T1B

According to TSN because of a heart condition.

This sucks. Not only did he add a tangible presence on the ice for Colorado, but he had become a great leader for them. His health comes first, obviously, but damn it sucks to lose him right now.

They definitely missed his presence in the lineup last year. Luckily, that Laperriere signing was a great move by Lacroix and he should be able to step up and play an even bigger role on the team this year. Also, you'll need a bounce-back year from Hejduk and for youngsters like Svatos and Wolski to be major contributors. The West is very deep and I actually picked the Avs to miss the playoffs but I think several quality teams will be missing the playoffs given the balance in the league. That division is going to wicked with Calgary adding Tanguay, Edmonton is still strong after moving Pronger, Vancouver finally has some quality goaltending and the Wild's offense is much improved...gonna be tough for the Avs to keep up.

The definition of a class act
A great leader of men
A true patriot

He will be missed.

Rack Kono. One of my favorite Caps, up there with Bondra (before he became of cunt), Calle Johansson, Pivonka, Gustafsson, Dale hunter, and Mike Gartner.

Fuck Esa Tikkanen for missing that open net and fuck GMGM for letting Halpern go.

stuckinia wrote:Fuck Esa Tikkanen for missing that open net...

Good times...

Shoalzie wrote:They definitely missed his presence in the lineup last year. Luckily, that Laperriere signing was a great move by Lacroix and he should be able to step up and play an even bigger role on the team this year. Also, you'll need a bounce-back year from Hejduk and for youngsters like Svatos and Wolski to be major contributors. The West is very deep and I actually picked the Avs to miss the playoffs but I think several quality teams will be missing the playoffs given the balance in the league. That division is going to wicked with Calgary adding Tanguay, Edmonton is still strong after moving Pronger, Vancouver finally has some quality goaltending and the Wild's offense is much improved...gonna be tough for the Avs to keep up.

I don't really know where Lacroix got the "genius" label from. He's only made two or three deals in the last 10 years that made the Avalanche stronger- and several that left them worse off.

Brilliant Deals: Patrick Roy, Ray Bourque, Rob Blake. Props, but all three have departed now

Totally Fucked up ones: Paul Karyia/Teemu Sellane- signed for peanuts FOR ONE FUCKING YEAR; didn't get them the cup- Karyia sprained his twat and hardly played all year and Sellane couldn't have sucked more- plus they had to dump quality players like Steven Reinprecht, for instance, who came back to kick their asses later on.

Shoalzie wrote:They definitely missed his presence in the lineup last year. Luckily, that Laperriere signing was a great move by Lacroix and he should be able to step up and play an even bigger role on the team this year. Also, you'll need a bounce-back year from Hejduk and for youngsters like Svatos and Wolski to be major contributors. The West is very deep and I actually picked the Avs to miss the playoffs but I think several quality teams will be missing the playoffs given the balance in the league. That division is going to wicked with Calgary adding Tanguay, Edmonton is still strong after moving Pronger, Vancouver finally has some quality goaltending and the Wild's offense is much improved...gonna be tough for the Avs to keep up.

Laperriere and Brunette worked out better than anyone could have hoped. They both had career seasons and solidified themselves as key guys on the roster. I hope they can keep it up.

Don't even get me started on Hejduk. I'm still scratching my head about the fact that, while all the other premier goal scorers in the league were enjoying great years due to the rule changes, Hejduk wasn't even the leading goal scorer on his own team. You don't have to be a genius to know that something's wrong with that picture. The trade for Tanguay surprised me; I actually figured Hejduk was the odd man out after his subpar season, but I have to believe that if he doesn't turn it around this year (which is the last in his contract) he will no longer be wearing a Colorado uniform.

I've never been more uncertain about their potential than I am this season. They're relying a lot on unproven players at this point. Svatos needs to stay healthy, Wolski has tremendous potential, but that's as far as it goes so far. Stastny has impressed in the preseason and the rumor is he's a chip off the old block. With Kono gone, he's got as good a chance as anyone to get a spot in the lineup. Another big question is Tyler Arnason. They took a chance signing him, and no telling how it will turn out.

But the real concern starts on the other side of the blueline. They still lack size on defence, which is a big concern. Liles is a good young talent, but he's small for his position. Fortunately, they managed to hang on to Skrastins, who will be the blueline anchor this season. Vaananen and Brisebois are OK, but nothing to write home about, and Brisebois is taking up too much cap space. Leopold is just wait and see at this point. Could be great, could be awful.

And then there's goaltending. Theodore was a huge risk and I just don't know what to think at this point. I was not overly impressed with his performance last season, and the prospect pool in goal is thin for the Avs.

Certainly I don't expect them to win their division, but I'd say it's about an even money proposition for them to make the playoffs.

Cuda wrote:Totally Fucked up ones: Paul Karyia/Teemu Sellane- signed for peanuts FOR ONE FUCKING YEAR; didn't get them the cup- Karyia sprained his twat and hardly played all year and Sellane couldn't have sucked more- plus they had to dump quality players like Steven Reinprecht, for instance, who came back to kick their asses later on.

Kariya and Selanne wasn't really a trade. I actually don't blame Lacroix for signing them. If you've got an opportunity to sign one of the greatest tandems in the league for a bag of pucks, why not take the chance?

But you can't mention Totally Fucked up trades without mentioning Chris Drury (et al.) for Derek Morris (et al.)

Drury may not be lighting the lamp 50 times a year, but he's still one of the most clutch players in the game, and a great leader, a role which everyone in Colorado knew he would play. Meanwhile, does anyone even know who Derek Morris is anymore? Derek who?

The Flames alone have reaped the rewards of trading with Lacroix.

Regehr for Fleury, yup, thank you.

Drury and Yelle for Morris, Shantz and McAmmond (who was flipped back to us later that year), happy to do business.

Tanguay for Leopold, well, that wasn't Lacroix, but we'll send a thank-you note anyhow.

Genius is a huge stretch. Lacroix inherited a Nordiques team loaded with talent. They were dead last like 4 years in a row, in some of the richest draft years ever. And then the jackpot of a trade of Lindros, and suddenly you've got a powerhouse. Then they get bought by owners who were willing to spend whatever it took to ice an all-star team. Genius to trade for Patrick Roy? Bullshit, that's just a no-brainer if you've got the resources to get it done! Genius to trade for Ray Bourque? Only if you manage to get Bobby Orr in his prime too. Rob Blake? Same thing.

It's good to see AvFan have to suffer through some mediocrity. They were spoiled to begin with and their owner was willing to buy them out of any issues that came up.

Hobbes wrote:

Cuda wrote:Totally Fucked up ones: Paul Karyia/Teemu Sellane- signed for peanuts FOR ONE FUCKING YEAR; didn't get them the cup- Karyia sprained his twat and hardly played all year and Sellane couldn't have sucked more- plus they had to dump quality players like Steven Reinprecht, for instance, who came back to kick their asses later on.

Kariya and Selanne wasn't really a trade. I actually don't blame Lacroix for signing them. If you've got an opportunity to sign one of the greatest tandems in the league for a bag of pucks, why not take the chance?

THat's why I called it a "deal" not a "trade", and the reason it was totally fucked up was that everybody involved knew it was for ONE year, no more- and the fact that they had to dump at least 3 solid players to accommodate the ice time those two would command. Wouldn't have sucked to have Drury & Reinprecht last year- or this year, for that matter.

But you can't mention Totally Fucked up trades without mentioning Chris Drury (et al.) for Derek Morris (et al.)

Drury may not be lighting the lamp 50 times a year, but he's still one of the most clutch players in the game, and a great leader, a role which everyone in Colorado knew he would play. Meanwhile, does anyone even know who Derek Morris is anymore? Derek who?

Only reason I didn't mention that was I wasn't sure if dumping Drury & borrowing Morris was a result of the Karyia/Selanne dealio or not. I tend to put it in that category, though.

Lacroix may not be quite the genius he plays on TV, but the guy who replaced him is a clueless dumbfuck at best. Told Blake he was washed up and then promptly lost Hinote too. Playoffs? Don't be talking to me about playoffs!

JD wrote:Regehr for Fleury, yup, thank you.

Don't. Get me started on Regehr. They could have had him instead of that clueless numbnuts Skoula. The Fleury deal on top of that is like cutting yourself with a rusty knife, then rubbing salt, alcohol and lemon juice into it.

JD wrote:Genius is a huge stretch.

Genius is a huge stretch. The reason he got that misnomer was simply because he pulled the trigger on deals a lot of teams would have liked to make. That's not genius, it's just ownership with financial resources and the wherewithal to use them giving Lacroix the reigns. It also didn't do them any favors in the long run, as they traded a lot of draft picks away during those years.

Cuda wrote:then promptly lost Hinote too

I'm a big fan of Hinote, but St. Louis overpaid him. Great guy, count on him to chip in a few goals, and a tremendous work ethic, but he's not worth what he's getting. The Avs did right to let him walk.

The Avs have always been a very short sighted organization. They've made the big deals because they were willing to pay the jack to get it done and contend THIS year. But it seems like little thought was left to the future of the organization. As a result, they now are faced with cap issues and a prospects cupboard that is not as stocked as I'd like it to be. Lacroix was no genius, he just made a lot of big moves. A couple panned out, most didn't. Giguere may or may not be an improvement. I haven't seen enough to make up my mind yet.