Avs management at fault. “Fire coach Joel Quenneville, and the Avalanche might make the playoffs as the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Keep him, and the Avs will miss the playoffs again this year. But we will be able to say Colorado was the best NHL team that didn’t make the playoffs.”
Joe, Thousand Oaks, Calif.
Kiz: OK, I heard your beef. Now here’s mine. In the NHL’s salary cap age, the gap between Detroit and Colorado has only grown wider and wider and wider. That’s not Quenneville’s fault. When will fingers of blame be pointed at Avs management?
Lynch not in Atwater’s class. “Have you lost your mind? How can you say John Lynch is the best safety to put on a Denver uniform? Steve Atwater contributed more in a season than Lynch has in his entire career with the Broncos. Face the facts. Denver signed an aging player already on the downside of his career. He makes some plays, but never makes big plays. Lynch is a great man and great teammate. He is not, however, an elite safety. The Broncos need to make the hard decision right now and move on.”
Josh, Butte, Mont.
Kiz: Do you really want to argue with a crazy man? I’ve always believed the real MVP of the Broncos’ win against Green Bay in the Super Bowl was Atwater. Lynch, however, was bound for the Hall of Fame before he arrived in Denver.
Lynch must go … now. “Lynch is an anchor around the neck of the Broncos’ defense. My friends and I prayed he would retire. But now that popularity got him to another Pro Bowl, we are dismayed to be stuck with him another year, because we’re sure Lynch won’t retire now.”
Rob, Denver
Kiz: The key to the Denver defense in 2008 is not Lynch. It’s the pass rush. Or did you not see how the New York Giants won a championship?
Priority: make games safer. “Read your column about NHL player Richard Zednik getting his throat slashed by a teammate’s skate. I coach youth hockey for the Arapahoe Warriors. Last summer, my 14-year-old son took a tumble during a game and skated toward me with a horrified look on his face. He rolled over his wrist to reveal a 3-inch hole and tendons showing. He was cut by a skate. When I sat him down and others called 911, my son looked at me and asked if he could die. Doctors found seven cut tendons and nerve damage. After hours of surgery and many stitches, he was put back together. He has healed, but has a very ugly scar on his wrist and in his mind. In Canada, youth hockey players must wear neck guards to protect against a cut artery like Zednik received. It would be a good idea for USA Hockey to consider the same rule.”
Mark, Castle Rock
Kiz: While many parents seem intent on making youth sports more intense, it’s good to hear from one lucky dad who wants to make the games our kids play safer.
Letting Harrell go — big mistake. ” ‘Crush enters ’08 without Harrell’ is the headline that causes me to write my first letter to a newspaper. I was thinking: Car crash? NFL contract? No, receiver Damian Harrell signed a free-agent contract with the rival Chicago Rush! The Crush won’t be the same, and this should not have happened. John Elway has gone to the dark side. He might as well pack it in as a Crush executive and run for the Senate as a Republican.”
Steve, Denver
Kiz: Never thought I’d see the day when tears were shed for a pinball football player. Guess your league has arrived, Mr. Elway.
Parting shot
And today’s parting shot is a blast from the past, when you weren’t considered a square if you played fair.
“It’s not the American way to cheat and subsequently lie about it. Individuals such as Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens and Bill Belichick who engage in this behavior are fundamentally wrong.”
Larry, Centennial
