Yelle’ins

Nostalgia

Sports are weird: Obviously geography has a lot to do with teams we root for, but what about for sports that are devoid of the local team? How does that work? I’m of the belief that you don’t ask to be a fan and get accepted, that seems too forced. The teams just suck you in somehow. It doesn’t always have to make sense or be logical, but it just happens. Take for example myself. I’m a Cincinnatian so naturally I root for the Reds and Bengals, I also root for Xavier, but how did I become a fan of hockey and soccer teams. I’m a Newcastle soccer fan…I became a Newcastle fan while rooting for Chelsea to beat Newcastle (bc video games) and by the end of the match I was elated to see Newcastle win. The next year they’re relegated and I’m tweet following some rando European soccer club praying they get promoted. Newcastle choose me. With regards to the Avalanche, I followed the team from Quebec. Not because I was a Quebecois or that I had family from there who rooted for them, but because I obtained a Joe Sakic rookie card one day about 6 months before the team moved to Colorado. Between that and the Stanley Cup I’ve been a fan ever since. Something so silly as a piece of cardboard with a dudes picture on it has brought me to the team. I have no ties to the community, I don’t particularly like the Kroenke’s, the team has largely been in shambles for a decade, but here I sit suffering with all of you through 48 point seasons because of a piece of fucking cardboard. Sports are weird; please feel free to share your stories about how you came to be fans of the Avs or another team you root for.

Offseason in a Nutshell:

Thus far the Avalanche off season has gone relatively well.  Much of the dead weight that has been holding the team back over the last couple seasons has been shipped out.  Joe Sakic is holding true to his word on a new mantra of #youngerandfaster with the oldest incoming acquisition being 29 year old Jonathan Bernier.  Bringing in only 3 NHL players while “losing” 7 NHL regulars means that multiple roster spots are available for talented youngsters on ELC’s.  In my opinion the best thing the organization has done this off season is not to hand out long term contracts to replacement level players.  The team is on solid footing from a cap perspective and they are starting to fill out organization depth with some high quality talent.

• Ins:  Jonathan Bernier, Nail Yakupov, & Colin Wilson
• Outs:  Calvin Pickard, Francois Beauchemin, Fedor Tyutin, Patrick Wiercioch, Mikhail Grigorenko, John Mitchell, & Rene Bourque

However, it’s not all sunshine and burgundy rainbows in Avsland just yet.  The jury is still out on a final verdict with 2 major charges still left unresolved.  The two biggest issues facing Sakic and Co this offseason were solving the Matt Duchene conundrum and putting pen to paper on  Nikita Zadorov RFA Contract.

• Here is Joe Sakic’s Pitch to would be Matt Duchene buyers:

• Though I’m not sure there is much cause for concern on a Nikita Zadorov deal eventually being finalized one has to wonder which will come first:  The Zadorov contract being finalized or Shaq solving the pythagorean theorem.

As the season nears there is only one thing left to do…yes, we need to go full Braveheart:

Stat du Jour

Since Tim Army became an assistant coach with the Colorado Avalanche the best power play percentage the team had has been 19.8% (the year of the Wonder Team). In the same time frame Ray Bennett’s Blues worst power play percentage was 19.5%. Here’s to hoping for immediate results.

Thought of the Week

I mentioned above that I’m also a Newcastle soccer fan.  That team has certainly been through it’s fair share of (largely self inflicted) troubles in recent years.  Near the beginning of their last season things between the fans and the organization were coming to a head.  The overriding theme from the fans perspective that was coming out of Tyneside is something that I think Avalanche fans can relate to:  “We don’t demand a team that wins, we demand a team that tries.”  You don’t get to a 48 point season without lots of things going wrong, but something infectious happened last year.  You get to a 48 point season by quitting, by not trying.  We as fans have a fine line to balance between sticking by the team and taking our time and interest elsewhere.  We need to demand a team and organization that tries.

Today’s Tunes

Welcome back my friends.  This song perfectly describes what you the reader can expect here at Burgundy-Rainbow.com.  I know we are excited to offer you this coverage and I hope you’ll find us entertaining and informative.  I’m so glad you came along, come inside, come inside the show is about to start.