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 .
Adrian – I was at , and it didn’t seem like they we winning any faceoffs. With the new rules, you really want to start out with puck. Do you see them bringing in a faceoff guy ( from St. Louis is available, I hear)?
— Sean O’Connor, Denver
Sean – Faceoffs are an issue with the Avs, in a negative way. The team was 25th in the league in winning them as of Saturday (48.5 percent). The loss of Andrei Nikolishin hurt the team in that department. I don’t think you’ll see the Avs go out looking for a guy just to win faceoffs, however, not in the new salary-cap environment.
The Avs should have picked up this summer when they had the chance. He is far and away the best faceoff man in the league, and was without a team for a while until Nashville snapped him up. Now, Nashville is the No. 2 team in the league winning faceoffs.
I am confused about all the different “leagues” in hockey minors. Is there a difference in style, talent level, etc., between all the different “leagues?” Is there some sort of hierarchy like in baseball, where there’s Class A, Class AA and Class AAA?
— JC, Brooklyn, N.Y.
JC – Yes, quite a difference. The minor-pro leagues – such as the AHL, ECHL and the various leagues such as the one the Colorado Eagles play, the CHL – all have different talent levels. The AHL has the best talent of any minor-pro league. Most teams in the AHL serve as the “farm team” of NHL clubs. The Lowell Lock Monsters serve as the Avs’ top minor-pro affiliate.
The CHL probably has some of the least talent. Most players in that league don’t have much hope of ever making the NHL.
The other top hockey leagues are the major junior teams, but they are not pro leagues. There you’ll find most of tomorrow’s NHL stars.
Then, of course, there are the many European pro leagues. It’s surprising how many hockey leagues there are besides the NHL.
With a little room under the salary cap, what do you see the Avs doing, if anything, before the trade deadline?
— Rick Sallee, Camp Red Cloud, South Korea
Rick – Well, there’s not much the Avs can do as far as importing players. Unless the Avs make an apples-to-apples type of trade, where players of near or equal salary are matched, the Avs can’t make a big splash with a rental player like they have in the past. They have a little less than $2 million to play with, though, which could get a nice forward. They need a second-line winger to replace Steve Konowalchuk for the stretch drive. I expect them to get a veteran such as a or for the second line. I don’t think you’ll see any blockbusters involving a goalie, but you learn never to say never with this team.
I have noticed that when the Avs are called for offsides in the offensive zone, about 80 percent of the time it is Alex Tanguay who is the player in the zone well ahead of the puck. Have the coaches ever addressed this with Alex?
— Mary Ellen, Albany, N.Y.
Mary Ellen – Good observation. Yes, Tanguay is caught offsides a lot. And, yes, the coaches do talk to him about it. I don’t think it’s a huge problem with the team, but it is an astute observation. Tanguay tends to dipsy doodle with the puck a lot around the blue line, trying to set other players up. Sometimes, that puts either him or the other player offside.
Adrian – I realize that David Aebischer has played much better since the first of the year, playing a large part in the Avs’ recent surge. Also, coincidentally, Brad May has missed the last 10 games. Do you think this has anything to do with the recent streak? Is his not being on the bench any indication of a recessed psychological effect on the team?
— Josh, Westborough, Mass.
Josh – No, I think that’s a reach. May is not enough of a difference either way to pin things on him. True, he is a minus-10, which is not a good number. But the reason the Avs went on a winning streak was because Aebischer regained his mojo, and the defense was better as a whole. Lately, the defense hasn’t been quite as good. Aebischer has allowed four goals in three of his last four starts, but is still playing well overall.
May doesn’t get a lot of ice time. His presence is not a distraction in the dressing room. Players don’t care anymore about the Moore-Bertuzzi incident. They don’t think about it, unless the media or fans bring it up.
Adrian – Displaced Avs Fans from Florida (DAFF) have a question: Do a player’s career stats include his play in the Olympics?
— Jax Bubis, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
DAFF – How’s the weather? Unfortunately, the Avs don’t get to go to Florida this year. Not only is the weather great, the Avs have never lost there – against the Panthers in Florida, that is.
No, players’ Olympic stats are not included in their NHL numbers. They are compiled, but not added to the NHL.
I’m fairly new to the Avs Mailbag and find the questions and answers interesting. Keep up the good work. Can you enlighten me on how the “plus/minus” stat is figured? Some players have two points and still end up with a negative or zero status for the game.
— Rich Carlson, Westminster
Rich – A player on the ice for an even-strength goal (non power-play or short-handed) gets a plus-1. Players on the ice for an even-strength goal against, or while they are ON the power play for a goal against, get a minus-1. There is no plus-1 added to a player who is on the ice for his team’s power-play goal, and vice versa.
Hi, Adrian. Do you think that David Aebischer has a lack of focus at the start of games? Against Toronto, Chicago and Detroit, he gave up a goal in the first minute in each game. Thanks.
— Brian, St. Catharines, Ontario
Brian – It’s a fair question, but Aebischer has improved in this area from his rookie year. He allowed an amazing number of goals on the first shot of the game in that year. It was something like five out of eight games at one point.
Obviously, it still happens with him, but he didn’t allow anything early against and generally has been good early in games lately. I think it’s more of a fluke in timing more than anything.
And, it’s better to allow the early goal than the late one, when your team really needs big saves. Peter Budaj has allowed a lot of late goals this season, most recently against Dallas. That cost Colorado a valuable point.
Hi, Adrian. Longtime Avs/Nords fan here. It’s been a while since Steve Konowalchuk was injured. Are there any updates on his condition?
— Matt, Moncton, New Brunswick
Matt – Konowalchuk will not be back this season. The doctors told him his severed wrist tendons would need six full months to recover from surgery, with no exceptions. So, he won’t be back until next season.
Hi, Adrian. Love the Avs Mailbag and have been reading it for the last couple of years. I’ve been an Avs fan from their start back in Quebec and was there through the tough times (and there were many). What are your thoughts on the fan base in Colorado, should the Avs go through some tough years where they don’t make the playoffs and just plain stink? The reason I
ask is since the NHL’s Rockies moved from Denver, are the chances still pretty high that the Avs might?
— Dan Dunsmore, London, Ontario
Dan – No, there is no chance the Avs will be moving to another city, a la the old Rockies. I mean, anything is possible. Stan Kroenke could lose all his money and put them up for sale, but I’m sure a new owner would want to keep the team here in what is a good hockey market.
Avalanche fans have yet to have a stinker of a team. Of course, attendance and interest will slide some when that happens. I mean, Detroit had half-empty buildings in the 1980s when the Red Wings stunk, but nobody ever dumps on “Hockeytown” for that.
Avs fans have been spoiled, and I’m sure some will accuse them of being “fair weather” fans if the team doesn’t sell out every night when they go bad. But every team’s fans can be accused of that at some point.
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 .
