Calgary, Alberta – Alex Tanguay bit his tongue long enough. After his new team, the Calgary Flames, laid it to the Avalanche 5-2 on Tuesday night, the former Avs winger took a few parting shots at Colorado management.
Tanguay said he was offended at what he believed were Avalanche intimations that his salary demands were too high, and the main reason he was traded.
“They kind of made it sound like it was a money issue, and it really was not a money issue. They never offered me any money,” said Tanguay, who had a goal and assist. “There’s other players making as much money as me on (Colorado), so it was just a matter of not wanting me. I wish they had maybe been a little more straightforward with the media for that.”
Tanguay, making $5 million this season in the first year of a three- year contract, made $3.23 million with Colorado in 2005-06. The Avs felt they couldn’t afford him at the $5 million mark and shipped him for Jordan Leopold and two second-round draft picks.
“But overall I’ve got no hard feelings,” Tanguay said. “It’s a great organization, and I had a great time there. It’s part of hockey, I guess.”
Tanguay said it was “very strange” playing against the Avs for the first time.
“Hopefully it’ll be eight wins for us (against Colorado). That’s what I’d really like. It’s a team we need to be really good against, because they’re in our division,” he said.
Hejduk back
Despite not being able to eat for nearly three straight days, Avs winger Milan Hejduk returned to the lineup after a stomach flu virus.
Hejduk played on a line with Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski.
Footnotes
For the first time this season, Avs winger Antti Laaksonen was a healthy scratch. Laaksonen has one point in 22 games and is minus-3. Kurt Sauer was the Avs’ other healthy scratch. … The Avs will practice in Calgary today. … Stastny had to leave Tuesday’s game briefly in the third period after taking a stick to the face. The rookie suffered no serious injury.
