Former Avalanche winger Marek Svatos dies at 34 in Lone Tree
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Former Colorado Avalanche winger Marek Svatos, 34, died early Saturday in Lone Tree.
Svatos’ death first was reported by Slovakian journalist and author David Puchovsky, who is president of the Avalanche’s European fan club, Eurolanche.
Lone Tree police responded to Svatos’ home on Bluffmont Street after a family member called shortly after midnight for medical aid, Sgt. Ryan Gallegos said Sunday. He didn’t divulge details of the call.
Svatos was from Kosice, Slovakia, and was living in the Denver area with his wife, Diana, whom he met while playing with the Avalanche, and two children.
rest - http://www.denverpost.com/2016/11/06...lanche-winger/
Avalanche ship Cody McLeod to Nashville for AHL center Felix Girard
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The Avalanche Friday morning traded its longest-tenured player, winger Cody McLeod, to the Nashville Predators for center Felix Girard.
Girard, 22, is in his third season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL and will join the Avalanche’s affiliate in the same league, the San Antonio Rampage. He was Nashville’s fourth-round pick in 2013 and had 45 goals in four seasons of major junior with Baie-Comeau. Listed at 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds, he has 12 goals and 38 points in 172 games with the Admirals.
McLeod is under contract through next season, at a cap hit of $1.33 million, and the Avalanche will retain 40 percent of his salary as part of the deal. A frequent healthy scratch with the Avalanche this season, he has one goal and no assists in 28 games, with a team-high 52 penalty minutes after he fought Anaheim’s Joseph Cramarossa in the second period of Colorado’s 4-1 loss to the Ducks Thursday night. His 12 fighting majors last season led the NHL, and has eight this season.
Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic said he first spoke with McLeod about possibly being moved last week, and noted that the Predators had expressed interest. Sakic said he ran going to Nashville past McLeod before concluding the deal Friday morning. He said McLeod had told him a trade with Nashville would be fine with him, but that McLeod didn’t know Thursday that the game against Anaheim would be his last for Colorado.
rest - http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/13...-to-nashville/
Former Avalanche assistant Tim Army not surprised he was let go
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Departing Avalanche assistant coach Tim Army, who has been with the team for six seasons under three head coaches, said Wednesday night he wasn’t surprised when general manager Joe Sakic told him Tuesday that the team wasn’t exercising the club option for the second year of the two-year contract he signed in 2016.
“I honestly expected something would happen, based on the year that we had,” Army said from his off-season home near Portland, Maine. “You have to make some changes. I get it. But even though you expect it, it still stings and it still hurts and it’s disappointing. But when you win 22 games, something has to happen and I understand that part of the sport. … I’ll be angry at some point, but right now it’s too new.”
Coming off a 22-56-4 season, the worst in the NHL since the expansion Atlanta Thrashers in 1999-2000, the Avalanche announced Tuesday that three assistants — Army, Dave Farrish and goaltending guru Francois Allaire — wouldn’t return to head coach Jared Bednar‘s staff next season. Farrish is believed to have one year remaining on a three-year deal.
All three were holdovers from Patrick Roy‘s staff, under contract and remaining with the Avalanche after Roy’s sudden departure last August. The Avalanche said Sakic wouldn’t comment on the changes until replacements were hired, and Bednar wasn’t made available to discuss them, either.
rest - http://www.denverpost.com/2017/05/24...che-assistant/