Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag each Wednesday during the 2006-07 NHL season on DenverPost.com.
To drop a question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
What’s happened to the Northwest Division? What used to be the most competitive division in the league is now the home of mediocrity. Has the cap really hit everyone that hard?
— Brandon Lende, Carrington, N.D.
Brandon – I think you mean that there is no single great team anymore, but you can’t argue it’s still not the most competitive. One look at the point differential between the first- and last-place teams is proof of that.
The cap has hit the Avs pretty hard, of course, for reasons we’ve been over many times before. Calgary is still a pretty good team, I think, and might put some space between it and the rest of the division before long. I thought Edmonton would be better than it’s been, but when you lose a Chris Pronger, because his wife doesn’t like the city anymore, it’s a big loss. Minnesota is better than last year, and it’s still in the hunt – even though Marian Gaborik has been out of the lineup for a while.
It’s a good division, but one that has lacked a powerhouse team this season.
The Avs lost a lot of stars. The attendance streak ended. Most don’t see them making it to the postseason. Am I the only one who thinks this is actually the most exciting (young and hungry) squad since the mid-’90s? There are defensive concerns to be sure, but this has been a surprisingly fun season so far. What do you think?
— Peter Dukes, Burbank, Calif.
Peter – I think last year’s team was more exciting and fun to watch. The best part about this year has been watching Paul Stastny and Wojtek Wolski grow every night, as rookies. Stastny is a great new addition to the
team, and Wolski has been great of late.
But this year’s team has brutal penalty killing, and the power play isn’t as good without Rob Blake at the point. The defense has been bad at times, and the goaltending – well, let’s just say it’s been spotty, especially when No. 60 has been in the net.
This year’s team has blown a lot of home games it should have won. Last year, they were tremendous at home. They’re not as consistent as last year. For those reasons, I think last year was the more enjoyable
team to watch.
Adrian – After , my has gone from bad to worse. He’s a huge cap liability, shaky at the best of times, and the cheers for Peter Budaj last Wednesday were nothing short of thunderous. What can be done with Theodore?
— Ryan, Louisville
Ryan – Really, nothing. Unless they find a team that wants a $5.5 million goalie, one that isn’t playing right now and hasn’t shown any consistency for a couple years now, they will be stuck with him through 2007-08.
That Dallas game really set the team back, and Theodore. He hasn’t played since, and I believe he is officially the backup goalie now to Budaj – not just somebody in a regular rotation. I believe Joel Quenneville lost a lot of faith in Theodore that night. He allowed five goals on 22 shots, and almost none of the Stars’ chances were all that great.
We have seen so far the impact of Pierre Turgeon being back in the lineup. Barring injury, do you think he will be a strong force like this all year?
— Derek, Fresno, Calif.
Derek – Turgeon has not been too productive of late, after a great start. I don’t think the words “strong force” will ever apply to No. 87 again in the NHL. But he’s been a nice addition to the lineup, and practically won a couple of games by himself when he first came back.
Turgeon is still a great passer. He is amazing from behind the net or in the corners with the puck. He always seems to set up a guy for a good chance when he has a little time with the puck. But with his age and injury history, you can’t expect him to be able to dominate every night, or in long stretches of games anymore.
Do you ever hear French spoken in the Avs locker room or on the ice with the French-Canadians?
— Emeric, Paris
Emeric – Oui, monsieur. All the time. It just makes me mad that I took four years of French in
high school and can barely say hi to anyone in the language. The French-Canadian players almost always talk in French together. It’s been that way for a long time around the Avs, with management having been primarily French-Canadian.
Patrick Roy used to always speak in French to the team’s media relations director, Jean Martineau. Patrice
Brisebois and Ian Laperriere always talk in their native tongue together, along with Jose Theodore.
And I can’t understand a word of it. Typical American, right?
Hi, Adrian. I love your Avs Mailbag. We get to learn so much about you and your knowledge of the Avs. Can you please give a report card for the Avs as of today (offense, defense, goalie and special teams). What do they need to change to make the playoffs?
— George Wagg, Cranbrook, British Columbia
George – Thanks for reading.
Here’s a quick report card:
Offense: B-plus. It would be an A if guys like Milan Hejduk, Marek Svatos and Ian Laperriere were having better years.
Defense: C. Too soft a lot of the time, too easily hemmed in their own zone. Yet, most guys are durable and can skate with the puck.
Goaltending: C. Theodore would be a D, Budaj a B, so there’s your average.
Special teams: D. An F for penalty killing, C for power play.
How many strides can a player take before checking an opposing player once the opposing player has released the puck?
— Scott, Arvada
Scott – There’s no set rule for the number of strides a player can take before hitting a guy without the puck. It’s a judgment call by the referee whether the checker might be called for charging or whatnot.
Generally, an interference or charging call will result if a player hits another with the puck somewhere far from them.
Hey, Adrian. As an avid reader of your Avs Mailbag, I notice that typically 50 percent or more of your questions come from outside the state of Colorado. Do you pick these out-of-state questions intentionally or do you simply receive more questions from out-of-staters? Thanks. P.S. My guess is Joe Sakic will be at 608 goals at the end of regular season.
— Brian A., Orlando, Fla.
Brian – The magnificent Bryan Boyle is the man in charge of picking the questions and sending me a batch every week. Bryan works at The Post, and we’ve done this Mailbag together from Day One.
Bryan informs me that there are simply many displaced Avs fans out there. He doesn’t pick them over local questions as a rule, or vice versa. It’s just that perhaps out-of-towners like yourself appreciate this kind of mailbag service than the people who get to see the team here every week, etc.
I think Sakic will get to 600, for sure, but we’ll see about 608.
Adrian Dater can be heard every Wednesday from 4-5 p.m. for “The Puck Stops Here” on KLZ 560 AM. Adrian 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 .
