Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag each Monday during the 2005-06 NHL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Does Avalanche general manager Pierre Lacroix go on road trips or does he stay behind in Denver?
— Chris, Arvada
Chris – No, Pierre is usually on the road with the team. Sometimes he’s on the road elsewhere for NHL league meetings or occasional scouting trips, but most of the time he watches the Avs on the road from a box high up in the arena. He watches very intensely, as most GMs do.
I just watched the Calgary game – the Avs lose yet another shootout. Any idea why Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville insists on having Alex Tanguay, Joe Sakic and Milan Hejduk shoot? I know they constitute the top line, but none has scored yet.
— Joe, Colorado Springs
Joe – Well, I don’t think you can just give up on those three guys already. All three are stars who can put the biscuit in the basket. Yes, the Avs have looked positively awful in shootouts so far, but it’s a long season. , with the start he’s off to. But I still like my chances anytime a Sakic, Hejduk or Tanguay takes a shot in a shootout. The real problem for the Avs so far has been the goaltending in the shootouts. Peter Budaj has only stopped one shot so far.
What are your thoughts on today’s violence in the NHL and how it relates to Steve Moore’s incident?
— Martin, Richibucto, New Brunswick
Martin – There have been no incidents this season of the kind that happened in Vancouver in March 2004. And let’s hope it stays that way.
Nevertheless, there is still violence in the sport, and always will be. Just Saturday night, Ryan Flinn of the Kings was severely injured after his head hit the ice after a fight with a Chicago player.
The crackdown on obstruction has lessened the degree of hard hits in the NHL. I don’t have scientific proof of that, but it seems obvious.
With all the changes to create more scoring (smaller goaltending pads, no two-line pass, so on and so on), the records for goals in a season and points in a season will likely be broken. If this happens, will those records be as sacred as when Wayne Gretzky achieved them without all the “advantages” of these new rules?
— Derek Escobar, Denver
Derek – No, I don’t think Gretzky’s single-season records will ever be broken. He scored 92 goals in 1981-82, and 215 points in 1985-86. Even with the new rules, I don’t think anybody will touch those.
But Gretzky probably wouldn’t have gotten those kinds of numbers in the last 10 years, even if he was in his prime. The clutching and grabbing would have slowed him down, too. Gretzky came into the league when goalies had skinner equipment, even by today’s standards. So, he had some breaks, too, just like today’s young scorers. But he is still the Great One. He would have thrived in any era.
Could you explain why the officials will sometimes “chase” a player out of the faceoff circle and have another player step in?
— Robert Ford, Colorado Springs
Robert – It’s almost always because one of the centermen moved too quickly before the linesman dropped the puck. They have to come “set” before the puck is dropped and aren’t supposed to cheat too quickly with their movements. But it happens all the time. Sometimes the linesman lets it go; sometimes he’ll be a stickler and kick them out.
In your opinion, which hockey board game is/was the best on the market? Thanks.
— Jim Rich, Galesburg, Ill.
Jim – Hockey “board” game, as in an actual board? I’m not sure they make those anymore, but if you’re referring to video games, I became quite an expert on them during the lockout. At The Denver Post, we ran a virtual game story of every Avs’ canceled game from the lockout, using two kids playing against each other on an ESPN game using an Xbox. I was amazed at how lifelike the game seemed, and the play-by-play technology.
When I was a boy, way back when, we had “twist-em” hockey games. And I don’t mind saying nobody could touch me. They were games where players could be moved around using long, skinny steel rods, passing a small puck around. I had a fancy one, where you could drop the puck through a scoreboard over center ice and it would fall into the center ice faceoff dot. I should look around for one on eBay and get it, for old time’s sake. I buy a lot of old stuff I had as a kid on eBay, so you have just given me a good idea here. Today, the “bubble hockey” games are great, too. They are bigger versions of twist-em hockey, and I’m tough to beat on those, too. Anybody from the Avs Mailbag universe who wants to take me on some day, you know where to find me.
Simple question from a big Avs fan: Why can’t this team of highly paid professionals play for a full three periods?
— Rob, Honolulu
Rob – Shouldn’t you be out hanging 10 instead of worrying about the Avs?
But, look, in the new NHL, having a dominant 60-minute performance is tougher. With all the penalties being called, one team or the other is on its heels for good portions of a game now.
This Avalanche team is no exception. It’s not the dominant team of the past, with losses in key personnel over the years. I think they’ve had a couple of such games this year, though. The early-season win over Calgary was pretty dominant, as was a victory in Dallas.
Good morning, Mr. Dater. Are you already a member of the ? Greetings from Switzerland.
— Haeberli Ernst, Lyss, Switzerland
Haeberli – Uh, well no. Newspapers frown on sports writers being “fans” of the players they cover, so you won’t find my name in Abby’s fan club. That said, I enjoy talking to Abby and covering him. He’s a good guy and has played well for this team for the most part.
Abby is very popular in his hometown of Fribourg. The local paper there covers him on a regular basis still, and he’s had large numbers of Swiss fans in the stands cheering for him at the Pepsi Center before. They are always fun to watch – a loud, drum-banging bunch.
After Joe Sakic’s inevitable retirement, who do you foresee donning the captain’s “C” for the Avs?
— Osama Ahmed, Denver
Osama – I’ve been asked that before, and I previously said Dan Hinote might get the C. But now as I think about it more, I might be tempted to go with a guy like John Liles. He’s young, and pretty vocal in the dressing room, so he’d be good captain material. Or, a player such as Steve Konowalchuk – if he’s still playing in a few years – would be a worthy choice.
Hi, Adrian. My husband and I are huge Avs fans out here in Pittsburgh and are faithful Avs Mailbag readers. In response to Will Ledesma’s question about what Bryan Trottier is up to now, he’s been working as a postgame analyst for the Pens on Fox Sports Pittsburgh. Good to see he’s still involved in the sport, and it’s great to have him back in a city where he played and was loved. Keep up the great work, and go Avs!
— Jennifer Schiavoni, Pittsburgh
Jennifer – Once again, the Mailbag community comes through. We have a big tent here in the Mailbag, and you are always quick to point out stuff my harried brain doesn’t remember.
I’m glad Trots is still around the rink. He’d be a great studio analyst, I’m sure. He was such a great player partly because he was so smart, a real student of the game.
Adrian Dater has covered the Colorado Avalanche since the team moved to Denver in 1995. To drop a question into his Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
