He deserved it. That’s the bottom line in the Avalanche’s Adam Foote receiving the coveted captain’s “C” on Friday afternoon.
Yes, he left the Avs for more money a few years ago, and yes, his time as captain of the Columbus Blue Jackets didn’t go so well. But Foote never wanted to leave Denver in the first place.
Coming out of the NHL lockout in 2005, however, the Avs found themselves ill-prepared for a world where $39 million was the maximum payroll. Astute fans will remember that not only were some hefty contracts still on the books after the lockout, but Joe Sakic and Rob Blake were each owed hefty bonuses that counted toward the cap.
When the Blue Jackets phoned with a huge offer, at much more money than Colorado could afford, Foote reluctantly left. He never led the Blue Jackets to the kind of success former general manager Doug Mac- Lean promised when he signed him, and there was plenty of controversy toward the end of his stay in Ohio.Foote was accused of orchestrating his departure in advance, and that if he didn’t get his way in wanting to be traded back to the Avs, he would cause problems in the locker room.
Foote has a healthy ego, to be sure, and it isn’t inconceivable that he pulled strings to leave Columbus. But at the time, the team was a circus, more to do with bad management than anything Foote did on or off the ice.
Blue Jackets fans have chortled since the trade, happy to send Foote packing and happy with the first- round pick they got in exchange, claiming Foote is washed up at 38. But people forget how quickly the Avs’ fortunes turned around when they got Foote back. They went from being out of the playoff picture to a team that knocked off Minnesota in the first round. Foote played a huge role in that victory with his shut- down defense of Wild star Marian Gaborik.
Last year? Nothing went right, for Foote or the rest of the the Avs. But it’s a new season, and Foote getting the “C” gets it off to a good start. Foote has done a lot for the Avs on the ice and for the Denver community.
That’s why he deserved the “C” — which in hockey is the highest letter grade a player can get.
