LCS Hockey - Colorado Will Be Fine

Colorado Will Be Fine
by Michael Dell, Editor-in-Chief

One of the most shocking elements of the new season is the early struggles of the mighty Colorado Avalanche. The former Stanley Cup champs started the campaign 0-4-0 before salvaging a miraculous last-minute tie against the Los Angeles Kings and then barely holding on for a 6-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers. Their current 1-4-1 mark places them near the bottom of the league, even behind the likes of the Tampa Bay Lightning and New York Islanders.

So what's wrong with the men with feet on their shoulders? Not much, really. To paraphrase Mark Twain, the reports of Colorado's demise have been, like, wrong and stuff.

People love to panic. And overreaction seems to be a matter of civic pride in Denver. Going winless in five games is never anything to celebrate with a commemorative plate, but even Chicken Little got stampeded in the streets of the Mile High City as doubting souls ran for cover from the Avalanche's falling record.

The 0-4-0 start, which was the worst in franchise history, was actually a little deceiving. Despite the four straight losses, the Avalanche really didn't play all that bad. They opened the season with a 4-3 loss at home to Ottawa. The game seemed destined for a 3-3 tie until Wade Redden flipped a harmless shot on net from the left point that struck a Colorado defender in front and deflected past Patrick Roy for the game-winner with 1:22 left in regulation.

Next up was Dominik Hasek and the Buffalo Sabres. The Avalanche outshot the hairy behemoths 32-27 but couldn't solve the Dominator, losing 3-2. Hey, Hasek does that to people. It happens.

Now, things did start to get a little silly when Boston came into McNichols Arena a couple nights later and handed the Avalanche their second consecutive 3-0 defeat. Once again, Colorado held the advantage in shots, this time 34-23, yet couldn't get a puck through Byron Dafoe. After falling behind 2-0 in the first period, the Avs dominated the game from the second period on, carrying the physical play to the Bears and testing Dafoe more frequently than a demented tenth grade science teacher. However, any hopes of a comeback were dashed when a brilliant goal by rookie Milan Hejduk in the third period got whacked by the punk- ass goal crease rule. Not long after Hejduk got jobbed, a routine dump-in by the Bruins took a zany hop off the boards, catching Roy behind the cage, and created an empty-net tap-in for Joe Thornton. Game over.

The fourth loss came the very next night in Phoenix. The Avalanche skated like mission men and grabbed a 2-0 lead in the second period on goals by Joe Sakic and Adam Deadmarsh. But the Coyotes drew even before the end of the middle frame, getting the equalizer when Alexei Gusarov cleared an ordinary centering attempt by Teppo Numminen off Deadmarsh's leg and into his own net. Yeah, that'll suck. The goal seemed to deflate the Avalanche. Craig Billington, who got the start in net over Roy, then let the game slip away by yielding two questionable goals 29 seconds apart in the third. An empty-netter by Mike Sullivan made the final 5-2.

Could the Avalanche have played better in the four games? Absolutely. Did they deserve to lose all four times out? Probably not. Take away the wacky bounces and the horror that is the punk-ass goal crease rule and it wouldn't have been totally out of the question for the Avalanche to be 2-1-1. The Avalanche players may not have been displaying their old championship swagger, but the losses were hardly due to a lack of effort. They worked hard without getting much in the way of results... sort of like Frank Stallone's agent.

As is the usual custom, the initial drought put even the slightest imperfection under the intense microscope of public opinion. First up on the examining slide was rookie head coach Bob Hartley. A wizard in the junior and minor-league ranks, Hartley's ability to motivate and discipline a somewhat jaded group of veterans immediately came into question. Suddenly, people were trying to remember exactly why Marc Crawford was fired.

Obviously, Hartley's ideal beginning behind the bench did not include dropping his first four decisions. After all, he was handed a team many predicted to challenge for the Cup. But the young coach didn't wilt under the searing heat of criticism. Instead, he made it perfectly clear who was running the show by taking Claude Lemieux and Valeri Kamensky off the top line and drastically cutting their ice time. A message was being sent. Play hard or else. This was one coach who wasn't going to be taken advantage of, no matter the players involved.

As important as it was for Hartley to prove he could drop the hammer in disciplinary actions, he was also quick to show that hard work would pay off. Almost to reward them for good behavior, Hartley reunited both Lemieux and Kamensky with Peter Forsberg in the game against Edmonton. Lemieux responded with a pair of goals. Lesson learned. Hartley's ability to handle the situation has to be seen as encouraging.

Even if Hartley had been providing little more than material for old Bob Newhart Show references, there's only so much a coach can do, especially a coach in his first few days on the job. Ultimately, it's the players that decide the outcome of games. And it's the players that have to accept the responsibility for losing. Peter Forsberg did just that.

Peter Forsberg

Peter Forsberg
by Meredith Martini

In a refreshing change from the modern sports world where athletes often shun blame, Forsberg stepped up after each loss and said that he was terrible. Always citing himself as the worst player on the ice, the Swedish superstar vowed to play better. Of course, the act of contrition was as false as it was courageous.

Forsberg has been solid. While he has yet to notch his first goal, he does have seven assists and has been his usual splendid self at both ends of the ice. Witnessing even the most casual of Forsberg shifts is a treat for the discerning hockey fan. Everything he does is worthy of awe. There's as much beauty in watching him angle off a puck-carrier or disrupt a pass at center ice as there is in seeing him orchestrate the offense with his miraculous array of skills.

It would have been easy for Forsberg to say that everything was okay and that the club was just the unlucky recipient of some bad bounces, but he didn't hide behind the security of his own strong play. Instead, he demanded more from himself and his teammates. That's what makes him a great player. And it's that type of desire and leadership that will ensure Colorado's safe passage through this brief battle with mediocrity.

While Forsberg has been strong, Colorado's best player so far this season has been Joe Sakic. The quiet captain has been phenomenal. He finally seems fully recovered from the leg injuries that hampered him the past two seasons and his skating like the Sakic of old; exploding through seams and stretching the defense with his speed. Sakic already has a league-high three short-handed goals and leads his team in scoring with five goals and 10 points. This is easily the best he's looked since carrying the Avalanche to the Cup in 1995-96.

Yes, the team's two premier superstars, while eager to accept responsibility, are not the reason for the early woes. Of the other notable stars, Lemieux and Kamensky were clearly not playing up to par. Lemieux was hardly noticeable on the ice. He wasn't playing with the fire and passion that has defined his career. If Claude isn't being nasty, he isn't being Claude. As for Kamensky, he fell into his usual trap of being content to skate on the periphery. He needs to work in traffic to be at his best. Hopefully the wake-up call by Hartley will get them both back on track.

The only other real scoring threat up front is Adam Deadmarsh. After missing the first two games of the season due to a strained rib cage muscle, Deadmarsh bagged a goal in each of his first three contests. He was an absolute terror against the Oilers, registering a goal and an assist while also dropping the gloves with Kelly Buchberger and Sean Brown. It's hard to find fault with anything Deadmarsh has done since returning. He's reportedly in the best shape of his life, and it shows. A consistent effort like the one against Edmonton and Deadmarsh will be an All-Star.

Hidden amidst the disappointment of the dismal start has been the undeniable promise of rookies Milan Hejduk and Chris Drury. Plain and simple, Hejduk is just a scorer. He's more than a little reminiscent of Luc Robitaille, except faster. Hejduk has exceptional hands, sees the entire ice, and owns a goal-scorer's touch around the net. He's going to be an offensive force. The same can be said for Drury. The former Hobey Baker winner isn't quite the shooter that Hejduk is, but he makes up for it with an abundance of quickness. Drury can flat out fly. Keep an eye on these two as the season progresses, they could provide the youthful exuberance the offense has lacked in the past.

The rest of the supporting cast, which includes Stephane Yelle, Keith Jones, Eric Lacroix, and Rene Corbet, is perfectly fine. Sure, Mike Keane and Mike Ricci may be missed, but their legends have been bolstered by their absences. And while everyone would like to point to the day that Chris Simon left as the beginning of Colorado's downfall, that's simply not true. Ask the Washington Capitals how much of an impact Simon makes on a regular basis. On the rare occasion when he isn't injured, Simon does little to warrant skating on anything but a fourth line. Warren Rychel and Jeff Odgers are perfectly capable of providing fourth-line toughness.

Of course, the obvious reason for Colorado's befuddling beginning would be the absence of Sandis Ozolinsh. The Latvian blueliner, who is the best offensive defenseman on the planet, remains unsigned. Any negotiating leverage GM Pierre Lacroix had was destroyed by the club's slow start. Ozolinsh's price is only going to increase with each passing loss. Now Lacroix is almost forced to be patient, waiting for the team to prove it can be successful without Sandis before restarting contract talks.

Trading Ozolinsh should be completely out of the question. There just isn't another player in the league that can bring what he can to this team. He needs to be signed. Colorado desperately misses his presence at the point. The Avalanche power play was 2-for-27 on the season before ripping the Oilers for three man- advantage goals in their lone win. In place of Ozolinsh, Hartley has been forced to employ Aaron Miller, Jon Klemm, and even recent call-up Ted Crowley at the point. Oh, the horror.

Aside from his tremendous offensive talent, Ozolinsh's absence further weakens an already depleted group of defensemen. The Avalanche blue line has taken some serious hits recently, losing Uwe Krupp to free agency, Eric Messier to a broken elbow, Pascal Trepanier to the waiver draft, and Wade Belak to a groin injury.

In need of more defensive depth, Lacroix acquired Greg de Vries from Nashville on October 25 in exchange for a third-round draft choice in 1999. A rather steady stay-at-home guy, de Vries should help solidify the top six with Adam Foote, Alexei Gusarov, Sylvain Lefebvre, Miller, and Klemm. But would someone please hand Ozolinsh a pen?

Even though the defense has seen better days, there's still no excuse for Patrick Roy's performance this season. He's been just awful, boasting a goals-against average of 3.69 and a league- worst .860 save percentage. Patrick could have his sainthood recanted if he continues to play such uninspired hockey.

Some would like to attribute Roy's numbers to the new restrictions on goaltending equipment, but that just isn't the case. No, it's nothing physical. All Roy's problems to this point have been between the ears. Maybe those Stanley Cup rings are getting in the way? He's openly admitted that he isn't as focused as he should be, often appearing completely uninterested in net. Whatever the reason for the malaise, it likely won't last. Patrick Roy didn't become Patrick Roy by not competing each and every night. He'll respond to the challenge.

With Forsberg and Sakic already rolling, and Lemieux and Kamensky on the verge of finding their strides, Colorado will be as good as new once Roy snaps out of it. Add Ozolinsh and they're right back in Contendersville.

When all is said and done, this time of grief could be the best thing that ever happened to the Avalanche. Hartley and the club could be forged through fire, creating the valuable team chemistry that was missing the past two years. Plus, it's always better to get this sort of thing out of the way now then during the postseason stretch. Let's face it, the Avalanche could probably forfeit all their games until Christmas and still make the playoffs. Remember, it's not how you start, it's how you finish. No sense getting all worked up over a few false steps in an 82-game marathon.

While the opposition is hoping that Colorado's miserable start is a sign of a true collapse, there's no need for the faithful to sweat it. Things will be just fine. When the Avalanche finally does fall, it's the rest of the league that will be buried.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: The above article was written before Phoenix throttled Colorado 5-1 Monday night. In light of these new developments, one thing must be added to the story... ahem... PANIC! FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, SOMEBODY DO SOMETHING! MAKE IT STOP! OH, PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP! FOR THE LOVE OF CULLEN, MAKE IT STOP!)