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 .
For years, the Avs talked about having a core set of players – such as Patrick Roy, Joe Sakic and Peter Forsberg – around which they built their team. They might trade supporting players, but the Avs tried to keep the core together. My question: Do the Avs still have a core set of players? Or, by the Feb. 27 trade deadline, will everyone, except Sakic, be available in a trade?
— Wil Lovato, Missouri City, Texas
Wil – Good question, and I think the following right now are the “core” players: Sakic, Paul Stastny, Wojtek Wolski, John Liles and Peter Budaj.
I could be wrong about Budaj – they’d probably deal him if they could get a big-name goalie in return, but that didn’t work too well with Jose Theodore did it? People might be wondering why Milan Hejduk’s name isn’t mentioned, but I think the Avs might deal him if they felt they could get a big-time goalie or defenseman in return. Hejduk’s numbers haven’t quite been what the Avs hoped, and he’s making pretty big money, so anything’s possible with him.
Adrian – I’m a big fan of Ian Laperriere and the intensity he brings to the game. But with his low offensive numbers, are his other contributions to the team enough for management to keep him around? I would hate to see him go as much as I would hate to see the tough guy disappear from the new NHL.
— Ben V., Fort Collins
Ben – Everybody likes Laperriere. He’s great in the locker room, a real team guy. But, you’re right, the numbers are the numbers, and it has hurt the Avs this year that his goal-scoring is down. He’s also been part of a penalty-killing unit that hasn’t performed well, so facts are facts.
I doubt the Avs would trade him right now – or that another team would be hot to get him necessarily. I still think Laperriere could be big down the stretch, and that his season is salvageable, so let’s not throw him under the bus just yet.
Adrian – When Brad Richardson and Matt Carle were sent to the minors last week, it made me wonder about the NHL rules regarding the assignment of players to the minors. In baseball, a player can only be sent down a few times before he is out of “options,” meaning he can declare free agency rather than being sent down. Does the NHL have a similar system?
— Dave, Ken Caryl
Dave – No, NHL teams can send players to the minors as often as they like. They just have to, obviously, be paid the minimum, pro-rated $450,000 salary if they are ever on an NHL roster.
Speaking of Richardson, it surprised everybody when he was sent down to Albany last week. But it just goes to show how tough a coach Joel Quenneville really is. The media give him a reputation as kind of a buddy-buddy, player’s coach, but that’s not really the case. He’s tough – tough, but fair, which is why players respect him.
Richardson has too much talent to spend the rest of his career in the minors, but I’m sure his world was rocked pretty good when the move was made. But the Avs apparently weren’t too happy with his work on the penalty kill, and watching him play a lot, there were times he seemed to shy away from things physically a bit. Not a lot, but a bit. I think he’s a good player, though, and will be a better player when he makes his way back to the NHL.
You might wonder if he’s going to be possible trade bait at some point, however? He’s a young prospect
with some upside, but maybe the Avs will deal him as part of a package.
Do the players buy their own pads or are they supplied by the team for free? Is it their personal preference to wear whatever pads they want or is someone telling them which companies’ pads to wear? Thank you.
— Ed Clark, Salida
Ed – All equipment the players wear is supplied by the team. Or, supplied by the companies that make them, free of charge, in exchange for their use.
First, I love the Avs Mailbag! Thanks! My question: Why is Ned Flanders on the back of Peter Budaj’s helmet?
— Leo Lesperance, Boulder
Leo – Ned Flanders is the nickname given Budaj by one of the Avalanche’s equipment managers – a poke of fun at Budaj’s very Christian nature. As many Avs fans are aware, Budaj is a devout Christian, and Flanders’ character on “The Simpsons” is, too. In a comedic way. Budaj is a fan of the show, too, and decided to honor Flanders by putting him on the mask.
Can you estimate when Brad May will return from his shoulder injury?
— Ed Lisinski, Scottsdale, Ariz.
Ed – I talked to May a few days ago, and it’s probably going to be mid-February to early March before he’s back. The question is, how much, if any, ice time will he get? Will the Avs want to insert a tough guy that hasn’t played all year into the lineup, with the playoff chase likely very hot by then? We’ll see.
Any word yet on the make-up date for the game against the Flames that was cancelled by snow just before Christmas? I’ve been trying to figure it out myself and haven’t seen any official notification.
— Todd, Boise, Idaho
Todd – It’s April 8 at the Pepsi Center. Perhaps your Denver Post wasn’t delivered that day because of the blizzard, when we ran it?
Hi, Adrian. I’m noticing all the referees and linesmen are wearing helmets this year. New rule? Also, does Kerry Fraser’s hair qualify as a helmet?
— Scot Bogart, Evergreen
Scot – Yes, it is a new rule that referees and linesmen must wear helmets. It was put in place last summer, as part of a new four-year contract for NHL officials.
Yes, Fraser’s hair does qualify as a helmet. His wind-tunnel, unmovable hairdo was long a source of NHL humor, but that is gone with the new rule. Fraser could not ref the first couple months of the season because of a knee injury, but he’s back and has to wear the helmet like the rest. He was one of the last NHL refs to go without the helmet. Mick McGeough did not wear one, either.
Incidentally, , done by the Canadian network TSN.
Mr. Dater: I am currently finishing a book about latter-day NHL defensemen. All that is now left is the chapter about Ray Bourque. I was wondering if you or anyone on The Denver Post’s staff would have any favorite anecdotes about Ray’s year in Denver, as he helped the Avalanche win the Cup. Any stories would be most helpful.
— Glenn Wilkins, Barrie, Ontario
Glenn – Wow, well OK, this is certainly a new world, but here goes: One of my favorites is of the night the Avs won the Cup, and Bourque had the Stanley Cup on his street in Littleton, for a late-night neighborhood celebration. Bourque’s neighbor just happened to be a big Devils fan, though, and even flew a Devils flag in the yard. That night, Bourque and his kids knocked on their door, woke them up and invited them out for the “celebration.” Turns out everybody was gracious about it, and the neighbor was grateful to be part of the fun.
I did an article for The Post about it back then.
Bourque had the biggest thighs I ever saw on a hockey player. They were massive, almost freakish looking. I also tried to buy him a drink one night in a bar in Columbus, but he wouldn’t hear of it. He bought one instead for me and a couple other hangers-on hockey fans, and ended up talking pucks with them for a while, while their jaws were hitting the floor in awe.
Adrian – How about a quick breakdown of Avs roommates on the road? Thanks!
— Chelle, Fargo, N.D.
Chelle – I’ll give you the ones I know off-hand. As you know, players with 600 or more games now of NHL experience get to have their own rooms on the road. So, players like Sakic, Andrew Brunette, Patrice Brisebois, Laperriere, etc., are solo on the road now.
But I know that Ossi Vaananen rooms with Antti Laaksonen; Tyler Arnason rooms with Brett Clark; and I believe Kurt Sauer was rooming with Paul Stastny last I knew.
Hey, Adrian. Is the Avs Mailbag printed in the actual newspaper? Thanks for your reply!
— buGG, Denver
No, it is not. It is the exclusive property DenverPost.com. And we’re talking, EXCLUSIVE.
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 .
