Thread: THE official Colorado Avalanche/NHL thread!!!

Before the season started all I did was bitch about the Avs not bringing in a big defenseman because the players we had weren't going to cut it. Apparently coaching has made the difference because by and large our defensive players are not much different, save Sarich, Benoit, and Guenin. Sacco was as inept of a coach as I've seen. Roy has proven that. And yes, there are instances where goalies make or break the game, but big picture and speaking in generalities, a team only goes as far as their defense allows them. Ten games in to the season the Avs have the best PK in hockey, one of the best defenses statistically, and are winning because of it.

Sadly as an Avs fan i dont keep up on the team much. Just too many other things going on and with Football everything else is pretty much non-existent. But a guy at work is a Caps fan and he keeps me updated and says we have been pretty sharp this year.

DENVER -- Look who's No. 1.

The Colorado Avalanche continued their impressive start to the season Friday night with a 4-2 win against the injury-riddled Carolina Hurricanes at Pepsi Center.

Matt Duchene scored two goals and added an assist for the Avalanche, who have won three games in a row and now own the NHL's best record at 9-1-0. With 18 points, they have one more than the San Jose Sharks (8-1-1).

"It's nice, but you know what? If you look behind, everybody's pretty close," Avalanche coach Patrick Roy said. "You can't have a night off. You have to be good every night. That's how we've been dealing with it."

rest - http://www.nhl.com/gamecenter/en/rec...d=nhl:topheads

In postgame, Duchene was one of the players they talked with, and he was ask what the difference was between last year, and this. He stated - it all starts behind the bench - Patrick, Patrick and the assistant coaches, etc.

Im sure Roy like Elway has made a HUGE difference with the Lanche.

When Cody McLeod made that hit on Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall, a lot of people got silly with their over-reactions, some calling it “inexcusable” and “indefensible” and others who don’t know much about hockey going into more hysterics. At the time, I said that it was a late hit and would likely result in a suspension, which turned out to be the case. I also said that Kronwall put himself in a bad spot by keeping his head low around the dasher while playing a puck, then shifting his direction. And of course, all that got me was a hail storm of nasty Twitter invective from Wings fans and other high-horse knights of the keyboard.

Well guess who said he was partially to blame for that hit happening? Yup, Niklas Kronwall. As he told The Detroit News:

“I could have done a lot of things differently,” Kronwall said. “I shouldn’t have put myself in that spot in the first place. He’s coming in with a lot of speed, sure, but I did turn at the last second.
“It goes fast out there and it’s so easy to go back and slow it down, look at it in slow motion, and be very smart about things. But it’s hockey and everything is high pace and it goes fast out there. Guys will make some bad decisions out there sometimes. In my case, I ended up on a stretcher. But I’m feeling pretty good and looking to get back out there.”

rest - http://blogs.denverpost.com/avs/2013...at-spot/15298/

Not quite two years ago, Matt Duchene was a miserable human being. He was in the throes of a terrible season with the Avalanche, his point production way down, his body banged up with injuries. He was an occasional tenant in the doghouse of his coach, Joe Sacco. Everything had always come so easy to the 20-year-old, but suddenly he was hit with the first real crisis of confidence in his life.

"I was letting my confidence get shaken badly by a lot of things that maybe were a little unfair and a little tough to handle at that age," Duchene said. "After I kind of got to that rock bottom, it was tough. I had times where I could barely look at myself in the mirror. I was kind of like a duck; I was calm on the outside, but paddling for my life underneath the surface."

So he did something about it.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/...le-patrick-roy

from same article:

He also wasn't happy playing for Sacco. At the time, he kept his opinions to himself. But no more.

Duchene loves the fast-pace system and personal style of his new Avs coach, Patrick Roy.

"The one thing with Patrick is, there's no doghouse. If you're not doing what you're supposed to do, he's going to bring you in, he's going to sit you down and you're going to correct it constructively and then you're going to move on from there. You don't stay in that doghouse," Duchene said. "It's the first time I can honestly say everyone in this room is excited.

http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/...le-patrick-roy

Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

from same article:


http://www.denverpost.com/avalanche/...le-patrick-roy

Goes to show how horrible of a coach Sacco was, but also how young and impressionable the majority of this roster is.

Winnipeg is playing well...dangit.

Avs, like the Broncos, came back to win.

Originally Posted by SeeingRed

Before the season started all I did was bitch about the Avs not bringing in a big defenseman because the players we had weren't going to cut it. Apparently coaching has made the difference because by and large our defensive players are not much different, save Sarich, Benoit, and Guenin. Sacco was as inept of a coach as I've seen. Roy has proven that. And yes, there are instances where goalies make or break the game, but big picture and speaking in generalities, a team only goes as far as their defense allows them. Ten games in to the season the Avs have the best PK in hockey, one of the best defenses statistically, and are winning because of it.

Great post, SR...

I too thought defense, followed by goaltending (in that order), would be the liabilities this year too...

In fact, I hoped the offense would be high OPTEMPO enough for the Avs to maybe go .500...

Coaching has absolutely been the difference for the defense, and I also think Allaire has been an extremely key (and underappreciated) pick up...

Go Avs!!!

Originally Posted by Broncolingus

Great post, SR...

I too thought defense, followed by goaltending (in that order), would be the liabilities this year too...

In fact, I hoped the offense would be high OPTEMPO enough for the Avs to maybe go .500...

Coaching has absolutely been the difference for the defense, and I also think Allaire has been an extremely key (and underappreciated) pick up...

Go Avs!!!

I never had an issue with goaltending. Varley is a great talent and when he has a solid defense in front of him he can win 30+ games. Our coaching staff is fantastic.

In Toronto in November 2006, on the eve of his induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame, Patrick Roy appeared at a fan forum at the Hall's headquarters. Many of the fans in the overflow audience had waited hours in line. I was in one of the limited number of press seats.

After an extensive discussion of Roy's acrimonious departure from Montreal and his assertion that he had made peace with most involved, a fan asked him if he would want to coach the Canadiens someday. At the time, Roy had just started his second season of coaching major junior's Quebec Remparts.

"I know I could change my mind," Roy said, "but I don't see myself at the NHL level. We need people who want to coach at the junior level. You need people who accept that, who will want to be part of the 16- to 20-year-olds and help them fulfill their goals. There are coaches in my league a lot better than me. Their dream is to coach in the NHL, and I wish it will happen for them, more than me."

Since, of course, he changed his mind.

rest - http://www.denverpost.com/frei/ci_24...acher-at-heart

from same article:

"It's been a lot of fun," said Avalanche captain Gabe Landeskog, who was 10 when Roy retired in 2003. "He's a great teacher and a fun guy to be around. I like the fact that he can be himself off the ice, but when it's game time, we're all businesslike and we all have to do our work. But the best attribute is that he's such a good teacher, and that's the number one priority."

"There's probably more (teaching) than I thought," Roy said.

He and his staff alternately assess each line's work on video, then go over specifics in practice. "We explain the things, the details we think are extremely important — positioning of the skates and the stick and on and on," he said. "Obviously, there are times you want to go faster because you don't want to be on the ice too long, but I think I've enjoyed the mix."

Teacher and coach.

http://www.denverpost.com/frei/ci_24...acher-at-heart