The Hockey Writers

On Friday afternoon, the Arizona Coyotes finished off the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup qualifiers, winning Game 4 in overtime on a Brad Richardson goal that clinched the franchise’s first playoff appearance since the 2011-12 season. The eight-year drought is over. The ‘Yotes are officially back in the postseason. Their reward for getting over the hump and … [Read more...] about Previewing the Coyotes-Avalanche Matchup

After falling just short of the top seed in the Western Conference, the Avalanche are ready to begin Round 1 of the playoffs against the seventh seed Arizona Coyotes. The Coyotes defeated the Nashville Predators in the Qualifying Round which marks the first time in eight years they have made the playoffs. There’s no doubt that they will have their hands full this series, with … [Read more...] about Avalanche Look Good on Paper but Coyotes’ Experience May Cause Havoc in Round 1

Aug. 10 has been a very day busy in National Hockey League history. A relocated team got its new identity and logo. An expansion team made its first-ever trade. A coaching change was made and two future successful head coaches found new homes during their playing days. Avalanche Get Their Identity On Aug. 10, 1995, the former Quebec Nordiques officially name themselves … [Read more...] about Today in Hockey History: Aug. 10

The Colorado Avalanche got the best of the Vegas Golden Knights during the regular season back on Dec. 23 and Oct. 25 with commanding 7-3 and 6-1 victories respectively. However, playoff hockey is not the same as the regular season in which the Avs were bested by Vegas with 15 seconds remaining in the overtime period. Game highlights from the Avalanche final round robin … [Read more...] about Avalanche Takeaways From Round-Robin Game Versus Golden Knights

The year is 1994. The location is Lillehammer, Norway. It’s a sudden death shootout in the Olympic hockey finals. With the crowd screaming, Peter Forsberg is at the opposite blue line staring at Canada’s goalie, Corey Hirsch. Forsberg skates in and makes a move towards Hirsch’s right. All of a sudden with one hand he moves the puck to Hirsch’s left and slides the puck just … [Read more...] about Peter “Foppa” Forsberg: A Biography

The Colorado Avalanche kept the good times rolling with a convincing 4-0 victory over the Dallas Stars in their second round-robin game. The win improves the team to a 2-0-0 record and tied for the top seed in the Western Conference round-robin tournament play. They did not need a last-second goal in this one to get the victory, as the Avs scored the opening goal of … [Read more...] about Avalanche Takeaways From Game 2 Round-Robin Win Over Stars

A key tenet of Colorado Avalanche general manager Joe Sakic’s roster development strategy is to build through the draft. This keeps costs low by providing the club with cost-controlled assets for several years and it gives leverage to the front office during contract negotiations with veterans on expiring contracts. Specifically, there’s an expectation for the early draft picks … [Read more...] about Avalanche Prospect Profile: Alex Newhook

After coming off a 3-2 victory in their exhibition matchup against the Minnesota Wild, the Avalanche shifted their focus to their first of three round-robin games against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues. Related: Senators’ 3 Free Agent Targets The Avalanche would go on to take down the Blues in what was a tightly fought game right down to the last 0.1 … [Read more...] about Avalanche Takeaways From Round-Robin Victory Over Blues

A couple of months ago, when I wrote that the Colorado Avalanche farm system is weak down the middle, I didn’t mean it as a slight on Shane Bowers. He successfully made the switch to left-wing last fall in the AHL at the encouragement of Colorado Eagles’ head coach Greg Cronin. Bowers’ development on the wing has paid off, having been named to the 2020 Avalanche playoff roster. … [Read more...] about Avalanche Prospect Profile: Shane Bowers