Edmonton, Alberta – After a year of no hockey, waking up Wednesday felt like Christmas morning for many Avalanche players.
“It was definitely a weird feeling, that it was finally here,” Avs veteran Steve Konowalchuk said. “Usually you feel that a little bit anyway before a first game, but this is more than a first game. We’ve been off for a year, and it’s exciting.”
Avs defenseman John-Michael Liles said his cellphone had “about a hundred messages” from people wanting to know how he was feeling about opening night.
Avs defender Rob Blake acknowledged having a hard time drifting off to sleep Tuesday.
“It’s great to be back in the dressing room on the day of a game, talking hockey again,” Blake said.
McLean back
It looked like center Brett McLean’s days with the Avs were over before they began, when he was placed on waivers Monday.
But since no NHL team took him, the Avs opted to retain his services and sent rookie forward Cody McCormick to Lowell of the American Hockey League on Tuesday.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” said McLean, who will make the NHL minimum $450,000. “There’s a lot of things that happen in this business that you don’t expect. … I want to be a part of this team.”
Footnote
Avs forwards Marek Svatos and Brad May did not play because of recurring groin problems. May skated for 10 minutes with the team in the morning. Svatos has not practiced with the team recently. He skated on his own briefly.
