Calgary, Alberta – Joe Sakic walked into the front lobby of the Fairmont Palliser hotel Wednesday morning with a touque – a French-Canadian word for ski hat – pulled tightly over his head.
For the Avalanche captain and his teammates, it was time for a short, cold bus ride for practice at the old Calgary Corral, a 7,200-seat arena that used to be home to the NHL Flames and several minor-league and junior teams.
At the last minute, the Avs’ planned pratice at the Corral was changed, as ice opened up
at the Pengrowth Saddledome and the team practiced there. That no
doubt disappointed some Avs players who had some ties to the Corral.
“It was a great junior barn,” Sakic said. “I played there a few times. Lit it up.”
Sakic was not the only Avs player with some ties to the Corral. Mark Rycroft’s father, Al, played there for the old Calgary Stampeders of the WHL in 1970, and Paul Stastny’s father, Peter, and his uncles played there for the Quebec Nordiques.
Avalanche players were embarrassed by their 5-2 loss to the Flames. It was one of the quieter Avs dressing rooms following a loss this season. It was another recent failed attempt at stringing together at least three solid games in a row, at the start of an important three-game Northwest Division road trip.
“We’ve got to get some points on this trip,” said Avs right wing Milan Hejduk, weakened recently by the flu. “We’ve got to be a lot better than we were (Tuesday) and regroup.”
Sakic called the loss “one of the worst games we’ve played in quite a while,” but cited the team’s resiliency over the years following tough times. The Avs will not implode over one loss, he said.
“We can put this behind us and play a lot better,” Sakic said. “These are important games and we know that. We’ve got a good hockey team and can beat anybody when we play like we can.”
Budaj in net
Coach Joel Quenneville said Peter Budaj will get the start in goal tonight against the Edmonton Oilers.
Budaj played three straight games before sitting out the past three games in favor of Jose Theodore.
Dwayne Roloson, who has beaten the Avs twice at the Pepsi Center this season, will start for Edmonton.
Adrian Dater can be reached at 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com.
