DENVER—Adam Foote provided Colorado Avalanche fans one last reason to rejoice and one more thing to regret in a season that spun out of control in January.
In his farewell performance Sunday, the longtime defenseman delivered not only big hits, but a parting feel-good win as Colorado beat Edmonton in one of the rare bright spots in an otherwise dreary season.
With Foote’s retirement went one of the last links to the franchise’s glory days when the Avalanche captured Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001.
Foote played 19 seasons in the NHL, including 17 with the Colorado/Quebec franchise. His last shift now complete, Foote leaves fixing the team in the hands of another former great—Joe Sakic.
Only this time “Super Joe” will help out wearing a suit instead of a sweater.
Sakic returns to the team in an executive role, ready to roll up his sleeves and repair a squad that appeared on the right track just a season ago, when a youthful Avalanche bunch made the playoffs.
He’s got his work cut out as the Avs won their fewest games (30) and tallied their fewest points in the standings (68) since relocating from Quebec to Denver in 1995. They set a franchise record with 10 straight losses two times during a 1-18-2 stretch that sent their season into a tailspin, where they finished ahead of only the Oilers.
What’s more, that burgeoning nucleus is no longer completely intact.
Gone are youngsters Chris Stewart and Kevin Shattenkirk, dealt to the St. Louis Blues for 2006 No. 1 pick Erik Johnson, along with Jay McClement, in an attempt to shake the Avs out of their midseason funk.
Stewart demonstrated his scoring panache for the Blues, collecting 23 points in 26 games, while Johnson, the big, controlling defenseman the Avs were seeking, wound up a minus-5 since the trade.
The team also sent Craig Anderson—the backbone of the 2009-10 postseason run—to Ottawa for Brian Elliott in an exchange of two struggling goalies.
And while Elliott’s troubles persisted with Colorado, finishing with a 2-8 mark, Anderson excelled, returning to his form of old and going 11-5 with his new team. He also earned a new four-year, $12.75 million deal in Ottawa.
Colorado was in the thick of the playoff chase until January, when left wing Tomas Fleischmann was lost for the season with blood clots in his lungs. He had compiled 21 points in 22 games after coming over from Washington on Nov. 30 for defenseman Scott Hannan.
Former Avalanche standout Peter Forsberg also decided to test out his chronically injured foot, rejoining the team on the ice in mid-January. The Swedish star finally pulled the plug on his latest comeback try and on his career a month later after a two-game stint.
From there, the season kept going south, resulting in another top-three pick in the June draft.
The last time Colorado found itself in this situation, the team selected Matt Duchene with the third overall pick in 2009. He’s blossomed into an All-Star, becoming the youngest player in franchise history to lead the team in scoring with 67 points this season.
Duchene couldn’t put a finger on what happened or why the slide lasted so long.
“In this league, once you start going downhill, it’s very tough to bring it back,” the 20-year-old said. “I think it was a great learning experience. Hopefully, it won’t ever happen again.”
For the past two seasons, Duchene was taken in by Foote and his family, allowed to live in the veteran’s basement. Duchene received quite an NHL education from Foote, making it difficult to see him step away.
“(Foote) is going to be a guy that when I’m hopefully still in Denver and sitting at that table in my retirement, he’s going to be here,” Duchene said. “A guy I’m thanking for what he’s brought to me. He’s been great for me.”
Foote’s departure hit close to home for forward Milan Hejduk, who’s in the twilight of his career, too, even if he’s still playing at a high level. Hejduk notched his 11th straight season with at least 20 goals, tying him with Sakic for the franchise record.
Will he be back to add to the streak?
“At this point, I’ll more likely angle toward playing,” the 35-year-old Hejduk said. “But you never know. It’s been a hard year for everybody.”
Avalanche coach Joe Sacco heads into the offseason on the hot seat after his second season with the team went sour.
“We tried to remain focused. We tried to keep our players focused as best as possible,” Sacco said. “Nothing changes from our side.”
Part of the reason for the slide was an onslaught of injuries. For the second straight season, no Colorado player suited up in all 82 games. The team also lost a franchise-record 474 man games to injury, including forward Peter Mueller, who missed the entire year with a concussion.
In all, 39 players dressed for Colorado this season, tying the Avalanche mark for most players used in a single season.
“Everything was working well until around Christmas and for some reason we hit the wall,” Hejduk said. “Since then I don’t know how many games we won, but it wasn’t that many.
“It was no fun the last three months.”
