CHL ALL-STAR GAME
The Central Hockey League has no direct affiliation with the Stanley Cup, but the CHL and North America’s most precious traveling trophy will come together this week in Broomfield.
The CHL’s Rocky Mountain Rage is hosting the league’s All-Star Game at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Broomfield Event Center, and the Stanley Cup will share the spotlight beginning Tuesday.
The game will have three participating Rage players and two from the Colorado Eagles of Loveland.
Rocky Mountain coach Tracy Egeland will be the bench boss for the Northern Conference all-stars, and former Avalanche winger Eric Lacroix, the co-owner and assistant coach of the Arizona Sundogs, will help direct the Southern Conference team.
Fans can mingle with players and take pictures with the Stanley Cup at the arena beginning at 4:30 p.m.
“The entire CHL will be celebrating the game of hockey in the coming week, and it is an honor to have such a symbol of hockey in our building for this all-star event,” Rick Nichols of Broomfield Sports and Entertainment said in a release.
The Stanley Cup will be on display Tuesday with a banquet at the arena featuring the all-star players and coaches and comedian Josh Blue, winner of the 2006 “Last Comic Standing” on NBC.
Following Wednesday’s game, fans are invited to the postgame party at the nearby Omni Interlocken Resort, where players, coaches and CHL executives will gather. The jerseys from the three Rage all-stars — forwards Brent Cullaton and Scott Wray and defenseman Tyler Butler — will be auctioned.
The Eagles’ all-stars are forward Greg Pankewicz and defenseman Aaron Schneekloth.
For tickets to the banquet or All-Star Game, visit or call 303-830-TIXS.
TV GAMES OF THE WEEK
Football at its finest.
The Patriots (17-0) are one game away from the Super Bowl, and two wins shy of becoming legends. New England, tied with the 1972 Super Bowl-winning Miami Dolphins for the most single- season wins in NFL history, hosts the white-hot San Diego Chargers on Sunday at 1 p.m. for the AFC championship (KCNC-4).
The NFC title game isn’t short on intrigue, either, with legendary quarterback Brett Favre primed to get the Green Bay Packers back to the Super Bowl. The Pack hosts the New York Giants in Sunday’s conference championship game, beginning at 4:30 p.m. on KDVR-31.
HOOPS TO BE HAD
Regional rivalries on tap in Boulder and Laramie.
The Colorado Buffaloes host Nebraska on Tuesday and Air Force visits Wyoming on Wednesday in two enticing Big 12 and Mountain West conference men’s basketball games. The CU-Nebraska game is the Buffs’ Big 12 home opener.
Meanwhile, the CU women, ranked No. 23 nationally, host No. 13 Texas A&M on Wednesday. Six of the Big 12 women’s teams are in the top 25.
END OF ROAD FOR AVS
NHL team closing out long trip.
The Avalanche visits the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday to conclude a five-game road trip that began with one-goal losses against Detroit and Washington.
Colorado, which used three third- period goals to win at Carolina 5-4 Saturday and then nipped Florida 4-3 in a shootout Sunday, plays at home Friday against the Chicago Blackhawks. That game kicks off a five- game homestand that concludes Jan. 30 against those same Blackhawks.
NEXT FOR NUGGETS
Four games this week.
Coming off a 113-103 victory over Orlando in Denver, the Nuggets play road games tonight (against Charlotte) and Tuesday (Atlanta) and return to the Pepsi Center for division games Thursday (Utah) and Saturday (Minnesota).
The Nuggets (22-13) are 15-5 at home and 7-8 on the road.
Allen Iverson is averaging 26.9 points, 7.0 assists and 2.1 steals.
ENGINES ROARING
NASCAR season just a month away.
NASCAR’s Sprint Cup Series, formerly known as the Nextel Cup Series, begins its second winter test session today at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
So what happened to the offseason? Well, there isn’t much of one.
The 2007 season ended less than two months ago, but the new campaign begins in earnest in a month with the Daytona 500 on Feb. 17.
FRONT RANGE HOCKEY REVIVAL
Falcons get annual chance to upset DU and CC.
Air Force became Colorado’s college hockey darling last March by making its first NCAA Tournament appearance while traditional powers Denver and Colorado College watched the tournament unfold on their couches.
Now the unranked Falcons (11-7-4) have a chance to further prove they belong with the big boys hosting third-ranked DU (17-5) on Friday and visiting No. 4 CC (16-6) on Saturday in their annual one-game affairs against the Pioneers and Tigers.
Air Force is 2-27 against DU and 6-55-2 against CC. Last season the Falcons lost by the same score (2-1) to the Pioneers and Tigers.
Friday:
DU at Air Force, 7 p.m., FSN
Saturday:
Air Force at CC, 7 p.m.
Mike Chambers: 303-954-1357 or mchambers@denverpost.com
