Any great hockey line needs a nickname. So, what to call the Avalanche’s potent new trio of Milan Hejduk, Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski?
Hejduk is a native of the Czech Republic. Stastny is Canadian. Wolski was born in Poland. The Three Nations Line, then? It has been done.
It’s tough to come up with a catchy acronym when there are no vowels among the first letters of the first or last names of each player. The “HSW Line” doesn’t have much of a ring, does it?
For now, the best thing to call the recently formed line is a darned good one. Since Avalanche coach Joel Quenne- ville moved Hejduk off a line with Joe Sakic and Andrew Brunette and placed him alongside rookies Wolski and Stastny, the team’s offensive fortunes have improved.
“I’ve been watching them play lately, and it’s a real nice combination for Colorado. I really like that Stastny kid,” former Detroit Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman said of the son of Hall of Famer Peter Stastny. “I saw him play at the World Championships last year, and he really looked good. Very smart player, a lot like his dad.”
Although the Avs have lost two of their past three games, it hasn’t been the offense’s fault. Colorado has scored 14 goals in that span, and the Hejduk- Stastny-Wolski line has done much of the damage.
The threesome has combined for at least two points in those games, including eight in a 6-1 victory over Los Angeles on Monday night.
Anchoring the line is the “old man,” Hejduk, who at 30 has a decade on Wolski and nine years on Stastny.
“Yes, now I feel old!” Hejduk said, laughing. “But you know what? I really like playing with these guys. I feel like maybe it’s a good thing for me, to be the older guy on the line. It’s been a lot of fun. They’re two real good players, and I think it makes me feel more responsible for things.”
Hejduk enjoys feeling like the veteran leader after mostly playing on a line with ageless Avalanche star and captain, Joe Sakic. How do you top Sakic, in almost any hockey area? You don’t.
“I mean, I can’t complain about playing with Joe,” Hejduk said. “We had some success together, for sure. But when I got moved to playing with these two guys, things worked out pretty well, at least so far.”
What has made the line so good is the ability of each player to control the puck. Wolski is the power forward, able to grind in the corners with the puck and finish plays around the net.
Hejduk is one of the NHL’s premier finishers, with what former Avs coach Bob Hartley called “magic hands.” Stastny is the playmaker, the baby-faced kid with poise beyond his years.
Stastny, a former University of Denver player, has nine points in his first 10 games and is an early candidate, along with Wolski, for the Calder Trophy as the NHL rookie of the year. Stastny credits Hejduk for much of his early success.
“Hedgie is just so great to play with. He’s got such soft hands, and he’s such a great skater,” Stastny said. “And he’s tough, too. He doesn’t back down from anybody, and he’s just real strong with the puck. I definitely think it’s an honor to play with him.”
Wolski, 20, has developed a great on-ice chemistry with Stastny. Wolski is 6-feet-3, but slippery with the puck. He bounces off checks, despite not being strong enough to hold his ground in front of the net.
Stastny is just as slippery, always with his head up and anticipating where the puck will go next.
“He’s a very smart player,” Wolski said of Stastny. “It seems like he’s already been in the league for years. He’s just real calm with the puck. That’s something that’s hard to do.”
Hejduk, a father of twins, sounds like a papa when talking about his young linemates.
“I’m really enjoying this,” he said. “I hope we can continue this for a long time.”
Staff writer Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
