Avalanche players all seem to miss Andrew Brunette. Not just because he was a good player and teammate, but for the many needling jokes that could be made at his expense.
Brunette’s nickname with the Avs was “Kitty,” because he was cat-quick on skates. Then there were the various fantasy leagues Brunette organized with teammates, and the “Bru-Cats” homemade T-shirts he walked around in.
“He was a self-proclaimed fantasy expert,” Avs defenseman John-Michael Liles said, grinning. “He was supposedly a fantasy football expert, and he was 0-4 to start (this) season, I guess. He was claiming he had them right where he wanted them.”
Brunette, who returns to the Pepsi Center tonight to play against the Avs for the first time since re-signing with the Minnesota Wild, takes any and all kidding in stride. But he is still not in much of a laughing mood when the subject of his most recent fantasy baseball team is brought up.
The Bru-Cats were leading in the semifinals of his league, going into the final day, and had a pitcher, Seattle’s Brandon Morrow, with a shutout after six innings against Oakland. All the Bru-Cats needed to win the round was their slim team ERA lead to stay intact.
“Just brutal,” Brunette said, adding that Morrow gave up two runs in the seventh. “Take him out!”
Otherwise, Brunette is having a good time these days, back with the Wild. Despite a loss Tuesday to San Jose, the Wild enters tonight’s game with the Avs tied for first in the Northwest Division, and Brunette has been a key contributor. The 35-year-old winger has four goals and eight points in 11 games in the first year of a three-year, $7 million contract. But he goes into tonight’s game with antipathy.
“It’s never really that much fun playing your old team. I’ve got a lot of friends over there,” Brunette said. “It’s a weird feeling. It’s kind of like the first year when I left Minnesota. It’s never fun. It’s not something that’s enjoyable, especially the first one.”
Brunette scored 205 points in 246 games for Colorado, along with 17 points in 19 playoff games. Only Joe Sakic had more points (227) in the three seasons Brunette played with the Avs, and he never missed a game — he’s the reigning NHL ironman, playing in 463 consecutive games.
Despite that — and despite the fact Brunette averaged only a little more than $1 million per year in average salary those three years — the Avs chose not to offer Brunette a contract in the offseason. The Avs felt rookie David Jones was ready to assume more responsibility and that Darcy Tucker would be a player similar to Brunette.
“It was tough to see him go, but it’s a business,” Liles said. “He was not only a great player, but a great guy off the ice, and anytime you see a guy like that go, it’s tough.”
Avs coach Tony Granato said, “It looks like he’s the same Bruno, making plays around the net.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Minnesota at Colorado
7 p.m. tonight, ALT, KCKK 1510 AM, KRCN 1060 AM
Spotlight on Mikko Koivu: As the Avalanche saw in last season’s playoffs, the Wild center is an emerging star. Koivu is good at both ends of the ice and was perhaps Minnesota’s best player in its first-round loss to Colorado. He is off to a fine start this season as well.
Notebook
Avalanche: Captain Joe Sakic left practice early Wednesday with a strained back. Avs coach Tony Granato doesn’t believe the injury is serious, but there’s a chance Sakic might not be able to play tonight. More will be determined at this morning’s skate. . . . Peter Budaj will start in goal for Colorado, loser of four consecutive games. He is 6-5-2 against the Wild, with a 2.78 goals-against average.
Wild: Defenseman Brent Burns (upper body) did not practice Wednesday and hasn’t played in more than a week. He is unlikely to play tonight. . . . Former Av Owen Nolan, signed by Minnesota as a free agent, is on the injured reserve list. . . . Star forward Marian Gaborik, the subject of recent trade rumors, will not play because of a lower body injury. He has not played since Oct. 14. Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
