Denver Post sports writer Adrian Dater posts his Avs Mailbag every Thursday during the 2007-08 NHL season on DenverPost.com. The next installment, however, is slated for March 13.
To drop an Avalanche- or NHL-related question into the Avs Mailbag or visit DenverPost.com’s .
Is Coach Q in trouble? I think he’s taken this team about as far as he can. Do you think he’ll be back?
— Mike Laden, Conifer
Mike – Well, now that the Avs have Peter Forsberg, Adam Foote and Ruslan Salei added to their roster for the final push, the heat is a little hotter on Coach Q, that’s for sure.
Joel Quenneville does not have a contract for next season, so one would presume Avs management is waiting to see what happens the rest of the way before making a decision on his future.
If they keep losing games and don’t make the playoffs, I think it’s going to be a dicey proposition that he’s back next year. He’s had three years at the helm now (four if you count the cancelled season), and it will be two years in a row they’ll have missed the playoffs. I think, however, that some consideration will be given to how hard hit this team was by injuries much of the year to key players. How much consideration, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Five things Avs need to hoist it?
— MCHammer, Ogunquit, Maine
MC – Your question was asked before Foppa, Footer and Rusty Salei were added, so I think I can list those as the first three. I can’t tell you how crazy the last couple of days have been, being here in Canada during an NHL trade deadline and the Avs having old-home week.
Everything happened so fast. It was nuts. If you have never been in Canada on trade deadline day – and you’re a hockey nut – I encourage you to see what it’s like. The sports networks here broadcast live all day, with anchors sitting around clucking tongues and checking Blackberrys with feverish intensity.
Hockey rules north of the border, that’s for sure. In the States, hockey rarely gets a mention from the men and women in pancake makeup and pretty hair.
As for the other two things the Avs need, they need better goaltending than they’ve gotten in the last few games (Theodore’s game in Phoenix notwithstanding). And, um, maybe a goal on the power play! They are LAST in the league on the PP. How has that happened, with a team that has Ryan Smyth, Joe Sakic, Paul Stastny, Milan Hejduk, etc? I’m sure No. 21 will help things in that dept., however. He’s one of the best setup men in NHL history.
Do you think the Avs ever regretted trading Stephane Yelle? It seems obvious to me the Avs haven’t had a solid third-line center ever since Yelle departed. Yelle was great on faceoffs (which the Avs still are horrible at), played great defense and chipped in the occasional goal now and then.
— Loren, Loveland
Loren – Yes, Yelle has been missed at times. He was always a great PK guy, and that’s an area that has been a trouble spot for a couple years now.
And faceoffs, too.
Yelle has slowed down a little, but is still a good player.
A.D. – Is there an assistant coach who determines line or player changes?
— Francois, New York
Francois – I’m sure a lot of assistants make the occasional change, but it’s primarily the head coach who does all that. Line changes are one of the really unique things about hockey, and I’m always amazed there’s not a foul-up all the time doing it. With players moving that fast, it has to be hard to organize and keep track of as a coach, but somehow they find a way without taking too many too-many-men violations.
Adrian – Greetings from our nation’s capital! I’ve been an Avs fan since the beginning, and I’ve seen the wheels slowly loosen and begin to fall off since ’02. I am wondering – which departure over the past five years do you think has had the biggest impact? Drury? Foppa? Footie? Rob Blake? Thanks.
— Craig, Washington
Craig – Tough question. . He’s a winner, period, and his clutch goals have been sorely, sorely missed.
Foppa was a big loss, no question. I mean, duh. He’s Peter Forsberg. , so the pain isn’t so bad right now, is it?
, and he was missed. But Columbus probably won’t remember his stay so fondly. Things just didn’t go as well in the Buckeye State as No. 52 hoped – and I hear things got a little ugly with him and management at the end over his contract.
Losing a Rob Blake isn’t so much fun for any hockey team, but let’s face it, he’s a little long in the tooth now and probably not worth the money he’s been paid since he left – and wanted to keep playing with the Avs.
What ever became of Adam Deadmarsh since his retirement from the game? I know that the Avalanche honored him during a game against the Kings a couple of seasons ago.
— Michael Ringler, Denver
Michael – Actually, the Kings were the team that honored Deadmarsh, in a game at the Staples Center. The Avs were the opponent that night, and the Avs paid their respects as well. But it was a Kings function.
Deadmarsh is mostly just living a retired kind of life in British Columbia, the last I heard anyway. It really stunk that he had to retire at such an early age, from concussion problems. I think those are under control now, but Deadmarsh has given up on a return to the league.
He was a tough hombre, and a great guy, and a very smart player, too. His hockey knowledge was a lot better than people realized, and he did a lot of big things with the Avs.
People also forget how good he was for a while with the Kings, too. He knocked the Red Wings out of the playoffs in 2001 with an overtime goal, and remember that Kings line of him, Jason Allison and Ziggy Palffy against the Avs in the next round? They DOMINATED every shift against the Avs in that series – against an Avs defense with Ray Bourque, Foote and Blake. That’s how tough that line was. Then, Allison got hurt in Game 6 and could barely skate in Game 7 in Denver. A healthy Allison might have meant no Stanley Cup that year for the Avs.
Watching the Avs take on the Ducks this evening, my wife and I had the following questions: Do NHL players have to purchase their own equipment (sticks, pads, skates, etc.), or does the club pick up that tab? How many sticks, on average, will a full-time NHL player go through in a season?
— Ed Baker, Arvada
Ed – No, the team shells out for all hockey equipment. Otherwise, you’d probably see many guys trying to play with one stick all year. Some are pretty tight with a dollar.
Most players have 5-10 extra sticks laying around, in case they break. They order them to their personal preference, and companies ship them to the teams. That’s why hockey teams have some huge FedEx bills. Sending sticks isn’t cheap.
Why do you think Ryan Smyth is behind the net on the power play most of the time? The last time I checked, it’s hard to tip in a goal, which was his bread and butter in Edmonton, from that position.
— Sean, Denver
Sean – Yeah, well, valid point. But I do think if you watch Smitty play long enough, you’ll see him in front of the net quite a bit. Any point shot on the power play that he’s on the ice for, he’s almost certainly going to be in front of the net trying to tip the puck, put in rebounds or screen the goalie – or all three.
Some players are great behind the net, though. That was always the “office” for Wayne Gretzky, and Peter Forsberg set up a fair number of goals from back there.
Adrian Dater 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 .
