If nothing else, Avalanche players this season showed they are nice guys, the kind others might describe as “so nice they’d give you the shirts off their backs.”
In the end, Avs fans got a teamwide dose of altruism, with players peeling off their sweaters and handing them to select fans after their final game of 2008-09.
The other truism fans got for most of the season was more unfortunate and was exemplified by Sunday’s game at the Pepsi Center. That is, it was probably going to be a close game, and the Avs probably were going to lose it.
The St. Louis Blues’ 1-0 win over Colorado, in the Avs’ 42nd one-goal game of the season, vaulted St. Louis from eighth to sixth in the final Western Conference standings — good enough for a first- round playoff matchup with the Vancouver Canucks. Avs players, on the other hand, will scatter in different directions, many with the knowledge they won’t be back in Denver for training camp in September.
Ian Laperriere could be one of them. After playing career game No. 1,001, the Avs’ fan favorite and potential free agent reflected on a season he knows will have employment repercussions throughout the organization.
“When you get a season like that, you’ve got to expect change,” Laperriere said. “Hopefully, you’re not part of it, but you don’t have any control over that for the next five months or so.”
Milan Hejduk should be back after probably the most consistent showing of any Avs player throughout the season. Hejduk, bathed in sweat and without his sweater from the postgame giveaway, called the season “one I don’t ever want to go through again.”
“I feel like we gave it everything we had today. Unfortunately, we were unable to score a goal, and it’s kind of the story of the whole year,” Hejduk said. “You just want to forget about this year and start positively next year. We’ll see what’s going to happen with this team.”
Among the unresolved questions going forward for the Avalanche is whether coach Tony Granato will return for the second year of his three-year contract. Until someone tells him otherwise, Granato will operate on the assumption he will return, analyzing what it will take to restore the Avs to the elite level they were accustomed to for so long.
“There’s no question there’s areas of our team we need to improve on,” he said. “Every summer, there’s changes and we have to find ways to improve our team. It’s a long summer, and the only benefit from a long summer is a chance to not only heal from injuries but to get the mental part of your game ready.
“This team has to come back with an edge next year, ready right at the start of training camp. You have a year like this, you want to get back out there right away to find a way to turn it around.”
Said Laperriere, “I just hope everybody in here takes a look in the mirror and reminds themselves what a bad feeling this is right now, and how they never want to feel it again. I hope that’s the way it’s going to be.”
Adrian Dater: 303-954-1360 or adater@denverpost.com
Avs Recap
The Post’s three stars
1. Chris Mason.
Blues goalie got the shutout.
2. Brad Boyes.
Scored the game’s only goal.
3. Andrew Raycroft.
Avs goalie played well.
What you might have missed
The Avs lost back-to-back 1-0 games for the first time in regular- season team history.
Adrian Dater, The Denver Post
