You did it. Almost, anyways. You’re almost through the day you thought you couldn’t make it through – the day after the Avalanche . (Sorry for bringing it up again. I bet the last part of that sentence pierced your soul like my ill-fated *NSYNC-y ear-piercing of 1999.)
Niederreiter is the new . Dead! The “Animal House”-esque hatred for Minnesota’s Nino Niederreiter is burgeoning throughout Colorado where, even though the sun is shining, it’s hardly sunny today. The only comfort is that there is a photo on the Internet of the game-winning goal-scorer sticking out his tounge .
As for the Avs, I’ve said this before: Even if the they had lost the series, 4-0, and lost each game, 4-0, the overall season would have been a success, because they started from the bottom, now they’re here. They had the No. 1 pick in the draft last year, and just months later, we’re talking Stanley Cup. Bonkers.
So yeah, awesome season, but for now, there’s still a bruise from Game 7. It still hurts, and it should. That’s the one good thing about this — so many people in this transient city are back on board (or now on board) with the Avs, that there is a collective, shared pain after losing a tough one. This of course will only make next year’s possible playoff win even sweeter.
(Also, by the way, this hockey thing is weird. In the West, both No. 3 seeds beat the No. 2 seeds, including the Kings winning Games 4-7 to take out the Sharks, and of course the wild-card Wild defeated the division-winning Avs. And in the East, No. 2 Tampa Bay was swept!)
I asked my Twitter followers how this day has been for them, and how they got through the day. Here are some responses:
A bottle of Breckenridge whiskey.
— Nick Montoya (@nickmon13)
Doing great! Turned off the game with 3 minutes left and I'm excited for the next round! When is the next game?
— Cole Hamilton (@ColeDH_MHH)
Girl at the office: “Why'd you shave your beard?”
Me: “Ugh.”
Girl: “Did they lose?”
Me: “Ugh. I gotta go”
But now off to Vegas!
— Brian Dea (@bdea13)
Depressed but excited for next year proud of them
— Johnny (@Sportster5280)
it's been a long day but the future of the Avs is very bright
— Hank Dowd (@HankTheTank24)
doesn't even compare to after the Ravens or SB. “Aw shucks” disappointment versus weeks of devastation and depression
— tyler stapp (@tystapp11)
I've spent most of the day crying or in bed. Or both. I'm not an Avs fan, though.
— DJ Gallo (@DJGalloEtc)
Benjamin Hochman: bhochman@denverpost.com or twitter.com/hochman
