They’re hockey players, not pro bowlers.
That much was evident Monday when the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks didn’t practice and instead went bowling at Lucky Strike Lanes at the Denver Pavilions.
On the eve of your ninth consecutive road game, why not take a break?
“To tell you the truth, the coaching staff was dragging their butts, and we didn’t play,” coach Randy Carlyle said.
He added, “To a man, they were much happier going bowling than they were coming to practice. . . . It gives you time to do something with one another. If you want to call it team bonding or whatnot, it’s hard to call it team bonding when you’ve been on a 16-day road trip. They’ve seen a lot of one another, but it was in a different venue. And looking at the scores that people bowled, it brings everybody to the same level.”
Carlyle said the players divided up the teams, and integrated the coaches into the teams. “I cannot criticize my teammates because I didn’t hold up my end,” he said.
Updates.
Avalanche coach Joel Quenneville continued to target Thursday’s game against St. Louis as a possible return to the lineup for Ryan Smyth. Smyth took part in the morning skate. “Hopefully, if everything goes according to plan, there’s a good chance he’s going to play on Thursday,” Quenneville said.
He said Paul Stastny has recovered from his appendectomy, but what’s keeping him out of the lineup now are “some groin issues.”
With winger Scott Parker unable to play because of the flu, the Avalanche suited up seven defensemen against the Ducks.
Terry Frei
