Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posted his Avs Mailbag each Monday during the 2005-06 NHL season on DenverPost.com. A season finale will soon follow the conclusion of the Avalanche season.
To drop a question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Is there any background on why Jose Theodore wears No. 60?
— Rich Pickowitz, La Quinta, Calif.
Rich – Theodore used to wear No. 33 in junior, and three is his “lucky” number, he said. But he obviously couldn’t wear 33 with Montreal, because Patrick Roy had it and likely will see the number retired to the rafters some day there. Why it hasn’t been already is a mystery to me. Is there really any bitterness left over from his trade here 11 years ago? There shouldn’t be.
Without 33 to choose from and with many other numbers retired previously by the Canadiens, Theodore was given a list of available numbers by the team. He said he just thought the number 60 looked intriguing for some reason – why, he doesn’t really know – so he took it and has stuck with it.
Which of the guys who played in the AHL (Lowell) or ECHL (San Diego) have legitimate shots at cracking the Avalanche lineup in the next few years?
— Jonathan Deforge, Ayer, Mass.
Jonathan – I would say defenseman Johnny Boychuk has a decent shot at making the Avs next season, possibly taking the roster spot of a Bob Boughner or Kurt Sauer. He’s a physical D-man, something the Avs could use a little more of. Karlis Skrastins will be an unrestricted free agent this summer, too, and there’s a danger the Avs could lose him.
Would it really be that bad to face Dallas in the playoffs? Without its shootout record, Dallas would just barely be winning its division, and both of our losses this year to Dallas have been in shootouts. Personally, I think that Dallas will be the team upset in the first round, and I’m not too worried if the Avs face them.
— Brandon, Denver
Brandon – Well, I think the Avs would still be the underdog, but I agree that it would be much more preferable for them to play Dallas than Detroit. Dallas did get a lot of extra points from the shootout, ones they won’t be able to get in the playoffs. But they also got the points for a reason, namely the clutch goaltending of Marty Turco. While Turco has not had a good playoff record in his career, he’s got a better team in front of him than the one that lost to Colorado in the first round of the 2004 playoffs. The forwards are a lot quicker, and the defense has been better than a lot of people thought. Still, Dallas does have a couple of weaknesses. I think they’re still a little too old on defense, and sometimes they take a lot of dumb penalties.
Greetings, Adrian. I’m a bit confused about the contract situation with Jose Theodore as it pertains to this year’s salary cap. The impression given was that because he was on the injured list when he was acquired, he could not play until the playoffs, otherwise his $4 million-plus salary would put the Avs over the cap. Can you clarify? Love the Mailbag!
— Robert Tucker, Pueblo
Robert – No, his cap average $5.3 million salary did not put the Avs over the salary cap, mostly because they had Steve Konowalchuk, Marek Svatos and Ossi Vaananen out with long-term injuries – which eliminated their salaries from cap consideration. The loss of David Aebischer also freed up $1.9 million in cap room.
As it stands now, the Avs are right up against the cap, which is why they can’t suit up rookie star Wojtek Wolski for either of the team’s final two regular-season games. Once the playoffs start, there is no more salary cap, and Wolski can join the team.
Hi, Adrian. How is Steve Konowalchuk progressing from his injury? Any chance that he can return this season? Thanks.
— Brian, St. Catharines, Ontario
Brian – I talked to Konowalchuk in the locker room the other night in Calgary. He’s traveling with the team, but isn’t expected to be able to play before at least the third round of the playoffs. Even then, if the Avs made it that far, it’s probably still a long shot he’d actually suit up. He’d have quite a bit of rust, etc. But he has said that by the third round, he might be sufficiently recovered from wrist surgery to give it a go. So, we’ll see.
What’s the deal with Milan Hejduk this season? I keep waiting for him to break out of his season-long scoring slump, but it doesn’t seem to be in the cards. … Perhaps this is another ill effect of losing Peter Forsberg?
— Patrick Moore, Englewood
Patrick – You’re right, it hasn’t been a great season for Hejduk and it has hurt the team some. He had a pretty good month of March, but has been quiet for too many games down the stretch – particularly in . He won’t admit it, but it looks like he’s lost just a hair of speed since his preseason knee surgery. He doesn’t seem to be able to dart in and out of traffic as easily as he once did. He’s still a dangerous player for the opposition, of course. But Hejduk must better his production if the Avs are to have any hope at all of getting out of the first round of the playoffs.
A.D. – How many sticks does a player go through each season? And what do they do with the used ones? Thanks.
— Bryan, Denver
Bryan – It depends, but the average player probably goes through 7-10 sticks a season, give or take a few. The new composite sticks are lighter and give a little more heft to slap-shot speeds, but have a tendency to break a lot.
When a stick is broken, it is usually just thrown in the trash. Occasionally, teams might give them to fans in charity auctions, etc., but not much.
Adrian – I’m a big Theodore fan. I was disappointed when he was traded. Do you think he can bounce back and become a great goalie, or do you think he will stay the same? Do you think it was a good trade (David Aebischer for Theodore)?
— Stephanie, Montreal
Stephanie – I went on record at the time of the trade that I thought it was one the Avs should have made. While Aebischer is a good goalie and has started to play well for Montreal (it’s going to be a good controversy there as to who is the No. 1 goalie in the playoffs), I think Theodore’s skill level is such that it was a good gamble for Pierre Lacroix to take.
The Avs got a former MVP and Vezina winner for a goalie that was riding the bench just a few months ago, straight up. Yes, Theodore was awful for the Canadiens this season, but I think his presence gives the Avs more of a potential stopper in net. When Theodore gets hot, history has shown he can really carry a team for a good long while. Overall, I think the trade was a
good one for the Avs.
Adrian – Do you feel that the schedule heavily weighted toward teams within the division will last in the NHL? I would love to see a home-and-home series with every Eastern Conference team. Is this possible or will they stick with playing within the division more?
— Tom McKenna, Midland, Texas
Tom – Good question, but I think the answer is no, the league won’t go back to a home-and-home with the other conference for a long time. I think the league is pleased with how much parity there was this season, particularly in the Western Conference, and of the “important” division games there were down the stretch. You only have to look at the Avalanche and its battle with Northwest Division rivals to see that.
I miss seeing some of the Eastern teams on a yearly basis myself. But the fact is that some of those non-conference games were a bit sloppy in the past. The teams that only saw each other once or twice a year sometimes looked tentative and there wasn’t much room for hate to grow between the teams.
What can you tell us about Theodore’s helmet design? Are those gargoyles?
— Jeff Osgood, Wooster, Ohio
Jeff – No, they look more like screaming dragons. Whatever the creature is, it is a fearsome looking thing, breathing fire. Goalie masks are works of art in themselves – a unique, fun thing about the NHL.
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 .
