hockey
We talk pucks and objects of that kind. We yell, complain, and analyze in the language of hockey fandom. Gretzky can do no wrong.
Avalanche Game 38 Recap: New Year, Same Resolve
To the eight billion people in this big, wide world, it's a new year. To the percentage of us who are hockey fans, it's January. Here's what January means in the NHL: it's no longer "early." January is the last full month before the NHL goes on their All-Star break, and for all of the league's 32 franchises, it's the last chance to get in a good position heading into that break, because chances are, if you're in a good spot by the All-Star break, playoffs are in your future.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 28 Recap: True Grit
A funny thing happened entering the Colorado Avalanche's latest game: the Winnipeg Jets moved into first place in the Central Division. The Jets' win in Anaheim on Sunday moved them past Colorado and Dallas in the standings, but thankfully, the Avs had the chance to remedy that, as the homestand continued against the Calgary Flames. This is the second meeting of the season between the Avs and Flames, with Round 1 going to Colorado.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 25 Recap: Too Close for Comfort
The Colorado Avalanche's three-game road trip was not a successful one. The team lost all three games, but two of them were in extra time, so that a resulted in two more points in the standings. Even so, it's a bitter pill to swallow, and it's often said that home cooking cures all ills. That's what the Avs will receive for the next five games. A long overdue lengthy homestand kicked off with a meeting with the Anaheim Ducks; the third and final meeting of the season. The first game saw the Avs clobber the Ducks, 8-2, while the second meeting was a comeback win for the Ducks, as they won 4-3 via the shootout after trailing 3-1.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 24 Recap: A Rough Road Trip
The Colorado Avalanche's visit to Anaheim didn't go as planned; what started out as a 3-1 lead turned into a shootout loss to the Anaheim Ducks. So far, the three game swing saw back-to-back post-regulation losses, and it has now reached a conclusion, as the Avs headed to the City of Angels to face off against the Los Angeles Kings. Los Angeles is where the Avs' 2023-24 season began, and Game #1 ended with the Avalanche winning 5-2, capped off by Mikko Rantanen's four point performance.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 23 Recap: The Best Defense is a Good Offense
After an overtime loss in the Arizona desert, the Colorado Avalanche headed to Southern California for the last two games of the three-game road trip. Regarding Part 2 of the swing, the Avs headed to The OC's largest city: Anaheim. This is the second meeting of the season between the Avalanche and Ducks; the first meeting took place on November 15, an 8-2 win over the Ducks at Ball Arena. The teams will meet once more this upcoming Tuesday in Denver.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The Iconic History of the Hart Memorial Trophy
For many years, I've been fascinated by the National Hockey League's individual trophies, with the main one being the immensely prestigious Hart Memorial Trophy. The Hart Trophy is awarded to the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the entire NHL, the highest individual honor in the league. Regarding other leagues, the NBA and the NFL's MVP awards cover the solitary league, while Major League Baseball awards MVPs in the American and National Leagues. But regarding the NHL, there's just something about the Hart Trophy. It covers 82 games of a sport that is grueling, difficult, and stressful, but often worth the headaches.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 22 Recap: Down in the Desert
The red-hot Colorado Avalanche, coming off a big win over the Tampa Bay Lightning, took their winning tear far west for a three game road trip. First up, a stop over in Tempe to face off against the Arizona Coyotes, a team who has been a surprising challenge for the Avs in recent years. The two teams have only been division rivals since the 2021-22 season, which saw the Coyotes moved to the Central Division to make way for the expansion Seattle Kraken's placement in to the Pacific Division. As an Avs fan, I do thank the Coyotes for allowing us to acquire Darcy Kuemper. We only had him for that season, but it resulted in a Stanley Cup.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
There's Something Rotten in Edmonton
You know, the phrase "jumping the shark" has been thrown around for decades in the world of television. The phrase comes from that infamous episode of Happy Days where The Fonz jumps over a shark on his motorcycle--a plotline that many saw as a desperate and odd ratings ploy. Since then, anytime TV shows do something wild, crazy, and unexpected for ratings, that phrase comes up: jump the shark.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 11 Recap: Chaos, Chaos, and More Chaos
Thankfully, we Colorado Avalanche fans had a lot of time to lick our wounds after the drubbing in Vegas. Two days off, followed by a return to the team's beloved Ball Arena for a three game homestand. First up, the New Jersey Devils, who are off to a good start after a season where they reached the Elite Eight. It's always nostalgic for me when the Devils and Avs get together, mainly because this was the Cup Final in 2001.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 10 Recap: Lemons
Every fan of a certain team has a list of certain games they look forward to the most. For Colorado Avalanche fans, one of them was played already--the first meeting against the Seattle Kraken. The second one, has to be...has to be the first meeting against the Vegas Golden Knights. We are talking about the last two teams to hoist the Stanley Cup; the Avs did it in 2022, and the Golden Knights did it last year. For me, I was definitely looking forward to this, because this was the Avs chance to basically tell the Knights, "Hey, you know that Cup you guys won? Yeah, we're gonna want that back."
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
The 2023-24 Sharks: Worst Team Ever?
You know, I had spent the last two weeks wondering what my first hockey story of this young season should be. There are a lot of good storylines that have developed within the first month of the season. So many amazing things have occurred this season, and a lot of them are definitely worthy of a piece on Vocal.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
Avalanche Game 9 Recap: Back on Track
While the month of October had been kind to the Colorado Avalanche, the last two games hadn't been. The Avs went 6-2 in the season's opening month, but the last two games were shutout losses on the road--in back-to-back games. The Avalanche's November kicked off with a home game against the St. Louis Blues, only their third home game of the season. In addition, this was the first "Division Rivalry" game of the season, which sees the Avs donning their alternate third jerseys for the game.
By Clyde E. Dawkins12 months ago in Unbalanced
