to his first hockey game.

But Sunday night I was checking out the Predators stats. Best in the league at preventing goals. Worst in the league at scoring goals. Sounded like a super low scoring game. Then I started reading about their starting goalie, Pekka Rinne. He's fantastic. I was a little bummed. I had an awful vision of a 2-0 Predators win.

I read a comment on ESPN.com's preview that someone guessed that Rinne wouldn't play against the Avs, since Nashville would be playing Detroit the next day. I hoped that would be the case.

I show up about 25 minutes early to catch some warmups. The first thing I check is who's in the Nashville net. It's Rinne. And a surprise, Giguere is warming up in the Colorado net. Whatever.

I try and take some pictures of the warm-ups but with my crappy camera it's hard to get a good one. This is the best shot I got:

Here's the Avs taking the ice:

And to my delight...Varlamov is in the Colorado net and Pekka Rinne is on the Nashville bench. Mason is the Predators goalie today.

My hopes for the game were the win and seeing one Avs goal on the net in front of me. I knew that they were only shooting this way for the second period, so that might be tough to get. 

Let's play some hockey.

Four minutes in the Avs get a super lucky goal. The puck bounces in the crease and Mason kicks it in his own net. 

Later Barrie gets his first NHL goal on a slap shot one-timer on the power play. It's 2-0. What team is this?

The Predators score a power play goal of their own. After one, it's 2-1 Avs. 

At intermission we watched about twenty 5-year-olds play against five guys in mascot costumes. And I sort of figured they would let the kids win. Nope. It was 3-0 mascots before they finally let them have a pity goal. Jerky mascots. You gotta feel for the five-year-old goalie. 

Anyways, I went to Jalapeno's Cafe to get my monster nachos. This year they offered pork carnitas on them. 7.75 and delicious. 

We get back to our seats just as they're about to get underway.

Three minutes in, there's a wild play. All of a sudden Duchene has the puck and he's behind everybody. He slows down, he's about 10 feet in front of me at this point, and shoots it top shelf, hitting the water bottle.

The replay clearly shows it was a blown call. But what can you do? You play to the whistle. 

Halfway through the game it's 3-1. And then with 9:44 to go in the 2nd, Nashville makes it 3-2. Here I am thinking about the last Avs where they had a 4-1 lead in Edmonton but lost 4-6. 

A minute later...Stastny drives to the net, puck gets deflected right to Kobasew who slams it home five-hole. It's now 4-2 and I got to see two goals in my living room.

Two minutes later the Avs get caught in a change and Nashville gets a breakaway goal and it's 4-3. The third time that they've cut the deficit to one. 

16 seconds later...Stastny gets a goal on the second rebound. He kept digging and now it's 5-3. The fourth time that the Avs have extended the lead to two.

13 seconds later...is the play of the game. The Avs dump the puck in the zone to Shea Weber. Their captain. Somehow voted third-star of this game. 6'4", 240lbs. He has the puck. And here comes Matt Duchene. Our finesse guy. 5'11", 200 lbs. Comes in and checks him into the boards and off the puck. Quick pass from behind the net to McGinn who one-time it home. 6-3 Avs. The PA was still announcing the previous goal. 

Here's the video:

With a minute left in the 2nd, a slapshot that is going well wide bounces of an Avs skate and into the net. 6-4 after two. Seven goals in the period. Four Avs goals right in front of my face. 

Oh yeah, after goal #6, the Predators pulled Mason and put in Rinne. So now there's 20 minuts of hockey and I'm thinking that the Avs won't get a goal past Pekka. So can they hold on?

3rd period shots on goal: 17-5 Nashville.

With seven minutes to go the refs call a penalty against Colorado, the 5th against the Avs. It was the first one that really got booed.

But they kill it off.

And then there was a shift where McGinn didn't have a stick, but they killed that off.

The Predators pull Rinne with two minutes to go. And with constant pressure they get a goal to cut it to 6-5.

1:18 to go.

Edge of our seats. What a game. There's a puck that comes close with about 7 seconds to go but it goes wide.

And your number one star of the game is...

Matt Duchene.

I mean, if I could draw up the game, that would be just how you'd want it. Lots of scoring. Specifically Avs goals right in front of me. Tight at the buzzer but a regulation win to get the two points, zero for Nashville. The last game I was at ended on a Landeskog sudden death overtime goal. That's going to be tough to beat. But this one was good in a different way. That second period was crazy.

So I come home and check the highlights. And yep you can see me. I'm wearing my gray Avs shirt with a white long-sleeve shirt under it.

In this next one you can see me holding my Monster Nachos!

And if go back up to watch Duchene's play of the game you can see me clapping hard for his check/steal on the replay.

Avs Hit List history

I was curious, if you were able to go to every Avs home game, going back in time, how far back would you have to go to see all 29 other teams lose.

2011-2012
Kings
Islanders
Stars
Oilers
Devils
Blues
Red Wings
Sharks
Capitals
Flyers
Lightning
Coyotes
Panthers
Blackhawks
Flames
Ducks
Wild

17 in 2011-2012. Let's keep going to get the other 12.

2010-2011
Blue Jackets
Rangers
Senators
Canadiens
Sabres
Canucks

We're up to 23 total. Six left.

2009-2010
Hurricanes
Predators
Thrashers/Jets

26 total. Three teams left: Penguins, Bruins, Maple Leafs.

2008-2009
Penguins

2007-2008

2006-2007

2005-2006
Bruins
Maple Leafs



So what's the deal with the Avs vs Bruins?


2011-2012
Road Win

2010-2011
Home Loss

2009-2010
Road Win

2008-2009
Home Loss

2007-2008
No Game

2006-2007
Road Win

2005-2006
Home Win


Same story for Avs vs Leafs:

2011-2012
Road Win

2010-2011
Home Loss

2009-2010
Road Win

2008-2009
Home Loss

2007-2008
No Game

2006-2007
Road Win

2005-2006
Home Win

And if they didn't win that one...the previous time that Toronto played in Denver...was December 1997. Um, so I guess the NHL wasn't very concerned with rotating schedules back then. They also had ties, so who knows what the deal was.

- - -

To sum up, two years of season tickets would get you pretty darn close. Then you could just cherry pick the games among the remaining six or so teams that you haven't seen lose yet.

Avs Hit List: Graphic

Avalanche Hit List

I have a goal. This goal could take 20+ years to realize.

The goal: Watch the Colorado Avalanche defeat all the other NHL teams, in person.

I've only seen them win one game so far, so I figure now's a good time to start. At least so I don't buy tickets to see a team I've already seen them beat. 

If I go to two games a year, and they win one, I'll be done at 57. Let's see what happens.

1 down, 28 to go.

AVALANCHE HIT LIST

Anaheim Ducks - Avs 3, Ducks 2 (OT) - 3/12/12